I catch Katniss looking weirdly at me from where she's crouching under an oak 30 feet from here while we wait for the deer we saw earlier to appear. Oh well, if she wants something she'll ask me, there's no point trying to figure out what's on her mind.

It scares me though. I used to know everything about her. I used to know exactly how she worked and what she thought about by only watching her posture or facial expression. I knew exactly how she would react to everything, but she's changed so much since she came home from the Games. I didn't notice it at first, but the more time I spend with her, the more I realize it.

I think the only thing holding her sane is Prim. She'd never do to Prim what their mother did when their father died. But her eyes are gloomy and it seems like she doesn't care that much anymore. I can see that she doesn't get enough nutrition or sleep. Probably having nightmares about her games. Hell, I know I would've.

It's as if she's still in the Games, as if they never let her go. It makes me fucking angry. The capitol took a part of my best friend from me, they changed her. It's like she's not my Katniss anymore. She's not Catnip.

I remember how mad I was when I saw her and that Mellark being all loving and cuddly on TV, how it felt as if he took her from me. But I was completely wrong. It wasn't Peeta who took her from me, it was the Capitol. It was Snow.

Now I only feel sorry for Mellark, the poor bastard. Come to think of it, it was Madge who got me to realize that. Fuck, why does she always manage to get in my head? Even when she's not even here physically she manages to do it. It's like she's everywhere; in the strawberries in the woods, in my sisters precious ribbon, in every piece of music I hear, even when I see the damned sun I think of Madge. Hell, I've even got a piece of her on me right now. My cheek is still red and stinging.

I'm totally lost in my own thoughts now and I didn't notice that Katniss had advanced, catching me touching my cheek. Great Gale, a hunter that doesn't even hear a human being approaching.

"What happened to your cheek?" she asks me lifting an eyebrow.

Shit, not again. Why can't even a single person I meet today ignore this fucking mark? Because karma is a bitch Gale, I answer myself.

"Nothing." I sigh. "Walked into a doorpost."

"Yeah right." She says sarcastically, recognizing the standard domestic violence line.

"Well, I got slapped okay?" I practically shout at her, surely scaring away all the game in a miles area. Yeah I'm fucking tired of all the nagging about this mark. I was tired of it even before Thom started harassing me about it this morning.

I guess Katniss understands that I'm on edge because she lets it go and we continue the rest of the hunt in silence. At least that part of Katniss isn't taken away from me. When she feels that something's bothering me and I don't want to talk about it, she lets me be. Madge on the other hand never let me to myself when I get upset about something. No, she want's to talk, talk, talk about it. She never lets me have a fucking thought to myself when I'm mad. Which is probably the reason why I always end up taking it all out on her. Which leads to us fighting, as usual.

I sit down on the earthy forest floor, putting my hands in the soft moss, closing my eyes, breath in the forest and whisper to myself

"Yep, I really am in deep shit."

The sun is setting when we climb under the quiet fence and as always when walking out of the woods and into district Twelve again, I feel the lack of freedom. I'm tired as hell and feeling a lot calmer than I was earlier though.

It's Friday, I think when I reach my house, which means there's no school tomorrow. I throw my heavy game bag on the stairs and sit down beside it, finally allowing myself to relax. I crack my neck and shoulders, trying to let go of the tension in them, close my eyes and trying to absorb as much peace and quiet as I can in ten minutes. That's all I can bear taking from ma, letting her handle those three little headaches for ten more minutes, before I'll go in and help her.

But there's no such luck.

"Hi Gale" I hear a squeaky voice near my ear and feel two very small arms twist around my neck. I take a deep breath and sigh tiredly.

"Hey Pose" I'm still keeping my eyes closed, but I can easily hear her sitting down beside me on the stairs. She's quiet for a little bit, trying very hard to give me some space I can tell. But at last she can't hold herself anymore.

"So how have your day been?" she asks me sounding like an old lady. It makes me want to laugh, but it's sad at the same time because she, as every other kid from the Seam has to grow up far too fast.

"My day has been very tiring," I sigh, leaning back on the stairs "how's yours been?"

"Lucky then that there's no school tomorrow. It's Saturday right?" She smiles at me, and I can't not smile back at her. "Yes tomorrow's Saturday."

"Well, my day has been fun." She starts, and tells me every damn little detail of her day and I listen. I don't know what it is with this little troll, but I can't deny her anything in the world. I can't even zoom out when she's babbling, even though I know I can do it unnoticed.

"You're right, that does sound fun." I tell her, stroking her tousled hair, only to find the white ribbon at the end of her long braid.

She freezes, searching my eyes, guessing that I'm angry at her.

"Madge hurt her head yesterday." She says quietly. The ribbon probably made her think of Madge, just like I did. Then I realize what she's saying.

"What?" I say, already getting worried. "Is she alright? What did she do Posy?" I almost shout, grabbing her arms. I'm only getting more worked up by the second. Fucking hell, you can always trust Madge to get injured. I mean, she's so fragile. Once she even sprained her wrist when she walked off the fucking sidewalk.

"She hit herself in the head."

"What? How do you mean she hit herself?"

"She hit herself in the head, with her hand." Posy articulates slowly.

"Well that was weird." I say, relieved. If what Posy says is true then Madge is fine.

"I know, and when I asked her why she told me she did it because 'sometimes people do stupid things.'"

"Really?" I say, confused. "'sometimes people do stupid things'?"

"Yes, that's what she said. Now can you please let me down?" she says, dangling her feet above the ground, giving me a stern look, looking awfully a lot like ma. It's fucking scary how much Pose resembles her sometimes.

"Oh, sorry." I say, putting her down on the stairs. I didn't even notice I'd lifted her.

"I know. It's okay." She smiles, taking my hand and steering me in through the door. "Sometimes you're just to strong for your own good Gale."

"You little suck-up," I tell her and tickle her in the sides while she screams at me to stop. "But seriously, was she okay when she left?"

"I think so. But maybe she should go to Mrs. E and check it." She says thoughtfully, furrowing her eyebrows together.

"Maybe you two could go there together, so you can fix your cheek." She says, looking up on me. Well that would've been fun, wouldn't it?

That reminds me, I'll have to go to Madge tomorrow. Ugh I hate apologizing, especially when I don't think I've done anything wrong. I did mean what I said to her yesterday. Maybe not the things about Townies looking down on us and all that, but the other things, about not wanting her to treat my family as a charity case.

Well, well, what wouldn't I do for that damned little blonde?

Okay I know I said this chapter would contain some Gadge action, but I couldn't get it together. I just had to expand the conversation between Gale and Posy, I just love his little sister and how she makes everything sound so easy. Love writing her!

Anyway I'm sorry I couldn't fit the Gadge action in this chapter. But you would rather wait another chapter for the quality stuff than having me squeezing in the short and poorly written version in the end of this chapter right?

I promise - Gadge action in chapter 5, comming soon. Maybe even tomorrow!