"Madge. Hey Madge, wake up." I turn over groggily, dark eyes hovering over my blue ones. As I rub my eyes, the rest of Gale's strong-jawed face comes into view.

"Are you hurt?" he asks, concern washing over his face.

"I'm alright. A bit hungry and thirsty though."

"Oh, right." Gale offers me his canteen, which I take a deep drink from. Cool, refreshing water runs down my dry throat, and I instantly feel 10 times better.

"Where are we?" I ask, finally looking around. I'm in a sort of small shack, it's wood roof sloping dangerously. The floor is made up of matted pine needles, the aroma of which almost covers up the dank smell of rotting wood. A rickety table and chairs sit in the corner. A tap on my shoulder makes me jump, and I turn around quickly, knocking myself off balance.

"Woah there. It's just me. Want some food?" Gale offers me a leg of some sort of meat, still smoking from being cooked.

I wrinkle my nose. "What kind of meat is this?"

"It's just rabbit," he rolls his eyes, "I caught it in one of my snares nearby."

I've never eaten a rabbit before. I take a tentative bite, the hot leg burning my mouth. It actually tastes good, surprising me. "Not bad," I say after chewing carefully.

"Thanks," Gale says, through a mouthful of rabbit. We eat the rest of the rabbit in silence, swapping drinks from Gale's canteen. My mind wanders to yesterday's events, and I'm overcome with embarrassment. Why was I so stupid to run into the woods with no gear, no path, and no experience?

I wipe my greasy hands on my already-dirty gray cardigan. "How'd you find me?"

"Didn't mean to. I was hunting; pretty much stumbled over you. Why were you even out here? This place-" Gale gestures around - "is about 6 miles from 12. Long walk."

"It's a long story," I say. "And I was doing perfectly fine on my own. I didn't need you to rescue me." Venom comes into my voice, making Gale recoil.

"Since when were you so mean?" he asks. "What happened to the nice, shy girl back in 12?"

"Oh, you know, just the love of my life who's probably dead now getting reaped," I blurt out. Realizing what I've said, I clap my hands over my mouth. Gale's eyes widen.

"You... you like her? You like Katniss?"

Hands still over my mouth, I frantically shake my head. I can tell the damage has been done, though. Gale's eyes have hardened, whatever softness was in them before gone. He stands up, grabbing his jacket from a chair.

"Wait!" I say. "I'm sorry. Please don't go."

He pauses in the doorway. "You should be sorry. Don't follow me," Gale says harshly.

"No, please," I say quietly, dropping back into an old chair. "I'm sorry," I mumble, as the all-too familiar tears begin to run down my face.