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CATCHING FIRE -- CHAPTER 8
Katniss instinctively goes into protect Gale, even taking a blow of the whip for him. Suddenly, Haymitch appears from the crowd and tells the Peacekeeper to stop the whipping. Haymitch walks to Katniss. As he makes his way toward her, he has to get around an unconscious Peacekeeper, Darius, who is on the ground.
Once he’s close, Haymitch points out that the person helping Gale is none other than one of the victors of the Hunger Games. The man is quick to cease his whipping. He apparently didn’t recognize Katniss.
Peeta is next by Katniss’ side, and he declares that the Head Peacekeeper must get through himself, Haymitch, and Katniss if he wants to whip Gale any more. Lucky for the group, a villager steps forward and lets the Peacekeeper know that the required number of lashings for poaching has been achieved. Gale, who was in trouble for hunting, is now free to go.
They rush off to Katniss’ mom so that she can use her natural remedies on Gale’s fresh wounds. Leevy, an acquaintance of Katniss, offers to go get Gale’s mom and to stay with Gale’s siblings.
Katniss gets the scoop about what happened from Gale’s coworkers. They figured that Gale must have gone to see the Head Peacekeeper. The old Head Peacekeeper, Cray, would have happily purchased fresh game from Gale. Gale, however, was discovered by the new Head Peacekeeper who took him in for poaching. The new Head Peacekeeper is named Romulus Thread. In the square, Darius tried to stop Romulus’ whipping when he thought it had gone on long enough and he too was struck down.
Katniss is afraid that Gale might die, but Haymitch knows that many people survived whippings before Cray took charge of the Peacekeepers in the district. Cray was much more easy going than other Head Peacekeepers.
Katniss’ mom goes to work caring for Gale. Meanwhile, Peeta cares for Katniss by putting snow on the area on her cheek where she was whipped.
Bristel and Thorn, Gale’s coworkers, go home. Hazelle gets there and goes straight to Gale’s side as Katniss’ mom works on him.
Eventually, Gale begins to stir and Katniss demands that he gets the special pain killers that are meant for people who are dying. Katniss’ mother has Katniss leave the room.
Later, Katniss’ mom comes to Katniss to care for her facial wound. She briefly hints at the fact that things are going to get harder without Cray there anymore. According to Katniss, Cray would take advantage of women in their district who were in need of food. They would keep him company at night in exchange for money. Nonetheless, Cray was an easy-going Head Peacekeeper.
Madge later comes over with a gift for Gale, a liquid for his pain called morphling. After it’s put inside Gale’s system he begins to feel better. Soon after, everybody goes home and Gale is left there with Katniss.
Katniss gently touches and caresses his face as he slumbers. She realizes how important he is to her.
As he sleeps, Katniss begins to question her intentions when she gave the poisoned berries to Peeta at the Hunger Games. She wonders if she gave them to him because she feared being shunned by her people if she returned home without him; she wonders if she gave them to him because she really felt something for Peeta; and lastly, she wonders if she gave them to him to purposely and openly rebel. She can’t really figure out where her head was at when it happened.
by Suzanne Collins
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