Katniss
"Katniss Everdeen!"
No! Please tell me I'm dreaming it. This isn't real. Just another nightmare, and the reaping is tomorrow. I can't leave Prim. I can't. I step forward, walking to the stage.
"I volunteer as tribute!"
I whirl around, only to see Prim standing out of the crowd of children. She's only twelve. She can't be seriously volunteering for me.
"No, Prim!" I scream. "No, don't let her! Please!"
"No, Katniss!" She yells. She turns to Effie Trinket on the stage. "I volunteered."
"Well, this has never happened in District Twelve before!" Effie exclaims. "We have a volunteer. Come here, dear. What's your name?"
"Primrose Everdeen."
"Well, I'll bet my hat she's your sister."
"Correct."
I just stare at her as I'm pushed back into the crowd by the Peacekeepers.
"And now for our boy tribute." Effie walks over to the big glass bowl, full of boys' names.
"Peeta Mellark!"
That worries me, and makes me a little sad. It worries me because I've seen him haul sacks of flour at least 100-pounds, meaning he's strong. Sad because he saved me from starving. I can't ever pay him back.
Peeta and Prim are taken into the Justice Building. After a few minutes my mother and I enter a nicely decorated room. Prim flings herself into my arms and I scold her.
"Why would you do that? You stupid, stupid girl."
I know I shouldn't be calling her stupid, but I can't help it. What she did was utterly careless. There's a few more seconds of arguing before my mother comes in for a hug and I have to scooch over a bit. But barely enough for her to get in.
We embrace each other until we're forced to leave. They push me out and I don't even have time to say 'I love you.'
I kick a table over and scream. I've come here into this abandoned house since the reaping, just to kick and throw things. It's the only place I can go.
I sit down, wondering if there is a God. If there is, he must hate us. He just sits back while children die.
After a while, I leave the house and head out beyond District 12. Past the electric fence, which isn't usually even on. I grab my bow and arrows stashed in a tree and go out looking for some game.
I shoot a rabbit and a wild turkey, but can't find anything else. I go to the Hob and trade the turkey for some strawberries. Then I take the strawberries to sell to Mayor Undersee. His daughter Madge opens the door, just as she did before the reaping.
"Thanks, Katniss." She says, excepting the berries. She then puts the money in my hand. "I'm sorry about your sister." She doesn't look at me, just closes the door.
I get home with the rabbit and money. Mother's boiling water for soup and I plop the rabbit on the counter.
She doesn't look at me, but says in a quiet voice, "the parade is tonight. I was going to watch. What about you?"
"I suppose I'll watch." Of course I'll watch. I'm not going to miss seeing Prim all prettied up. Assuming her stylist doesn't make her naked and cover her in coal dust.
We fill bowls with steaming soup and settle in from of the television. We wouldn't even have one, but people are supposed to own one, and it's only used for watching the games. We can't even turn it off. It stays on all the time.
We watch through twenty-two tributes before Prim and Peeta finally come. They have jet-black outfits, and fire on their backs. What? That's going to kill them!
Then I realize, it's not even touching the rest of their outfits. It looks pretty cool. Prim wears two braids them each coming back to her head, making a loop.
I try to soak in everything about her while I can. After this, I'll only see her training score and her in the interviews. Then in the games.
I want to be brave. But I feel the tingling in my nose and eyes, and go to my bed. She won't make it.
She won't make it.
ns 15.158.61.50da2
