First fan fiction ever! Tell me what you think! This is pretty much what would happen in Katniss's worst nightmare, and I love it! please review! It would be much loved!
Love, Breakfast-for-dinner
Chapter 1
The Reaping
I slid under the fence like I had done so many times before, unnoticed and quiet. This was it. The reaping. 42. That was the number of little slips that had my name written on them in careful hand writing. I sighed, not wanting to think of leaving Rory, Vick, or even little Posy, my siblings that I try so hard to care for. My house sat on a small hill, exactly the same to the house next to it, capital built after the rebellion. My mother was outside, her beaten down face lying about her age. She was taking down my reaping clothes from the line, my fathers nicest shirt brighter than anything else hanging near it.
"Gale! They'll be callin' for yah' soon!" my mothers Seam accent shined through her in her voice. I stepped up on the porch and pulled off my hunting jacket. and long sleeved shirt. The cotton shirt had started to get a little worn down over the years, the coal dust, no matter how hard we had tried, had settled on and created a grey tint to it. I pulled it on and buttoned it up slowly taking deep breaths to calm my nerves. 42. Not in my favor this year. My mother reached up and set her hand in my face an gave me a strained smile before pulling me in for a hug. That was Mama, her yell could raise the dead but she always knew when it was okay to silent. Rory was the first to step out of the shabby little house, also in his reaping clothes. He shouldn't have taken out a tessera, I tried to stop him from putting his name in there more than once. I didn't bring it up but instead pulled him in for a hug. He would get out of this. He has too. Vick and Posy stepped out next. They were to young to take out a tessera or even be in the games. Nothing was said, it was just five people. Five people who loved each other very much who wanted nothing more than to be close and for everything to be okay. I held Mama and Posy's hand as we went down the stairs. The boys walked in front of us, fear in their every step.
We walked slowly and quietly to the Justice Building. The crowd had started to fill up the small area. We all signed in, like every year. I stopped mama and pulled her in for a tight hug. She gave me a haunting smile. Reluctantly letting her go, I knelt down to Posy and Vick and pulled them in to as tight hug as well. Posy stared up at me as I let her go.
"We'll see you after Gale... right?" I smiled at her small round face and bright green eyes.
"Of course? I even caught fish and picked strawberries! You love strawberries, right?" She smiled and nodded and pulled me in for another hug. Standing up to my full hight I stood up and put a strong hand on Rory's shoulder. He seemed so young in that moment, I almost couldn't imagine he could ever be called. I led him to the boy's side and gave him a pat on the head and a smile. "I'll see you right after, okay?" his weak smile and fearful eyes filled me with sadness. 42. The number rang in my head over and over. With a tight squeeze of his shoulder I stepped away and filled in with the eighteen year olds. Effie Trinket walks on stage in those absurd heels as I scan the crowd for my best friend. Katniss Everdeen. She was standing in the crowd with the other sixteen year-old girls. She seems to feel my staring at her and glances around till her eyes meet mine. I give her a weak smile, and turn forward again, only to see Haymitch fall off the stage. It's not hard to suppress a smile at this point. Effie, trying to recover from her attack, straitens her wig and walks over to the girls giant glass bowl. She reaches in and daintily picks one and reads it out loud.
"Primrose Everdeen." I stand in shock. Not Prim. Prim, her blonde hair shinning in the light steps up, her shaking can be seen through out the crowd. Katniss is standing in shock, before screaming.
"Prim! Prim, no!" Peacekeepers are holding her back from Prim. I push through the crowd and grab a hold of Katniss, pushing her away from the Peacekeepers. Prim continues her long sorrow walk, her shirt untucked from her skirt. Katniss had started shaking, whimpers escaping from her tightly closed lips. Katniss looks up as Prim takes her first steps on to the stage.
"Wait, wait wait!" Katniss screams, stopping Prim on the top stair. "I volunteer! I volunteer!" She pushes me away and steps closer to the stage.
Effie Trinket shakes her head and smiles, "Eager, so eagar! But alas it's to late. Once a tribute steps on to the stage, all options of volunteering are revoked. Better luck next year dear." Katniss collapses to her knees and I lean down with her, holding her hand as she stares at Prim, who is now crying on stage. "Now for boys. She walks awkwardly over to the other glass bowl. I grip Katniss' hand tighter as Effie trinket reaches in to the bowl that held 42 slips with my name on them. Obviously fate did not like Katniss that day. "Gale Hawthorn."
Katniss froze. Then slowly looked up at me. Surprise crossed her face for a few moments, followed by sorrow. I tried to break away, but that's when she totally broke down. Never in all my years had I seen Katniss Everdeen scream. Not until that moment. She screamed and began to sob, her arms pulling me down closer, her head burried in my neck. Tears filled my eyes, but I pulled away. Peacekeepers grabbed Katniss by the waist and pulled her through the crowd. She was screaming Prim and I's names so loud that I could hear their echos in the open area. I walked up the stage slowly, controlling my emotion as I reached the top. Prim fell into my arms. She was crying harder now, her tears soaking my father's shirt. I stared out into the crowd and then into the cameras of the Capital. My face set into a furious scowl to hide my fear.
Effie Trinket stepped up to the microphone and smiled, "What excitement! Can I get a round of applause for district 12's tributes?" Not a single persoon claps. Of course not. They just saw the people one girl loves most ripped from her arms. I wouldn't be clapping either. One person near the back raised their hand in the three finger salute. Then another. Then another. Then whole crowd. In the back I met my mothers eyes. She gripped little Posy to her side even tighter. In that moment, two Peacekeepers stepped into my line of sight and guided me up the stairs to the door of the Justice Building. This was it. The 74th Hunger Games had begun.
