The Hunger Games from Prim's POV
Chapter 1
I woke up in the middle of the night, my face wet with sweat, my heart beating rapidly, and my mind reminding me that today was the day that I have been dreading the day of my first reaping. I had had nightmares every night for the past week or so, all of them about me having to go into the arena, and never coming out. The worst of the nightmares had occurred tonight, I was standing on the podium, waiting for the countdown to reach 1, but was so anxious, I jumped right off the podium, and was blown sky-high to my death. It was hard to keep in the scream that was welling up inside of me, but I managed, only because I didn't want to wake Katniss. She has been so encouraging and supportive to me, telling me that everything was okay and telling me that my name wouldn't be picked from that shiny, glass ball containing all the girls ages twelve to eighteen in District 12. It just wouldn't happen. I wish I had her confidence, so that I could stop worrying and see that my chances of being picked at the reaping were about 1 to 7,000. My name is only in there ONCE. I had to remember that.
So instead of screaming, I pulled away my bed covers, wet with my sweat, and hopped down from the bed. Buttercup, my cat, was waiting at my feet. I walked silently down the hall, whimpering slightly, and entered my mother's bedroom. She was sound asleep. I hopped in the vacant side of the bed and slowly fell asleep to the peaceful sound of Buttercup's purrs.
I awoke to the sound of my mother preparing breakfast. Katniss was nowhere to be seen, so she must have gone hunting. Katniss is the main food supplier for our household. She goes off to the woods as often as she can to catch meat, and sometimes trades it in for other things, like bread. I noticed that the cheese that I left out last night is gone also, Katniss must have taken it into the woods to share with Gale. Gale is basically Katniss' best friend. He is two years older than her; they met when hunting, and he is like an older brother to me. I trust him a lot.
The rest of the day was spent cleaning, ironing clothes, and bathing. Bathing is a treat in District 12. We definitely don't bathe daily, but when I get the chance, I spend as much time in the metal washtub as I can. My mother called to me,"Prim, dear, I layed out your reaping clothes on your bed. We have to leave in about two hours." I sighed with worry. The term "reaping clothes" didn't sound inviting at all. But I had already been bathing for fifteen minutes, and at this point, was bathing in my grime.
I climbed out of the washtub and quickly dried off. Slowly, I walked into my bedroom, wondering what my mother had layed out for me. What I saw, I was expecting, and it comforted me. A skirt and a ruffled blouse, Katniss' first reaping clothes. Knowing that I'd be wearing the same clothes that Katniss wore when she was twelve years old, attending her first reaping, made me feel warm inside. It was a bit big on me, but my mother made it stay with pins in the back. But the back of the shirt just wouldn't stay tucked in. I didn't care, but I knew it would bother Katniss. She's just picky like that.
My mother looks beautiful, wearing a fine dress from when she was apothecary. Katniss walks in with a bundle of fish, bread, greens, strawberries, salt, paraffin, and some money. She looks flushed, tired, and sweaty from hunting all morning. She sets it all on the front counter and prepares for her bath. I go into the kitchen with my mother to put all the food that Katniss just brought in and began preparing supper. I sit at the kitchen table while my mother carefully separates my hair into two sections, and braids it with her nimble fingers. About ten minutes later, Katniss emerges from our room wearing a lovely, soft blue dress with matching shoes. One of my mother's. She would only let Katniss wear anything of hers on a special occasion. The clothes from her past are precious to her.
My mother braids Katniss' hair as well, but up on her head, instead of laying down her back like mine. I feel dull compared to her. As that thought leaves my head, the nerves of the reaping flutter right back. "You look beautiful," I say in a hushed voice.
"And nothing like myself," she replies. She hugs me, and I feel reassured that she knows that the next few hours will be terrible for me. I know that I'm about as safe as I can get, because my name is only in the reaping once. Katniss wouldn't let me take any tesserae, which are extra amounts of grain and oil you can get for your family by entering your name in the reaping more than once. One more time for each family member. She is taking the tesserae, and because she is sixteen, her name will be in the reaping twenty times. I should feel more nervous for her than for myself, but for some reason, I feel like the confidence she is trying to get me to feel for myself is only making its way back to her.
When she pulls away from the hug, she notices that the back of my shirt is untucked. "Tuck your tail in, little duck," she says to me, while smoothing the blouse back in place. I giggle and manage to let out a small, "Quack." With a light laugh she replies, "Quack yourself! Come on, let's eat." She plants a light kiss on the top of my head.
The fish and greens my mother had begun to cook in a stew for supper, later on. We agree to save the strawberries and bread for the evening meal as well, to make it special, as we all say. I try to push the thought into my mind that I will be here to enjoy all of this delicious food that Katniss got for us. So for now, we drink milk from my goat, Lady, and munch on some bread from the tesserae grain. I don't eat much. How could I, when the butterflies in my stomach are going crazy?
At one o'clock, we leave the house and head for the square. I hold Katniss' hand the whole way there. I heard that unless you are about to die, and you don't come to the reaping, you get imprisoned. It's a scary thought. I shake it out of my head.
Nobody says a word. It's all serious. I see a couple of my friends from school, looking just as nervous as I feel, and wave to them. They wave back hesitantly, and I completely understand why. I follow Katniss to a table where we have to sign in. They prick my finger, and it hurts for a second, but I head over to where my class stands. I just want this whole reaping to be over with, so I can go home with Katniss and my mother and we can enjoy the strawberries and bread with Buttercup purring under my feet.
The square gets crowded and uncomfortable. I start to think, When will this nightmare begin? The clock strikes two, and the mayor of District 12 begins to read the story of how Panem and The Hunger Games came to be. How Panem came from a place once called North America and from the Dark Days, came an uprising from the districts against the capital. And as a punishment to the districts for the uprising came the Hunger Games. A televised reality show where two tributes from each district, a boy and a girl, would be forced to survive in an arena, and fight to the death.
"It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks," says the mayor. Then he reads the list containing the past District 12 winners. Only one, Haymitch Abernathy, who is the mentor for this year's games. He is drunk and messy. I laugh as he tries to give District 12's escort, Effie Trinket, a big hug as a result of being drunk.
My laugh quickly fades away, however, when Effie Trinket steps up the podium and says, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" She is wearing a pink wig that is slightly cock-eyed after Haymitch trying to hug her. "Ladies first!" She walks over to the glass ball with the girl's names on it. Effie reaches her hand in and pulls out a cream-colored envelope near the bottom of the ball. Carefully, she opens it up and draws in a breath to read the name. I'm not even sure I'll be able to hear her over the pounding of my heartbeat, as loud as a drum. But I hear it loud and clear and I nearly faint.
It's me.
"Primrose Everdeen."