Part I

"The Tributes"

Chapter One

From the Treaty of Treason:

In penance for their uprising, each district shall offer up a male and female tribute between the ages of 12 and 18 at a public "reaping." These tributes shall be delivered to the custody of the Capitol and then transferred to a public arena where they will fight to the death until a lone victor remains. Henceforth and forevermore this pageant shall be known as "The Hunger Games."

It's reaping day.

Living in a bakery has its perks, such as waking up to the smell of fresh bread just coming out of the oven. Most of District 12 doesn't smell this good, since it is covered in coal dust from the mines.

I rub my eyes and try to focus on the bright sunlight shining through my window. I didn't sleep well last night, but nobody really sleeps that well the night before the reaping. Soon, the 74th Hunger Games will begin.

In a time known as the Dark Days, the districts rebelled against the Capitol, who is in charge of all of the districts. The Capitol won, decimating District 13 in the process, leaving nothing but a smoking wasteland that they like to broadcast on television from time to time to remind us that if they wanted to, the Capitol could destroy us all.

After the war, the Capitol decided to further show its dominance by inititating the Hunger Games to help keep us in line and prevent another uprising. Every year, one boy and one girl are chosen from each district to compete in a televised fight to the death. To qualify, you have to be between the ages of 12 and 18. You get your name put in once for each year you are eligible. This year, I have five entries.

I sit up in bed and look out the window. District 12 is as dull and dreary as always. Panem is divided into thirteen districts, and District 12 isn't one of the nicer ones. Most of the people here are starving. The few that get enough to eat, like my family and me, still don't get anywhere near as good of a life as the people in the nicer districts get, like Districts 1 and 2.

Since we don't have a lot of food in District 12, the Capitol gives us the option of taking out tesserae, which is a year's worth of grain and oil for one person. A person can take tesserae for every person living in their home, but each tessera someone takes out is another time for their name to go into the drawing. Living in a bakery, I've never had to sign up. Even though all we mostly eat is the left over stale bread that doesn't get bought that day, it's far better than what people in the Seam have to endure.

The Seam is the poorest part of District 12. The people who live there are far more malnourished than the people like me who live in town. They can't afford to buy from the town stores like the bakery my father owns, so they usually never get enough food. Most people in the Seam have to sign up for tesserae to provide for their families. I know someone who lives in the Seam. Someone very special to me, even though I doubt she's ever given me a thought. Katniss Everdeen.

Ever since I first saw her sing at school when we were 5, I've had a crush on Katniss. Her singing was the most mesmerizing thing because the birds that were perched outside the window of our classroom stopped chirping just to listen to her. I remember my father saying that her father used to sing as well. My dad knew a lot about her family. He said he wanted to marry her mom, but she married a coal miner instead, which I never understood. Coal miners were never very well-off, and my father was considered wealthy in District 12 because of the bakery. But after seeing Katniss sing, I understood why her mother fell in love with her father. In that moment, I knew. I knew that Katniss Everdeen was special.

I walk downstairs to fresh loaves of bread and tea at the table. Since today is the reaping, my father has allowed us to eat fresh bread, like he does every year. My mother looks frustrated, which doesn't surprise me. My brothers and I rarely do anything right in my mother's eyes. We've had our fair share of bruises to show how "stupid" we are.

"Sit down and eat, Peeta. You three need to be dressed and in the square by two," my mother snaps. I obediently sit down and eat my breakfast. A black eye is the last thing I need today.

After eating, I go back upstairs to bathe and dress. My mother has laid out a white dress shirt and brown pants for me. I put the clothes on, being careful to tuck the shirt in. Everyone looks their best today.

In the square, children are already in line to sign in. After I sign in, I stand with the other 16-year-olds in the square. As more children are filing in, I find that I'm not nervous for myself. My name is only in 5 times, which is basically nothing compared to some of the Seam kids who take tesserae every year to support their families. My father always made sure my two brothers and I had enough to eat so we would never have to take tesserae.

The person I am worried for is Katniss. I'm sure she has taken tesserae out for herself, her mother, and her little sister, Primrose, every year. After her father died in a mine explosion when we were eleven, Katniss seemed to become the breadwinner. She and Prim got so skinny and sick from starvation. I think their mom shut down after her husband died. The last time I saw her was the day of the explosion. Ever since then, I've never seen her in town except for the reaping day every year.

One day, I saw Katniss in my yard rummaging through my trash. It's not uncommon for the starving people of the Seam to dig through our trash. I never thought it was a big deal, but it disgusted my mother. I saw Katniss look up towards my house and I knew my mom was coming out to shoo her away. She started to leave but then collapsed against the tree in my yard.

I knew I wanted to help her somehow, so I went downstairs and looked into the oven. Just as I had hoped, there were two loaves baking perfectly. I started to take them out, but I noticed my mother scowling at me. I knew I could never get these loaves out to her. I look into the oven again, and I get an idea. I knew that if I burned them just enough to be considered unedible to my mother, I could throw them out to Katniss. I go to take the loaves out of the stove, but instead of pulling them out, I push them into the flames. Of course, my mother hit me in the face while calling me stupid and yelled at me to throw the bread out to the pigs since nobody decent will buy burned bread.

I went outside to see Katniss still slumped against the tree, shivering and nearly unconscious. I threw a piece of the bread to the pigs then looked behind me to make sure my mother wasn't watching. I threw the bread in Katniss' direction and she looked at the bread then looked at me. I nodded towards her and went back inside. I instantly felt a pang of regret. Why didn't I take it to her? Now it's probably soggy. Maybe she's too weak to even get up to get the bread.

I go back out to try to help her get up, but she's gone and so is the bread. I smiled, knowing she won't starve tonight.

Ever since she sang in class when we were five, I started watching her walk home every day from school. One day, when we were eleven, I saw her go towards the electrified fence that surrounds the district. Confused, I watched her carefully walk up to it and stand still for a minute. Then, she crawled under the fence. She looked around and then wandered towards the woods. I waited for her to come back, and when she did, she had a bag over her shoulder filled with something. I thought it was plants, but I wasn't sure. I thought about going up to her and asking what she was doing in the restricted part of the district, but I thought better of it. I doubt she even remembers me, and she doesn't seem like the type of person who tells secrets to strangers.

Every day, I would see her venture into the woods, longer and longer each time she went. One day, I saw her walking back with Gale. Gale is tall, broad-shouldered, and he is the topic of the conversations that girls have in school. I don't know much about him other than his father died in the same mine explosion that Katniss' father died in.

I look around the group of 16-year-olds to find Katniss. When I finally see her, I can't take my eyes away. For 11 years, I've watched her go from being a happy, carefree child whose father was her hero to becoming an empty shell, near death after her father died. I watched her heart break every day that she couldn't feed her family, and my heart broke along with hers. Watching her become the strong, independent person she is today has made me admire her that much more. She always looks so beautiful with her long, dark hair and grey eyes. Those eyes that question everything, that look at her little sister with such love.

Everyone gets quiet as Effie Trinket takes the stage and sits in one of the chairs. Effie looks ridiculous, as always. The Capitol fashion is outrageous, ranging from pounds of makeup to over-the-top wigs and outfits. Some of them even have surgery to make their faces and bodies look different.

Today, Effie has a pink wig accompied by a green suit that has the same color as the leaves on my apple tree in the spring. The mayor takes the stage and goes up to the microphone. He gives the same speech he gives every year about the war and how the districts must reap a male and female for the Hunger Games to ensure peace between the districts and the Capitol. It makes no sense to me to use this as a measure of peace, but there is no point in questioning it too much because none of us can do anything about it. The mayor goes on to list the names of the previous Victors from District 12, which only takes a few moments. It's the same list every year because District 12 hasn't won a Hunger Games in 24 years. One of the victors is dead, and the other one is Haymitch Abernathy, who won the 50th Hunger Games. Ever since he won, he's occupied himself in staying beligerently drunk even though he has to be a mentor to the tributes from District 12 each year.

As if on cue, Haymitch staggers onto the stage, looking angry and confused. He tries to hug Effie, who pushes him off with a disgusted look on her face. Nobody likes to associate Haymitch with District 12 because we are already the laughing-stock of the world, and he is just the icing on the humiliation.

The mayor introduces Effie, who prances to the microphone and clears her throat. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" she trills. I bite my lip to keep from laughing because her wig has shifted to the side because of Haymitch's friendly, drunken hug. She tries to adjust her wig to no avail, sighs, and then beams again. It's time for the main event of the day. The reaping.

"Ladies first!" she exclaims.

She hops over to the bowl with the ladies' names in them. Not Katniss. Not Katniss. Please, not her. Effie reaches in and grabs the first slip she encounters. My heart is racing, desperately hoping the girl I've been in love with for 11 years doesn't have to fight to the death in a battle with the odds stacked against us.

Effie walks back to the microphone, opens the slip and says the name.

Primrose Everdeen.

I know what Katniss is thinking. I've known this girl for 11 years. The most important thing to her has always been her sister, Prim. I know what Katniss is going to do and my heart is broken because of it.

I look over as I see Prim slowly walking up to the stage, tucking the back of her shirt into her skirt. She is so frail. Blonde hair, blue eyes, tiny as can be. I look up at Katniss who is moving out of the crowd towards her sister. No, no, no.

"Prim!" Katniss screams, the desperation clear in her voice. "Prim!"

She goes to Prim and pushes that 12-year-old girl behind her and with a determination in her voice that should intimidate everyone, she says, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

I put my face in my hands and everything goes silent. I look up after a moment and everyone is looking around confused. Nobody has volunteered from District 12 before so nobody really knows what to do.

"Lovely!" Effie squeals. "But I believe there's a small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers, and if one does come forth then we, um..." She trails off because she knows about as much as we do on someone volunteering.

The mayor stands. "What does it matter?"

Everyone looks at him, stunned. "What does it matter?" he repeats, irritated.

I can see the look on his face is pained, probably because he knows Katniss. After her father died, she started going to the woods and would sell food to the people in town. My father bought squirrels from her, and I heard that she would sell strawberries to the mayor.

"Let her come forward," he says. He sits back down, clears his throat and looks down at the ground.

"No, Katniss! No! You can't go!" Prim is screaming to her sister.

She is holding onto Katniss with a look in her eyes I will never forget. Katniss has basically been Prim's mother ever since their father died. From what I could tell, their mother stayed at home, even when she was supposed to get a job to provide for her two daughters. So to Prim, she was losing the only person who has been there for her. The person who saved her from starving to death by risking her life every day to go out into those woods and hunt for food. She was losing her sister and she was desperately trying to make her stay.

Katniss says something to Prim and then I see Gale walk up to them. He says something to Katniss before taking Prim to her mother. Katniss takes a deep breath and walks onto the stage. She looks unemotional, uncaring. That's good. The other tributes will see the recap of the reapings tonight and they'll see this strong, intimidating girl from District 12 who volunteered to save her sister.

Effie Trinket is over the moon about all of this drama unfolding. It's obvious that she wants to be assigned to a more exciting district. Districts 1, 2 and 4 have much stronger people who are more prepared for fighting and better fed than we are. We're not allowed to train for the Games before the reapings, but somehow they are usually a lot stronger and in much better shape. Someone from one of those districts usually wins every year. So, of course, Effie would much rather be an escort to a district who can actually win.

"Well, bravo!" she says. "That's the spirit of the Games! What's your name?"

"Katniss Everdeen," she says. If she is nervous or upset right now, I can't tell. She looks strong and unphased by what's just happened.

"I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!" Effie practically sings with excitement.

Not a single person claps. It is completely silent in the District 12 town square and I'm not surprised in the least bit. Katniss and her sister have always been adored by most people in the district. Her sister, so kind and gentle, and Katniss, so strong and independent. Everyone talks about the Everdeen sisters. Everybody respected her father, and everyone felt the loss of him. So the fact that nobody is clapping is showing her how much we all respect her for what she has gone through and conquered.

Then, one by one, everyone salutes Katniss. I follow suit, touching the three middle fingers of my left hand to my lips, then lifting them in the air. Not many people use it anymore, but every single person does it for her. It means good-bye. It means thank you. It means we admire her for everything she has done.

Katniss looks around at everyone and I can see a glimpse of emotion cross her face. Gratitude, maybe. Then, Haymitch decides to step up to the microphone.

"Look at her. Look at this one!" He puts his arm over her shoulder, which I'm sure grosses her out. He isn't the best smelling person we know.

"I like her! Lots of... spunk!" Then he walks to the front of the stage.

"More than you!" he says. He looks directly into a camera. "More than you!"

It isn't a good thing to taunt the Capitol. He starts to say something else, but he falls off the stage in a slump of drunken embarrassment, unconscious. All of the cameras have turned to Haymitch to capture the hilarity because that's all the Capitol wants. A show.

I see Katniss relax a bit. Probably because no cameras are on her right now. She takes a deep breath and tries to keep the nonchalant look on her face but I see her looking over at Gale, deep in thought.

They take Haymitch away on a stretcher and Effie walks back up to the microphone, practically bouncing from all the excitement. She says that it's time to choose the male tribute. She goes to the bowl with the boys' names and fishes around for a moment before pulling a slip out.

I'm not worried about me, it's usually a kid from the Seam who gets called because of all the extra entries from the tesserae. I can't help but think it is going to be Gale who gets called because I know he's in there a lot from taking out tesserae for each member of his family. I think he has two brothers and a sister, as well as his mother. If he gets called, he can take care of her. Make sure she survives. They spend so much time together, so they're obviously very close. I know that he'll want her to survive.

Effie walks back to the microphone and opens the slip. The name that comes out of her mouth makes my heart stop.

Peeta Mellark.