Chapter 1:
I'm running. Running as fast as I can. I cannot stop. He needs me. I have to help him. I hear him scream. He's calling my name. I push myself further. I am almost there. I know I am close when I see his blond hair. I run faster. Keep holding on, I am there. I see him now, his face is white and pale and his blue eyes show pain. I am about to reach him when a loud noise pierces through my ears and blood sprays the white tile walls. I look over at him and blood spills out of his mouth and he is struggling for air. I stumble over my feet, and then out of nowhere everything goes black. The only thing I can hear is his crying and pleading for me to save him. Then it's silent. I can't see or hear anything. "Peeta!" I screamed.
I scramble to the bathroom and through my face in the water. "Calm down Katniss," I told myself, "it's only a dream." I grabbed a towel and washed my face off and walked back to my room. Prim, who probably could hear my screaming, is sitting on my bed. I walked over and plop myself next to her.
"I heard you scream," She whispered," did you have another nightmare?"
"It was just a dream prim, I'm okay." I also whispered. She puts her head on my shoulder and I look up at the clock. 2:03. of course it is.
"You can tell me about them Katniss. I'm here for you." She says.
"I truly am fine. It was just a dream." I lied. I am not fine. I have been having nightmares this whole week over him, and I don't know why.
She yawns and I know that she must be tired.
"Prim! When was the last time you brushed your teeth?" I sarcastically said waving my hand in front of my face. She giggles and breathes in my face again.
"Go to bed little duck!" I said laughing.
She giggles and walks to the door, "Quack!"
"Quack yourself!" I giggled before she exits my room.
Oh prim, I would do anything for you, I thought. I looked back at the clock again. 2:10. I sighed, I know if I try to go to bed now, that I won't, so I through on my robe and walked down the stairs quietly. Well I think it is quietly but somehow every time I step the floor creaks. When I finally arrive at the bakery, I notice my dad was already down here. He never sleeps on the day of the reaping. And I understand why.
He smiled and continued working on the bread. Because today is the reaping, there is usually a celebration tonight and we always bring bread and pastries so we need a lot. I walked into the back and worked on the pastries.
I hear a customer walk in and talk to my dad. I recognized that voice all the time, because he always comes here to make a good trade before my mom wakes up. I walk in the front, and notice Gale holding onto a squirrel. My dad trades him with a loaf of bread and continues on his day. We could have done better, but it's the reaping. And also that squirrel is good for tonight. Before Gale could leave I shouted, "Wait!"
Gale looked at me surprise and my dad looked at me concerned. I ignored them both and ran into the back to fetch a bag with cookies I made. I ran back out and tossed it to him. I held them and looked at me for explanation.
"I feel generous today," I explained, "Good luck!" and walked back to the back before he could deign the cookies.
I looked at the squirrel and it wasn't shot through the eye, so I know who did this. Gale himself. Peeta kills right through the eye and it's perfect.
I finished all my work I had to do and started to do Prim's chorus. I wanted to do hers to keep my mine going somewhere else. I guess because it is Prim's first reaping, I am kind of nervous for her, but I don't know why. My parents would not let us take any tessera so her name is only going to be in there once. My name is only going to be there 5 times. Still I am not worried about me and prim, I'm worried about Gale and Peeta. Even though I barely talk to either of them, Peeta and I go back. And I do care about him, and I know he cares about me.
When I was about 15 years old, these boys from the seam were picking on me. And what was I suppose to do; I know that if I hit them, my mother would punish me for that. They pushed me and kicked me and called me names. Because I was a merchant, mostly all the seam kids hated me. I walked away and ran into him. His blond hair was in his eyes and when he talked he never looked into my eyes.
"I'm sorry" he whispered.
"Its fine, I'm used to it," I snapped.
He looked at me and I see in his blue eyes that he was telling me the truth. He was sorry for what the boys did to me, but why?
"Next time they do that, I'll stand up for you!" and right after that he walked away. I never thought he would be not even after a week after that, after I picked up Prim there was a crowd around two people who were arguing.
"She's a bitch!"
"Take that back"
"Bitch bitch bitch"
A fist there and a fist there. I squeezed through the crowd and notice a boy fighting Peeta. A teacher came and stopped the fight but I never actually thanked him after that.
Prim's voice startles me and I dropped half a pan of cookies on the ground, "you're not dress. We are leaving in 10 minutes. You did my chorus? No I got this," she said already picking up the cookies, "you get ready."
"Sorry, I got carried away." Kissed her on the forehead and ran upstairs to get change. It wasn't that long till I was placed in a rope off section for sixteen year old waiting for the reaping to start. Prim was in her section, Gale was in his, and Peeta was with me, a couple people to my left. I want him to know that I care about him, that he won't get picked because there are so many people in that bowl. But every time I do I chickened out.
My thoughts are interrupted when Effie Trinket announces, "Ladies first!" she walks over to the bowl with the girls names and picks the first name that comes to her.
Please not me, please not me. And it's not me.
"Primrose Everdeen"
