Disclaimer: I own nothing! Suzanne Collins and BookwormBabe93 created this
She's a Survivor That One
Chapter One
70th Hunger Games: The Beginning
Katniss Everdeen sighed heavily, today was the day that could be her death sentence. After all, today was the reaping for the 70th Hunger Games. At 12 years old Katniss should've been safer than most people in District 12. However, after her father died in a mining accident when she was eleven and her mother decided to give up on life; Katniss became the sole provider of her family of five so she had to take out the tesserae as many times as possible. Her sister Freesia was ten, Primrose was eight, and her little brother Telstar was only six. No amount of their begging, pleading, and crying from any of them could get their mother to act like what proper mother should.
For that, Katniss would never forgive her especially after how when Telstar started calling Katniss 'mommy' and her mother didn't even react. Katniss had taken out six slips; she marked the father line on the tesserae just so they could have even more food. That's seven slips of paper that say Katniss Everdeen on them, seven chances she might die soon and leave her little butterfly, her little duck, and her little monkey in the hands of their useless mother.
"It's not going to happen, there are still thousands of slips." Katniss whispered to herself, drawing some comfort in her beloved woods.
"Talking to yourself there, Catnip?" Gale asked. Katniss smiled they've known each other for a little over a year now, their fathers died last January in the same mining explosion, Katniss started hunting mid-March after finding hope from the boy with bread, soon after she met Gale in the woods but it took a while for them to become friends. In fact, it was last year's reaping when they both realized their hunting partnership had somehow became a very close friendship.
"How many?" Katniss asked softly.
"Twelve." Gale answered curtly.
"I'll look out for them for you" Katniss promised sincerely.
Gale looked up at her in surprise but genuinely touched, he took her hands into his, which was the first time they had direct physical contact with each other.
"Thank you, Katniss" He said while smiling softly at her.
"They won't pick you, Catnip. You only have what six slips? You will be safe, don't worry"
"Seven, actually" Katniss corrected him without looking towards his direction. Gale was shocked and a little more worried.
"What? How's that possible?"
"I marked the father box, so we would have more food for Tel. I know I shouldn't have but he's my little monkey. He's so young, I want him to be healthy as possible." Katniss explained softly. Gale looked at her with a mix of admiration and exasperation. Katniss' love for her younger siblings was something that made you respect her because everyone in District 12 knows there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for them. However, that didn't make it any less exasperating that she had so little regard for her own well-being, since she was always focused on theirs.
"What am I going to do with you, Catnip?" Gale chuckled, as he looked at her fondly.
"Just promise me that if I am picked, that you will look after them?"
"It's a pact, one of us will always make sure our families are fed." Gale said seriously.
"How many do you have this year?" Katniss asked.
"Eighteen" Gale grunted, as they got up and started to hunt.
"Katniss Everdeen" Effie Trinket called out over the noise of the displeased muttering crowd of District 12.
Katniss wasn't even shocked, as the annoying Capitol escort announced her name as this year's female tribute, she had a gut feeling this would happen and it did.
She didn't cry or tremble at her fate, she glared in pure anger as she heard her mother and sisters' sobbing, she shook in absolute fury as she had to hear Tel's cries of "Mommy! Mommy! Don't go".
She kissed his cheeks as Gale pried her family off of her. She climbed on stage with her deadliest glare on her young pretty face, as she looked at the unhappy half-heartedly clapping crowd. The Capitol caused her family this pain and she may die for their entertainment but she vowed to make them pay for Sia, for Prim, and for Tel having to lose the person who's kept them alive for the past year as their mother wallowed in self-pity.
Katniss was so mad she barely heard, "Cole Black". As she shook the 17 year old Town kid's hand, she couldn't help but be relieved that it wasn't Gale and it was someone that has no survival skills to speak of.
The goodbyes, were so hard not to cry through. Her mother was unresponsive, Sia and Prim wouldn't stop crying, and Tel wouldn't let her go until Sia finally pried him off. The Hawthorne's, Greasy Sae, Madge, and the Baker all made promises to take care of her family while she was gone. Her sister Sia gave her a charm bracelet with a Katniss flower, a Freesia, a Primrose, a Telstar flower, and even a Thorow-wax flower (after their father Thorow Everdeen) as her district token.
Katniss was happy she appeared bored when watching herself in the cameras. Looking at her district partner Cole who was crying, she couldn't help think that he wouldn't last long.
Their so called mentor Haymitch Abernathy looked at them, and only said four words: "They won't last long."
He passed out after choking on his own vomit before the recap of the reapings began:
District One Tributes: Sparkles Adley, 17 years old pretty 5'8 blue-eyed blonde Career*Jasper Reece, 18 years old 6'2 brown-eyed blonde another Career
District Two Tributes: Spatha Dearborn, 16 years old 5'11 brown-eyed brown haired Career *Kalis Baird, 18 years old 6'4 green-eyed brown haired Career
District Three Tributes: Nodel Ellis, 14 years old 5'6 brown-eyed brunette *Oram Fell, 15 years old 5'7 blue-eyed brunette
District Four Tributes: Koi Cross, 16 years old 6' green-eyed raven haired Career*Dace Boyd, 17 years old 6'3 blue-eyed blonde Career
District Five Tributes: Gitta Irons, 13 years old 5'2 green-eyed red head*Watt Gorman, 15 years old 5'5 hazel-eyed brunette
District Six Tributes: Fascia Jarred, 14 years old 5'3 blue-eyed brunette*Piston Hyde, 13 years old 5'1 brown-eyed brunette
District Seven Tributes: Kaya Lofton, 17 years old 5'5 blue-eyed brunette*Spruce Knowles, 16 years old 5'9 green-eyed red head
District Eight Tributes: Velvet Jennings, 18 years old 5'1 brown-eyed brunette*Russet Kennish, 15 years old 5'7 blue-eyed brunette
District Nine Tributes: Kasha Jaffrey, 17 years old 5'2 green-eyed brunette*Farro Lodge, 14 years old 5'6 brown-eyed brunette
District Ten Tributes: Ayrshire Niel, 16 years old 5'5 hazel-eyed brunette*Friesian Shaw, 16 years old 5'7 blue-eyed blonde
District Eleven Tributes: Papaya Tilden, 17 years old 5'1 brown-eyed brunette dark skin*Haulm Olcott, 14 years old 6'2 brown-eyed brunette with dark skin
Haulm deeply reminded me of Gale in his mannerisms; it didn't help that there were three little kids clinging on him just like Gale's younger siblings.
District Twelve Tributes: Katniss Everdeen; It was weird seeing all 5'4 of my 12 year old self, my grey eyes were blazing with an inner fire that made them more striking than usual, my long dark hair in an elegant braid Sia did for me, and the expression on my face screamed 'survivor'.
Cole Black. Comparing that to Cole Black's hopeless crying 5'8 blue-eyed blonde form, there was a good chance District 12 would have a victor this year….and it wouldn't be some town kid who had already given up the fight.
Katniss' prep team didn't have to do as much because she was only twelve and already a beautiful girl. Katniss didn't have to wait long for her stylist to arrive, she was shocked at how normal and young he was.
"Hi, I'm Cinna" Katniss looked up at him, shocked by the lack of a Capitol accent.
"Katniss" She said cautiously.
"I saw your reaping, your eyes looked like ashes from a deadly fire. An idea struck me, why is District 12 only considered the mining district? I don't know how people forget fire plays a big part in mining. After all isn't fire the cause of most of the mining accidents?"
Katniss flinched, as she was reminded of the loss of her father.
"Is there a point to this? It's not like you plan to set me on fire are you?" She asked him sarcastically. Cinna chuckled, but his breath was caught in his throat once he saw those stunning fiery grey eyes glare at him.
"No, I have plans to stimulate fire but they will take years to work perfectly. Which is a shame, you would make an amazing 'Girl on Fire'. But for tonight you will be a little flame."
Cinna held out a long halter dress with swirls the color of ashes on it, the top of the dress was red that slowly faded into orange, and by the time the dress reached Katniss' toes the dress was yellow. Katniss didn't recognize herself and yet at the same time she did, the dress seemed to emphasize her best features. Cole looked good too but Katniss couldn't help thinking the fiery look didn't mesh with his personality like it did with Katniss, so he looked out of place next to her.
Katniss and Cole did the training without speaking to each other. They never received any advice from their Mentor Haymitch, who continued to ignore them and spent all of his time drinking. When he finally decided to address them it was after the releasing of the private training scores.
District One Tributes: Sparkles Adley- 8 Jasper Reece-8 District Two Tributes: Spatha Dearborn- 9 Kalis Baird-9
District Three Tributes: Nodel Ellis-6 Oram Fell-6 District Four Tributes: Koi Cross- 8 Dace Boyd- 9
District Five Tributes: Gitta Irons- 4 Watt Gorman- 6 District Six Tributes: Fascia Jarred-3 Piston Hyde-2
District Seven Tributes: Kaya Lofton-6 Spruce Knowles- 6 District Eight Tributes: Velvet Jennings-4 Russet Kennish-5
District Nine Tributes: Kasha Jaffrey-3 Farro Lodge-6 District Ten Tributes: Ayrshire Niel-5 Friesian Shaw-5
District Eleven Tributes: Papaya Tilden-4 Haulm Olcott-9 District Twelve Tributes: Katniss Everdeen-7 Cole Black- 5
Haymitch Abernathy chuckled, mostly out of surprise that the little girl managed to do the second best out of all the non-careers.
"Well, I'll be damned the little sweetheart did better than you boy. Now, I'm curious what did you two do during your sessions?"
Cole shrugged, slightly shocked Haymitch was addressing them
"I threw a knife and just ran around tell they told me to go." Haymitch chuckled darkly.
"And you sweetheart?" Katniss glared at the drunk of a man with fiery hatred in her eyes.
"You'll find out, once the games begin just like everyone else. Unless, you are too busy choking on your own vomit again." She said sarcastically. Cole, Portia and Cinna laughed, Effie tried to hide her laughter in a very unconvincing cough, and the Avoxes tried to hide their smiles. Haymitch stared at her dumbfounded, before he burst out into loud laughter.
"You got spunk sweetheart, I like that but it won't change the fact you are going to die."
As Haymitch, went to pick up his drink Katniss threw a knife in between his fingers. Everyone else jumped startled, while Haymitch continued to stare at the girl, who seemed be full of surprises.
"You got booze sugar, you like that but it won't change the fact you are going to die of guilt." Katniss mocked his patronizing tone before she stormed out of the room.
"Damn" Haymitch said deeply shocked yet extremely impressed as he stared at the knife lodged deeply into the table in between his fingers.
Haymitch wanted to finally to get involved with his tributes after Katniss' display by wanting to prep them for the interviews. But only Cole showed up, Katniss blew him off and he didn't see his little spitfire of a tribute until interview night. Katniss was dressed in a pretty strapless orange ball gown with a scrunched up bottom that made it look like she was one with fire. District 1 tributes went with the sexy angle, two were deadly, three were wise, four were charming, five through ten were forgettable, so was the girl from eleven. However, Haulm was mysterious yet witty….. a lot like Gale. Katniss just wanted to go home, however she was next to be interviewed after Cole who played the humble card:
Caesar: So, Katniss I must ask you what was going through your mind when your name was called at the reaping?
Katniss: Well, you can say it went into overdrive. I wasn't surprised my name was in there in seven times. Then after that thought, all I could keep thinking about was what my family would do without me.
Caesar: Yes, that's right your family was very emotional at the reaping. Do you mind telling us about them?
Katniss truly smiled for the first time since arriving at the Capitol, everyone's heart stopped at how beautiful and exquisite she looked smiling.
Katniss: There's Freesia, she goes by Sia, she's ten, and she's my little butterfly. She's a mixture of me and Primrose, I call her my little butterfly because of her beauty but she doesn't like to be crowded like a true butterfly. Prim is eight, she's more like my mother then me as I am more like my father. I call her my little duck because no matter what I do her shirt always becomes untucked so it forms a ducktail. And of course there's Telstar, who is six, we just call him Tel, he's my little monkey as he's always climbing up my body like a tree wanting me to hold him. He calls me mommy no matter how many times we try to tell him otherwise. I don't care if my chances of surviving are slim, I won't stop fighting tell I am back at home with them.
By the time she finished everyone was crying or holding back tears even the other tributes. Caesar dabbed his eyes before asking his final question.
Caesar: You scored a 7, which is very impressive for your age. What can you tell us about how you earned it?
Katniss smirked mischievously.
Katniss: Killer Instincts *the buzzer went off*
The 70th Hunger Games had begun. Katniss ran and dived as she grabbed a pack, she danced out of the way from one of Sparkles' knifes. Running into the forest, she saw Haulm killing the Career from District 1 with an ax.
Later, when she was safely in a tree, she heard Haulm call out her name.
"Come on out, Katniss. I saw you come this way. I'm not about to hurt you after I went to all the trouble of getting stabbed because I was busy protecting you during the bloodbath" Haulm explained himself to Katniss softly.
"Well, if you're not planning to kill me. Then what do you want? I'd rather not be bothered by a stranger who's proudly declaring his battle scars looking for sympathy. If you came looking for me saying I owe you my life, then you clearly are deluded. Afterall, the only one who saved me at the bloodbath was myself." Katniss declared bluntly.
"You're a feisty little thing aren't you?" Haulm chuckled deeply, till he winced from pain. He laughed at her glare.
"Allies?" She looked at him thoughtfully. She slowly nodded her head, scampered down the tree, and landed gracefully while holding out her hand for him to shake. Haulm looked completely dumbfounded and amazed before shaking it.
"You're like a little squirrel" Katniss glared and punched his knife wound on his side.
"I'd watch it if I were you" Haulm laughed lightly
"There's no reason for a pretty girl like you to be so angry. You're like a cute little Kitty Kat." Katniss scowled at him but before she could properly tell where he could stick it, they were interrupted.
"Whose do you think it is?" Haulm asks while holding the silver parachute. Katniss looks at him like he's the dumbest person in all of Panem.
"I'm a twelve year old from District 12, with an alcoholic mentor, who has never acknowledged my presence. If you think I have any sponsors, I will have to question why I am in an alliance with an idiot because clearly you won't be bringing intelligence to this partnership." Katniss said waspishly. Haulm Olcott chuckled deeply, his ally really was one of a kind.
"Ouch, Kitty Kat. Retract the claws." Haulm laughed even louder at Katniss' glare at the nickname. Inside there was antibiotics and bandages for Haulm wounds. Katniss' scowl softened as she began to tend to Haulm's wound, she smiled softly at his sigh of relief as the medicine began to work.
"You know, Kitty Kat if you smiled instead of scowled you would be even cuter then you normally are." Haulm laughed loudly as Katniss glare came back with a vengeance.
"You're just lucky you remind me of Gale, otherwise I wouldn't have become allies with someone who obviously lacks intellect." Haulm chuckles
"Retract those claws, Kitty Kat. Who's Gale?" Katniss smiles softly
"My only friend" Haulm stares at her intently knowing there's more to it than that but doesn't push.
They watched silently, as the dead tributes filled the sky:
Sparkles Adley
District One
Dace Boyd
District Four
"Was he one of your kills?" Katniss asked curiously. Haulm looked surprised, but nodded his head.
"I thought so, explains your wound and how you got a sponsor gift so fast" Katniss said nodding her head to herself.
"You're smart." Haulm said impressed at her thinking and reasoning.
Katniss shrugged, "One of us has to be. You already made it clear strategy wasn't your strong suit." Haulm for once was the one who scowled at her.
"You're pretty sassy for a twelve year old. Are sure you aren't fourteen?" Haulm asked snarky.
"Sorry, but no you really have been outwitted by someone two years younger than you." Katniss smirked mischeviously.
Haulm just shook his head giving up.
Gitta Irons
District Five
Fascia Jarred
District Six
Piston Hyde
District Six
Velvet Jennings
District Eight
Russet Kennish
District Eight
Kasha Jaffrey
District Nine
Ayrshire Niel
District Ten
Friesian Shaw
District Ten
Papaya Tilden
District Eleven
"Were you two close?" Katniss asked softly. Haulm looked sad but shook his head no.
Cole Black
District Twelve
"What about you two?" Haulm asked, Katniss shook her head but answered
"He was five years older than me and from the Town" He gave her a baffled look so she decided to explain further.
"There are two sides in District 12; the Town where everyone seems to be a fair skinned blue-eyed blonde merchant and there's the Seam where everyone has olive skin, grey eyes and dark hair from mining families. My sisters look like Town kids because my mother, who was a merchant, fell in love a miner." She finished with a smile. Katniss shook her head and decided to change the subject.
"So, there's us, four careers, the geniuses from three, both from seven, and the boys from 5 & 9. There are twelve of us left, how about we break the alliance during the top five?" Katniss asked seriously.
"That sounds reasonable, I wouldn't want it to come down to the two of us." Haulm nodded solemnly.
"This alliance is a perfect way to put my plan into motion." Katniss said smiling mysteriously.
"Well, don't leave me in suspense Kitty Kat. What's this plan of yours?" Haulm asked her full of curiosity. Katniss ignored his question, to favor him with a glare.
"I'm sleeping in the trees, it is the safest place from the Careers at night. I don't care what you do, meet me here in the morning if you want." Katniss said breifly as she climbed up the tree again. Haulm looked at her in awe.
"By the way: Do. Not. Call. Me. Kitty. Kat." Katniss sassed. Haulm chuckled as she glared at him.
"Whatever, you say little squirrel." Haulm laughed warmly at her answering huff and went to find someplace safe to camp out at.
"So, what's this plan of yours?" Haulm asked his little spitfire ally the next morning.
Ignoring his question to ask her own, "Did anyone ever tell you how annoying it is that you sleep too much?"
Haulm chuckles "And how many times do I have to tell you to retract the claws, Kitty Kat?"
Katniss glares but changes the topic to more important things.
"Whatever, while you were sleeping like the dead, four more tributes died, we made it to the final eight and I got us food. Here, you can have the rabbit and the fish. I've already eaten." Haulm was surprised but excited at the prospect of fresh meat.
"How did you catch the rabbit?"
She shrugged, "Snares. Now, my plan is too trick seven into a trap before the careers find them because my weapon is much less painful than theirs will be." Katniss pulled out a bunch of berries from her pack.
"Coming from District Eleven, I am assuming you know what these are?" She asked with a smirk.
"Nightlock." Haulm whispered stunned.
"Exactly, here's what we are going to do: Ahead of us is District Seven they tried killing me earlier this morning but they remained close by. So, I am going to run screaming across their path drop the berries and a squirrel. Since, it's obvious they are starving they will fall for it pretty easily. You will be chasing after me with your knife out in plain sight. Then once we are out of their line of vision we will hide in the bushes and watch as it all unfolds." Katniss explained with a smug look on her face. Haulm just stared at her wide-eyed his jaw opening and closing but no words coming out.
"That's brilliant" Katniss smirked at him
"Like I said I couldn't leave strategy to you, if I did you could get us killed." Haulm was too impressed with her plan to even attempt a glare.
The plan went off without a hitch as they heard two identical BOOMS, as they were walking away they heard two more BOOMS.
"Four left" Katniss whispered.
Haulm looked at her sadly, "Be safe, little squirrel."
Katniss nodded "You too, if I don't win I expect you too."
"Back at you, Kitty Kat" He laughed one last time as she glared at him. Haulm watched as she scampered off into a tree before running into the opposite direction.
Katniss watched the sky as the dead tributes began appearing in the sky.
Jasper Reece
District One
Kalis Baird
District Two
Nodel Ellis
District Three
Oram Fell
District Three
Watt Gorman
District Five
Kaya Lofton
District Seven
Spruce Knowles
District Seven
Farro Lodge
District Nine
Katniss sighed, anxious for this to finally be over….her eyes started to droop.
BOOM
"Katniss…Katniss" Haulm whispered her name weekly. Katniss looked down to see, Koi Cross from District Four dead from a broken neck and Haulm bleeding out at an alarming rate. She jumped down from her tree and landed gracefully just to have him collapse into her arms.
"You…have to…win…Kitty Kat" Tears ran down her face as she nodded her head.
"Music…reminds me…of home…will you sing?" Katniss let a sob escape her lips before she began to sing:
If forever never comes then I will hold on, I'll hold on and hold on I keep listening to my chest
But the second that I'll see you, you will know how much I need you
I've got you now and I'm not letting go of you, never be together long enough
'Cause every moment I'm with you, it's like I'm holding on to heaven
And if forever never comes then I will hold on 'Cause every moment I'm with you
It's like I'm holding on to heaven…..
Haulm smiled softly at her and shakily brought her hand to his lips to kiss before he gasped loudly.
BOOM
Katniss wiped her tears as she got up, her eyes had a fiery determination as she headed to the Cornucopia. Where the last remaining Career was left dying of blood poisoning.
Spatha Dearborn jumped up wildly and started to carelessly fling her sword arouind. Katniss approached her like you would approach a wild animal.
"I have no weapons, you could kill me before I even touched you." Katniss said quietly.
Spatha chuckled darkly, "Very true, little girl."
Katniss held out Nightlock, "My mother is a healer, these will help with the pain while you wait for the hovercraft to collect you." Spatha tackled her eagerly and stuffed the berries into her mouth.
As she collapsed, Katniss shook her head at the dead Career.
"You, know that old saying 'Never, take candy from strangers'? Well, the same thing could be said about berries."
BOOM
Claudius Templesmith shouts above her. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the youngest victor in Hunger Games history. Victor of the Seventieth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen — tribute of District Twelve!"
AN: This is a story written by my late cousin BookwormBabe93 I will be reposting it in her honor we use to talk about writing all the time she had crazy talent and I will try to do her justice.
Rd & Review :)
Song: Holding on to Heaven by Nickelback