Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares

Chapter One: Prologue

by: Mistress of the Strange


After Katniss and Peeta win the 73th Hunger Games, Katniss fears her best friend Gale is going to get reaped. But things take an unexpected turn when Peeta's best friend Delly Cartwright is also reaped.

I don't own the Hunger Games Series, or any of its characters.


Katniss

The sunlight filtered through the window curtains rousing me from sleep. A restless and nightmare plagued sleep, but sleep after all. If it wasn't for the fact that I hadn't been sleeping for three days in a row, I would be even more surprised by the fact that I got some sleep.

Because today is reaping day.

Today I would be forced to watch two young kids be selected for The Hunger Games, and then I would have to prepare the girl for slaughter.

It wouldn't be Prim. I was sure it was not going to be her. Her name was only twice in there, and seriously, who gets their name pulled out two years in a row? Nobody in the whole country would believe that Trouble Maker Katniss Everdeen's sister was being reaped again by pure coincidence.

But there was still Gale to worry about, because Snow's words echo through my head as I start walking "Him I can easily kill off if we don't come to a happy resolution. You aren't doing him a favor by disappearing into the woods with him each Sunday."

After all, he did have forty two slips. The odds weren't exactly in his favor

But I know better, if his name got pulled put, I wouldn't be the odds at all. It would be Snow.

I found Prim and my mother in the kitchen, eating breakfast, they smiled, a sad smile, to me, that I couldn't find the way to return.

And how could I? Smile? Smile after I had just sent my best friend to a battlefield that was probably designed so he could never find his way out?

"Hey Katniss" Prim says sweetly. She leans on my shoulder as I sit next to her, "How are you?"

My sister, my innocent sister, who isn't aware of the whole mess I've made. "I'm hungry, little duck" I smile at her, and she smiles back as she passes me a small piece of bread for me to eat.

And the bread she gives me could only be made by one person. "Did Peeta already come?"

"Yes" My mom answers, "He said he was on his way to the bakery"

I can't think of a way to answer this, so I just give her a short nod and start eating my bread.

.

.

.

An hour later, Effie Trinket is at my doorstep, with a distressed face.

"Gosh, Katniss! The train was twenty minutes late!" She babbles in her strange Capitol accent. "But no worries, I made some arrangements to the schedule and if you prep team hurries a little bit, everything will be ready on time…"

My prep team. Oh joy.

After I've been perfectly prepped and bored to death by my prep team, I meet Cinna on my room, where he has my outfit for the reaping ready.

It's a simple but beautiful blue dress just like everything that he has ever made.

I slip on in it and twirl for him. An old routine for us.

"Perfect" I say "Like always."

He smiles, and gives me a resurging smile. He knows I'm worried of course.

Effie hurries us out to the living room and makes us review the schedule once again.

"First Katniss and Peeta will meet just like they did in the Victory Tour, and then they will be taken to the Square for the Reaping." Says Effie, smiling "Isn't it exiting?"

My prep team nods bursting with excitement.

When I get out of the house I turn my head to where Peeta's house is, to find him on his doorway, with Portia next to him.

He smiles and is all I can do not to run and hug him like I did on the Victory Tour, because right now, I just need the steadiness Peeta brings to everything. We walk to each other and he pulls me into his arms, kissing me softly. Cameras face is on.

As we pull away, we walk hand in hand to the Square, were the whipping stand has been taken away, and it's been replaced with the two familiar Reaping Bowls in each side of the stage.

Five chair have been disposed in the back, one for Effie, who sits and starts rambling about some new trend in the capitol, one for Mayor Undersee, and the other three for the living Victors of District Twelve, Peeta, Haymitch and me.

Just as the clock strikes at two, the mayor gets up and starts the speech about the Dark Days. As he talks I look for Prim in the crowd, and I find her in the thirteen year old section, her face very pale and serious, just like everyone else's.

Gale looks as calm as someone can look on reaping day; he spots me watching him, and gives me what should be a reassuring smile that I can't find the strength to return.

When Magde father finishes his speech, Effie gets up and walks to the podium, there a gives the crowd a radiant but somehow creepy smile.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" She says, still smiling.

Effie walks her way to the girls bowl and in no time, she back in the podium, ready to say the girl's name.

"And our female tribute is…" I take one last look at Prim and take a deep breath "Adelaide Cartwright!"

I slowly let out the air I was holding, and take a look at Peeta, whose grip on my hand had suddenly disappeared; the look on his face changed from extremely calmed to pure horror, and in a second, it was perfectly normal again. Nobody could have noticed.

A merchant blonde girl who's my age walked up stage with trembling legs and that's when I recognized her: it was Delly Cartwright; I just couldn't recognize her first full name.

Next Effie walked to the boys bowl, and makes her way back, to announce the name I've been dreading to hear.

"And our boy tribute is… Gale Hawthorne!"

It takes me all I have not to break down screaming.


So, let's clear some things shall we?

So Katniss and Peeta won the 73th games, and that makes Prim one year older.
Katniss does not know that Delly is Peeta's friend.
Next I am very sorry if there are some grammatical errors, my first language is Spanish, so I kinda still get confused with English.
I would appreciate a Beta, but I don't really know how the whole "betaing" thing works so… if you're interested in being my beta I would LOVE YOU!

Reviews mean EVERYTHING!

Tell me if you like the idea, and tell me what you don't like!

See you!

Dannie