Peeta POV:
I walk down the quiet road of the Seam. Nobody is awake yet, it's only past dawn. The Seam is the part of District 12 that nobody wants to be in, but most of us end up here anyways, whether out of poverty or birth. District 12 is the poorest of the Districts, here starvation is not a stranger.
Of course people like the Mayor's daughter, Madge, don't have to worry about it, I thought. Merchant kids have it easy, or at least easier, and their chances of getting reaped are slim to none. They're not the ones who have to take the extra tessarae, ultimately playing up to the Capitol's sick form of entertainment. I know that it's not their fault, but it's hard not to resent people who are born into families with money.
Gale and I had always been friends, our dads had worked in the mines together until they died in an accident. We both live in the Seam with our families, although I look like I'm the only one who belongs there in my family. Both Prim and my mother have blue eyes and blonde hair with a fair complexion. Prim is small and delicate, named after the flower my mother loved so much. I take after my father, with grey eyes and dark black hair, not unlike many other Seam children. In fact, sometimes Gale and I are mistaken for brothers, although we might as well be, since he is my one and only friend.
I am to Prim like a father to his child, I am her provider and protector. Ever since the accident my mother hasn't been herself… She's become a distant, cold person, and I've learned to protect myself and Prim from her.
My train of thought goes back to what I was doing when I reach the Meadow. A high, chain-link fence with barbed-wire loops surrounds District 12 and separates the Meadow from the woods. The fence is supposed to be electrified so that animals wouldn't attack our streets. Personally, I think it's to keep us in, because if we didn't have that fence, this place would be deserted. Since we barely get any electricity around here, it's usually safe. Still, as I approach it, I listen for the hum to check if it's live. Sure enough the only sound I hear is the breeze, so I slide underneath the fence into my secret haven.
Gale POV:
I hear a twig snap and turn around quickly to find Peeta behind me, holding his bow up at my sudden movement. I laugh at his face, which has the same bewildered look as a rabbit caught in my snare.
"We should hurry, I need to get food for tonight after the Reaping." He says.
I nod my head tersely, knowing what Peeta deals with. We both provide the food for our family, but I guess I'm lucky, because at least my mother still talks to me and my siblings. We quietly head to our spot, the one that Peeta seems to get the best game from. I don't know what it is, but I guess he feels as if he does his best there. He once mumbled something about his father showing him this place when he was younger. Whatever helps us bring food to the table is fine with me.
Thinking of food makes me think of stuff I don't have. Our house in the Seam is big enough, and we have enough clothes, so what is missing? As I head down to check my snares I walk past a lake with Katniss growing in it. I'm reminded of Katniss, the baker's daughter. Her blonde hair is always in its signature braid, her eyes a sparkling blue that only some of the people in District 12 obtain. I've always liked her, she was just my type. She's the quiet and agreeable one, she'd never intentionally hurt a living thing. Of course I'm not the only one, she's the star of many conversations in the boy's locker room. I was once told that I looked handsome, for a Seam kid. Although I've only talked to her a couple of times, she has the ability to calm me down, which is surprising, since I'm usually mad at everything and everyone. Why wouldn't I be? I live in the poorest of districts, and am forced to poach just to keep my family alive.
"Who are you day dreaming about, lover boy?" Peeta asks.
My cheeks grow red, and I know he knows. He just likes teasing me about it.
"Don't laugh. It's not a big deal", I say, "We both know perfectly well that I was thinking of Katniss."
Peeta looks at me in fake shock, "Why would you be doing that? It's not proper for a Seam boy and a Merchant girl to be together!" He says, mimicking the voice of Effie Trinket, our annoying Hunger Games escort.
That brings us both to today, and we grow silent once again. We remember that today is not a day of fun and laughter.
Today is Reaping day, and we both stand a chance at getting reaped.
Katniss POV:
I'm fiddling with the hem of my dress as I wait for breakfast. Father and I wake up early today to frost and decorate cakes. Ironically, Reaping Day is one of our most popular days, a day that the Capitol has played up to be a festival, or a holiday of sorts. We all know that while most families would be celebrating for their children's lives, others would be mourning their inevitable deaths. Nobody could win against the Careers, and in all of the 74 years of the Hunger Games, we've only had two victors. District 12 doesn't exactly hold the best reputation for the Games because none of us really care. Our lives are a living hell anyways.
Father just finished making pancakes and sets them on the table. Mother takes her share, then when Farl reaches for his she snaps at him, telling him that it was ladies first and to mind his manners. I look at him, helpless to what our mother is saying. I can see him holding back his anger, then handing me the plate between him and Mother.
You would think that because today is Reaping Day mother would be kind, although she is anything but. For some reason she hates us all, even Father. She hasn't been beating us as much, but her icy glare is enough to make anyone uncomfortable. I think that's why Father let her name my two elder brothers, Farl and Broa, after different breads. Nobody wants to be on the other end of her argument. I am the only exception, my Father named me after a plant shaped like an arrow. I have no idea why, since I am only handy with a rolling pin and spatula.
After finishing up our pancakes, we head to the Town Square. It's a beautiful day, although nobody else would notice because the fear, anger and panic loom over us where clouds used to be. The camera crews are up, Mayor Undersee is up on stage, checking the microphone before they start rolling. I wave to Madge, one of my best friends and the Mayor's daughter. She is a lot like me in many ways, we are both blonde and fair with blue eyes, although I am a bit stronger from occasionally helping my brothers lifting bags of flour. I scan the crowd of serious faces and find the one I am looking for.
A bunch of Seam boys surround him, staring at the ground or at the sky, wishing they would be anywhere else. His face is grave and set in a frown, his dark hair slightly messy, and his eyes…. His eyes are a gorgeous grey that I could drown in. Ever since father pointed him out to me on our first day of school, I've liked him, even if he never smiles. Why would he? He has one of the biggest chances of getting reaped.
He looks up and I avert my gaze, hoping that he doesn't catch it. Apparently some of the other boys do, and they nudge him a little as a blush creeps up his neck. I sneak a look at him again, locking eyes with him for the first time when Effie Trinket interrupts.
"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" she squeals in her Capitol accent. Her hair is a vibrant pink this year, her outfit standing out between all of the dull grays and browns of our district.
I turn to catch a boy staring at me. Gabriel? Gill? Gale, I think his name was. Occasionally he would trade the squirrels my father likes so much for some bread. He smiles at me, and I offer a feeble smile back. I don't know why, but I feel embarrassed to be so easily distracted by one smile, and one from a boy I don't even like!
I turn forward again just in time to see Effie make her way to the glass domes filled with slips of paper. Her hand circles teasingly inside, finally settling on one slip. She pulls it out and I can hear my heart beat. I'm pretty sure everyone can hear it too.
"Primrose Everdeen." She states. Everyone around us is shocked.
How could they do that to such an innocent, loving girl? We know for sure that she won't win, we know for sure that she would be one of the first to go.
A cry comes out of the crowd, and I look around to see from where. Finally I see him.
"Prim! Prim! I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" Peeta yells.
No, no, no! This cannot be happening! Either Prim or Peeta will die, and in the end they will both be gone, physically or mentally.
I hear myself say it before I even think about it, my lips forming the words my brain swore they'd never say.
"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"
I don't realize what's going on. The Peacekeepers are already lifting me up the stairs because my feet won't work in the daze my head is in. I scan the crowd and catch my brothers staring at me in disbelief, my father crying, and my mother looking the same as she did this morning, angry at everything. I hope that Peeta is still in the crowd, his sister at his side. I hope that he realizes that I did this for him.
"Well! Looks like we've got our two tributes! How convenient! Come on both of you, up up up!" Effie trills.
He's standing next to me, and my heart is torn in two.
He's going to kill me. He's going to get killed. I'm going to die.
We are going to die.
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