"Ahhhhhh" I scream awake. I was chosen. I was chosen at the reaping. It was me. They called out my name, the voice echoing off the microphone, into my ears, bouncing around my head.
"Shhhhh." Whispers my sister, Katniss. "It's not gonna be you." She tells me reassuringly. My name had only been in the reaping once, it's most likely that I won't be picked. I'm worried about Katniss on the other hand though. With her names in twenty times, the odds aren't in her favour at all.
" It was just a dream, Prim." She tells me, stroking my hair. I nod to let her know I'll be fine and I drift off back to sleep when I hear Katniss' feet going down the stairs and I know she's going hunting.
When I wake up, my mother has laid out a reaping outfit for me. She hardly ever does anything, since my father died in a mine explosion. We don't talk about him often. I get dressed in what was once Katniss's first reaping outfit and my mother braids my hair. I'm too skinny for the outfit, so when my mother finishes my hair, she sticks pins in it to hold it in place.
"You look beautiful, sweetie." Says mother.
I smile to let her know that I appreciate her kindness for my first reaping. I just can't help thinking about if my name was actually called, if I had to go to the Hunger Games and fight to the death against a whole bunch of people. My worst thought is the Careers who would have no problem killing a 70 pound 12 year old. I don't even know how to fight, I don't have any specialty with a weapon.
"Oh well, look at you!" Says Katniss in admiration as she comes into the house. "Tuck that tail in little duck." She says tucking my blouse into my skirt. It always bothered her when my shtrt would hang out of my pants or skirts. She'd always call me a little duck referring what looked like a duck tail.
"There's something on your bed for you too Katniss." Says my mother.
Katniss just nods to accept my mother's offer. She never really accepts anything from our mother anymore because she shut us out for so long after our father died. I guess she's never really forgiven her.
While Katniss is bathing, mom makes us some soup before the reaping. While Katniss was hunting, she saved us a few fish and some strawberries for after the reaping, that is if we both return from the reaping. When Katniss comes out of the tub, she gets dressed in the beautiful blue dress that mother set out for her. It was hers when she was about Katniss's age. Mom went to go put Katniss's hair in a beautiful braided hairstyle that looped just above her neck. I stare in admiration at my sister, how beautiful she is, how she's helped so much around the house to keep mom and I alive.
"You look beautiful, Katniss." I squeak out.
"You too, little duck." She replies with a smile.
We hug and stay with our arms wrapped around each other until the chime of two o'clock rings. It's time to go to the square for the reaping.
Katniss and I walk hand in hand on the way from the Seam to the square. I don't realize I'm shaking until Katniss gives my hand a squeeze and I calm my body down, knowing that being tense won't help in my case.
When we finally arrive at the square, there are doctors in gloves pricking kids' fingers to take their blood and identify them.
"Be brave, Prim." I tell myself. "It's just a little prick."
Katniss and I get in line. When the doctor calls "next" I shakily step up. She asks me for my hand and I tenderly give it to her. I hear a buzz and then there's a stinging pinch in my index finger and I know it's over. The doctor slams my finger down on a sheet of paper, scans my blood and send me off.
I make my way to the bunch of twelve year olds at the back of the cluster of females. I can't help but stare at the glass bowl of female names. One of them has Primrose Everdeen on them and twenty of them have Katniss.
I'm standing for ten minutes until Effie Trinket comes out in her solid pink outfit.
"Welcome to the reaping for the 74th Hunger Games. Where we will select one boy and one girl for the honour of representing District 12."
I shiver as I watch the video that the Capitol shows every year at the reaping. When the video is finished Effie pipes up.
"As usual, ladies first." Effie says as she crosses to the girls glass ball. Her hand digs around for a moment and then she fishes out a slip of paper. She crosses back to her strange microphone and unfolds the paper, takes a deep breath and reads out my name, "Primrose Everdeen."