Life is never easy. Especially mine. Only 16 and I've already been through so much. So much that most people would have already given up. Many have for much less. I probably would have if not for Prim. Beautiful, sweet, innocent Primrose Everdeen. My little sister whom I love with all my heart. I kept on fighting the darkness surrounding me for her because she needs someone to take care of her. Someone to provide for her. Someone to love her.

Prim has already lost so much. She lost her, our, father to the mines. She lost our mother to the grief. You see, after our father died, my mother fell into a crippling depression. She would rarely get up and eat, drink, or sleep, let alone support her children. We had no income, no food, no new clothes, no nothing. Prim and me were starving. I had tried to sell some of Prim's old baby clothes one day, but no one took an interest in them. I had given up that night. I collapsed against an old tree next to the bakery and was planning on just sitting there and dying. Dying from the hunger and the pain of knowing my little, baby sister was going to die from starvation. Knowing that I couldn't save her.

Then I heard screaming coming from inside the bakery. About a minute later, the youngest of the baker's boys came out with two burnt loaves of bread. He faked as if he was feeding them to the pigs and instead threw them to me. He not only saved my life that day, but also the day he saved Prim and my moms lives. He gave me hope that day. The hope that reminded me of the bows my father had stashed in the forest. The hope that reminded me that I could hunt, though it is illegal.

I never talked to that boy again. I never got to thank him. I never got to repay my debt to him and I am a person who doesn't like to be in debt to anyone. I always must repay people for the favors they do for me. The baker's boy performed the biggest favor I've ever accepted and I haven't been able to repay him. If it weren't for him I never would have met my best friend and hunting partner Gale. Gale and I meet in the woods when we were younger. I had started hunting regularly to support my family and one day ran into Gale in the woods. At first we didn't get along very well, but we eventually bonded and became inseparable.

Many people believe Gale and I are dating and that we will probably get married in the future. Those people couldn't be more wrong. At least on my side. Gale is like a brother to me. I could never imagine being romantically involved with him. That and I never plan on getting married or having kids. I don't want to risk becoming so dependent on someone that I fall apart without them. That I abandon my own children because of the grief. I never want to cause myself the pain I saw my mother go through nor do I want to cause anyone to deal with what I had to because they lost their mother to that pain. It would be cruel.

Since I never planned on getting married I never thought about crushes or relationships or anything like that. Shocking for a 16-year-old girl I know. My job was to care for Prim and that was all I needed. I never thought about love. At least not until tonight. The night Peeta Mellark, the baker's boy, declared his love for me on national television. Now onto how we got here.

. . .

No one in my house got a peaceful sleep that night. It was the night before Prim's first reaping and we were all scared, especially Prim. The odds really are in her favor though because she only has one slip in the bowl. I wouldn't let her take tesserae and it's only her first year so she only has one slip in the bowl. That doesn't change the nerves we are all feeling though.

Recently my mom has started to come back to her old self though I still don't completely trust her. The morning of the reaping she left me one of her blue dresses from her merchant days to wear. We are all supposed to dress up for the reaping because you want to look your best if you get sent to your death. Prim is wearing one of my old reaping day outfits. My mom decided to do my hair in this complicated braided up do that actually looked really pretty.

Once we were all ready we walked down to the town square where the reaping takes place. A stage is set up in the square with large screens to play the stupid capital video we have to watch every year. On the stage are the mayor and our capitol escort, Effie Trinket. Keeping with tradition, Effie Trinket is wearing a strange colored wig and ridiculous dress. On top of her appearance, she talks with an annoying capitol accent that is so much fun to make fun of.

I helped Prim check in and gave her a hug before we had to part ways to our respective sections. I went to stand with the 16 year old girls while Prim went to stand with the 12 year old girls. Finally our drunken victor, Haymitch Abernathy, arrives the reaping begins.

The usual speeches are given and the capitol video that talks about how the hunger games are a punishment for the dark days. Once all of that is over, Effie heads towards the girls bowl and begins searching through the bowl until she finally chooses a slip of paper.

"Primrose Everdeen."

That's when my world froze. I see Prim slowly walking forward and before I can process what I'm doing I'm running towards the stage volunteering as tribute. Gale has to come forward and drag a hysterical Prim while I walk up onto the stage. All that's going through my mind is don't cry. Don't look weak. I zone out for a little while and the next thing I know I see the bakers boy, the one who saved me when I was younger, standing next to me as my fellow tribute. Isn't this great.