If you haven't read my story Born of Fire some of this might not make too much sense, but it's not actually necessary. All you need to know is that Katniss and Gale are both Victors and have a daughter, and the rebellion has yet to happen. This is Nelia's Games in her POV. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own anything-duh
"No Teddy, come back!" I cry to my brother. I don't want him to go into that roped off pin again-it may be his next to last year but I still don't want him to go.
"Nelly you know I have to." Teddy sighs. "Even if I did get picked at least I'd have a good mentor since it's not just Haymitch anymore."
I frown but he has a point. What worries me is that he will go in but he won't come out unlike our most recent Victor. He's a hunter (he always gave mother game with that girl he hunts with); Teddy's not. "Promise me we won't ever get picked Teddy."
"We won't Nel. Promise." He smiles. Then he walks into a house with his best friend and it blows up.
I wake with a start, and realize that it wasn't real-it was just a dream of a memory from when I was ten years old. Except for that last part-that happened about four and a half years ago. My brother died in an explosion at a New Year's Party. Apparently one of the kids there stole explosives from the mine to blow up so little stuff but they got so drunk that they blew all the explosives up at the same time, killing everyone in there. I still refuse to believe that Teddy drank, but I guess I'll never know for sure. He could have done it just to drink with Rye who was still depressed over his dead fiancée, Madge Undersee. But now they're all gone, and I'm still here.
I rub my sleepy eyes and realize with a start that it's Reaping Day for the 81st Annual Hunger Games. With my six required slips (I don't need to take out tesserae thank goodness) I'm pretty safe, but you never know. But Teddy promised me all those years ago that neither of us would get reaped and for some reason I still believe him. He didn't get reaped, and I only have two more years left. There are not a few people who have way more slips than I do.
Since there's no school or work today I decide to go open up the butcher shop this morning. Mother probably won't be up for another hour or so and grandfather doesn't help much anymore anyway. It's just the three of us now since my father died when I was six and Teddy's gone too, so I usually work in the shop whenever I can to help mother. It's the least I can do anyway.
I put on my apron and take out some chickens from the freezer to cut up for today. I grab my favorite meat cleaver from the drawer (it has a pretty blue handle that I painted when I was little) and I absentmindedly do the work, not even looking at what I'm doing because it's so routine. Sure I should probably actually focus when I have something sharp in my hand, but I've never cut myself before so why start now?
I have a few customers before mother wakes up two hours later but not too many. Some people get a little extra because everyone is supposed to celebrate at dinner tonight for the beginning of the Hunger Games. The Capitol's idea is that we should celebrate the Games, but really here (and I'm assuming all the districts beside the Career districts) it's more of a celebration of relief of their children not getting reaped aside from two families every year who shut their doors and grieve their usually almost dead children.
Around twelve thirty we close shop to get ready for the reaping. I go wash myself in our basin and change into my reaping dress of the last two years, a pale pink frock and a matching ribbon holding back my blonde curls. I look into the mirror and sigh at my image. I'm definitely not the prettiest girl in the school or the most popular, but I don't look horrible. Besides, being from town instead of the Seam automatically makes me healthier and better off than a majority of the district. I shouldn't complain but I can't help thinking I could look so much better. It's shallow yes, but what else do I have to think about other than my dead loved ones and butchering? Not much.
After a quick lunch mother, grandfather and I go to the square just outside of our house. It's already packed with people and with a good luck hug from both of them I go sign myself in and stand in the seventeen year old section next to my two friends, Hallie and Rose. They're both Seam but I don't mind-I don't exclusively hang out with town people because mostly I don't like a lot of them. Sure they look down on me for sitting with two Seam girls but I don't really care…well not too much anyway. It's not like they liked me too much when I tried to play with them when I was little so I don't know why they would care.
They both look nervous-far more than I am. Well, I guess that's understandable because they both have taken out tesserae. Hallie has twenty four slips and Rose has thirty six. I want to tell them that there are thousands more and they won't get picked but I don't. It probably wouldn't assure them anyway and the Reaping is about to begin so I zip my lips and watch the stage.
The mayor comes out first followed by our Capitol Escort Effie Trinket who talks in a funny accent and wears the ridiculous Capitol fashions-this year she's sporting a purple wig and a puffy purple and white dress thingy with very high purple heels. I'm sure it's very fashionable in the Capitol but here she just seems silly in the middle of our gray drab district. After her the living Victors come out. We've had four in total but there are only three still living. The first is Haymitch Abernathy, the town drunk. I honestly don't remember how he won or anything but I remember from school that he won the second Quarter Quell. Can't imagine how he won looking at him now-it's easy to see he's already drunk on that stage.
After him with hands linked comes out the other two living Victors from District 12, only similar to Haymitch in that they are both Seam. They are both Victors in their twenties, popular from not only winning consecutive years but mostly from being in love and happily married with a daughter. I know it must have been horrible for them both, especially Katniss's year since Gale was her mentor and that could not have been fun watching your girlfriend in the Hunger Games, but I'm glad we have them as mentors. It certainly beats having only Haymitch to deal with anyway for the poor souls who get reaped. Besides the fact that they have an easy life now-they only hunt for people in the district now instead of themselves because they have nothing better to do. I know mother wishes they would trade with her more again but they usually just hand it out to Seam families in need or trade others for things in the black market that I've never ventured to, called the Hob. It's really nice of them to share their wealth since they don't have to, but I can't help but be jealous that they can. Must be nice to go from a Seam life to a perfect one.
The mayor does his speech and I half pay attention, not really caring. I just can't wait to get this thing over with and get home to that dinner we're having tonight. Normally all we eat is almost bad meat in my house, but on special occasions like birthdays and the reaping, my mother goes all out and buys fresh bakery bread and some fruit for dessert from the general store. It's the only reason I sort of look forward to reaping day as bad as that sounds. I shouldn't have any reason to hate this horrible day. I half watch Effie go to the girl's bowl first like every year and think that she really is too happy of a person for a reaping. But I guess it really is an exciting time for the Capitolites, and this is her job. Who would willingly take a job that means choosing two children to die every year? I certainly wouldn't.
"Nelia Gristle." I hear ringing clear in a Capitol accent. Who needs me? I look around and freeze when every face is staring at me in my section. Oh crap. I've just been reaped for the Hunger Games. So much for Teddy's promise.