Attention: I do not own any Hunger Games characters beside Lily, Mitchell and their father. Everything else belongs to Suzanne Collins.
I hope you enjoy the story!
Chapter One-
"Lily, you need to get up." My father shook me, and I sat up. "Can you go to the bakery, and buy some bread? Mitchell ate the last piece last night."
"Don't blame me!" Mitchell cried, standing in the doorway. My dad just shook his head, handing me some money, and nudging Mitchell out of my room. I grabbed my normal outfit that consisted of green pants, a shirt to go along with it, and then sliding my boots on.
Today was the day of the reaping, so there was not many people in the Hob. Most families would be spending the next two hours, sitting together in a circle, worried for their children, and making a plan that would help them get along for the next few weeks. If their child was chosen, they'd have to figure out how to cope without their presence.
I knew that the bakery would only be opened for an hour. I didn't understand why Mrs. Mellark even opened the bakery. She was such a bitch. She didn't seem to care about any of her sons. Peeta Mellark was in my grade, and I occasionally saw him peering at Katniss Everdeen – one of my few friends.
Katniss and I were very similar. We both hunted – her with a bow and arrows, myself with snares and a knife. We were both also very quiet, and very concerned for our families. She only had a mother and a sister, I only had a father and a brother. Both of our siblings – Primrose and Mitchell – were both now in the reaping. Mitchell tried to be brave. I really did try, but his courage has been dwindling downwards for the past four days.
I paid for two freshly baked pieces of bread, and left, avoiding Mrs. Mellark's evil glare. How was anybody married to this witch? She was horrible!
I shook my head, heading back home. I was lucky enough to live in the richer part of District 12. But I was still considered poor to the other districts. Katniss lived in the seam, and we had met while hunting in the woods. We both ran into Gale Hawthorne in there too.
The three of us became friends, but Katniss seemed hesitant to trust Gale and myself. But I trusted Gale right away. He was cute. I've had a crush on him since I was nine and he was eleven. We've never talked, but I've seen him at school, and so has every other girl. He was one of the best looking guys in our district.
The first time Gale and I had talked was in the woods – I was fourteen and he was sixteen. Now he was eighteen and I was sixteen – which meant this was his last reaping before he was free from the danger, and I had two more years. Two more dangerous years where I could lose my life, and my family.
When I got home I had enough time to eat a small portion of the bread, and some eggs, before I had to bathe, and then get changed for the reaping.
After I was done getting ready, I heard crying coming from the other part of the house. It was Mitchell. I sat down beside him, and pulled him into my arms.
"You'll be okay Mitch. Just look for Gale, and stay with him. He'll keep you safe. You'll be perfectly fine." I kissed his forehead, and rocked him for a few minutes, before the district was called to head to the square where the reaping would take place.
"Go and find Gale, and stay with him. Tell him I told him not to leave your side." Mitchell nodded, hugging me once, and headed off in search of Gale.
My father headed off to be with the other parents, most likely Gale's mother and somewhere near Katniss's mother. Two women and a man. It was a surprise my father hadn't remarried.
No – he wouldn't. He still loved my mother, even though she's gone forever. He would never betray her like that – betray Mitchell and us.
I was checked in and I stood by Katniss in line with the other sixteen year olds. Katniss kept a straight face the entire time, most likely worrying about Prim. I knew how she felt.
We both looked over towards Gale, and he nodded, and then my little brother peeked his head around Gale's arm, and frowned. I forced a small smile for him, and he returned the favor.
"Welcome everybody! It's a big, big, big day!" Effie Trinket's incredibly annoying, accented voice spoke into the microphone. I sighed.
"It's a big, big, big day." I mumbled under my breath, causing Katniss to let out a sour chuckle.
The normal procedure began where they went over the history of Panem, and how the Hunger Games began.
"Well, let's begin shall we?" My breathing stopped, and my chest became tight. I wanted so badly to run across to Mitchell, and hold him in my arms. To soothe him and myself. I wanted to be with him and my dad.
Effie shuffled over to the girls' reaping bowl, and waved her hand around in a circle. I groaned quietly, rolling my eyes.
She cleared her throat, before speaking. "Primrose Everdeen!" What? How was that possible? Katniss told me she never allowed Prim to take any tesserae at all. This had to be rigged.
Katniss was silent, and still as Prim made her way up towards the stage.
"No! Prim! No!" Katniss suddenly shoved past me, somebody behind me catching me. "Stop! Prim stop!" Katniss ran up to Prim, shoving her sister behind her. The peacekeepers were staring at her, not knowing what to do. Whether to pull Katniss away or allow it?
"I volunteer. I volunteer as tribute." I somehow knew that Katniss would end up doing that. Prim was so small, and fragile looking – she'd be the first to go as soon as the games began.
I stood up. I couldn't let Katniss be separated from Prim or their mother. Their mother was too absent minded to be left alone with little Prim.
"I volunteer!" I said, stepping out into the opening. Gale stared at Katniss and I, his eyes wide with worry. Mitchell was confused as to what was happening.
"Lily, go. She's my sister." Katniss whispered as I stepped up towards the stage. I shook my head, staring at her.
"Exactly. And you can't leave her behind." She looked over at Gale and Mitchell.
"What about Mitchell? And your dad?"
"They have Gale, and you…" Katniss looked down at the ground, and then back up at me. "Go." I said. She walked back to her spot, clutching Prim to her.
"What a wonderful surprise!" Effie's voice said. I rolled my eyes, stepping up onto the stage. "What is your name?"
"Lily, Lily Waters." Effie stood me to the left of her, and then walked over to the boys' reaping bowl. While the cameras were trained on Effie, I tried to compose my face, but it didn't help that I looked right at Katniss and Prim. Then when I tried to look away, I looked right at Gale and Mitchell.
"Peeta Mellark!" I stared, shocked. Peeta looked utterly shocked, as he slowly made his way up to the stage. And I knew he was secretly hoping somebody, anybody would step in for him.
"Well, our District 12 tributes, Lily Waters and Peeta Mellark!" Everybody was silent. My father was in the back, Mitchell and Gale suddenly at his side.
We were pushed backwards into the Justice building, and the door shut behind us. We were then pushed into two different rooms, where we would have three minutes with anybody who decided to visit us.
Of course, my father and brother were the first to arrive. I ran into my dad's arms, clutching him as tightly as I could. Mitchell wrapped his arms around my stomach, pressing his tear-soaked face into my shirt.
I bent down, leveling myself with Mitchell.
"You need to be strong for me Mitch. No matter what you see on that screen – you need to be strong. For myself, and for dad. Do you understand?"
He nodded, and began to sob again. "Be careful? Please?" I nodded.
"Of course." I looked back up at my dad.
"Gale will watch over you two and help you guys hunt. Katniss also promised to help as much as she could. I don't want you two to worry about me. I love you dad. I really do." I hugged him, and he kissed my cheek.
"I love you too, Tiger lily." Tears sprang to my old nickname. My dad would always call me Tiger lily, because I was named after the flower. But my parents decided it would be too weird to have a daughter whose name had tiger in it.
"I love you Mitchell. Be strong for me." I hugged both of them once more, before the peacekeepers came in and pulled them out.
The next person wasn't a surprise either – Gale. I rushed into his opened arms. "You'll do fine Lily. You will. Just keep your look out, and watch your back. Never trust anybody in there. " I nodded.
"Please watch after them, Gale. Please. And whatever happens, make sure Mitchell stays strong." He nodded, and then he was pulled out of the room.
I sat down on the couch, shoving a pillow in my face, screaming. I was glad the pillow was muffling my screams, I didn't need any cameras being shoved in my face while I was a wreck.
"Lily…" I looked up, and Katniss stood in front of the door. "Thank you. Thank you for saving me and my sister."
I shrugged, standing up, and walking up to her.
"Will you be careful?" She asked. I nodded.
"Of course I will. I was taught by the best." I tried to force out a smile, but I couldn't. I still knew she understood what I meant.
Katniss reached into her pocket, pulling out a golden pin, and handing it to me. "It's a gift. Madge gave it to me, but you need it more than I do. It's a Mockingjay pin." I held it in my opened palm, turning it over.
I've heard of these birds before. They were the Capitol's mutations. Nothing very dangerous – they were used after District 13 was destroyed. The Capitol had them placed around the districts so that they could hear what everybody was saying, and hunt down the people who were major threats.
"You have to win. If anybody wins – it needs to be you." What about Peeta? Did Katniss like him too? No – that was a stupid question. Of course she did. The way her face glowed when she saw him.
She may not know it yet, but everybody else does. Katniss loves Peeta. I have to keep Peeta alive, so he can become victor.
She was pulled out of the room, and then Effie came and escorted us to the train. It was the last good-bye I had to my district, my friends, and my family. The door shut in front of my face, closing off my communication with my home, for who knows how long. It may be the very last time I see everybody.
I turned around, and walked slowly down towards the cabin, where there was a large table with food on it. Everything looked delicious – but I couldn't eat. I didn't want to eat. But I knew I had to, because in less than two weeks, I'd be sent into an unknown arena, and who knew when I'd be able to eat in there?
I sat down at the table, next to Peeta Mellark, and put a spoonful of some beef on my plate. I then placed a few different, odd looking foods on my plate, and began to slowly eat. Effie was sitting across from us, eating at an annoyingly slow rate, wiping her mouth with a napkin after every bite.
"So are you our mentor or something?" Peeta asked. Effie let out a girly laugh.
"Heavens no. That'll be Haymitch's job." Oh no. The drunk? He'd never be sober enough to tell us how to survive. No wonder our district hadn't won in years.
"Then where is he?" I ask, irritated. If I'm going to die in the arena, I want to at least make it through the bloodbath that goes on at the beginning.
Just then, Haymitch stumbled into the dining cabin, drunk, and slurring an apology to the chair he bumped into. Effie stood up, and left the cabin without even looking at Haymitch.
He took her seat, grabbing a spoonful of beef, and eating it quickly, before downing another glass of white alcohol.
"So what kind of advice do you have for us?" Peeta asked impatiently, glaring at Haymitch. I looked over at Peeta, and then back at Haymitch.
"Stay alive." He broke into a fit of drunken laughter. Peeta and I were about to be sent out to fight for our lives, and he was drunk, thinking this was all a big joke? What the hell was wrong with him? He should know how hard it is to stay alive! He was the last victor district 12 had!
I reached over, whisking the glass of alcohol away from Haymitch, tossing it at the wall, causing it to shatter into tiny pieces, leaving part of the wall soaked in alcohol.
Peeta and Haymitch stared at me, shocked.
"What?" I asked bitterly.
"I like your anger. It'll come in handy when fighting." Haymitch said. He stood up, grabbing another glass, and pouring himself some more alcohol.
"Just never mess with my drinking."
"Then help us train!" Peeta said, glaring at Haymitch.
"How's this? If you two don't mess with my drinking, I'll stay sober enough to help you two train." Peeta looked over at me, and I nodded.
"It's a deal." Peeta and I said at the same time. We both stood up, and headed down the hall. I shut my door behind me, and fell to the floor, pulling my legs into my chest, finally allowing the sobs to escape.
I didn't want to deal with this. I didn't want to have to kill somebody. It wasn't right. What made killing kids okay? Why was President Snow doing this?
The rebellion in District 13.
Of course. But this was just ridiculous. All 12 Districts already make everything for the Capitol. Isn't that enough?
I stood up, deciding the take a shower. The shower was so different than what I had seen before. There were so many buttons for different body washes, shampoos, everything.
After I was showered, my hair dried, and I was dressed in some pajamas, I put my hair into a ponytail. I tried to lay down and sleep, but I was restless. I couldn't stop thinking about Mitchell and my dad.
I also couldn't stop thinking about Gale. Was he going to really watch over my family, and make sure that they were fed, and that Mitchell stayed out of trouble? I was trying to believe he was. I was hoping he was. He wouldn't break a promise to me. He wouldn't want to hurt me.
I was hoping I would be able to make it home, back to my little brother, and my dad. But mostly, I wanted to get home to see Gale again.
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