I wake at the crack of dawn, my throat raw. I've been screaming in my sleep, again. I look to my right and see her sound asleep. Prim, my little sister, my whole entire world. I glance towards the clock and sigh, 5:02 am. No more sleep for me. I drag my legs out from under the covers and almost cry out at how cold it is, I begin to creep over to Prim with my blanket in hand and wrap it around her tightly before I head out to the kitchen. I find my mother sitting at the table, staring blankly at her hands. I begin to shake her, and find no response. My stomach drops. She's done it again. I rush over to the garbage and begin digging and find what I was looking for. A used needle. Before I can stop myself, I'm yelling.
"You're using again?"
I freeze when I hear little feet padding across the cold tile floor. I turn to see my sweet Prim with my blanket still wrapped around her, looking anxiously between me and our mother. I instantly drop to my knees at her innocent startled face and open my arms to comfort her.
"It's okay, I didn't mean to scare you. Everything's okay in here, okay little duck? Go get washed up. I'm making your favorite." She nods before she hurries off back into the room.
An hour later and her scared face is gone, and she is nothing but smiles as she dives into her first pancake, dripping syrup all over her shirt. I smile knowing how hungry she was, it's been at least 3 days since she has had a full meal, my stomach growls viciously telling me it's been longer than 3 days for me. I push a plate of pancakes in front of my mother before I take a plate of my own, and practically inhale mine. When we're finished, I'm surprised when my mother stands up and begins washing the dishes. I move to her side to help her, but she pushes my hands away.
"Where did you get the money for these pancakes?" she snaps at me.
"Gale got a job at the gas station around the corner, he said he had already gotten groceries for his family and gave me the money to get what we needed."
"We don't need his help. Go get dressed, you're going to be late for school."
I look down at my feet and retreat to my room, and change quickly into my school uniform. A simple green shirt, and khaki pants. I slip my boots on, and grab my brown leather jacket quickly shrugging it on. I frown inwardly because I know what's next. I finally look straight ahead, and see two green eyes staring back at me. My own eyes. I stare straight into them, with shame. I don't like looking at myself. I'm pulled from my thoughts when I hear a knock on the door.
"Just one second, I'm almost done." I yell.
I quickly run my hands through my hair and begin to braid. I sneak one last quick glance at my face before I turn around and walk out of the bathroom. Prim stands patiently waiting for me by the door, her back pack in hand. I walk towards the door, taking her hand in mine and leading her through the door, shutting it behind us before my mother gets to say a word. Sometimes I feel nothing but hatred for that woman, and other times I can't help but feel sorry for her. My father died two years ago, in a bad car accident. I remember I was at school when I got the call, a teacher had to drive me home, which normally I would have found humiliating but I was in complete shock. One of the people I held dearest to me was gone, in the blink of an eye. My mother lost it after that, she would sit at that damned kitchen table just staring at nothing for hours, while Prim and I withered away to skin and bones. I was only 14 when I started working. I had to feed Prim, I didn't want anyone to know what was going on in our home, how our mother had abandoned us emotionally and physically. If anyone had found out, they would have removed us from the only place we had ever known, and sent us to different homes. I couldn't bare to be separated from Prim. No one would hire me due to being only 14, it took weeks of searching until I came upon Mrs. Hawthorne who needed her house cleaned almost daily. That's how I met Gale, my best friend, he is the second oldest of her 4 children.
"Katniss?" I look to find Prim staring at me questioningly, only then do I realize I've stopped walking. I start to walk again until I feel a familiar firm grip on my shoulder, and can't help but grin to myself. I turn to find Gale. Bright white smile and his cool gray eyes looking into mine.
"Good morning, Katnip."
"Morning, Gale." I nudge him slightly before we all continue to walk.
When I walk into class I notice that more than half the class appears to be missing, I'm glancing around when my eyes lock with his, causing me to slightly flush. Peeta. We've done this every day for years, making eye contact, but never have we had an actual conversation, probably because we have nothing in common. We're from two different worlds, he's rich, attractive, outgoing. I'm poor, average and I keep to myself. I'm sure every time I find him looking at me he's secretly judging me.
"Hello, Sweetheart. Am I interrupting something?" I turn to see Mr. Abernathy looking directly at me. "Didn't think so, pay attention. I won't be teaching you this again."
I see Gale giving me a strange look out of the corner of my eye but ignore him, turning my attention to the lesson being taught. 40 something minutes later there is a loud alarm going off all throughout the halls and rooms, causing everyone to groan and hold their hands over their ears. Mr. Abernathy walks to the door pulling it shut and locking it, instructing us all to sit under our desks. By the time the alarm finally stops my back is aching from sitting in the same position for so long. I crawl out from under my desk but before I sit down I notice how awfully quiet our teacher is as he sits looking at his computer screen. I'm not the only one because I hear Gale's voice next to me, asking exactly what I want to know.
"What's wrong?" he asks forcefully.
"I-I don't know how to explain it, all I can do is show you." He replies in complete awe.
Before any of us can respond, he pulls up a video on his computer and projects it onto the wall. I feel my stomach drop as I see nothing but chaos on the streets. Thousands of people dead, hundreds of people running, crying. I'm about to ask questions when a grim looking reporter appears.
"People of Panem. I am sad to inform you that there has been an outbreak, a worldwide outbreak of a vicious disease killing millions of people in only a few hours. The images you just saw was live footage from around the world. If you're watching this, all I can say is, may the odds be ever in your favor."
He stands there momentarily before a woman comes on screen. No, that is not a woman that is a monster, her skin a sick green color, and sores on her face oozing pus. Her eyes meet the camera and they are not filled with pain, or anger, or anything for that matter. They are lifeless. In a blink of an eye the cameraman who was visibly shaking drops the camera and there is an eerie complete silence before a blood curdling, bone chilling scream comes through his mic, and a horrible chomping sound. I am frozen in place, when everything around me turns to the same chaos we just saw on the streets. Some people run, some people cry. In the midst of it all, I stay frozen.