I wake on an early morning. My dark hair is greasy as every morning. I'm now twelve. More families have moved into District Twelve since my birth. I wake to my little brother wining.
"Good morning, princess," my father says. He's a tall man. Blond hair, blue eyes. Brod shoulders. Very strong rom lifting sacks of flour. My eyes are like his. My hair is exactly like my mother's. But my father has this limp. A false leg. He said it was an accident that happened years ago.
My mother comes in looking beautiful. Her dark hair, olive skin, and grey eyes. She is wearing a green dress that shows off her eyes. Everyone that I see everywhere say I look a lot a like of my mother. But the difference is our eyes. But my lttle brother Gabriel looks like a little version of my father. Except he was the same color eyes as my mother.
" Hi Peeta," my mother says kissing my father. They have allways had this spark between them. I wrinkle my nose. "Why infront of the kids. Gabe doesn't need to see this," I say in discust. My parents look at me angerly. "Young ladie, what we do. It is none of your business. When you're older you'll understand," my mother says. I roll my eyes. All the kids know me as the daughter of the Star-Cross lovers from District Twelve. Two ex-Hunger Games winners. It drives me crazy! I just walk out.
I hate that I'm looked at during all this unit during History. "Rosemary's parents were in the last Hunger Games." "Mr. and Mrs. Mellark were the youngest in the Seventy-fifth Hunger Games." And more! I end up at the dooof a house in the Seam. I knock on the door.
Out comes one of my only real friend, Trinity Lue. Families had come from all Districts. I'm one of the only District Twelve babies. She is a red-head with brown eyes. She is a couple of inches shorter than me. Her red hair goes down to mid-back. Her parents are Avoxs. So she is very shy. But not around me.
We continue talking. This boy with dark hair and blue eyes, he could be my twin. The weird thing is he must be a combination of a Seam person and a Merchant, just like me. He is starring at us. I've seen him before, but never talked to him. But the thing is that his father is an Avox. It's very sad. So here is this boy our age, looking at us. Trinity nudges me. "You see that boy? He's a lone wolf. No one dares talk to him," she wispers to me. I smile. Here I go walking to him. I feel bad for him.
"Hello there what's your name?" I ask. I was this kind side I never show. "Jake," he says in a low voice. "Why Jake, I'm Rosemary. My parents are Peeta and Katniss Mellark," I say. "Cool, my last name is Edwin. My father can't speak so I don't." he says. I feel a tear go down my cheek. "Want to hang. Sit with Trinity and me," I ask. With that he smiled.
"Hi I'm Trinity."says Trinity to Jake. "Hi I'm Jake," says Jake. We are off to class.
In History I see that we are going to see a movie. "What are we going to watch?" some blond asks. "The Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. We are going to see the last full games," my teacher says. My face drops. Holy god, I think. More Hunger Games! Well Seventy-fourth not so bad. It could be my parents' year.
It starts. Many kids in an area in each District. Names called, people volunteer. Then it's District Twelve. This ladie, a capital ladie comes on the stage. The mayor gives his speech. Then the capital ladie walks to the microphone. It's Effie Trinket! "That's Aunt Effie," I say outloud. I also see my godfather Haymitch Albernathy falls into the seats. The whole class laughs. He's allways drunk. Aunt Effie gives her speech. "Ladies first," she says. This ball rolled. She took out a piece of paper. "Primrose Everdeen." All hush.
This small girl. Blue eyes and blond hair comes out. The back of her shirt is sticking out. "Prim!" someone calls. My mother steps out. She was wearing a lovely dress. "I volunteer as tribute," she gasps out. She went up to Prim. She was called to the stage. The girl tried to stop her but a boy picked her up. "Go up there, Catnip," he says to her. She went up. "What's your name,"Aunt Effie says cheery. "Katniss Everdeen," my mother answers. "I bet that was your little sister. Well lets hear it for District Twelve's first volunteer." says Aunt Effie. The ball rolls for the boys. She takes out the paper.
"Peeta Mellark," she reads. Everyone looks at me. All the blood drains from my face. I see my father so young take the stage. The mayor gives a speech. All I think is What on earth? Why, kill me. Finally they shake hands.
It cuts to the opening ceromonies. Chariot after chariot. The last chariot comes in. "Wow," everyone says. District Twelve, my parents come in on fire. Holding hands and smiling. They look so cute together.
The interviews were amazing. Different people with angles. Sexy, clever, sly, the District Eleven girl was adorable. My mother still had her flames. Then my father. He was friendly, no surprise. First the weird interviewer and him were sniffing each other. But then the guy asks my father if he has a girlfriend. He shakes his head. That shocked the man named Caesar and says, "What, a handsome man like you? Is there a special girl?" "Well there is a special girl. I've had a crush on her for a long time," says my father. "How about this. You win this thing and go home. She can't say no to you," Caesar says hopefully. My dad gives a shake, he says, "No, that won't work. She came with me." I feel like passing out.
This is when my father confessed his love! When did my mother?
After that the games started. It was horrific. Kids killing other kids. My mother almost gets knived. I was confused. I thought, this is when my parents get together. Is it? My father was no doubt inlove. But what about my mom?
The bee hive falls. My father tells my mother to run. He fights this ruethless boy. It's amazing how these games are. The boy cuts my father.
My mom made an ally with Rue, the twelve year old. They blew up the Careers' food and supplies. They could be like sisters.
But that didn't last long. The boy from District One killed this small girl. It was tear jerking. My mother sang to her before the girl died. The whole room was crying.
Finally my parents team up. My mother nurses my father to full health. She takes a knife to the head for him. My father tells her when he fell inlove with her. It was sweet.
The final three were in. The ruthless boy named Cato and my parents. The mutations take Cato's life. The rule that said two tributes can win if from the same District, was withdrawed. My mother takes out these death berries. The Game Makers let there be two tributes that win the games.
Soon it is over. All the terror shown, shows us that we live in a good time. I'm totally neglected but still.
"Oh my god, that is a story I could have gotten from my parents," I blurt out. All look at me. Hugs from all. "I'm so sorry," all say. I am crying. It was terrible. The games.
It was three hours long. The worst three hours of my life. And on the day I was born. It's horrenderence. For seventy-three years twenty-three kids got killed because of the capital. For the year we just watched twenty-two. It's a horrible thing to do. I justsat there all through school.
I walk home in silence. Scaried of everything. Life, I've never abriseated more. I feel like poop. When I get home, I run right into my mother's loving arms.
She took me in her arms. I was so upset. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asks. "School, Hunger Games, I'm sorry," I say breaking down. She sits me down on the couch. "It's okay. The games helped me relize my love for Peeta, your father." she says. I finally calm down, sorta.
My father soon comes home. He sees my tears. "What's wrong, princess?" he asks. He is so calming. I'm so upset. I could hardly tell my story. I couldn't gasp out the last part. Everyone caring for me. "It's okay, we'll never have it again," my father says smoothly.
Later in the evening Aunt Effie and Uncle Haymitch show up. "Hi sweety, how's your special day?" Uncle Haymitch asks. I smile, "Good I have a new friend. His name is Jake Edwin." It was the truth. Aunt Effie kissing both my cheeks. "How's the birthday girl?" she asks. "Good, Auntie Effie," I say in a cute way. She smiles.
They sit down for dinner with us. Chatter accurs. I find out that my parents need to go to the capital. So I and Gabriel are going too. We get some of our things to bring.
We leave for the train station. As what I can remember I've been on a train since I was an enfant. I was excided to go back to the capital.
We sit. I get my own room and the food. It's like amazing heaven! The adults talk. I keep quiet. I fall asleep with my parents. When I wake up, we have stopped for fuel in District Two. I am excided to look around. "I'm going to look around for, say, an hour. And then go to my room," I say. I get a nod.
District Two is amazing. So filled with life. Many people in the place, needing to go places. This stern woman that is like eighty years old walks up to me. "You are supost to be in school, young ladie. Come with me," she says. She starts dragging me. I try to stop her, I struggle to go. But then I notice a cute boy going to school. So I let her defenselessly drag me the rest of the way to school.
I sit in the seat right next the cute boy. He was this specially cut brown hair. His brown hair has little bangs. And these grey eyes you can't forget. They remind me a lot of my mother's and brother's eyes. He's a little taller than I am. He has freckles on his nose. He has dimples that no person I know has. He looks like he's been in a few fights and has a lot of scars. In some way to say, he's soo cute.
"Who has heard of the Hunger Games before?" the teacher asks. He is a tall, brod shoulder man with glasses and a scare above his left eye brow. Mine and 'Mr. Cutey' (it's the cute boy's nickname until I find out his name) raise our hands at the same time. "There have been only Seventy-five Hunger Games, not counting the one which they took control over the capital to how it is today. The last full video-taped was won by Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen, who is now Katniss Mellark, because The Girl On Fire finally found her love for The Boy With Bread. They right now have two children in District Twelve. A twelve year old and a six year old, " I say. Everyone looks at me shocked. "Yeah, my father's best childhood friend won one of the games," says 'Mr. Cutey'. "Have you seen the Seventy- fourth games like me?" I ask. "Yes, with my parents," he says with a smile. I look away. I can't help blushing. "So, you both have seen our video for today. Hunter, I want you to show our guest around." the teacher says to 'Mr. Cutey'.
We leave. Out in the open. "So what's your name, beautiful?" Hunter asks all cute. I look at him. "Rosemary. And you are Hunter," I say. He starts leading me somewhere.
"Where are we going?" I ask. He remains silent. I find this very hot. Running alone together. Soon we end up at the fence that seporates the District from another District.
My face expression drops. Hunter can eaisily tell. "It's just the woods. I'll be right next to you. This is how my family gets its food. Are you some rich kid or something?" he says first sweet then getting meaner. Still it's not anger, it's being aware. "I am rich. Since I was born. Never been in the woods," I say protesting. He leads me into the terror place called the woods.
It looks like stranger place. It's scaring me. There is a sound of an animal. I jump and make this weird sound. Hunter laughs at me. I smack him on the arm. "Fine, you're such a baby," he says making baby noises. I scowl at him. He does this strange thing with a wire. "What is that? What are you doing?" I ask. "A snare. Rich girls don't know about this?" he asks sarcasticly. I find a nice bow and arrows in the base of a tree. A squierrel comes running by. I take the arrow in the bow, pull it, and i shoot it. A one hit kill. It's right in the eye.
"Wow, you are good! Great hit! You've got some talent," says Hunter. I blush. He notices and blushes too. "Thanks, my mom is a whiz at the bow. I guess I got that talent from her," I say still blushing. He nods in agreement. We hunt for the rest of the day.
We head for the fence at sun down. Hunter has the biggest grin on his face.
"Where do you live? I want to walk you home, if you want me to," he says sweetly and nervous. I gulp. "Well, I don't have one. I live far away. Can I come with you?" I say. I feel an odd warm feeling inside of me. "Oh, lets go to my house. You can't be by yourself," he says leading me to his house.
We get to a small house. It's white with gray shutters. We walk through the black back door. Down the hallway to his room. It's an interesting room. A tv, desk, bed, same old stuff. It's already pitch dark when we sit down on his bed. We start talking. All about ourselves to each other.
A boy with dark hair like mine and brown eyes like Trinity's walks in. "Hunter, dinner is ready. Come now!" he says stern. We follow him.
I'm a little nervous. We get to the small kitchen. Hunter hands over our game we got today, to a woman that looks alittle like him to her. That is his mother. You should see the big smile on her face when we give her all that food. "Big load. It's so much food! How did you do it?" she says so happy. "Well, I had Rosie to help me. She can use a bow and arow like a pro," Hunter says pointing me out. I can't help but blush. "Yes, I guess I'm okay. Right now I'm without my family. I only have Hunter. May I please stay here for until we find, uh," I say kindly. She smiles. "Why yes, Rose. You help get us a lot of food. You two have a little team work going on," she says sympathetic.
I sit down right next to Hunter. Hunter's mother asks a lot of questions. But I don't mind I like talking about myself. I comment my name is Rosemary.
"Thank you for dinner. We are going to my room," Hunter says after we both finish eating. We head off down the hallway to his room. "So it's just your mom, brother, and you?" I ask wondering. He looks down. That doesn't look good. I had a twin sister, but she passed away five years ago. I and my whole family hate talking about it. My father is at the capital. Important meeting. He'll be back tomorrow. How are you just with me?" Hunter says gloomly. I try hard not to lie. "Well I was going somewhere with my whole family. We stopped for fuel. I got out to look around. I said 'I'll be back really soon.' When I got back, the train left without me. You're the only person I have," I reviel going back through it all.
W e sit in dead silence. Just hearing the sounds of outside and each other breathing. "What is your full name?" he asks finally ending the silence. I'm a bit surprised. "I'm Rosemary Mellark, and you?" I say nervous. "I'm Hunter Hawthorne," he replies.
His brother walks. "Awwww, you to look so adorable. Rosemary, your room is ready," he says to us. "What are you talking about, Jaxon?" Hunter asks a little protective. Jaxon laughs at him. "You thought you were going to sleep with her. Wow man, you have serious problems," he say still laughing. I leave with a sad face.
I go to a flowery room. Roses all around. Pink is everywhere. Wow, Hunter's twin was such a girly girl, I think. Mrs. Hawthorne is bleaming right by the door. All I can say is "Thank you. It looks beautiful, Mrs. Hawthorne." She gives me a nightgown to sleep in. You can tell that she misses having a daughter. I get changed and go into bed. "Night sweetheart," she says tucking me in. "Night mom," I say without thinking my words. She kisses my forehead and leaves the room.
Did I really say mom?! I aready have a mother in District Twelve. Did I replcae her. I think to myself.
I wake up the next day feeling refresh. On the desk next to the bed is a plain white top and pink shorts. Girlish, that's what she wants. I get dressed and let her do my hair. A pony tail, with curls in it. It's Saturday, so no school for us.
I go into the kitchen. Right where the boys are. They are eating breakfast when I came in. Hunter almost chokes on his food when I walk in. He almost gushes, atleast he blushes. "Hi, uh Rosie. Want to uh, come hunting with me, ya," he says very shyly.I smile with my very cute way. "Yes I would love to go hunting with you," I say sweetly. We head out.
"So your mother really does like me," I say after we are in the woods. Hunter hands me the bow. "Yes, she misses my sister Charlette. It's been five year since she died. It was an atomic accident. She then got very sick from diease. I was with my father and brother in District Twelve. He was visiting an old friend. Dictrict Twelve is beautiful, like you," he says fake alright. I shoot a rabbit and three squirelles. "I'm okay with being used. I've bad exsperiences with death. My aunt died when she was only thirteen. My mother was eleven when her father got exploded. There are so many I can't tell you all," I say sympatheticly. We continue hunting.
I got to have some the game. I have never had fresh game. Because I'm rich, I only eat prime food. Nothing that has to be got by yourself. Best food I've ever had.
By three o'clock we have five bags of meat, a bucket of strawberries, and a ton of dandelings. We just down on a rock together in the woods. He takes my hand and leads me farther into the dark woods. We get to a big, blue lake.
Hunter takes off his shirt. I just stare at him and his abs. Then he takes off his shorts to reveal a bathing suit as under pants. He justs into the blue water. "Come in, the water is super." he says. He bobs under the water. When he is under, I take off my new shirt and pants. I'm only in my undergarments. I flip off my shoes. "Here I come!" I say cutely. I dive right in. The water is at first is cold, but it's really refreshing. It is super nice to swim again.
We relax in the nice lake. We fish of all different fish. Also we find a plant called Katniss. What my mother is named after. "Well Rosie, I have to say how amazing you are. You are special," he says as we head back. "So are you. Very special boy to me," I say inlove.
We get back to home. I almost tell Hunter how much I like him. I can't help it He's so cute to stand. I finally understand my parents.
We put our feet up while Mrs. Hawthorne cooks dinner. We are having goose. I shot one when we were at the lake. Finally dinner is ready. We start eating. A tall, handsome man that looks like a relitive to my mother walks in. "Hi Lilianna, I missed you and the kids. It was a horrible meeting. I came back late because my friends Katniss and Peeta's daughter is missing. Last time they saw her was here in District Two," the man says stressed out. I look at Hunter nervously. "Well Gale, this young ladie help get dinner. Great with a bow and arrow. Hunter met her yesterday in school. She needed a place to stay. We can't let her out on the street," Mrs. Hawthorne, Lilianna says.
Gale steps up to me. He looks closely at me. He's examining me. He touches my hair. "You look like two old friends of mine," he says. I'm nervous. "I do?" I ask. I am very confused aswell. He nods. "Yes, hair like Katniss, eyes like Peeta. Tell me what's your name?" he replies. "I'm Rosemary London Mellark. From District Twelve," I answer. "Your parents are worried sick about you! They are wondering where about you! I'm taking you tomorrow to the Capital or District Twelve!" he strictly says. I feel like shrinking.
After diiner I go to Hunter's room. "I can't believe you lied to me. I thought we had something!" he says upset. You can hear the hurt in his voice. I feel bad too. I didn't mean to lie to him. "I'm so sorry, Hunter. I didn't know that I would cause trouble. Mainly to you," I say sitting next to him. I put my head on his shoulder. He puts his arm around me. We stay in that pose until we are forced to go to bed. "I will miss you forever. Until I come back to see you," I say going to bed.
It's dawn when I'm made to wake. I can see the sun rise. I quickly dress and go to Mr. Hawthorne. He leads me straight to the train station. I relize what will happen to me when I get home. I'm scaried. I know my parents hate me now.
I'm sitting on a red plush couch in the train. It's velvet! So soft and weird. I can't explain how it feels train is moving so fast. Faster and faster away from Hunter. I just relize that I miss him.
The train takes a screeching stop. The hours just flew by. I'm still regretting leaving. I feel love sipping away from small, cold fingers. It's a feeling that I can say it sucks. I'm falling inlove with Hunter. Now I will never get to see him again. I almost start crying with that thought in mind.
I walk up to my parents. I see the disappointment in their eyes. It hurts like being hit in the chest. The pain grows with every step. It's an unspeakable pain when I reach my parents. This is worst than the games. I'm even more scaried of my parents. They will never forgive me. "Hello mother, hello father," I say coldly. I don't mean to. It just comes out that way. My parents hug me. I'm a bit surprised. I start crying and so do my parents. "I'm so sorry. I was looking around. And, and this ladie took me to uh school. When I didn't come home. I knew, you guys were, gone. I'm so sorry for replacing, you" I sob. I can't breathe. My parents carry me home.
I lay on the couch. Starring at my past. I've never done anything this bad. I have ran away from home several times.
"Rosemary, we understand. Your mother is rebellious. From our first games. We, well, knew something was wrong. We didn't know you weren't back until we were at the capital. We should be sorry for forgetting you," my father says. My blue eyes are filled with tears. I feel so guilty. I'm not a forgiving person. So I'm going to hate myself for all internity. I go to the one place that be myself.
The woods.
I grab a bow and arrows from my parents' room. Some really great arrows. Since I met Hunter, I love the woods. I fell inlove with the wood. It's a place where I can be myself. I can let out all my anger out without anyone knowing. I can finally be my true self. I sneak out.
I walk up to the sort of tall fence. I'm nervous of the unknown. I've never been in District Twelve's woods. But I think of my beloved Hunter and the feeling of scariness passes. I go under the fence to step into the unknown. The wood don't look as bad as I thought.
I kill a ton of squierelles and rabbits. I get to taste some rabbit. I also get a ton of straberries, blueberries, rasberries, apples, blackberries, and katniss. I get a deer and a couple of wild dogs. The dogs chase me up a pine tree. But still, it's a little funny. I finally can be myself. A very strong fighter. That doesn't gets pushed around. But there is one thing missing from this perfect day. Hunter.
I'm leaving the woods with all my game. I think about bringing it to the Hub. It's our black market where people buy or sell things. I've only been there once when I was seven with my mother. Her friend Greasy Sae gave us soup. But I've never gone alone. "Hey Rosie, do rich girls need all that food? I thought you have plenty of food, not to need food from the woods," a voice says. I almost screem, because I know that voice. Hunter comes out from behind a tree. I run up to him and hug him. I never thought his imbrass would be warm and comforting. But it is very. He smiles. I can't help but blush. "You missed me? Even being away from twelve hours. I thought, you'll be happy. Not seeing me," he says both surprised and sad. "No you're too, you to forget. I completely missed you. I felt so bad hunting with a hunter. I'm glad you're here with me," I say happy. He intertwines my hand with his. Ofcourse I let this happen. You'd have to be crazy not to.
I want Trinity to meet Hunter. She's my best friend so she deserves to meet the love of my life. The bow to my arrows. Hunter is the most special person to me. I pull Hunter. We start running. Out of the woods we go. I'm leading him straight to Trinity's. We barge right in.
Trinity is sitting at the dinner room table. Sitting right next to her is Jake. What did I miss? Are they together? Two avox children dating? I think. "Hey girl. Missed you on Friday. Who's the guy?" she says so nice. "Uh, yes, sorry. This is Hunter. Are you and Jake together or something?" I say nervously.
She pulls me aside. To her room. Trinity's house is in the Seam, so her house has a bathroom, kitchen, and two bed rooms.
"Yes, but secretly. No one needs to know. They'll all make fun of me and him. Because we're avox children! And is Hunter your boyfriend?" Trinity wispers. I look around to see if anyone is near. So they don't listen. "I don't know. Maybe. But I completely like him. Like, love him," I say inlove. I'm thinking of him in the other room. She nods as she understands. Because she does. For the first time we both felt this way for a boy.
We go back to the kitchen with the boys. "Rosie, walk me to the train. I have a long trip home. Also my parents don't know I'm gone. When I leave farther and farther away from you. It will suck, the more i miss you," Hunter says cutely. I smile cutely. "Okay, lets take our time. So we can spend a lot of time with us," I say sweetly. We say our thank yous and head out.
We go by a ton of houses. Also my father's bakery, the mayor's house, and the Hob. I feel my pulse increasing. As each step goes. I think I know why.
We finally reach the train station. It was a fifteen minute walk. I look down, sad. I really didn't want this time to end again. Time with Hunter is so amazing. It's like a breathe of fresh air. "Here is all the food I got. It will keep your family going for a while. I hope to see you again," I say trying to hide my depression. He took me in his imbrass. "I will visit you every weekend. I promise with all my heart," he promises. I look into his gray eyes. He leans in to kiss me. I hope he will lips are about to touch. But sadly the train pulls into the station lighting fast. Hunter grabs the food and steps onto the train.
To be taken away. From District Twelve and me. To District Two and his family. Forever and ever. I know he won't come back. I start crying when he's gone. Gone from my clasp. For the last time.
I get home very late. It's dark and my parents are asleep. With my little brother. I go to my room without anything in my stomic. I cry into my pillow. I cry about Hunter.
I wake the next day with only half a consious with yesterday. Except I remember everything with Hunter. I can't forget about the most handsome boy in the whole country of Panam. I leave for school.
I get to school on time. I miss Hunter so much. I spot Trinity and Jake by our class room. They wave at me. I smile and wave back. They look so cute together, even if everyone would make fun and jokes. I have a bad feeling about today.
My teacher walks in with a grim expression. Bad sign."Class, on Friday, there was this meeting. They discovered a box that said that after twent-five years after the last Hunger Games that they will continue the ritual. So today we will have an assembly. One boy and one girl ages between twelve and eighteen will represent Dirstrict Twelve in the games," she says. That was the meeting my parents went to! I was supost to go to stop the games! Oh no! I think. I feel sick to my stomic. I ask to go to nurse.
The nurse takes my temperture. I'm perfect temperture. It's just me. I just feel like I'm sick.I feel like I'm going to puke up my breakfast. I beg her to let me go home. She lets me lay down in the back. Tears go down my cheeks. I don't want to go to the assembly. Because I'm the biggest star, I know I will be chosen. As a laugh.
It's one o'clock. Everyone is gathered. In our large school yard. Only once in a blue moon every student from the ages twelve to eighteen, or any big age groups show up like this. We get seporated by gender. Then lined up with our age group. I stand inbetween Trinity and Debbie Saron. She's a merchant kid. Blond hair and blue eyes give that off. Her family owns some medical shop, that was owned by my grandmother's family. My father was a merchant boy before the games. Not my mother, she came from the Seam. She is one of my friends. We sit at lunch. Also in gym we are always partners. I'm trembolling. I'm shaking like I'm freezing.
Aunt Effie comes up onto the man-made stage. It looks like it was just made. "Welcome to your first ever reaping. May the odds ever be in you favor," she says cheerfully. That is her saying, May the odds ever be in your favor. All are silent. No one wants to be here. They would rather be in school learning. Uncle Haymitch and my parents walk in. As the only District Twelve winners plus another who is dead now, they are made to come. They will be the mentors of the tributes. There are two giant balls. One for the girls and one for the boys. The ball with the girls' names starts rolling. It finally stops. Aunt Effie takes a slip of paper out. It has the unlucky girl's name on it. Her smile drops. Bad sign.
Rosemary Mellark
I feel like breaking down. My legs are jello. But I stay strong. I take a couple steps into the free area. I can see the expression on my parents, godparents, teachers, and my fellow classmates faces. It's a mixture of shock, sadness, and anger. My nightmares are coming true. It is terrifing. I'm so scaried. How am I going to live through all this? My legs give out. I collaspe infront of everyone. No one laughs, they don't understand how I feel, but they are glad it's not them. Two strong, nice eighteen year old boys carry me up to the stage. Making me look like a fool, and also a star.
The boy gets called. He's average height, dark eyes and hair. His hair is dark as night. He's a sixteen year old. Luke Johnson is his name. The mayor gives a speech. I don't listen. My heart is going a million miles a minute. When the mayor's speech is over they take us away. Alone placed in a room.
My parents and little brother come in first to visit. I try not to cry. My father lifts me into his arms as he did when I was a little girl. I feel so young. "Mommy, daddy I don't want to go! I know I will be a prime target. I will die!" I say. I'm way past so scaried. "Sweety, it's okay. Everything will be all alrighty. We are going to stop this, nightmare for all of the tributes," my parents wisper to me. nod so they know that I understand. "Rosemary, I love you," Gabriel says. I hug him. I will miss that blond, chubby boy. The guards take my family away from me.
Next Debbie, Trinity, and Jake walk in. I hug them. Our first group hug. And our last. I didn't want to leave them. "It will be great. When you win, you'll be richer. No school forever," Trinity says jokenly. She knows how to make my frown go up right to a smile. "We all know you'll win. You're the fastest, strongest, and most clever in gym class," says Debbie. I'm a bit surprised. I give them all a big hug. The guards make them leave.
That will be the last time I will ever see them again, I think.
I'm laying on the couch when this young girl walks in. She's older than me. I'm almost positive her boyfriend is Luke. You can tell she just visited Luke. "Hi I'm Forest, you don't know me ,but your parents and my mom were friends as children. My mother gave me this to me at a young age. She got it from your mother. I want you to wear it for the games. Promise me that you will!" she wispers fast. She places a pin in my hand. "I promise I will. I'm sorry about your boyfriend," I say being nice. She gives a small smile and leaves.
I examine the pin. It's a golden pin with a mockingjay. The bird has an arrow in it's mouth. It's a cute pin. Not the biggest fashion choice. I have this weird feeling that I've seen it before. Then it hits me. This pin was the same pin my mother wore to her games!
The guard take me out of the room. We head for the train station. Like at the reaping, there are a lot of camras. Taking a lot of pictures of our District Twelve tributes. First ones in a long time. They want a ton of pictures. Because I'm the first full-blooded Hunger Games daughter. Who also is in the games. That is a first in all of history.
They finally ease up on the pictures and we are aloud in the train. This my several time I've been on this train in my childhood. But the look on Luke's face, he hasn't. He looks excited. FIRST and LAST time. This trip is going to take about a day. Not so long as it would be if on a coal train. We are going to the capital.
We goto diiner in the dining cart. I'm not really hungry. I eat this food all the time. I only eat a little. Luke eats like he hasn't eaten in a week. My whole family sit down at the table with us. "What? What are you doing here?!" I say with joy. "We are mentors of you and Luke," my mother says. I feel a little better about the whole thing.
After dinner we go to the tv room, to watch the reapings that happened today. District One have sixteen year old girl and a seventeen year old boy. But District Two's reaping surprises me. The ball with the boys names rolls. The person pulls out a name. "Hunter Hawthorne," the person reads.
"Oh no, not Hunter," I say in a low voice. No one hears me. Great now I'm going to definantally die. He knows all my tricks. My hunting skills. And I'm deeply inlove with him. There can only be one winner. I can't kill him.
Soon District Twelve's reaping comes up on the screen. You can feel the lack of enjoyment in the crowd. Aunt Effie seems the happiest. But the minute she pulls out that first slip, her smile drops to a frown. My name is called. There is a hush in the audience. No one laughing when I fell. The shame I gave myself, my parents, and my district for needing to be carried onto the stage. Then Luke's name is called. He seems so calm and strong about it. There is the anthem and a sudden blackout.
Everyone gets up. "Night," everyone says to each other. They head to their rooms for bed. I go to bed, even though I know I won't be able to sleep. I change into a very cute night gown. I lay down on the soft bed. The next few hours are going to be horrible.
I must have fallen asleep somehow. I wake to Aunt Effie knocking on my door. "Big, big day," she says. I get out of bed. I choose a plain alfit and put it on. With the mockingjay pin. I have never trusted train showers, so I never shower on trains. I head down to the dining cart for breakfast.
I'm last to show up to breakfast. All already have their food and are sitting at the table. I get a bannana and take a seat with my family. There is minor chit chat at first. I don't talk. I just eat my bannana. I'm in no mood to talk. I do listen to the plan for today.
"So what you will do is everything the sylists want you to do. No wining, no complainning, and no saying no. No matter what they do. The ceromonies are tonight. The chariot ride so your stylists will get you ready. They will make you look great, amazing," Uncle Haymitch says. Aunt Effie approves of what he says.
The adults leave the room. "Hey Rosemary, good luck. You will look great. As you always do," Luke says. I raise an eyebrow. He's lying, I think. "Really, I will? No don't think so. Everyone knows my face, I'm kind of famous here. BUt you will look great. Know wonder your girlfriend likes you so much, she much really miss you," I say being honest and nice. We feel the train slowing down. We must almost be there.
I run to the window. We look out the window. The capital looks better than ever. The buildings decorated for this event. The streets are crowded by people to see us. We must be celebrities! I know I am since I was born, but now I'm more famous. I start waving. With my cute white smile. I love people.
The Peace Keepers take us to our prep teams. I don't trust these people. I know they will be touching me. Hands all over my body. It just seems so, weird. It's so, I can't say. But I promised Aunt Effie and, and Uncle Haymitch. So I can't let them down.
Of what I have of body hair is ripped out of my skin. Made to finally shower. 'Cause it's been a few days since i showered. My nails are done to perfect ovals and painted red. My hair is brushed and gelled. This experience is dispicable. My prep team is Flavis, Octivia, and Venia. Octivia is chubby. Flavis has orange, curly hair. Plus he's the only boy. Venia has these gold tattos that are all over. They seem older than most prep teams. But the funny thing is that they were my mother's prep team from her first games. All the way through the capital being captured and her trial.
I'm naked in the room. The three of them leave me only in the room. Still filling the room with their chatting. How I feel is violated. Touched, abused, and mistreated. If they, who know my parents abuse my body. Then my unknown stylist will be so much worst, I think.
A man walks in. I expected something more, like the other people. Crazy alfits. With colored skin, tattos, fancy hair, and something know will forget. But this man is so simple. A normal person. Skin is a normal color. Wearing a black shirt and blue jeans. Just a little gold eye liner. "You may put your robe back on. Come sit next to me, sweety," he says with so much kindness in his voice. I listen to him.
"My partner and I have created a couple of great alfits for Luke and you," he says. He already knows who we are. That is impressing. "Yes, the alfits my parents wore thier first games. They were amazing, fire," I say remembering. He nods his head. He smiles. Like he remembers. "Best alfits I've ever made. Including fire. The girl that was on fire. I can't wait to see her again. With the boy with the bread," he says in reply. I'm so confused. He notices that I'm confused on what he just said. "I'm Cinna," he answers my thought.
I gasp. I wear alfits styled and created by him. Now he's my stylist! But my mother told me all her friends died or left. He was the first one to go. He, my mother told me when I was like six years old, got wacked upside the head, beatened, and dragged away right before the Seventy- fifth Hunger Games started.
"I've heard you're dead. The capital killed you when my parents were seventeen. But that's a lie, because you're here with me! This is unbelievable. I wear some alfits you made my mother," I scream out. I really don't mean it like that. But I'm excided to see him. "Yes, but what you heard are rumors. Or what you're mother said, there is more to it. I escaped from being exucated. I was in hiding for over a year. Until the capital was taken down thanks to your parents. I'm glad I have the greatest Hunger Games child, plus one of my best friend's child in the whole world," he says with a smile. We just sit and talk.
"So the alfits are special. Same and different at the same time. Yes, because you're the daughter of the girl that was on fire and the boy with bread. Flames are much needed. You're partner will look a little different than you," Cinna tells me. I nod, as if I understand. Even though I don't.
I'm ending up wearing something Trinity's mother wears. A Seam wife alfit. Luke is wearing a coal alfit. Even though he doesn't live in the Seam. His family owns the bakery that my father's family used to own when he was a kid. But also we have on my parents wear on a special event.
I spot him in some weird costume. He's right next to the second chariot. I walk up to him. "So Rosie, I never thought a rich girl like you would be here in this. But that night when I was watching the reaping. When I saw your name get called, I felt so sorry. You collasped because of shock. But the good thing about this I get to die with you near by," Hunter says with a silly smile. I laugh and say,"You know how to cheer me up. Even with my life being taken away. Ever since that first day in your district." I go straight into his outstretched arms. They're so warm and loving. It's the first thing that felt like home. All the other tributes around are starring. "District Twelve, they are about to start," the girl from District One says like a rich snob. I give her the meanist snob look. I smile at Hunter very cutely. I blow him a great big kiss. He catches it and holds it close. I walk to my chariot.
I hop onto the chariot next to Luke. I feel the chariot jerk foward. I have a strange reaction. But here we go.
The horses start moving. I see two people. My stylist and the other has to be Luke's stylist. I remember the cape and headpieces we have on. Before I can think, I feel the heat of the flames. It tickles not burns. It's not real fire! "Like how your parents did in their first games, lets hold hands. To show off the hot flames," Luke wispers to me. I sigh and take Luke's left hand. I smile and wave. I love this, the crowd of people adoring. I blow kisses to the people. The crowd goes outragously crazy. Yes, I think, love me so I can go home. The chariot pulls up to the capital building. I blow my last kiss in Hunter's direction.
The President Paylor, which I know very well. She stands up. She gives her little speech about all this. You can tell this is her first games as president. I don't really listen. I'm too busy to care. But I see my parents standing next to her. No mentor or tribute seems thrilled. Only the capital people are if anything happy. We are soon allowed to our floor in the tributes building. There are twelve floors.
I go up to Hunter. "Well rich girls got their flames, right Rosie," Hunter jokes. I laugh. "Like mother, like daughter. Flames run in the family, apparently," I say. He laughs too. My parents and godparents walk up to us. I bearly notice. "Who's your friend?" Aunt Effie asks. She sounds delighted. "I'm Hunter Hawthorne. From District Two," Hunter replies. My parents smile. "Your father's Gale. Old friend of ours. When we were your age. He used to live in District Twelve until the capital was taken down," they say together. Hunter smiles oddly. You guys are imbarrasing me. Please, shut up, I think. "I have to go. Nice seeing you all. See you in training Rosie," he says. He walks away. I wave goodbye. Nice going, I think.
We get up to our floor. I go to my room. It looks so nice. I wash the makeup off my face in the amazing bathroom. I can't wait for the games, I think. Dinner, training tomorrow, and for a couple of days. Then the interviews. The games follow that.
I come out for dinner. Dressed in a simple alfit. My parents, godparents, and Luke are sitting there eating. I sit down next to Luke. The food starts to come out. I'm offered wine, but everyone tells me no. I have to drink orange juice. The bread taste like home. My father starts telling us which bread is from what district. The little appetizers are devine. Fine cruisine. Besides my father ranting about bread and Luke understanding there is not much talking. Not to be rude to my father.
Cinna and Luke's stylist Portia sit with us. Our prep-teams come in to eat with us. Also little Gabriel. The main course comes in.
"Nice job, both of you. Hand holding, great touch. You both have seen your mentors' games. Rosemary, cute to do the blowing kisses. Everyone loved you two. Best two, just like last time. Now with training, what are your strengths?" Aunt Effie says to us. Luke and I give each other a thumbs up. Also a high five. "Well I can throw far. Javlin, so I'm really good with spears. Also wrestling, like Mr. Mellark," Luke answers. I think for a moment. "I can use a bow and arrows. According to to Hunter. I can also climb," I answer nervous. I don't know what my parents' talents. But I know I have them. "Well stay away from thoughs stations. Save that for your evaluation. Now lets go see the openning ceromonies," says Uncle Haymitch.
We go to the tv room. The chariots come in. The other tributes don't look eye openning. But Hunter still looks amazing to me. Whatching all this, I see there is three possible allies for me. Hunter, ofcourse. The District Four girl named Aqua. With her great, white smile and her long blond hair with aqua ends. These noticable green eyes, I've only heard her speak once. The way it sounded, she seems so nice. She is thirteen. The option is District Ten boy. His name is Tron. He has dirty blond, shaggy hair and green eyes. I saw him waiting to start during the chariot ride. He seems cool, he tries to be cool. He is also thirteen. I watch the final chariot pull in. Is that me? I think.I look like a little girl. A little princess. President Paylor gives her speech. Then the anthem. The tv turns off. Bed time!
I sleep of being home. I'm not the only one. I'm not alone. I share my big mansion with Hunter, Aqua, and Tron. We are all friends. District Twelve never felt so good. It feels so close in my dreams. We are having fun. Laughing all night. Best dream in a long time. It feels so real.
I wake up early morning. First a wake for once. I have enough time to get something from the breakfast room not for me. I go to Aunt Effie and Uncle Haymitch's door. I knock on it. "Get up. We have a big, big day," I say, like Aunt Effie does to everyone. They open the door. They don't seem thrilled. Uncle Haymitch frowns. I'm already in my alfit for today's fun. With the mockingjay pin on. I hand both of them a cup of coffe. I skip down the hallway to breakfast. Humming a song.
I am glad to eat something good. I get a cheddar cheese and mushroom omlette. With hot coco. It has little mashmellos. I sit down next to Luke. I'm finally enjoying this place. This is my favorite breakfast for all time. I love the taste of it all. When Luke and I are done eating, we head down to training.
I notice Hunter right away. He walks up to me. Should I say I'm sorry for my family first? Or should I ask him to be my ally? I think. "I have a good question. Will you be my ally?" Hunter asks me. I smile at him. "Why yes, can we have District Four girl and District Ten boy. Please, if you say yes, I'll ask Aqua. Then you can ask Tron," I reply to him. I do my begging eyes. Having blue eyes help with my puppy dog face. This is how I get things. It's hard looking into thoughs grey eyes. "Yes, it would be my honor, madamosiel. The youngest teaming up. That sounds awesome!" he answers me cutely.
The ladie in charge of the training starts talking. "For three days you will train. What you want to train. You will have your lunch here. The third day of training, one by one, you will be graded by the Game Makers. Have fun and train hard," the training ladie says. Seems lame to tell people to have fun. Even when they're training to kill each other. But maybe not to a psycho person.
Every tribute start going to different stations. "Nice to see you again, Rosemary. I haven't seen you since you were a little rug rat," she says to me. I smile. It's nice to see people again that you know. I give her a quick hug so no one sees. Playing favorites, they might think. I run off to the rope tying station. Rope tying sounds like so much fun. I have rope tying in my blood. I find it very easy. I tie so many different things with so many types of ropes. It is not so bad.
I notice Hunter chatting with Tron at the spears station. I see Aqua at the snare station. This is my chance to get a good ally, I think. I walk up to her. "Nice job, I'm just some rich celebrity. That there I could never do that," I say to her. She looks at her work. Then at me confused. I've surprised her. "Really, I thought you would be a Career. With an advantage of being Rosemary Mellark. Daughter of the most famous Hunger Games winners, Katniss Everdeen Mellark and Peeta Mellark. I'm just a poor fisherman's daughter," she tells me. I shake my head with a smile. She starts laughing like I just told a joke. We stay together to train. And to become great friends.
At lunch time I've already confinced Aqua to be my ally. I love having someone to talk about things. Like my family, favorite things, and boys. I find a seat with Aqua, Tron, and Hunter. All of us together for the first time. Enjoying life together. I find out that all of us are connected to these games. My parent, of course.
Hunter's father Gale keeping care of my mother's side of the family when she went into the games. They were allways great friends. Plus he was my father's competion when they were younger. Did you know our own President's daughter is Hunter's mother? That is a big secret. Leaving the capital and she fell in love with Gale. She also won the games the year before my parents. How is that even possible? So thats news for me.
Aqua, who's last name is Bleu has an interesting story. Her mother is Annie Odair. A long time friend with my parents. Her mother still goes by her old husban's name. It is Finnick Odair. He was killed when the capital was being over thrown. He was really good friends with my parents during their second games. They even teamed up. My father made the cake for Finnick and Annie's wedding. Nothing special with Aqua's father except for falling in love with a widow. If he was still alive, we both would be Hunger Games babies! How cool?!
Tron Legg, he is also a half-blooded Hunger Games kid too. His mother is Johanna. A good friend of both my parents. With my father when they were captured by the capital. They were cell mates. They could hear each other's screems and remembers them. After they broke out Johanna became friends with my mother. They trained together. Also they shared an appartment. She never went to the war against the capital. He dreams of being an electriction for all the districts. He was born in Distict Three. Father from District Three. Mother from District Seven. They moved to District Ten when he was two. In a way all of us are a family.
After eating lunch it's back to training! We hang together as a group. The first to team up. A bunch of the older are confused. It makes no sense to them. Everyone knows this. Only one tribute can win. Why would you team up? It will only cause trouble later. But I have a secret.
My secret is: I can get us out of here alive, my whole group.
After that wonderful day of training, it is time to go. I finally have friends. My friends list has gone from three to six. Not impressive, right? It's a surprise because you would think everyone would want to be my friend. It's hard to get real friends. As real as them. "Bye, see you tomorrow," we all say at the same time. We laugh like it was a bad joke. We can do that as friends. Before we all head up to our floors we have a group hug. The warmth from everyone. The loving energy.
I'm heading up to the twelveth floor. "So how's your boyfriend?" Luke says coming out of no where. I try not blushing. But I feel the heat of anger come up my spine to my head. The tips of my ears are fire red. "He's not my boyfriend! yet," I almost screem to the world. But I say yet under my breath. So no one could hear it. Luke starts laughing. That makes me more angry. "Sure he isn't. Why then are you on a team? I know you want to kiss him. We all do. I can see right through you," he says walking away.
Does it look like Hunter and I are dating? I super like him. But we are just friends. Or are we? He doesn't look like he likes me, so what is it? I think to myself.
I'm up in my room getting ready for dinner. Angry. That's how I feel! Angry at Luke for the comment. He doesn't know anything. Angry at Hunter for not expressing how he feels. Let someone know if you like them. And most of all, angry at the capital for making us do this. This will bite you in the butt later in the future. I decide to stay in my room.
Everyone tries to get me for dinner. Over and over again, knocking and talking. I've already locked the door. I don't leave to eat something. I'm no mood to eat. I know it's the anger speaking, but I don't care.
I let out my anger a very weird way. I dance. I find a radio in the back of the closet. This one song clicks to me. I listen to no other than this one song. I don't really listen to most of the lyrics, aswell. The beat gets me moving. Sweet and dance-able. I do something like tomba potta burray, glissade, leap. Fall down to the ground. I express myself. Might sound strange, but I'm a dancer.
I secretly dance. No one even knows. Not my family. Not even Trinity and I tell her everything everything. When I was five, I had to go to the capital. I was then an only child, so there was no Gabriel. While my parent were in a boring meeting I got dropped off at a day care. My parents were so nervous about their meeting that they never checked what kind of day care or building they dropped me off in. It turned out to be a dancing school.
"Hello sweety. Are you here for class?" this ladie asked me. Her hair was in a bun. She also was wearing a leotard. It covered her from neck to toe. I thought she was the mother of the group. Nope, she was the dance teacher. I nod yes, even though I didn't understand what she ment. She takes me with her.
I end up in a big room. All of the other people in the room are older. Looked like teenagers. Most of them are girls. A few are boys. The girls wear a black short sleeved leotard, pink tights, and pink ballet hair are also in a bun, not as neat as the teacher. The boys are wearing a white shirt, black pants, black socks, and white ballet slippers. Everyone were in small groups stretching. I go up to this one group. There were six girls and a boy. They all are the same age. I couldn't hear what they wre talking about. "I this old," I said holding up four fingers by mistake. They all aww at me. One picks me up and puts me on her lap. They let me stay with their group.
The dance I learned was the same one I'm dancing to now. I remember it from all these years of not doing dance classes. I was in the front and center during that class. I even performed it by myself infront of everyone. Dancing to the song reminds me of those girls and boy that excepted me. Didn't care that I wasn't the right age or size. Or that I was new or inexsperienced. I only learned three names. The teacher was Miss Ginianne. The one girl that I sat on her lap. Her name is Karyn. Third was the boy in the group. His name is Neal, but everyone called him Blue.
It's the middle of the night when I'm finally done dancing. I'm full of sweat. Clothes all dirty. I feel so tired. I get into a nice pair of pajamas. I'm seriously wiped out. I climb into bed and fall right to sleep.
"Wake up. Big, big day!" That's what I wake up to. Aunt Effie is pounding on my door. I throw a shoe at it so she could maybe stop. It may be rude, but so is pounding on someones door. I go into the bathroom. The shower is much needed. I smell from training and dancing. I clean up and put on my training alfit.
I head out to the eating room to have breakfast.I'm so starving. Why? Because I didn't really eat yesterday. No dinner and lunch I half ate. I get this stew my mother just loves. Even told Caesar during her first interview with him. It tastes so good.
Training is okay. Long and tiring. I hang out with Aqua, Tron, and Hunter. We are still a group. I don't hate Hunter. I keep my distance from the arrows as I promised I would. The day is finally over. As exausted as I am, I get back to my floor. Luke has no problem being tired. Must have gotten a great night sleep. Unlike me. But the night drags on.
No one is in the mood to talk the next day. It's the evaluation today. Everyone is nervous. No chatter when we go to the stations. At lunch, it's so quiet that you can hear some plates drop. I'm the only eating any of the food. "How are you not nervous? It's the, thing with the, uh. Gamemakers judging us!" Tron says nervously. I shake my head in disbelieve. I stand up on the table infront of everyone.
"Why am I not nervous and everyone else is? It's because I'm not a baby. So what if I'm being graded. It doesn't even matter. How high or low of a score you get. My parents, many kids did this same thing. It's the person inside us that matters. They are making us fight our new friends to the death. For their entertainment. Plus to show us the pain of the Dark Days. Well, we won from this from the capital when my parents were seventeen or eighteen! See, they are taking our lives away, us. Just because we are teens! I'm only twelve. I, with all of us here had a chance to live a life, a full life. But they are taking it away. We may fight and have bad habites, that's why they think they can make us kill each other for their entertainment. But they can not! I'm not one of their pieces of this game. I will die myself not a piece of their!" I say to everyone.
I feel energy corsing through my veins. Everyone claps for me. By the cheers, I guess they agree with me. The agreement makes me smile. These people agree with me. All claps for me.
The District One boy is taken. So the Gamemakers didn't like my speech, I think. Fifthteen minutes later the girl is taken away. Soon Hunter is called. I try to keep him from going to them. I don't want him to leave, but I have to.
"Good luck, I know you'll do great. Do some of your snare stuff," I say shakey. I have a smile on my face, but my tone doesn't sound happy at all. He takes a step closer. He hugs me. He starts brushing my hair with his hand. "Don't worry, Rosie. When I think of you, everything is good. I have luck. I'll do something special, just for you," he says then leaves. A little later, Aqua is taken. Tribute after tribute is taken. Hours go by. After each tribute leaves, I get a little more nervous. I talkto Tron, to calm my nerves. Soon he is called. Soon even both District Eleven are gone. Leaving me with Luke.
Luke comes over and sits next to me. I move a little over. Away from him. I'm still mad at him for the comment the other day. It was faules and totally none of his business. "Okay, with your little boyfriend, I'll make sure we don't kill him and your whole group. I'm with some of the Careers this year. Oh yeah, by the way, nice speech. Inspired all of us, mostly me," Luke says to me. I don't know if he's serious or not. "Thank you. I don't want to die. Mainly a bloody death from a swored or something like that. Just for your infromation, Hunter and I are just friends. I kind of wish we were more, but we are not," I say formally. He puts his arm around me. This creeps me out a little. No one does this to me. I'm about to slap him, but he starts talking again. "Well even if you aren't. I still don't like if he is or not. You want to. My little sister has her first crush. If he breaks your heart, I'll beat him up. You are a little sister to me," he says. With that, his name is called. He leaving me with this confusing talk about us.
What was that? I think. Am I really like his sister? Someone I met when our names were called to our deaths. Four years apart, never met in school. I've only seen him in school games. Wait a minute, him and his so called "friends" who are the Careers will leave us alone. That's good for us.
Now I'm called. I get up and leave the eating room. Start walking to the training center. The hallway is cool. It's a long, icy cold, narrow hallway. You can hear a person's foot steps. Thump thump thump. It's so cold that your breathe is show as a icy clowd in the air. I arrive at the training center door. I take a long, deep breathe and walk into the room.
The room is empty. Except for the Gamemakers sitting in the balcony. All are chatting. I'm the last one of the day, twenty-three other trbutes before me. So, they have seen everything and are bored. When I ask if I can begin, they all stop talking and watch me. I guess because my parents have done this twice, they exspect something grand from me. Knowing the first year my mother got a eleven. The next year, both my parents got a twelve. I'm a big thing here to them. My father taught me how to paint at a young age, so I take the paint from the flamoflage station. I go over to the shooting dummies. I start painting on the first one closest to me. I make a person. I don't let the Gamemakes look at my creation. I go up to the next dummy. I paint a person on this one too. I write a name on both of them. I turn the dummies towards them. All gasp. Some drop there wine glasses. One is our own President. The other is Hunter. You don't even the names on them to know who they are. My details are perfect to know it them. What am I going to do now, I think.
Then it hits me. I go over to the bow and arrow station. I pick up a nicely crafted bow. I weigh the arrows. I take the bow and arrows back to my spot. I face President Dummy. I'm so angry at her for making us doing this whole thing. "This is for taking mine and all of these's young people lives away. They had so much to live for," I say to the dummy. I put the arrow into the bow. I pull back on the arrow far back. I let go of the arrow. It flies right into the target, which is the spot that the heart is on a person. I also have a knive from lunch. I take it out of my pocket with my left hand. What next? I think.
I head towards Hunter Dummy. I don't know why, but I am. I hear some wispers coming from the surprised Gamemakers. I smile evilly. I raise the hand with the knive. They think I'm going to stab him. Like a betraying my friend. But I surprise them again. I rap my arms around the dummy.I put my lips on the painted lips I gave him. As if it is really him, here with me. No one else, besides us. "I love you. For a long time. I won't let them take you away from me. I promise," I say to the Hunter dummy. When I stop my behavior, they dismiss me. "thank you very much," I say as I head out.
I go straight to the elavators. I'm shaking like crazy. Not only did I do something unthinkable, I showed I have a weakness. Hunter Hawthorne. I showed disrespect to our President. i did an act of rebelliousness. Now I'm totally dead by the first night of being in the arena.
I go straight to my room. Without even stopping to see my family. I'm in the worst mood ever. I try to calm myself down.I sit on my head. I count to five thousand, six hundred, and fifty-two. I try dancing. None of my tricks work! I end up crying on my bed. Sobbing and sobbing. Crying more than I've ever cried in a long time.
Gabriel walks in. He has some trouble openning the door. I can't help giggling. I wipe the tears off my face. "Rosemary, how you do?" he asks in the most adorable way. I lift him onto my lap. He notices a tear on my cheek. He licks my cheek as his way to kiss it. He thinks it's a bruise tear. "Good Gabe, I have a lot of good friends. I can't wait for you to meet them. How's my little brother doing?" I say holding him close to me. I don't want to loose him. He tells me everything he did since we got here. When I mean everything, I mean everything. To every last detail. Even to seconds. But it's cute how he does it.
I take him piggy back to dinner. My parents are surprised. They have never seen me do this. Or treat my brother so nicely. Lately I've been ignorring him. Now I've spent a few hours with him. Loving him. "What a cute sibling moment. Oh, I wish I had my camra with me right now," Aunt Effie says with tears in her eyes. "It's okay, more will happen," Uncle Haymitch says putting a hand on her shoulder. We start eating. With happiness the food taste better than ever. Everyone is in a good mood. So we talk and laugh. As a family. Even Luke, who I guess, is apart of the family now.
When we are done, we go to the tv room, to watch the scores. The scores go up to twelve. How they do it is show the tributes's picture of there face and the score. Because it's a private judging, they don't show what the tributes did. So the other tributes don't know the other tribute's strenghts.
Okay, so the faces appear. When Hunter's picture appears, I'm not surprised he gets an eleven. He must have taken my advice about the snares. Aqua gets a four. A bit surprised on that one. She has great talent. She knows how to make a fish hook. Mainly because she can use a trident like a pro. More tributes' faces appear. It's the same middle numbers. Tron gets an eight. He must have done his electrict stuff that he's been working on. Then after District Eleven, we get to see what Luke got. I'm a little curious. His face appears, the number appears. He gets a seven. That's okay, but it's average.
Now me. I exspect a low number, like one or two. Even a zero, which will make history. My picture shows up on the screen. Please don't fail, I pray. The number flashes on. Twenty-two! I got a twenty-two out of twelve. Is that even possible? I think Everyone congradulates both Luke and me. But mainly me. We all head off to bed.
I'm so confused about my score. How did I get a twenty-two? Is it even possible. It has to be. But why me? I think. I'm a twelve year old girl. Parents have been in the games really three times and have won. I don't know why me. Then I get it. I was rebellious, my father told me the day before the reaping that my mother was very rebellious during their games. I did something rebellious using a talent from both my parents. Painting from my father. Shooting from my mother. Rebellious.
I can't sleep. Everytime I try, I end up being chased by a giant twenty-two. Or the other tributes trying to kill me, with them screeming twenty-two and the number being on their shirt. I soon give up. I order some milk and go to the tv room. The static allways helps me at home when I can't sleep. But on the couch is Uncle Haymitch and Aunt Effie. They are making out. I knew something was going on, but still. I don't know what's worst, the Hunger Games or this. Before they can see me, I run out of the room, back to mine.
The next day I'm running on no hours of sleep. I didn't get back to sleep after the Aunt-Uncle-makeout session. I go to breakfast not even aware of my surroundings. We talk about the plan for today. Half the day I'm going to be with Aunt Effie and my mother. We'll be working on the showing me off. Luke will be with Uncle Haymitch and my father. They'll be working on finding an angle. After lunch we'll switch to do the other things. At this sign, I'm not good. How will I not mention the incident?
I go to my room with my mother and my godmother. Aunt Effie pulls out a really girlie dress out of the closet. I look at the the dress with discust. Then at her. I give her a look that says "I'm not wearing that!" My mother gives me a stern look. But it also says "I feel your pain. I had to do the same thing as you here," Aunt Effie doesn't understand our communication. "We need to show off being a young ladie. You need to look older. As the youngest and most adorable child here. We have to show you as the celebrity you are," she says with a smile. I frown and roll my eyes. But I cooperate. She's right, I need to show my celebritiness to win some sponsers.
The dress is standable, but the shoes. They are painful. High heels. Seriously, I've never wore high heels in my life. They hurt like crazy. It's hard balencing on two sticks. I have to practice walking, sitting, and presenting myself. I try my hardest to not argue with them. I trip over my own feet, because of the shoes. Several times I tripped and fell down. But I manage to pull off everything I'm told. From "Sit like a ladie." To "Don't bring up the dress." By lunch, I'm way over tired and have bruises everywhere I can have them from tripping.
I go to the tv room after lunch. My father and Uncle Haymitch are also in there with me. I sit down exactly how Aunt Effie made me sit for a couple of hours. "Don't worry, sit how you want to. Don't make yourself stress over how you sit right now. And we need a first aid kit, Peeta," Uncle Haymitch says. My father leaves the room, leaving me with my godfather. I look down. My leg is gushing blood. Right leg, below the knee cap. I also have a black eye. It's my left eye. Right around the eye, and it's a dark color. My father comes back into the room. He gosses up my leg and puts an ice pack on my black eye.
"What angle should we use for her?" my father asks Uncle Haymitch. Both of them shrug. "Let's ask many questions they'll most likey use and she how she answers them," Uncle Haymitch replies. So they ask me a bunch of stupid questions that they already know the answers to. After a couple of hours of asking and answering questions, they finally conclude something good. "Well, she's a lot like you. Likeable. With a little sas, just like Katniss. We can easily work with this, Peeta," Uncle Haymitch finally says. My father agrees with Uncle Haymitch.
I work on when to give sas for my interview. More questions. I had no clue how many question you can ask a person about their life. I work through all the questions. Some of them seemed to be repetitive. The hours go by so slowly. But finally the hours are done. I'm done for the day. I can't think straight from all the questions. I'm bruised and brainless.
I drift off to sleep right after Uncle Haymitch and my father leave the room. They seem tired too. But with no sleep for over twenty-four hours, you fall asleep fast. I start to have a bad night mare.
I'm standing alone. I'm back home in the school yard. Not a trace of life anywhere. No school in session as it always is during this time of day. "Hello," I call out. The answer is my voice echoing back. I take slow steps to the school front doors. I open the door and go in. I call out all my friends names. Starting with Trinity, ending with Aqua. There no answer from any of my friends that I call. Only a cold wind that goes across my face.
Out of no where, both tributes from District One, District Two girl, and District Four boy come. They surround me in a circle. I look at all of them. I'm so scared while they are so mad at me. I call out for Hunter. I hear his voice from a far, calling out his special nickname for me. I run from out of the circle and start for the voice. I run as fast as I can to him. I hear foot steps chasing after me. I keep calling his name."Hunter, please help!" I continue screeming. "Rosie!" he calls back each and every time. The voice gets closer and closer with every step. Knives are thrown at me. That District Two girl has a good arm to throw. I luckily dodge every knife from hitting me. I take a quick turn to get rid of them.
I find him in my science classs room. We all are wearing a nice black jumpsuit. His gray eyes shine so they are the first thing I see of him."Hunter, I'm so nervous and scared. I can't do this. They want to kill me because of my amazing score. Twenty-two, I don't want that. Then my wonderful interview. Not to mention that I'm the Mockingjay's daughter. Please tell me the truth, do you hate me?" I choke out. I'm completely in tears. I'm shaking so badly. He takes my hands. I blush. "I don't hate you. I love you. All of them are jelous. Of you, of us together and our love," he says so kind and lovenly. He presses his lips against mine.I close my eyes. They feel so warm. I have a sharp pain shoot through my back. I feel that there is a knife is in my back. I collaspe to the ground. Feeling a bit of betrail from him. "Why, why did you do it?" I ask him so upset. He gives me the most evil smile. This isn't good. "I had to. Only one can win, so I have to give my chance," he says then leaves me to die.
I wake up screeming. I shoot up to a sitting position. My pants are wet and smell horrible. My eyes are red and my face is puffy. I was crying when I was sleeping, and I didn't even know. I feel like I'm going to puke. I can't breath. I try to take deep breathes in and out. I lay back down to think.
Am I really doing the right thig? Is being allies with Hunter the smartest choice for my survival? Will he do the same thing as he did in my dream? Turn on me when the times get hard. Kill me infront of million of eyes glued to their tvs. I truely do love him, but does he love me like how I love him? I think.
I end up falling back to sleep. But not good. My night mares just stay bad. Not as bad as the first horrible night mare. The one is where District Two girl ties me to a tree trunk. She is practicing her knife throwing on a target. I'm happy she had bad aim. I shoot back up. Sweating like crazy. I screem again. My parents are right next to me. My father rubs my back with his warm hands. "Had a long day yesterday,uh? We missed you at dinner last night," they say kindly to me. I nod, unable to speak. I smell pee in the air. The spot under me is wet. "I guess I did. I have to chance into some clean and dry clothes, then I'll meet you at breakfast," I say getting up. They give a questioning look at me. Then they smell the pee. I leave the room as fast as I can, before they can comment.
I take a shower. I let the shower buttons do their job. I shampoo and condition. I scrub this nice smelling gel. I get out and dry off. I press a button to dry and part my hair. I pick out a nice white shirt and a dark blue pair of shorts.
I go down to breakfast. I'm last to show as usual. "What smells like pee, Rosemary?" Luke asks when I walk in. I look at him agrilly. I run at him and punch him in the face. He falls to the ground. I start punching him again. He starts punching back. My father grabs me off Luke. He holds me back my arms are flailing. Luke is held back by Uncle Haymitch. He wants to continue this fight. I want to kill him because of that comment. No one says that about me. "Luke, Rosemary had a long day yesterday. Plus she had night mares all last night. Rosemary, how dare you attack a fellow tribute. You can get in trouble for that, it's against the rules," my mother says to us. I sit inbetween my parents. I'm not even allowed to get up to get my food. While eating I don't even look Luke in the eyes. I find out that today is my last styling day. The interviews are tonight. I'm spending the day being abused again. That's just great, I think. I listen because I like Cinna and his alfits.
I have to be waxed again. The shear ripping sound the sheets of wax rippedoff my legs is the worst sound. I'm forced to take another shower. With the shampoo, conditioner, and gels they want. For a smell to complete my alfit. I have to dry off quickly. Flavis starts to gel up my hair. Venia starts with my nails to be filed and be painted. Octives starts doing my make-up. My eyes are closed so I can't see what they are doing, only feel.
There is minor chit chat that I listen to at first. "Oh, I have get news. I'm exspecting my first. I can't wait for it to come," Venia says all excited. "That's great for you. What are you going to name it? You should let Rosemary name it," Flavis says with joy for her. I sense that she shruggs. "Uh, if it's a girl Sky. If it's a boy, umm maybe Axel," I say thinking hard about the names. "Well, I'm getting married after the games end!" Octives says excitely. The other two clap for her. I give a smile because my nails are being done. "Yes, I want Rosemary to be my flower girl really badly," she says with the brush swirling and twirling on face cheeks. I smile and nod for that. After that I zone out.
Soon Cinna comes in. "Great job you three. She looks amazing. You may go now," he says dismissing them. They leave still talking about silly things. Cinna sits down on my bed. We aren't the only ones in my room. There is a boy my age standing in the door way. "Oh my, you're Rosemary. So nice to see you again," he says quietly. I look at him funny. I reconize him but can't place how. " You don't remember me? I'm Cinna's son. I've know you since we were born. I haven't seen you since we were eight years old. We were best of friends," he says trying to get back my memories of him. Then I regonize him. How did I reconize that brunette boy with crystal blue eyes.
We sit and get back the years that we have missed because I haven't visited the Capital in four years. Ziggianch Opta Derosa is his full name. He hates to be called Ziggianch, so everyone calls him Zig. Except me, when we were four, I called him my Ziggy-poo. He called me his Rose-muffin. He has done great job in everything since I've seen him. A minuses in every subject. Tons of friends, popular kids love him. Plus he just resently had a girlfriend, named Violet. Well she dumped him a few hours. He has grown up in the years of not seeing each other. I can say he is on the cute side of the meter.
We get to my dress for my interview. I get a plain black skirt that goes to a little before my knees. I have a pink short sleeved shirt. It has a red rose right infront of my left shoulder. Black ballet slippers for shoes. I didn't even need to practice wearing high heels. It was all for nothing, I think. I put on the whle alfit. I finally look at myself in the full body mirror. I gasp. Blush across my cheek bones, light pink lips, a nice amount of red eye shadow. My nails have little roses on them. My hair falls down past my shoulders, all down. Put back with nothing. I look like a young flower girl. Like the princess that my father always calls me.
"How do you like it? I made for you, for your name. So people will remember you," Cinna says all nervous. I look at myself one last time. I smile at the results. "I love it. It's my favorite alfit of yours. Better than my mother's fire dress or wedding dress," I repond very kindly. That is honest that I love it. "Roses look good on you. They you off quite nicely," Zig says quietly. Just enough for me to hear. My cheeks turn a deep red. Zig notices and blushes too. Very awkward moment.
I go back stage for the interviews. I'm so nervous, even though I don't show it. I'm dressed and ready to go.I spot Hunter, Aqua, and Tron in their spot in line. They are also dressed up. Everyone is acually. Hunter is wearing a nice dark green suit and his hair is gelled back. Tron is wearing a black blazer, a yellow shirt, and black dress pants. Aqua is wearing a lovely aqua dress that falls to her mid-calf. Her hair is down and curled.
Caesar Flickerman bounces on stage. He has a plum color suit on. His skin, eye lids, and lips are a lighter color purple. He gets the audience started. Starts out with a few jokes to get the crowd laughing. Girls start before the guys. So that means I'm not going to be last this time. I'm glad that I won't.
District One girl, who's name is Gem, wow that sounds conseded, well she's called up. She's wearing a strapless gold dress with gems on it. Her angle is ofcourse sexy. Soon District One boy is called. He is wearing something like Gem's, but more guyish. Then after three minutes, District Two girl is called up. She scaries me.
Hunter is called. He goes to the seat next to Caesar. They chat about Hunter. To let the audience know who Hunter Hawthorne really is. Then they start talking his family. But then it turns toward the subjuct of me. "How is that Rosemary Mellark? I know that you two are family friends. Your father, Gale and her parents, Katniss and Peeta," Caesar says to him. Hunter let a deep sigh out. "She's fine. We have been hanging out for these past few days. And yes, her mother and my father were and still are best friends. Ever since a few months after their fathers died. So yeah, we are great friends," Hunter responds. "I want to know, so does everyone who knows about you two. How do you really feel about her? Everyone at the Capital is talking about you and Rosemary are going out. Is that true?" Caesar asks. It is what everyone is talking about. I've heard the other tributes and their mentors wispering about it."Caesar, I really hate to tell you this, but I have to be honest with you. But there is nothing going on between Rosie and me. I know everyone wants us to. I do too. Sadly no. Why I do is, because, I'm in love with her. Ever since that first day in school when she came. She was lost, confused, excited, and beautiful all at the same time. This is the only time I can confess my love to her. Rosie, I love you and I always will," he says confessing his love for me. I look down, blushing and smiling. The camra shot hits me just at that moment. Then the buzzer goes off, meaning his time is up.
Then the other tributes go on for their interviews. Hunter stares at me the whole time. I look straight ahead. But I can see him out of the corner of my eye. Aqua tells a sad story how she almost drowned from a fishing incident. Then had to live on fish on a small island until found two weeks later when she was six. Tron tell the world about his dream on wanting to help our country with electrictity. After an hour of sitting there on the side of stage, it's finally my turn.
I skip on with a basket of roses. It was Zig's idea for me to complete the alfit with some roses. The flower princess I've always been. I give one to Caesar. I throw the rest around. To the audience and also off stage. "Wow it's been four years since I've seen you. Haven't visited the Capital lately. How does it feel to live off the family history with the Hunger Games?" Caesar starts off with. I laugh a little. I know what I'm going to say. "Well Caesar, it feels nerve racking. As the first full-blooded Hunger Games child, then having to go into the games, maybe filling the fate as my parents. Tell you the truth, I really don't want to be here. I want to be home lying on my bed. Hanging out with my best friend Trinity, I miss her so much," I say like a little girl. I wave at the camra, to wave at Trinity, Jake, and Debbie. The audience sigh at that. A tear goes down Caesar's face. They love me. I know what the next question is going to be. "That Hunter, what do you think? Him confessing his love for you to all of Paman. Just like your father did about twenty-six years ago to your mother. Do you feel the same way as he does? he asks what everyone is thinking since Hunter's interview. I know what I'm going to say. I'm going to be honest, and also likeable. I know how I feel about Hunter Hawthorne. It's an enternal flame that will never burn out. Finally, I'm letting the truth out. "Mommy, daddy don't be mad or hate me. But I feel the same way about Hunter. When I got lost in District Two the Friday before the reaping, I met Hunter in school. After he taught me how to hunt, well I had no place to go. Didn't know where mommy or daddy where or how to get there. So he was the one who took me in. I knew then that I'm in love with him. Yes Hunter, do feel the same way. No one can give me the feelings I'm feeling right now for you. I want to live the rest of our shorten lives together, and then in the after life together in each other's arms," I say confessing my love. Every person in the room are in tears. They want some love from someone. We are giving the thing that to the very stupid people. Two kids will never get married to each other because of you. And they love each other dearly, I think. Tears stream down my face. But romance is romance, doesn't matter if it's shown off to our whole country. I want it with the love of my life, Hunter Hawthorne. The whole audience is screeming and crying. I don't blame them. Killing two in love twelve year olds, for their entertainment. That is sick. I'm the only one that hears my buzzer go off. I tap Caesar on the shoulder and wisper that iin his ear. "Let's hear it for Rosemary Mellark. Our loving celebrity. Hope her romance stays strong," Caesar finishes. The crowd cry out for me. A red rose is thrown to me from someone in the audience. I catch it and hold it up. They screem for more of me. I walk off to my spot, blowing kisses to them.
Luke goes on for his interview. I wisper good luck in his ear. They chat about different things. About Luke's stardom in school. Hot girl friend. Popular. They get to know each other. Be sort of friends. The ones that are sending you to your death. Then his last question for Luke annoys me. It's about me. I'm a big topic today.
"So how does it feel having your young District Partner being in love with a Distict Two boy?" Caesar asks Luke. Luke is puzzled by the question for a few seconds. Then he relizes what Caesar said. "Well Cae, as in the view I have as an older brother, I don't like it. I don't like her being around guys at all," Luke responds to that. Brother? I think. Since when? "Older brother? Really you two are siblings with two different last names?" Caesar asks surprised. The whole audience is too. Luke laughs. "Not completely. Since this whole thing started, we've became family. Her parents as our mentors. They treat me more like a son then my own parents. Rosemary treats me like an older brother. I love her as a little sister," Luke replies all that. With that, he is done.
I'm now wishing that I'm at my home. As in District Twelve, Victor's Village. With all my school friends. Laughing our heads off. I stand up for the anthem. My knees feel like jelly again. My name has been brought up in every interview. I'm now more of a target. Amazing interview was in my night all the interviews are over. We can head up to our room before our death sentence tomorrow.
All the tributes are talking. So are the mentors. I see Luke "talking" to Hunter. Aqua runs up to me. All excited. "Great job! First being a Hunger Games daughter. Next your amazing chariot ride! After that your twenty-two out of twelve! Now your amazing interview! At least he feels the same way. Tron would never say that, because he doesn't love me like how I love him," Aqua informs me. I'm smiling that she kept track of my achivements. Then I remember the dream. It's all coming true. I feel bad for Aqua that Tron doesn't love him. "Uh, yeah," I say nervously. "Want to come hang up at my floor?" Aqua asks. I look at my parents talking to Jonanna and Annie. They won't mind if I hang out of a little bit, I think. I nod and we head up.
Her floor, it does show that they are from District Four. No question about it. Fish, fishing stuff and everything is sea colors. Different colors of blue and green. It's a nice place to be in. Looks a little like District Four.
We sit and chat for hours. Her District Partner named Trew Cresta. He is Aqua's cousin. It's a little weird that cousins are fighting against each other. They look a little a like. The eyes and their facial shape are the same. But Drew has the same color as his aunt. We sit in their tv room and chat. We also watch the caps of the interviews. I'm a little nervous to see. We talk about our lives and everything. Play silly games.
I fall asleep in the tv room on floor four. When I wake up it's dawn. I head up to my floor. As what I know of, I'm not caught. I bet there are secret camras. But my room's door is locked. So they must know I never came back last night. I go to the tv room and order a hot chocolate. Then drink it and wait.
Soon Aunt Effie, I hear, knocks on my door. There is no answer. I walk up to Aunt Effie at my door. I put a hand on her shoulder. "Hi Aunt Effie. I would go get ready, but my door is locked. After I couldn't sleep, I went out to get hot coco. When I came back the door was locked," I lie. She's trying to catch her breath. I scared her half to death. I start laughing. "Not funny!" she says like a child, " Let's shower and get changed. Big, big day." She unlocks my door. She gives me one last hug goodbye.
I take a shortish shower. It feels good to have warm water on my skin. I will miss it. With a lot of things. I let my hair down for it to air dry. I find an alfit on my bed. I put it on. I find the mockingjay pin and put it on. I want to wear my token. I say my last goodbyes to everything. I don't want these last few days to be taken away from me along with my life. I love you all. Forever and ever. I'm sorry for everything, I think before leaving.
I go up to the roof that my parents showed me. A hovercraft is waiting there for me. I aboard the hovercraft. No Luke. No Uncle Haymitch. No Aunt Effie. Not even my own parents saying their goodbyes to me. I want a hug so badly. I'm alone. This avox who looks a lot like Trinity's mother comes up to me. I long for Trinity to be here with me. She gives me a shot. Apparently it's a tracker. So they know where I am in these games. She leaves the room. I want her to stay, but if I say anything, it'll be put against her.
Zig comes out. "What are you doing here?!" I ask filled with joy. I'm glad to see his face. A kind face to see before I get sent to my death sentence. He smiles his kind smile at me. "My father couldn't make it. Stylist always go for the send off. Because I know a little what to do, I'm taken his spot. So you can have someone here with you," he replies. I run up to him and wrap my arms around his waist. I put my face into chest. I want to cry so badly. I force myself not to. I will miss him. An old friend is always loved. He will be an enternal friend. We sit on the couch and stay quiet for the rest of the ride.
We finally land. We leave the hovercraft. We enter a small room. A jump suit that I saw in my nightmare is waiting for my on a chair. I get changed into it. I let Zig do my hair , even though I can do it myself. He pins the oin onto the jump suit. I'm offered food. I'm not hungry at all, but I force myself to say yes. I also have some water. I want to keep hydrated as long as possible. "One minute until launch off," an annousment says. I go onto this pannal. "Good luck, Rosemary. See you in a few weeks. Two months the latest, I promise," Zig say pushing a loose stain of hair out of my face. He kisses both my cheeks and steps back.
A tube comes down around me. I remember my mother telling me a story one time about when she was here during the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games. They came in and beat up Cinna. I don't want that to happen to Zig. I'm shooked into place. I can't move. I start moving up. I'm so nervous. I'm in total darkess for about a minute. Then I see light. The tube goes down to not surround me. I look around. I'm in a school yard. Just like in my nightmare. We face in a circle facing the Cornucopia, a giant golden horn shaped like a cone with a curved tail, the mouth of which is at least twenty feet high, spilling over with things that will give us life here in the arena. Food, containers of water, weapons, medicine, garments, fire starters. I can see Tron two tributes to my left. Aqua is five tributes to my right. I can't see Hunter. He must be on the other side of the Cornucopia. I stand getting ready to go into the blood bath. There is a voice counting down from sixty.
I'm thinking, Is this it? It's now or never. This is it! I'm not going to make it out of here alive. I already know that. But I will give it my all. I hear
"Five, four, three, two one." I know everyone at home is counting down the last few seconds.
This buzzer goes off. I run off my plate. I spotted a nice set of Bow and arrows that are perfect for me. I head straight for them. I grab them a knife, swiftly. I quickly grab for a camofloge bag. This will have a lot of stuff fr mine and my friend's suvival. District Three girl grabs the bag at the same time. "Oh no you don't!" I say harshly. I stab the girl in the side. She falls to the ground. But letting her knife scrap my leg. I take the bag. Also a few more knives and a fire start, medicine, and water containers. I find Aqua ready to go right by the stairs. She has her trident and some extra clothes. Also some food. We are set with the two of us. We wait for the guys. They come with the weapons they will need. We head up for the hallways. Running away form the blood bath that is going on out there. I can't belive I killed a scared, poor girl for a bag. With stuff that will help me live.
I can still hear the fighting going on outside. Sounds like a tv show or something. But this is being televised. I feel my leg bleeding from where the knife from District Three girl cut me. Before she died, because of me. It was either her or me. But she didn't give up without leaving damage. We keep on running. Away from the fighting. It must be soon over. Then after dividing the suplies, they will come hunting after someone. Most likely us because we have a girl who's parents won the games, she's known through out our country, had an spectacular openning ceromony, got a twenty-two out of twelve, then an amazing interview. Also two tributes that got offered to be Careers, but they turned them down. For two weak kids. One poor boy and one rich girl. I find a room on the bottom floor. We all quickly go in. I lock the door.
"That was a close one," Tron says wiping the sweat from his forehead. Aqua is staring, most likely thinking of him taking off his shirt. I give her a look that says, Stop it. You want to expain your love for him if he catches you. Hunter collaspes to the ground. I let out a little cry for him. I run up to the fallen Hunter. He has a knife stuck in his right arm. Most likely from getting in a fight for supplies. How could he be so stupid? I think. I can't think straight. I'm no healer. I've heard my grandmother is, she used to help heal people who got hurt in the mines. My mother has always helped me with my injuries. Neither of them are here. I have to hope I got some healing powers from my mother's side of the family.
"Towels! I need towels, stat!" I scream scaried. I don't want Hunter to die. Aqua laughs at my terrior. She throws me some white towels. I give her a smile. "Close your eyes," I tell Hunter. He listens to me. Aqua and Tron come over and each take one of Hunter's hands. I count to three and pull the knife out. He sits up in pain. I make him lay back on the desks we connected for a table. I start singing a song my parents, mainly my mother, sang to me when I was injuried or not feeling well.
Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when again they open, the sun will rise.
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
As singing, I'm cleaning out the wound. I put pressure on it to stop the bleeding. These white towels will never be white again. They will be stained with Hunter's blood. I try my hardest not to hurt him. I want him to be asleep while I'm caring for him. He's the first one im the group to be injuried. Not counting my leg. I continue the song.
Deep in the meadow, hidden for away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
I finish cleaning Hunter up. Everything is quiet. I banage his wound with goss from the first aid kit. Good thing he grabbed it. It's very useful. Hunter lays there asleep. He looks cute and peaceful when he sleeps. I fix the hair that has gotten out of place. "I'm sorry that you are injuried. It's all my fault," I wisper into his ear. I kiss his forehead.
Aqua and Tron are just standing there as I goss up my leg. I cared more about Hunter than my own wound. I finally get the goss wrapped around my leg. I look at them. "What?" I ask them. "Nothing, it's just, you're an amazing singer," Tron says blushing. "I agree with him. Where is that song from? I've heard it before. How are just that beautiful of a singer?" Aqua asks all nervous. I look down. I'm not that great. My mother can make the birds stop singing. "I guess I got it from my mother who got it from her father. She can the birds stop singing. She has a much beautifuler voice. My mother would sing it to me when I was sick or injuried or even having a bad day. My father soon learned it and also sang it to me to make me fall asleep at night. My mother sang it during the Seventy-Four Annual Hunger Games to Rue as she died. Sang her to death, her only wish," I say. They have tears going down their faces. I do too. Because of the song reminds me of my parents.
I start looking through the backpack I grabbed from District Three girl. A sleeping bag, a pack of crackers, a pack of dried beef strips, a bottle of iodine, a box of matches, a small coil of wire, a pair of sunglasses, and a half-gallon plastic bottle with a cap for water. Which is empty. Tron has the same thing in his bag. That means two sleeping bags. So I'm sharing.
I go to the window and look to see what's going on outside. I see a face. A face I've never seen before. I scream at the top of my lungs. I jump back away from the window. "What's wrong? Bad thoughts?" Aqua asks concerned. "No there is a face in the window. Someone outside. There is, I swear," I say spooked. I sound a little crazy. Tron and Aqua walk over. They look at the winow. No face! I seem like I'm crazy.
Hunter's eyes flutter open. I walk up to him. I take out a water bottle that is filled with water. I make him drink it. Because I care about him. "Thank you, Rosie. If it wasn't for you, I wou-" he says, but I put a finger on his lips to shut him up. I fight the feelings to kiss him to shut him up. I get growl in my stomic.
"We need food. Tron and I will go and hunt for food. Aqua, I need you to stay here with Hunter. To protect him. You and me are the strongest. If any one tries to kill you, I know you will survive. You have fighting power. I know that you both'll be safe. Lets do that!" I demand grabbing my bow. "No, I'm not letting you. You could die!" Hunter says. He grabs my right arm. I shoot him a strong look. "Let go of me! I'm going, that's final. We NEED to eat. Do you want to die from starvation?" I ask fustrated. I yank my arm out of his grip. Tron and I leave the room. I don't look back.
I shoot a bird right in the are animals in the hallway. I take the arrow out of the bird. I continue killing animals. Trom picks up the game. I'm letting out my anger. Right now I could kill Hunter, I think. What am I thinking? How could I kill my love? For what, trying to protect me? "Don't hate Hunter. He really likes you, a lot. He wasn't lying when he said he's in love with you," Tron suddenly says out of the blue. Can he feel what I'm feeling? I think. He picks up the animal I just killed. I raise my eye brows. "Really, why doesn't he act like he does?" I ask concern. "He's afraid he'll loose you as soon or before he gets his chance. He doesn't want that pain. That's why I haven't asked Aqua yet," he says sitting down. "You love Aqua?" I ask, he nods, "Well then, spend the rest of your shortened life with her in your arms." I continue hunting.
We head back to the room. With all this food. No surprise, I have some gift from my mother. There is a cannon shot. Then another. They continue coming. I count thirteen, thirteen cannon shots. Cannon shots represent a death of a tribute. On the first day, they count the deaths after the bloody battle at the Cornucopia. We have been out for hours now. I pray that not Hunter nor Aqua was in that death shots. I see that Tron hopes that too.
"Oh my, you idiot! Why did you hold her up too long? We heard the cannon shots. I thought you were dead!" Aqua screams at Tron the moment we get back to our hide out. Aqua has tears streaming down her face. Surprisenly, Tron doesn't argue with her, I would have with Hunter no problem. "Yes, it's all my fault. I got some wood to make a fire with. I'm sorry for scaring you," he says taking her hands in his. She can't help but blush at this action.
We start making a fire and start cooking some of the animals that I caught today. Tron also found some nuts and berries. I made sure that they were safe, not poisonious. I don't want end up like this girl in my parents' games nicknamed Foxface. As the food cooks, Aqua sits next to Tron. He puts his arm around her. He's taking my advice to spend the remaining time as her boyfriend, soulmate.
The athem starts play. We lay down, face the projections on the board. Both tributes, I can't help but think about her. Trew, he died, the Careers usually last for the first day. Both from Five, the boy from District Six, both from seven and eight, District Nine girl. District Ten girl, Tron's district partner also died, it looks like he doesn't want to talk about it. Last is the District Eleven boy. All the faces pop up, then disapear, just like person in life, gone. The anthem comes on then the sky goes dark.
Thirteen dead, eleven alive. That's the most deaths in the first day, ever. The four of us. Both of District One, Hunter's district partner, the sly girl from District Six. I don't trust her with her racoon looks, her black hair with a stip of white, sharp golden eyes, untrustworthy. The strong boy from District Nine. Tall, muscular, handsome, light hair and deep shade of purple. He easily has the looks, why haven't I never noticed him, even though I'm not that attractived to him. The girl from District Eleven, haven't noticed her yet and I wonder why? And then Luke. That's all eleven alive. We have something to worry about.
I, with everyone else, is tired. It's been a long, eventful day. "What are the sleeping arrangements?" Hunter yawns. "Hunter might need some medical attention. Plus, we need a fighter in each bag. So it's going to be Tron and me in one bag. Hunter and Rosemary in the other," Aqua answers. "You just want to sleep with Tron!" I protest. I do want to sleep with Hunter, but I don't want them to know. "Please Rosie, I'm so weak. I might need medical help. What if you aren't there to help me," Hunter begs. I smile and nod. I'm helpless under his big, grey eyes.
I'm laying in the same bag next to Hunter. I don't trust him, even though I'm in love with the boy next to me. He does give off this heat. He wraps his arms around my waist. I turn to yell at him, but his eyes are closed. Asleep my butt, I know he's awake, I also want this too. It feels so good to be close to him. I'm scaried of what will happen tomorrow.
I wake up so relaxed. The feeling is nice, also a little weird. Why am I so relaxed? I just slept with a guy, I think. "How are you feeling today?" I wisper in Hunter's ear. "I'm feeling so much better. Thanks to you," he replies, I blush from his comment. "I had a nice night sleep," Aqua and Tron say at the same time. We all burst into laughter. I'm glad to have friends with me that care. I can stay her forever, but we can't, we need to move on. If we don't leave the classroom, we'll be found and killed.
I start to pack up the food. We fill up the water bottles. They get their weapons their that they will need. Soon camp is packed up. I put my bag on my back, Tron does the same. We are ready to go.
The hallway is cool, too cool. I can see my breath, so is everyone else. I lead the way to wherever we're heading to. But we're out in the open. It's not the smartest idea that I've had. But we wre there too long. Someone would have gotten smart. Went to hunt us down. The face I saw belongs to someone, or was it the face of the girl I killed?
We are by the bathrooms, first floor, by the gymnasium. I get this weird feeling in me. I hear clapping, "RUN!" I screem. Out of nowhere , two tributes come out, maybe from the bathrooms. I reconize them, it's District One boy and District Two girl. Oh no, we're dead meat, I think. "Hey Clava, it's the Girl of the Show with her gang. Fishbreath, Electroloser, and Lover boy," the boy says. The girl, Clava, laughs evilly. "Yes Tylor, I can see that. What a wonderful surprise," Clava laughs.
I take out a knife. During training Clava could use a knife. She got every target to loose a limb. "Hello Clava, nice to see you again, Hunter says. I sense something between them. The way Hunter says that is cold, not a warm I love you kind of way. They spent a lot of time together, that makes me jelous. But I know there is nothing more than friends going on between them, he hopefully loves me. They're from the same district. You can the angry fire in her eyes. Her sword swings at me, I dodge the blade just in time. I run up to her. I spot that the three are fighting Tylor. With a swinging motion, I cut her arm. She screems in pain. She pins me to the closest wall. "Any last words, Miss Hunger Games?" she asks so cold. I can't speak, her arm is pressed against my neck. I feel a sharp cutting feeling on the back of my calf. I collaspe to the ground.
"Let's leave, Clava," Tylor says, pulling Clava's arm. "Fine," she huffs. I see their feet leave the area. Their footsteps loud, stomping away. I can't get to my feet. I start loosing consiousness. My eyes close.
I finally awake. I feel so warm, feverish warm. I touch my forehead. There is a wet rag on it. "Great, you're up. Eat some food," Hunter says. He's sitting right next to me. I laying on top of the sleeping bag, not in it. I coil my nose at the word food. He gives me the pouting face. I listen, I open my mouth, he puts a piece of rabbit in my mouth. I chew it, swallow, also I finish a full bottle of food. He gives me some fever pills. I feel the weakest I've ever felt in my whole life. My leg is gossed where Clava's sword cut. I remember what this is. My father got it from Cato during his games. It's called blood poisoning, my father almost died from it. That's how he lost his leg. I need certain medicine, or I'll die! "Hunter, listen to me, I know what this is. I need medicine, please help, my father lost his leg this way. Help me, please." I say scaried, tears stream down my cheeks. Aqua and Tron come up to me, I didn't notice them until now. they feed me these sweet berries. They taste so...I can't think of the words. I feel so sleepy, my eyes start to droop. I reconize the taste, rasberries with sleeping syrup. They poisoned me. Why? is the last thing I think before slipping away.
I wake soon again. It feels just like an afternoon. By the facts that my joints are stiff, it's more than that. I'm on this bed. Alone. I'm left alone to defend for myself. I find my bow and arrows. My leg feels so much better. I get up and grab my weapon. I head out the door.
I'm really good with the bow. I shoot this rat thing. It looks okay. I remember it being in the Third Quarter Quell. I kill a lot of animals. It starts to get dark. I head back to the room that I was in when I woke up.
The gang is there when I get back. They don't seem pleased. "Where have you been, you ladie?" Aqua asks sounding like my mother. "We have been worried sick about you," Tron says sounding like my father. "Gezzz, I've been hunting. I was left alone, scaried to death," I say defending myself. All eyes goes to Hunter. "I needed to pee. If I went here and she woke up, she would... And no for that, so I went to the bathroom," Hunter says defending himself.
I get this like I'm home. We are a true family. Aqua's the mother, Tron's the father, Hunter's the son, and I'm the daughter. This is a nice Hunger Games family.
Aqua starts cooking dinner, some of the game I got today. Tron goes over to help her. They look so cute together. Hunter sits next to me, "I'm sorry," he murmers. He looks so sorry. I smile, "It's fine, how long was I asleep for?" I ask. This is very important information. "Uh, nine days, no deaths, ummm," he stutters. Then the food is ready.
I'm glad for Aqua and Tron, seriously, I am. At least they're a couple. Unlike HUnter and myself. There are only two reasons why. He's either not interested, which is unlikely, or, he's too shy to ask me to live the rest of our shorten lives.
The anthem plays. The sky is dark, which means no deaths. Something will happen, I think. I go to my shared sleeping bag with Hunter. I will be ready tomorrow. But for now I need to get my energy ready. I'll enjoy Hunter's warmth.
I'm first to wake up in the morning. Hunter's arms are wrapped around me. I want to get out, but at the same time not wanting to. If I want to train, then I'll have to get out without waking him. It's like slipping away from a sleeping bear. One wrong move and you're dead. I do slip out, I've slipped out of a bear's grip. This experience was ten times worst, this bear has feelings for me.
I take out our knives. I pick a target and start throwing the knives at the spot. I start stretching and warming up. I'm preparing for the unexpecting day. Trying to exspect the unexspecting. Wow, I've lost it! my head tells me.
"Girl, what on earth are you doing?" Aqua asks irritated, I woke her up. Tron kisses her, she smiles and relaxes. "It's been ten days since a death, at least, maybe more. I can sense that there will be danger. So i'm warming up," I inform them still training. I still seem crazy. Hunter wakes up from that. "Rosie, are you okay?"Huner asks concern. I shake my head no.
We pack up up our stuff. We've been camping here too long. Here we go again. Leaving our trail behind. But with my blood stained there, it's good to leave. Plus, with me acting this way.
I shoot some animals, Aqua kills some with her trident. Might as well hunt as we can. Tron picks up the game, handing me the arrows back. I take a real look at the school. This is no ordinary school. Vines, animals, a little pond, all not common in any school I've been to. The whole place is creepy. I hear a buzzing sound, then a swarm of tracker jackers come after us.
"Run!" I screem. We turn and start running away. I feel a stringer in my left arm. A bunch more hit my body. I think smart and pull out the stingers. They had a lot of these during the first war. There were a lot of hives around the districts before the second war that my parents were in. There poison can kill someone. If you are lucky enough to not be killed, then the poison will give you horribe hallucinations. I collaspe to the ground, tripping over my own two feet. Last thing I see before blacking out is the District Eleven girl.
I soon awake. I'm laying on my couch. Were the games all a bad dream? I think. I'm afraid to ask. I look around to the place I've missed. A ton of pictures of me are up. Dating from my birth to my birthday only a month or so ago. Some other things of mine like my artwork is up. My own clothes are out too. I look at myself in the mirror. I'm wearing a black dress, my hair down, and wearing black flats. I spot Forest, so I go up to her. "Why are we here?" I ask her. I see tears in her eyes. "Rosemary has died. It's her funeral," Forest replies, almost crying.
What, I'm dead?! How, who, why? I died in the Hunger Games. Am I really dead?Why can't I stay strong? How can't people reconize me? All that goes through my head at once. Tears flow down my cheeks. I want to screem and/or run.
"Hello, the reason we are gathered here today is to say are fair goodbyes to my princess, Rosemary London Mellark," my father says. It looks so hurt. I see my parents, godparents, little brother, and friends all together. They all look hurt, something has been taken away from them They died a little inside. I walk up to them.
"I'm sorry for your lost. I know she was very important to you all. You were her family," I say to them holding back the tears. I look different to them, someone opposent to me. But I'm really her, I want to screem. I go up to the body of mine. A wave of emotions come over me. "Rosemary, I'm so sorry for you. I know the horrors you've faced during your life. You should know I knew you the best. Like I was you," I say to the body, then leave. Full of sorrow and regret.
Being a spirit or what ever I am, it's not fun. I'm alone, alone in the universe. No one knows who I really am. I look like a girl with almost blonde hair and brown eyes. I hear people say that about me. No one won the games. Well Hunter did, but he killed himself,he didn't want to live without me. He does truely does love me, killing himself to be with me. I wish I could tell him I love him back. After what seems like a week, I'm totally sick of not being known. I go to the one person I can the truth about this. My number one best friend, Trinity Lue.
"Hi Trinity," I say to her when I run into her. She gives me a weird look. "Do I know ou? You look unfermilliar," she says confused. How doesn't she reconize her best friend?! I think. "I'm Rosemary Mellark, your best friend!" I scream at her. I'm shocked. "No, Rosemary is dead. Why would you lie about that?" she argues, I don't smile so upset with her. My best friend doesn't even knows who I am.
I take her hand. I start leading her to our special spot we found when we were seven. It's in the meadow, that is like a grave yard, because the district was bombed during the Seventy-Fifth Annual games. A lot of people died, including my father's parents and brothers. I'm taking her to the abandonned guard toward number seven, our place.
We stand in front of it. Now she is confused. "How do you know about this place? Rosemary and I found this in early April when we were seven. We showed Debbie a few weeks later. Now Jake knows," she says a little angry. Angry that a "stranger" knows about our place, wait, Jake knows. "Wait, why does Jake know? This was our special place. He just joined our group of friends. I thought we were best friends, Silent T," I say. I first called her that when we met in preschool. I start walking away.
"I'm so sorry, but I love him. You should understand me. It's just like how you love Hunter, Smelly Rose," she says defending herself. Tears fill her eyes. I turn around to face her. I know what this means.
I run back to her. She hugs me, I hug back. I know it sounds weird to remember someone by nickname, it's a long story. In preschool we met, she moved into the district from the capital then. I got back from a night at my godparents' house, that are my neighbors. My parents were having an emergency, so I went there.
Well, in the middle of the night I had to pee. I had a diper on, but since I was two, I never wanted to use them. I was walking to the bathroom. I tripped over an empty wine bottle, bumped into the glass self, glass broke all over me. It was a good thing I was wearing a diper, I went to the bathroom there. In the morning I had to take a bath to wash the blood and wine off me. They made me smell like roses.
I walked into school with big scratches on my arms and legs. One big, bloody cut across my forehead. That's wear the bottle smashed the worst. My teacher introduced Trinity to the class. She took the mat right next to me. "Hi I'm Rosemary Mellark, my parents Katniss and Peeta won the Hunger Games. I'm sorry for the scars, I spent the night at my Uncle and Antie's place," I reveal to her. She laughs, "Hi, my parents were Avoxes in the Hunger Games," she quietly says. From that, I smelled, she was silent.
Here we are remembering that. I've missed her so much. She's been a sister for eight years. I don't think I'll ever have a blood sister. We are still hugging, not even moving, laughing and crying. We fall down to the ground. "Rosemary," she says. She continues to say my name. I'm say anything, I'm laughing too hard. Her voice changes. It doesn't sound anything like her.
I open my eyes. I wake up for real. I'm still in the games. "Where amI?" I ask, even though I know I'm in the games. "You are okay, I saved your life," District Eleven girl says. I give her a confused look. She smiles at me, sweetly. "The Tracker Jackers stung you several times. I saved you, cared for you, brought you back to life. It's been two weeks I've been keeping your heart going," she answers calmly.
I'm not scaried of her. It's weird because, think so were we are. She seems nice. She did save my life. She has dark, long hair, skin in a light carmal brown, big round eyes, looks like one of the oldest, even though she doesn't look as tall or strong as most of them. Her smile is as white as pearls. The way she talked to me was like an angel.
"Rosemay, only one death, District Six girl, Harren. I saw what happened to her. She got bee attacked, just like you. I'm glad you are alive," she says smiling. I smile too. "So what happened, it was all a dream. I never died," I say releaved. She nods in aproval, even though she didn't live what I lived for two weeks.
I hug her, I need the love. She hugs me right back. I can feel that we are both lonely. The tears come up into my eyes. "What's you're name, my angel," I ask her, not even relizing what I said. She giggle at my comment. "My name is Roxanne, I know who you are with the rest of Panam, my flower princess," she answers me. This is what it must feel like to have an older sister, I love this feeling.
I'm now thinking of my team, I feel home sick for them. Tron and Aqua making out in their sleeping bag. Not even noticing Hunter sitting, starving himself, wish for the love of his life was next to him. Hunter, oh how I miss him. I hate to imagine him sleeping alone. Him thinking who he loves gone. I shiver at the thought.
"Where is my team? Are they alright? Have you seen them?" I ask scaried. She smiles and puts a hand on my shoulder. "They're fine, lost without you, but fine," she answers. I take a deep breath. "Hunter?" I ask what I'm thinking. I'm so worried about him. "Misses you, when I saw him a couple of days after the incendent. He kept say 'Rosemary, I love you and so want you back.' He looked depressed. I know that it's true, he loves you," she tells me. I start to think.
I need to find them, mainly Hunter. They are like my family, well, I love Hunter more than any guy I know. But I can't just ditch Roxanne. She saved my life, kept my heart going for two weeks. I was poisoned from the tracker jackers, hallucinations were as unthinkable, and I had no control over them. I owe her big time. Plus, she's lonely.
"I need to find my team, I mean, we need to find my team. I want you on my team. It's the least I can do is to let you be on my team, friend," I say standing up. There is a sparkle in her eyes. "Really, you want me? I haven't been really been apart of a real team," she says surprised. I smile and say, "Of course I want you." We head off.
"How have you been alone? No, real team, what does that mean?" I ask concerned. Her face goes dark. We continue walking. "I stuck with Lovey, Kissie Couple for a while. I said no to the Killer Duet because... The first few hours of the games I was with the love of my life, but then -,"she starts saying. "What happenned, I want to know, please," I cut her off, very rude of me.
"I met Romney when I was five years old. I was walking to school on my first day of kindergarden. He's a full year older than me. I can still recall what he was wearing, a plain wihite shirt, blue overals, and brown boots. I was wearing a light pink dress, hair down, black slip-on dress shoes. A bully started chasing me for talking to another girl from my district, it's weird, I think they got together a few years later. I bumped into Romney, we both fell to the ground. 'Are you okay?' he asked me. I shook my head and pointed at the tall, thick bully. Romney walked up to the bully, kneed him in the bad spot, the bully never bothered me again. He helped me, saved me even. From that day on, I've been inlove with him," she tells me.
I think about it. The whole scene went through my mind. A little girl being saved by a boy a year older. Falling in love with him. Lasting twelve years loving someone you don't know loves you back. "What happened to him?" I ask curiously. Once I say it, I reget saying it, too rude. I give her my famous Im-sorry look. She ponders on the memory.
"I was with him. We desided to team up, just like your parents did. We got right out of there as fast as we could. It was fun, hanging with him, it was even his idea. A couple hours in we sat down on a bench. District One boy and District Two girl, well they got Romney. Thde girl, Clava as I've heard, stabbed him in the back. I caught him in my arms, I held him leaned up with all his energy and kissed me. He said 'I've always had this thing for just you. Since that first day of school. Roxie, I love you.' His eyes closed, body went limp, he was gone from my life. The cannon comfermed that he really was dead. A tear fell down cheek. 'I'm sorry, we didn't know you two were together, an item. You can joinus, if you want,' the boy, Tylor said. I screamed something very bad at them, I can't remember what exactly. Then I ran off somewhere, to get rid of everyone," she says with tears.
I think back to when I first met Hunter. How I felt thoughs two days. The days that we've known each other. The moment he confessed his dyinglove for me, to everyone in Panam. I knew then that he felt the same way. How does he feel about me not being with him, thinking that I'm gone forever. How would I feel if he dies, I bet I would have a broken heart for all the rest of my life. I know I love Hunter. When I find him, I prosime I will never let him go.
It starts getting dark. We enter the closet classroom. I feel an empty feeling in my gutt. I haven't eaten in over two weeks, not my fault on my part. It's not really anyone's fault. We make a fire, a cute little one. We have food to cook. While walking and talking, I hunted. I got some good games.
The food is cooking over the fire. We start setting up camp for the night. We both have our own sleeping bag, well mine is with Hunter. Plus, I don't want to sleep alone, it won't be safe for either than us. I need someone to hold me.
"I want this to end, the games, not you and me. I don't want to be here" I blurt out. I take a leg of the gooslin. I've never had a whole leg of this fatty bird, I've never had most of these normal meals. "I agree, I'm mainly doing this for everyone to remember my aunt," she states her reason. Her aunt, who's her aunt? I think. "Aunt?" I ask. "My aunt is Rue, she died at the same age as you are now," she tells me.
Rue, as in my mother's first ally in these games, Rue. I remember watching them working together in the games, up until Rue's death. It's too painful for my mother to ever tell me. She never told me about Rue or Aunt Primrose, or most of her friends, but still, I'm now with Roxanne, a decendent of Rue.
We finish eating. It tatses so good. Better than the expensive food I've had since I was born. Think of the fact that I was starving. We go into the one sleeping bag. In the morning tomorrow, we'll look for the others.
We wake up at high noon. I had a nice, long sleep. Best one since I met Hunter. Full of no lies or horror. I smile when I see Roxanne's face. It's nice to see someone's face who is real, not a dream. We pack up camp, which is quick. Ready to sat out to find the Half-Hunger Kids. It'll be worth the time.
We travel by foot, that is the only way to travel here. I remember the plan my parents told me after the reaping, that plan failed. I'm never getting out of here. I really don't care. I want to die with my friends, as a hero.
We are by the gym. I see the bathrooms where Clava and Tylor gave me blood poisoning. I keep my guard up for them. I see a figure. I can't make out who it is. They don't notice me staring, as I can see. I take out a knife, aim right, and throw. I take out a second knife off my belt. "Oh, what the-," a voice cries out.
I know that voice, how could I forget it? i go up to the person. I pull the knives out of my victim's sleeves. I miss killing him. Good thing I wasn't wanting to kill the person on the spot. "I'm so sorry," I apologize to him. "It's okay, Rosie. But I thought you were, uh, the cannon, it wasn't yours?" Hunter says all confussed. I shake my head. Tears rush down my face. Boy, I've missed him. He takes one step closer. He hugs me. It feels so warm. I rest my head on his shoulder.
I feel a hand on my shoulder. I jump, Hunter laughs at that. It's just Roxanne, not anyone else. I forgot she was here with us. I was only focased on only Hunter. I felt like there were only Hunter and I around. That is true love.
"Where are the other two?" I ask. I feel this thing raising in my chest. Like being home, except I don't plan on going home. I love this feeling. "Yes, I do. Follow me, please," he says taking my hand. I blush a dark red. We start walking. With Roxanne following right behind us.
We get to the first classroom we went to when the games started. He opens the dorr and we enter. Aqua and Tron are sleeping with each othe, Aqua wrapped in Tron's arms. They look cute together. So young sleeping together. I feel my family together.
I sit right next to them for them to wake up to me. I'm so glad to see them. By the scream Aqua give when she wakes up, I believe she's happy to see me. She hugs me right away. "I've missed you so, so, so, so much," she says with joy. I know she's also real. She feels warm, the good kind.
We all sit there in silence. Happy to be together again. I haven't seen them in a long time, it feels longer when you miss someone. Aqua glares at Roxanne, looks like she wants to burn holes through Roxanne's skull. Tron has his arm wrapped Aqua and has her close in his arms. We have a warm fire in the middle of us. It still feels cold, even with a big, warm fire trying to keep us warm. I'm shivering like crazy, Hunter pulls me in close, puts a arm around me.
"Is it okay with everyone if Roxanne joins our group. She saved my life, plus her aunt is Rue, died in the games that my parents won together. So, she is, in a way, like us," I practicly beg. I want her to be a part of my group. "Whatever you want, I'll say yes to," Hunter says pulling me even closer to him. "Sure, she's cool," Tron says being cool. "Nope, I don't lke her," Aqua coldly says.
I grab Aqua's arm and pull her out into the hallway. If we argue I don't want Roxanne, or the boys even to hear us. "Why not, she's nice, a life savior, and she's lonely. The guy she's been in love with for as long as I've been alive for got killed here by the Killing Duet. I'm her first friend here. She can't be alone. It's both of us or niether of us," I threaten. Convincing Aqua isn't the best idea. I can see steam coming out of her ears. I breathe, I can see my breath, it's just that cold. "Then she wins, she'll become your bestgal pal here, Aqua says with a tear going down here face. It freezes on her right cheek. "What are you talking about?" I ask wiping the tear from her cheek. My voice sounds kind. "I've been missing you for the past two weeks. I've known you for a month or two, she's only knwn you for thoughs two weeks. She wants to steal my best friend away from me," she confesses. What she says sinks in. I give her a Mellark hug. "You aren't my best friend, you are my sister," I tell her.
We go back into our classroom. I curl up next to Hunter. Both for warmth and love. He holds me close. I can hear his heart beat. "So is Roxanne in?" the guys ask at the same time. Aqua and I smile at each other then nod at the group. We are happy that we are one big, happy group.
We eat dinner, it's a deer Hunter got early this morning. It tastes amazing, one of the best animals ever. Hunter is a spectactular hunter. I guess that's why Gale and Lilianna named him Hunter. Add the fact that my mother and his father hunted against the law to provide for their families. Soon it's time for bed.
There are three sleeping bags and five of us. Aqua and Tron seriously want to seep tegether. What a couple, I think. Hunter wants to share a sleeping bag with me, I agree to it, mainly to stay as close as possible to him. Roxanne takes her own bag to drifting off to sleep, Hunter puts his lips to my right ear. "I missed you a whole lot, beautiful," he wispers into my ear. It tickles, I giggle and fall asleep.
Hunter's arms are around my waist when I wake up. I smile, He's holding me, I think. His hands are warm on my waist. I know that outside the sleeping bag must be freezing. I rest my head on Hunter's shoulder.
It's noon and we haven't gotten out of the sleeping bags once. We hear the sound of trumpets. This means an annousement. "Hello the ten remaining tributes. I have what wonderful, we are having a nice feast today. In the cafiteria, come one, come all. Hope to see you all there," Caesar says. Trumpets out.
We look at each other. Should we go? We should go, I think. It seems we are all thinking the same thing. We get out of our sleeping bags. Pack up camp and have something to eat for our long journey. This will be the last time we'll all being packing up camp, I just know it. We put out the fire and head out.
Outside the roomis hot, like summer desert kind of hot. We start walking, this makes us sweat, which makes Hunter look cuter, Sweaty Hunter is kind of hot. Roxanne leads the way, because she's the only one who's been there before. Its a long, hot walk. It feels like we walked for hours. But finally we make it.
We aren't the only ones here, even though we are half of the remaining tributes. Clava and Tylor are sharpening their knives. Luke and Gem are making out. Wait, how could he cheat on Forest? I don't care if he'll never she her again, that jerk! I think. There is a real feast. Sometimes there is just a piece of bread, the one time with my parents there were that one thing that each district tributes that were alive needed. A table is even set out, we find our seats. Last to show is District Nine boy.
All of us start eating. It's capital food again, nothing special. This whole thing seems suspesious. Why are they doing this? I think. This whole feast thing annoys me. I want to know why on earth are they doing this? When we are all done eating, Clava throws a knife at the wall behind me.
I stand up. I'm ready for a good fight. All the feasts end in casulties. That's why they call these. Tylor takes Clava's hand, her throwing arm. Clava excapse out of Tylor's grip. Both of them pin me to the wall, with the knife only a couple of inches from my head. Hunter pushes both of them away from me.
"If you want to kill her, you'll have to kill me first," Hunter says defending me. His back turns to them and his face to me. I look into his gray eyes, tears are in my blue eyes. "You, you would risk you-r li-fe f-for me?" I ask stuttering. He takes my hands in his. "Yes, everyday, for you, Rosie. Because I love you," he tells me. It's so romantic. I take a breath in, "I know you do. We all do, I-," I start saying, I'm rwady to tell him. He cups my face with his hands. He presses his lips against mine. This is really happenning. I close my eyes.
Oh my gosh, I'm actually kissing Hunter Logan Hawthorne, I think. His lips are soft, sweet, and warm, like cotton candy. I know every pain of eyes are on us, I don't care what any one thinks. I feel something fluttering in my stomic. When we stop, there feeling I get, it makes me want another.
I go into his arms. A tear goes down my face. I bury my face into his chest. I don't want to loose him. He's the only one I want to be with. Hunter starts stroking my dark hair. He wispers things in my ear. Everyone in the room seems touched. Even Clava, she does have a heart, never shows it, but does.
Trumpets blare over us. "Welcome to the feast. This feast is like no other. I called you all here to make picking you guys up eaiser. You guys are leaving this place. All thanks to our new president, President Everdeen!" Caesar annouses. There is excitement in his voice. We all look at each other. There is wispering between tributes. "My bad, I've been practice that for about twenty-six years. Soldier Everdeen or my old friend Katniss Everdeen-Mellark!" he says.
Everyone looks at me. My mother is the leader of our grand country of Paman. I'm so happy, not only me and my friends are leaving here, also I most likely get to live with my friends in the mansion. I go around giving a big Mellark hug to everyone. Hunter comes up to me, dips me, and kisses me. The ladder for the hovercraft comes down. We all hop off. After we're all on, the ladder goes up.
We start moving out of this place,. Well arena, good bye to you. We are finally going home. I long for my friends at home and my family, my parents, godparents, and my baby brother. My experience here is golden, I will treasure it forever.
"I can't beleive I'm acually going home. We desided if there could only be one winner, it would be Rosemary. To live her destiny," District Nine boy says. I'm flabbergasted by his comment. "What, I've had two near death experiences. One by the Killing Duet, the other by one of you guys," I gasp out, shocked.
"I'm sorry about that. I've always wanted revenge for the past twelve years. You see, you can say I'm an experiment gone right, a mutation. I was the first real Hunger Games child, sort of. You can remember there's a child by some District Four victors, except the father died before the child was born. Scientist created me from some DNA from Cato and some DNA from Clove. It took several years to develope a baby, that is me. They kept me a sercret for a couple of years because they wanted to make sure I was stable. When people found about me, I was the thing the capital talked about. Until you were annoused, Star-Crossed Lovers From District Twelve. I got jelous as any four year old would be. The day you were born, I made a promise that I will get my revenge on you, I wanted to taste your blood," Clava tells us.
I stare at her. Trying to understand if it's true, it's all true. "We're the ones with the tracker jacker attack. Sorry, we wanted to get rid of the District Six girl, uh Harren, she's dead now. But we also got you, Roxanne left us to save you. We also had Bennie with us. He didn't get killed, like the rest of us. Roxanne left us, we weren't as good as a friend to her as you. We feel so bad," Luke and Gem say at the same time.
I look at Luke, anger boils in my body. "Why did you cheat on Forest!" I shout at him. His expression on his face looks bad. "She broke up with me. You know when we had that hour to say our good byes to our love ones and visiters. She dumped me and then said, ' Good
luck on dying. I know I won't see you again. At least District Twelve has a chance with Rosemary.' She left me there, not letting me tell her. Now I've showed her, but she hurt me," Luke says. I go up to him. "I'm so sorry, no hurts any one in my family and gets away with it. You are a brother to me. Welcome to the family," I say. He hugs me, I return it with no problem. Just like siblings would do.
The hover craft lands. The streets are filled with people. Everyone wants to see the victors of the Hunger Games. We're celebrities now, the most famous people in all of Paman. Plus there are ten of us, not just one.
We go into the president's mansion. This will be my new home. There is a family picture in the front hallway. The picture is from Gabriel's birth. That was a crazy day. I was six or seven, so I remember it as a wonderful day. It was a nice fall day, it was the beginning of the school year. At recess I played an agressive game of rugbe with the boys of my grade. I was muddy and had a bloody nose from being knocked by some kid named Twig. I was sitting in class, learning about out grand country after the war. My father came into class, he told my teacher that he needed me because my mother just gave birth to a baby boy. When we got to the hosital, which is a mile away from school, I was a mess. A bloody, sweaty, muddy mess. We went into the room my mother was in. I saw him, my new baby brother. I touhed him. He was small and squishy. "What should we name him,Katniss," my father asked. "Gabriel Tanner," I said putting my hand on is rosy cheeks. My parents smiled at the name Gabriel Tanner docter took a picture of our family.
Hunter puts a hand on my shoulder. How long has he been standing there behind me? "It must have been a good day. You miss you family, just like me," Hunter says. I look at him, with the sweetest look. He has a smile on his face, I smile too. He puts a smile around me, we walk to find the others.
My parents are standing in the grand ballroom. Gale stands to the side of my parents. Aunt Effie, Uncle Haymitch, Annie, and Johanna are also here with my parents. Hunter's brother Jaxon walks in.
"Welcome children of the games. We have some bad news for you, that is mahogny!" Aunt Effie says. We all look at each other. There is sadness in the adults' faces. "What's the news? Is it that bad?" Bennie asks nervously. He asks what we are all thinking. "Most of you families are, well, they were killed. Some Peace Keepers went to your homes after the games had that long nothing happening pause. Only who you see and two more survived. Katniss stopped it, when she became president, but too late," Annie tells us. A little girl screem comes out of nowhere. Tron runs after the screem.
I look at Hunter. Our hands have intertwined, first time after getting out of the games. Aqua has already chased after Tron, chasing her boyfriend. He seemed freak, which was odd. We start looking for him. He's in a small room with Gabriel and a girl.
The little girl , who looks like Tron, is laying there. Her eyes are closed. Gabriel is dressed in a white coat, gloves, a blue mouth mask, and the head piece. Like a little doctor, adorable. When I see his dress up, I know the girl is alright. Gabriel is my baby brother, I know him very well.
"Doctor, how is she? I can take it, can't I?" I ask being all believable. I could be an actress. "No no, not good, very bad," he says putting a thermoitor in his mouth. A tear goes down Tron's face. "Little sister?" Hunter asks. Tron nods, still holding onto Aqua. He's stunned from Gabe's news. I go up to Gabe, I take out the cookie I grabbed earlier, I wave it in his face. "Tell me the truth and you get this cookie. If not, you get a visit from the tickle monster," I say getting ready to ticke him. My hands berly touch his body when he gives in. "She good," he giggles.
My friends all stare at me. Gabe is nawing on that cookie like it's his job. "Everyone, this is my six year old baby brother, Gabriel. Gabe, these are my friends, Tron, Aqua, and Hunter," I say introducing each other. We all deside to go back to the rest of the group. We start walking into the hallway.
Hunter grabs my arm, quite harshly. I stop walking, I wince from the pain. He pulls me to the side of the hallway. "You're friend Hunter?I thought we're more than friends. Do you even feel the same way as me? Or were you living in the moment when we kissed?" Hunter asks with anger in his voice. Is he serious? I think. I look up at him, with a hurt expression on my face. "That moment was amazing. I was living in the moment and every moment with you after that. I feel way as you. I didn't know you wanted me to be your girlfriend, I totally want you to be my strong, amazing, hot boyfriend," I tell him.
I step foward, go on my toes, kiss him. He puts his hands on my upper back. He starts to kiss back. My hands tangle them selves in his brown now longish hair. A zip of electristity goes right through the both of us. "Wow!" we both say when we break. We smile, our teeth are touching. I feel myself blushing. I can feel the heat between us.
We head back to the group. They are assigning bedrooms, no boy girl rooms. Clava and Gem get there own room together. Bennie and Tylor get a room together, they must be friends. Luke offers to take a room with Jaxon, just to become friends. Roxanne wants a room with Gabe and Tron's little sister, Ellie, to take care of them. Hunter and Tron get a room, which they want. I get a room with the one person I want to share a room with, Aqua.
I almost screem when I see our room. The room is made for us. I'm certain that they planned this. Flowers and waves fill the room. My bed has a R above it. It's red sheets and pink blankets and pillows. Roses are painted on the frame. Aqua's is just like mine except for her's blue with waves.
We open the closet door. We want to see what clothes we got, Aqua hopes for cute clothes for our double dates. After looking at all the clothes, judging how they look, we found a door in the back of the closet. As the curious young girl we are, we follow where the trail door will lead to.
It's another room, looks like someone's bedroom. The color is dark, forest green and bright, electric yellow. One bed is yellow with bolts, while the other one is green with trees. "Aqua, Roemary, where did you come from?" Tron asks startled. He's laying on the yellow bed. This room is Hunter and Tron's room. Hunter stands up from putting something in a self under his bed. "A door in the closet. As people that faced life and almost death, we needed to check it out. Now it's a way for us to sneak off and see each other," Aqua tells going up to Tron , there hands intertwine.
All four of us agree to head down to see Roxanne's room. We start down the hallway to her room. Something catches my ear. "No, we are never, ever getting back together!" I hear Luke yell at someone. "I said i was sorry. I love you, why do you love that dumb blonde, District One chick , and not me?" a teenage girl squels. Is that Forest, oh no. I spot Forest and Luke in his room. She throws herself at him, presses her lips against his, he pushes her off him. I head off to follow my friends.
I lift Gabriel in my arms, when I get in their room. Tron lifts Ellie into his arms. Knowing my family is finally together again, makes me smile and feel safe. I could hold Gabriel for hours without being annoyed. Less than a year ago, if my brother wanted me to pick him up, I would say no. Now I want to hold him for hours. "Any big news lately?" I ask Gabe. He sits there, thinking. "Yeah, mommy has a baby in her tummy. So wid Auntie Effie," he finally says, rubbing is stomic.
I, without knowing, run out of the room, I run straight out of the house. A million thoughts run threw my mind. All I know is my parents were trying to replace me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Hunter right behide me. I'm looking which way I should go. Hunter tackles me down on the ground, which is grass right now, not gravel, thankfully. He rolls me to pin me on my back. "What's wrong with you," he growls.
I struggle to get up. he won't let me until I squeel why I am so upset. I blush at how close we are, he does too, we must be thinking the same thing. "They made another child. Just because they thought they were going to loose me. I'm now useless," i finnaly gasp out. Tears flow out of eyes. I start crying. Hunter lets me sit up.
"Rosie, I'm sorry, I didn't know. I wouldn't even imagining my parents doing that. Even with my sister's death and mine, fight to the death, going to be dead. They still stayed calm. I don't know why my future parents-in-law would do that. But remember one thing, that I will always care about you. I love you so much," he says sitting next to me. I look him straight in the face. I read his expression, it shows love and truth. He plants a wet, slobbery kiss on my cheek. I brush the hair that fell in front of his amazing, gray eyes. I put my head on his shoulder. He pulls me closer for a long, sweet kiss.
Gale walks up to us. We pull away, blushing. "Hi dad it's nice to see you again. I've missed you so much," Hunter says standing up. He helps me up to my feet. Gale's gray eyes show that there is something wrong, I can't tell what, but I can tell that there is. "Hunter, I need to talk to you, it's very important, and it's not the talk," Gale says stressed. "Okay, I can't wait to see mom again, I miss her so much," Hunter says excited. They walk away. Hunter rezembles Gale, so much. Just like me with my mother, I think as they leave.
Calm enough, from my make out session with Hunter, I go to find Aqua. But everyone is leaving the mansion. We all load into a big car, we head to the training center, that we haven't been there in so long. They force us straight to our prep team. I don't mind going to see Octives, Flavis, and Venia, even though I have no time to talk to Hunter or Aqua.
Octives, Flavis, and Venia swarm me into a group hug, when I first walk into the room. "Rosemary!" they cry out with joy. I imbrass the love, before the games, I don't know if I would or not, knowing my parents are oppiset. We stay like that for several minutes, without moving. "So, we need to get going on working on me. I need a lot of work. Please help me," I beg them. They look thrilled to help me. The waxing is as painful as the first time, then I have to sit in the vile, gooy stuff, though it feels nice on the skin. The shampoo and conditioners smell wonderful, mainly that I've been rolling around in dirt for a month, not bathing at all. Out of the bath, they start on the rest of my body. Flavis starts with my wet hair, snip snip, snip snip, there goes my hair, it's cut short, then he starts styling my hair. Octives starts filing and painting my nails.
They're chatting again, they're chatting on where they were and what they were doing when they heard that the games were over. They sound so consided, talking about themselves and not about thoughs fourteen kids that got killed. My mind races on the District Three girl, so young and beautiful. Her asain look, black hair, round, brown eyes, and her tanned, olive skin. I still love hearing their voices, they fill the room. Venia doen't look very big for being pregnant. Soon Cinna apperces in the room. "Great job, you three. You may go now," he demisses them.
I'm left alone with him. I give him a big, Mellark hug. Out of everyone I missed, I think he's the one I've missed the most. I've been meaning to see him since i got back, few hours ago. "Hello, the Girl With Roses. Your the daughter of the Girl On Fire and the Boy with Bread, some may call you Toast, but now they are calling you the Girl With Roses. Now I have the greatest alfit for you, for the after-games interview," he says explaining all. I have so many questions for him. Oh my, I have a nickname, just like my parents! I think.
We sit down on the couch below us. I close my eyes for him to do my make up. I feel the brush on my face. It tickles, so I giggle a little. It brushes my cheek with a swirling feeling. I can smell the make up being put on my face. I rub my lips together to get lipstick fully on my lips. I step into a dress, different from last time, when I wore a skirt and tee shirt. The material feels like silk, it feels good.
"You may open your eyes, now," he commands finally. I look in the mirror that is in front of me. I don't see me, I see a girl that is fifteen or sixteen. She looks so skinny, like anorexic skinny. Her short, beautiful hair is down, curled. Her make up brings out her bright, crystal, blue eyes. Her chest looks bigger, more filled. The dress hasone sleeve on her right shoulder. Roses decorate the outer cut of the sleeve, neck, and the bottom of the dress. It goes just below her knees. She looks like she's about to go to a big dance event, say a prom. This girl can't be me in the mirror. Is it really me?
I look at Cinna confused. "How did you do this? I look so much older. This is unbelievable, most amazing thing. You, my friend, are a mirical worker," I tell him, stunned. No one could possible turn a almost starved twelve year old to a sixteen year old that looks so, beautiful. I mean no one could do this. "Well, I've been working on it since you were five. It's finally time for you to show it off to Panam," he says giving me a hug.
I stand backstage with the other girls. There is a wall, it's seperating half the winners. Girls are on one side, boys are on the other side. Aqua's dress is a long, one strapped aqua blue dress that has wave patterns on the bottom. Her blonde hair is back with a head that matches her dress. She also looks older, at least a year older. I look around at everyone and everyone looks amazing. Roxanne's dress is a long sleeved, soft pink one and her hair is all fluffy in a nice way, I think light pink is totally her color. Gem's dress is a pure white one. Rubies, sharies, emerals, and diamonds are all over it. It's a strapless dress. Her blonde hair is flowing out. Clava, she looks beautiful, words can't even describe her. Her long, one strap black dress maes her figure. Her blue eyes are shining, her black hair is in a fansy up do, that I can't think of the name. She does't look like the girl that gave me blood posion just a few weeks ago. We all look like we weren't in the arena.
All eyes go towards me. Clava is the one to speak up about me. "Who are you? You have to be Rosemary's older sister. You look so much older than her," she says acting dumb. It wasn't in a sarcastic tone. She's accually being nice to me. "Nope, it's me, Rosemary. Don't worry, I thought the same thing when I saw myself, Cinna is a genius,"I explain honestly. The small room fills with easy laughter. "You can't be my best friend. You look so much older and beautiful," Aqua says, pulling me into a hug.
We stand on this giant vent that looked like the pannel thing we went on during the beginning of the games. It starts raising, I grip Aqua's hand, we all grab each other's hand. My head goes up and a smile goes on my face, it's a real one. The crowd roars for us. They are excited to see ten out of the twenty-two young men and women, for some people's entertainment. This makes the crowd cheer for more.
I see the five guys, standing on there pannel. They are all wearing the same black pants, blazers, and dress shoes. They are wearing different colored shirts and gloves, on personality or something. Luke's shirt and gloves are red, to match my alfit. Tylor's color is the pure white, exactly like Gem's. Bennie's color is a deep blue, like the sky at night, midnight blue. Tron's color is yellow, for electrict, because of his dream of being an elctrictian, it makes total sense. Hunter's is a forest green, to match the leaves in the forest when he hunts. It reminds me of when we hunted together thoughs first days. Hunter looks so handsome is that suit. Us together, are colors don't merge, even though we do.
There is a couch that can only fit five people. They exspect us girls to sit our guys' laps. Roxanne gives a dirty look at the couch. Her and Bennie aren't a couple, though, but they want them to be. Caesar gesters us over to the couch. We all sit o our guy's lap. Caesar seems excited to talk to all of us. With a discusted look, Roxanne sits on Bennie's lap. She looks like she's hurting. She wispers to me that her heart isn't ready for this kind of emotion yet. I understand completely. If Hunter died, just like Romney did, and they try to set me up with someone I was supost to kill, I wouldn't want to do it, it would feel like cheating. Hunter is the only guy for me, he's my enternal flame.
"How did it feel to co-win the Hunger Games?" Caesar asks us. We all look at each other. "Fells really good, like a dream, Cae," Luke replies for all of us. Gem agrees with Luke by kissing him a the nose. We all nod at his response. Caesar asks a few riduculus questions. I don't hear any of them, because my heart is pounding to loud. It's in my hears, that's how loud it is. But, I do try to concentrate.
Then, they start playing the video of our games. Because there are ten winners, then we have to watch all of us, they editted it to be like that. It started out with the reapings. It hurt seeing that more than half of them on the screen are dead. My mind goes back to me killing that District Three girl. Nobody laughs at me when I fall onscreen. Then it cuts to the opening ceromonies, with the chariot ride. All the alfits look good, but as good as District Twelve's fire act. The interviews I know will be next. No, it shows how we bonded during the training session. The groups we made, and the friends we'll never forget. They show my evaluation with the Game Makers, which is against the rules.
It shows the whole thing that I did. A close up on the colors I used on the dummies. It backs up for me to turn around the dummies. The picture turns to the Game Makers' expressions on their faces, they're so funny. My arrow hits the President dummy in the heart. Everyone in the room gasps at my action. Why are they showing this? I think. It now shows me heading towards the Hunter dummy with the knife in my hand. I start kissing the dummy in the video. "I love you. For a long time. I won't let them take you away from me," I say onscreen. I run off the stage.
I feel the tears go down my face. I'm imbarrased in front of my country. It doesn't matter if I just won the Hunger Games. That was a private thing, you never show what happens. They are breaking a rule. By the looks of everyone gave me, I made the biggest mistake, and I can't take it back.
Aqua, Tron, and Hunter come to me where I sit and sit down next to me. HUnter puts his arm around my waist and gives me a kiss on the cheek. Aqua puts an arm around my shoulder. I stare at Hunter, trying to read what he is thinking of. "I' sorry for making you a prime target of the capital. I didn't mean to," I apologize to him. "No you didn't do anything like that, sister. Do you think that you are the only person to do something rebellious to offend the capital? Remember your parents with the berries, your godfather with the force field, and so many more," Aqua convinces me, giving me a hug. "The only thing that you did that was rebellious and dangerous is stealing my heart," Hunter compliments into my hair. I stand up to my feet. Hunter wipes the tears from my face. We take each other's hand, and walk on stage together.
We have missed all of the interviews. Oh thank you, I didn't want to see my interview, I think. We are standing in the circle, the arena is a shock. Then, the buzzer goes off. The fighting goes to a boiling start. I see me killing District Three girl. Hunter kills the District Three boy, Tron and Aqua kill the tributes from District Seven. The blood and tears, it scares me. Tylor and Clava seems like the dominate couple. Alliences form at the Cornitopia and much more deaths happen.
It shot to Roxanne and a tall, handsome, chocolate colored guy siting next to each other. He must be Romney, they are laughing about something. they look so cute together. Then, Clava and Tylor come up behind them. Clava stabs Romney in the back, literally. Roxanne holds Romney in her arms. Romney takes all his energy to kiss her on the lips. "Ive always had this thing for you. Since that first day. I love you, Roxie," he says with his last dying breath. A tear runs down Roxanne's face on screen. His cannon singals his death. "I'm so sorry. We didn't know you two were together. You can join us," Tylor says to her. She screams something that a noice in the back round so you can't hear. She runs off into the school crying. Roxanne starts crying on the stage, I take her hand.
Then it goes to my group. It's to when I saved Hunter. It shows how gental I was, really me being a healer. Showing what my mother's side of the family was. Me, nursing him back to health, caring for him, it seems unbelievable. I don't even believe it's me. When I look, I suddenly see my mother doing that to me, when I was younger. Then, our fights came onto the screen.
"We need food. Tron and me will hunt. Aqua, I need you to say here, to protect Hunter. You are strong. If anyone comes in, we know that both of you are safe. Let's do that," I say on screen. "No, I'm not letting you. You could die!" he says grabbing my arm. "Let go! I'm going, we need food. Do you want to die?" I say I leave with Tron.
So tributes are shown. I don't really care. I shift my position so I can face him. Hurt is in his eyes. I can feel that he's stiff. I bet it's from our fight we just re-lived. He tried to stop me, because he loves me. He didn't want me to get hurt. Not wanting to loose his love. I did it 'cause I love him, I haven't told him yet.
Then the screen splits to two screen so it shows two things at once. One side is Tron and me hunting. The other side is Aqua and Hunter resting in our little hide out. "Don't hate Hunter. He really likes you. He wasn't lying when he said he loves you," Tron says to me. "Don't hate Rosemary. She cares a lot about you. She wasn't lying when she said yes to loving you," Aqua says to Hunter. "Really, why hasn't he/she act like it?" Hunter and I say at the same time. "He's/she's afraid he'll/she'll loose you before he/she gets his/her chance. That's why I haven't asked Aqua/Tron yet," Tron and Aqua both say. "You like Tron/Aqua? Hunter and I ask. Tron and Aqua nod at the question, with their heads down. "Well spend the rest of your life with her," I say to Tron.
Hunter and I look at each other. "I'm sorry," we both say. A tear runs down my cheek. Our lips crash together. His lips are sweet. He tastes like cotton candy, it's a great taste. We continue making out. As an aplogy for our fight. I love you, I love love so much. You are the most amazing guy, I think. We break away, unable to breathe.
The show goes on. With everything that happened. The show down between the Half-Hungers and the Killer Two, every last thing, the tracker jacker attack, some of it is completely new to me."Is this was when I was gone from the real life?" I ask, wispering into Hunter's ear. "Yes it was, it was a bad time for me, too. You are the only thing that keeps me going," he wispers in my ear, it tickles.
Soon the feast is called. After we eat, the battle that's biggest that we would have been in. Tylor and Clava pin me to the wall. Hunter pries them off of me. We start talking, romanticly. Why he saved me. He tells me that he loves him. I tell him I know that he does and i try to tell him I love him, but that never happens. He puts his hands on my face, and we kiss. The screen closes up on that. During this scene, I lip my lines to Hunter, he does the same with his lines. When we kiss on screen, we kiss in real life. The crowd goes crazy for. They cheer Runter over and over.
Then Caesar's booms through the screen. He announces that the sames are over. Thanks to our new president. We look at each other about the name. He apologizes for the confusiom and says my mother's name. We all cheer, happy that we'll be leaving the place that killed our friends, and childhood. There is aa lot of kissing between the dipping me, pressing his lips against mine. Gem and Luke start making out. Tron kisses Aqua with her permission, of course, 'cause he's a gentalman. Even Clava, she pulls Tylor into a lingering kiss, which surprises him at first, but soon he kisses back. The ladder for the hover craft comes down. We all lode up on it. It goes up and there is a black out. Symbolizing that the video is over.
We all look at each other, shock on what happened. The whole thing is worst the second time, it's like re-living the whole thing. The audience looks a bit surprised, aswell. Caesar asks some more questions. I'm still in shock, so is everyone else to answer. Casar then goes to say his good byes. We wave good bye to our country. The camras go out.
I notice Zig coming up the stairs from where he was siting in the audience. He gives me a big hug, it feels good to see him again. "I knew I would see you again. I had total faith in you," he says into my ear. I giggle at the breath in my ear. Hunter comes up to us behind Zig. He taps Zig's shoulder. "Hello, may I have my girl back? Hunter asks Zig, with jelousy in his voice. "Okay Hunter, but think about this, we've known each other since birth. I'm Ziggianch Derosa. My parents are Cinna and Portia, Rosemary and Luke's stylists," Zig informs Hunter. In a sly voice. They start talking.
I walk up to Clava and Gem. They were just talking about something. "Hi yeah, what are we talking about here?" I ask in a special tone. Both girls laugh, I've never seen Clava laugh like that. "Only that this will be the best family we'll ever be a part of. We want you to sleep with us tonight, also Aqua, Roxanne, and Ellie, maybe Gabe can come, too. It's a little sleep over for coming back from the games. It's the room with a C and G on it," Gem invites me. We continue talking about girl stuff.
We have to go back to the mansion, which is no problem, I love the mansion. By this time, Forest is gone from the place. We all sit down at this big table. Servents come and bring in and take out food. I don't eat much of my food, I'm not that hungry. My mother and Aunt Effie have to leave the room more than once to vomit. Finaaly dinner is over, we are dissmissed to do what ever we feel like it.
I go up to Hunter. Lately, I've noticed that Lilianna hasn't been around. "Hey sweety, where has Lilianna been? I really miss her, she treated me like a daughter, I want to see her again," I say asking him. Tears fill his eyes, something is bothering. Was it my questionthat upset him? I think. "She's dead, just like my sister! Out of my life, forever. It's all your fault, you selfish pig. Everyone lost someone special from there family, they're orphans,now. You lost no one, your mother's the president, so it's your fault. I hate you, I never want to see you again!" he screams at me. He runs off crying.
I head out to get ready for the sleep over. It's with all the girls and Gabriel, who we are counting as a girl right now. I put on my pajamas, which is a pink shirt and black bottoms with roses on them. I grab my pink pillow and rosie blanket. I'm not using the sleeping bag from the games, I got to keep it, but it'll most likely give me more nightmares. Aqua heads down the hallway with me. We approch a room with the letters G and C on it. We knock on the door. They open the door, welcoming us in.
The room is gold and black. So many pillows are on the floor. Snacks are set out in bowls. "Who brought the DVD that we are watching?" Clava giggles out. I've never heard her giggle before. It's a surprise to everyone. I take out a tape from my pillow case. The movie is Beauty and the Beast. It's a very old movie, it was around way before Panam was a country. Only people that know about it are high standard people, plus, it's very expensive. I'm one of the only people that have watched these kind of movies.
I put the tape into the player, it's better than watching any of the games. The tv lights up with the movie to play, it's very bright and colorful. "What movie is it?" Ellie asks all cute. I tap her nose, "My favorite movie, Beauty and the Beast," I answer in my little girl voice. I chat to her like she's three, she's six or seven. We all gather around the tv.
My favorite character is Belle. She's smart, funny, and has a big heart. How she sees the Beast has a loving perosn and not a monster, that's how amazing she is. She ends up loving the unloved Beast. Everyone seems to love my favorite. It was the greatest chose to sneak the DVD from the video and library. After the song 'Be Our Guest', it's my favorite scene of the movie. I can say every line in the scene.
After the scene ends, my parents walk in. "Excuse me, may we see Rosemary for a few minutes, please," my mother asks us. I get up from my spot and drag myself out of the room. I'm angry at my parent for desterbing my watchings. "Rosemary, we haven't told you this, but, I'm pregnant. I'm sorry we didn't tell you earlier," my mother starts saying. "I already know that you are pregnant. Gabe told me when I asked him if there was any big news. I can't believe that you thought you were going to loose me, so you just deside to have another child, to relace me. No courage that I was going to will!" I snap at her. The anger boils up inside of me, I just let out all of my hurt emotions. I storm back into the room. "Rosemary, we still need to talk, young ladie!" my father calls out.
That night, I have another nightmare. I'm back in the arena. Except, it's all woods and not school. I reconize the arena, it's the Seventy-Fourth annual Hunger Games arena. The same games of my parents. I gave a bow in my hands and a selth of arrows on my back.
I spot my mother so young, laying unconsions. She looks about sixteen, this is unbelievable. This girl my age is sitting next to her. Rue, that's Rue next to her, that's her name. She is keeping care of my mother. It must be asfter the tracker jacker tragity. I go up to us, with an animal in my hand, to sugar coat her.
"Hi Rue, uh, I'm a new tribute from, uh-uh, District Thirteen. Do you want to have a, uhm, I mean some food with me?" I stamper. The lie is a great idea, bet it'll bit me in the butt later. I know I'm not from District Thirteen. She gives me a smile. "Yes, first I have to change Katniss' leaves. Then you must tell me all about your life," Rue answers. She takes out a couple of leaves from her pocket. She also gives me one. She starts chewing the leaf, I follow her lead. We place the globs of goobie leaves on my mother's lumps.
We sit down next to my mother and chat. I tell her a fake story about how I'm the youngest of fifteen kids, my mother is pregnant with another kid, father is a Peace Keeper in my district, that I lost one of my triplet borthers to a bully in school. She tells me about District Eleven and her life there. I know so much about District Eleven, but her story is better than anything. She's the oldest of her siblings. Life is hard for her, because she has to care for her family. I learn so much, I feel bad for this girl. After a full day of waiting, my mother finally awakes from her sleep.
I look a lot like her, I think at first. My olive skin, hair is a rezombolise of hers, and so much more. All except for my eyes than are different than her gray eyes, with my baby blue eyes. My brother looks like a miny-Peeta, everyone says that. Rue notices this, I can tell by her facial expression. She just that kind not to comment on it. My mother notices, too, but she is too stuburn to admit anything, I'm stuburn, I get it from her. If they only knew about me, being a Mellark/Everdeen merge child, I think.
As the day goes on, I bond with them, very much. District Twelve used to be a poor place. It was the lowest district. No one cared of soem of the districts, mainly the farthest districts. As a rich girl named Rosie, as Hunter called me in the beginning of our friendship, but still calls me Rosie, I've never not gone without food on the table, even in the games, I could hunt. They have, lasted so long without eating. I tell them I understand, because I have the same problem with food. Darkness is apon us.
We go up in the tree closest to us. It's with all luck that we all fit in my mother's sleeping bag. My mother gives us the plan to blow up the Careers' food suply. They can't rely without it, while we can. Oh no, that plan ended up getting Rue killed, I think. If I tell them that, they'll think I've lost my mind.
We wake up the next morning, I'm all nervous. I'm scared that I will loose Rue for good. We split our pile of stuff in two. I deside to go with my mother, even though I don't want to leave Rue to her death. I have my own bow and arrows, so I'm good. Before my mother, Rue, and I split to destroy the Careers' lives, we hug.
I start crying. They feel like family to me. I feel this connection that no one can break. It's almost like my group in my Hunger Games. They are like sisters to me. One that I now look up to, and one I can tell all my secrets to. Even though one of them is my own mother. I don't see her as my now pregnant mother, but as a sister I've alwayed wanted.
As we walk in silence, I want to talk to my younger mother, but I can't find the words, I wish my words were better like my father's. She's the one that breaks the silence. "Did the capital send you? What's your real home? And why do you look like a combination of me and mt annoying district partner, Peeta Mellark. Man, I hate that guy, why are we known as the Star-Crossed Lovers From District Twelve?" she asks with the most stobbiest tone. I hate her right now, even if she is my mother. I give her a funny look. I try not to show the pain in my face, it'll give her the satifaction. I look at the ground. "Well, I'm Rosemary London, I don't know why I am even here. I woke up here the other day. There are so many people with blue eyes, dark brown hair, and olive skin! I know I look like you two, I can't explain why. By the way, I haven't seen my parents in a long time. Since I got taken away from them," I say back to her. "Rosemary London is a stupid name," she mumbles under her breath, just loud enough for me to hear it.
We spot the Careers. District Three boy is watching their pile of stuff. I turn around and find the smoke from the first fire, light by Rue. I don't catch what the leader say, but he says something. The Careers head off into the woods to find the fire starter, leaving District Three boy, who isn't paying attntion. My mother gasps, I look through the bushes to see the red-head, that looks a little like a fox, her nickname is Foxface advoids the booby traps, the bomb ground, she grabs some food, not enough food to notice.
My mother sets her bow just right, aiming for the apples. She releases the arrow. It hits a little bit of the bag. "Great job, Katniss," I tell her, giving her thumbs up. She gives me a light smile. I take a couple steps back, I know the explosion will happen. When the apples get shot out of the, then there is an explosion, blown up pieces of materials. I fly back, my mother gets slammed to the ground. "Mommy!" I scream. Fear goes through me.
I start running away from the scene. I go to find Rue, I see the smoke ahead of me. I keep tripping over roots and stumps in front of me I can't see any thing, it's too dark. I'm not the best in the woods, I've only been in the woods twice, that I can remember. I fall down every few yards. I continue running as fast as I can. I end up falling to the ground, unable to get up. My body won't let me. I fall asleep, at least try to.
I wake up at very early morning. I'm alone in the woods. My mind traces back to yesterday. I can't believe I left my mother there, she could be hurt. I start running to the spot where Rue, my mother, and myself are supost to meet. I finally reach the the spot at early afternoon. Rue and my mother are here yet. I call out their names. Rue calls my name out. I run towards where the voice came from. We meet imbetween the second fire and meeting spot. I hug her.
A net falls on us, I scream a high pitch scream. "Rue, Rue, I have to tell you something, it's the truth. I'm not from District Thirteen, I'm from District Twelve. I'm not a child of so many, I only have one little brother, one more on the way. This might sound crazy, but I'm from the future. I'm Katniss' and Peeta Mellark's ... child. I'm so sorry for lying to you. I wanted to let you know... this might be the end," I get out of me. She pulls me into a hug. I hug her right back. I know I'm going to die.
"D-don't worry, Rosie. I knew that from the beginning. You look so much like Katniss thta's scary. Plus, you talk in your sleep. 'Oh, Katniss is really my mommy. Peeta is my daddy. I love Hunter Logan Hawthorne so very much.' You said everything, I think Katniss heard, but most likely not. Rosie, I love you," she explains. She wipes the tears off my cheeks that I didn't know came. She leans in and kisses me.
It's no kiss most girls give, like cheek, no, it's on lips. It's not my first kiss, it's my first with a girl. My first was with Zig when we were six. We were being silly, it didn't mean anything to me. The ones I've shared with Hunter, he's the one I want to marry, he gives me this feeling inside of that is warm. The one with Rue is good. I didn't exspect her to kiss me. It's like kissing a sister. I close my eyes to enjoy it.
Finally we pull away. I'm dark red from blushing to hard. I hear my mother coming. we call her name. When she gets here, she pulls the net off us. We hug her with excitement and joy for my mother coming. I will never tell her about my kiss with Rue, I think. The spear comes out of no where and hits Rue. Right as a reaction, my mother shoots an arrow at the boy that threw the spear. He's from District One, think his name is Marvel.
We know the spear can't be removed, it's in too deep. She'll die from the wound. She lies down on the ground. She's like a sister, it's horrible to watch her go through this pain. The cannon for Marvel goes off. "You have to win, both of you," Rue says. Tears wells up in my eyes. I let some fall down my face. I can only nod, there feels like there is a lump in my throat. "Sing," she requests. I look at my mother, I can't think of what to sing.
Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when again they open, the sun will rise.
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
My mother's the on that starts singing. It's the same song that I sang to Hunter when he got hurt. My mother starts crying as she sings. I know every line of this song. Rue closes her eyes. We are singing her to death, her last request. The dying request of Rue is us, mother and daughter singing to her.
Deep in the meadow, hidden for away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
We finish the song. My mother and I are crying our eyes out. This is how everyone else feels about loosing someone close to them. My mother kisses Rue's temple. I kiss Rue's cheek. Rue's cannon goes off. More tears come to my eyes. My mother tells me to stay with Rue. After a few minutes, my mother comes back with flowers in her hands. I see flowers right away. We decorate Rue's wound with flowers. Rue looks beautiful with the flowers waved in her hair and wound area. "This will show the capital for doing this to a poor twelve year old. As Peeta has told me, 'I want to show them that I'm not a part of their games.' " she wispers into my ear. I agree with her.
We leave her body there to be picked up by the capital. As the games go on for the rest the day, it's very depressing without Rue. I miss Rue, she came into my life and then was taken out. We barely hunt, that's how sad we are. My mother doesn't act snobby to me any more, that's how sad she is. I haven't seen her this sad before. Every year, she's sad on this one day, but she never tells me why. There is annoucement that brings the good mood back in us. It's the one that says two tributes can will the games, if they are from the same district, if they are the last two.
The next day, we look for my father. My mother seems happy to find my father. We finally find him by the river, he's hiden in the mud. He's a baker, so frosting is no problem for him. We clean him up, mostly my mother. She won't let him take off his underpants. My mother finds a nice cave for us to hide in, we deside to camp out their until my father gets better. We find out that my father has blood poisoning. I've had it, it almost killed me. My mother and I try everything to help him, nothing works.
The feast is called. My mother demands that she's going, to save my father's life. My father won't let her go. Saying that she could be killed from any of the tributes. That he loves her and doesn't want her to be killed. I suport my father on this choice. I don't want my mother killed or scarred. "Katniss, I agree with f-Peeta," I say. My mother finally agrees to not leaving us.
After leaving the cave for a moment, to make soup for my father, my mother comes back. She feeds us some very sweet berries. I know these berries, from her, somewhere. My eyes widen when I remember what the taste is, it's sleeping syrup. "Katniss," my father and I say in unision. With that, we are out.
I don't know how long we are out, but when I wake, my joints are stiff. I spot my mother in a pool of blood. I scream, scared that my mother is hurt and die. My father calms me down, I help him care for my mother. Finally, my mother wakes up. I get to witness the love between my parents. Their kiss is a heart warmer.
As night for the final comes, we are wanting to see Cato. we can win, three verses one isn't a good the one. That gives me a shiver down my spine. Cato is, in a very werid way, Clava's father. Clava is now my friends, so killing him will be hard. It's the last three, or shall I say there's four of us. Foxface got killed by my father, he didn't mean to, she ate some of the berries he picked. Thresh got killed by Cato, I think, still haven't found out and it's been over twenty-seven years. We head to the Cornucopia.
Cato runs right by us. He's running away from something, can't tell what it is. Then the mutations pop out of no where at us. We start running away too, following Cato's lead. I'm scared to die this way. We finally reach the Cornucopia. We start climbing the side of it. I slip off the side and fall to the mutations below. A strong hand grabs my arm. I don't look up or down, afraid to. I'm lifted up onto the Cornucopia.
I turn to thank my savior. I see Cato facing me, arm around my waist. I stare into those icy blue eyes of his. "Why, why did you save me?" I ask him. Feelings hit me like that, shock and something else. "Because, thoughs two care about you. They will listen to me if I have you under my control. He lifts up in the air by my collar. He holds me over the edge, I scream a high pitch scream. My arms and legs are flailing.
I can see my end, from him. I see my eyes flash before my eyes. I thought Clava was going to killing me, but she ended up not. "Mommy, daddy, help!" I scream. There is no point to call for help. They don't even know I'm their daughter, I'm just a friend to them. "Say good bye to your parents, where they are right now," Cato laughs. I snicker at him. "Bye, I love you so. I want you to know that. I don't say it enough to you," I say in tears.
I feel I'm about to be dropped. My father runs over to us and punches Cato in the face. He drops me, I feel my body drop. My mother catches me, holds me in her arms. "How dare you try to hurt our daughter!" my mother yells at Cato. I didn't exspect that from my mother. "Rosemary, my princess, are you okay?" I nod my head. My throat closed up with tears, there are tears going down my cheeks.
I stand in the middle of the Cornucopia. A white beam down, surrounding me in it. I start to be into the dark night sky. "Bye, we love you, sweety," my parents say to me. I blow them a kiss. I'm going to miss this connection that I now have with them.
I end up watching the interviews. I'm back stage of the Training Center, where we had our interviews for my games. There are a lot of older people back stage. I spot my parents looking so young again. It looks like it's a year later. My parents must have won the last games and have to be tributes. Also have to be forced to be in.
My father is up for his interview. He's in a suit with white gloves. He looks like a groom. The guys wore the almost exact alfit. He says something about a wedding with my mother, or something. "Well a little time is better than no time," Caesar say to him. My father looks down. "If it wasn't for the baby," my father say. The audience goes crazy. They go crazier than anything Hunter and I did. I'm in shock.
My father's time is over. The screaming from the audience doesn't stop. The anthem is blazing, it vibrates through the ground. My parents takes each others' hand. Then all the other tributes takes the tribute next to them's hand. All twenty-four connected, just like us. The interviews are over, back stage is a mess.
I spot my parents talking together. I start to walk up to them. "I'm sorry, I'll apologize for what ever you want me to," I hear my father say. For what? I think. "It's okay Peeta, but you know how I feel about marriage and having children. I did agree to marry you, it was my idea, but if we have kids, they will be put in these games, for their entertainment. I can't stand to see that. That's why I voved to never have kids. If we do, it'll be an unwanting mistake," my mother says.
I get the feeling that I'm falling. Did my mother say that having kids were a mistake? So, I'm a mistake, so is my Gabriel, and my new unborn baby brother. Little no name is a replacement to a mistake. Tears swell up into my eyes. I don't even try to stop them. I don't know what to do about this.
I storm up to my parents. I look down to see that I'm wearing the alfit from the first interviews of my games. "So I'm a mistake? So is my two little brothers? I wish you would have told me sooner, not waiting twelve years of my life. Not like this, with some fake sibling!" I yell at them, more tears coming out. I start to run away, just like before when I found out about my mother's pregnatecy. "Rosemary!" they call out at me. I don't stop or turn around. I trip and fall flat on my face.
I shoot up. I sweating and crying at the same time. I'm not in the blanket and pillow around me in Clava and Gem's room. I'm on a velvet couch in an unfermiliar room. My mother and a few other ladies are in the room aswell. Octives is in a pretty white dress, it's flowing. She has a veil in her hair that goes down her back. My mother, Portia, Venia, Johanne, Annie, and two other girls are in a primrose pink dresses. With their hair in special bun, I've never seen them wear before. They look beautiful.
I look at myself in the mirror. I'm wearing a sweet colored pink dress. It is like a tutu on the bottom with a cute same color on the top. I feel like I am twelve, a young girl. Lately, I've felt like I'm almost an adult. I looked like a young adult in the last dress. This dress finally feels like something I would wear at this age.
I suddenly remember that I agreed to being Octive's flower girl in her wedding. I promised to be the flower girl before the the games. The main reason I promised to be it was I wanted to be a good person. I did think I would be dead by now.
"How long have I been asleep for?" I ask everyone in the room. "Fifty-three hours. Very, very long time to be sleeping," Annie says pushing a loose straind of hair behind my ear. I look at the ground guilty. I can't tell them my exsperience.
We are forced out of the room. We go down a long hallway, wait outside a door. I'm given a basket full of all different types of flowers. On top, there are seven primroses and one single rosemary. It's the plant that my parents named me after.
We walk through the door to a big room. White linning and stuff is around the room. It looks so pretty, everyone is wearing suits and dresses. IN the front, a man is wearing a suit exactly like the suit my father wore in during the Third Quarter Quell interviews. That alfit brings back bad memories of my nightmare. I make the assumion that he is the Groom. My father, Flavis, Zig's older brother Egner, and four other men stand by one of the ladies in the primrose dress. They must be friends with the groom. The best men of the groom. The ladies are friends with Octive, so they must be the bride maids.
Zig comes up next to me. He's wearing a suit, with the suit the same color as my dress. The best men have the same color shirts on as the briads' maids, primrose pink. "Wow, best friends from birth are flower girl and rings bearer," he says to me. It's true, we are best friends in a wedding together. I spot my friends sitting around the first and second rows, all the Hunger Games stars in one area again. I notice pink is everywhere. With flowers decorating the whole room. The groom takes his place in the front.
The music starts. I'm the first to walk down the aisel. I drop the petals behind me. I feel the eyes on my. I get to the front next to the groom. Then I give each pair of made up of one best man and one briad's maid, a primrose. The pairs are my parents, Egner and Portia, Flavis and Venia, Annie with someone, Johanne with someone, and the other two briad's maids and the other two best men. I do my job with giving each pair a primrose. Each pair split, the men go behind the groom, the briad's maids go to where the briad will almost stand. Zig follows the last pair. We all look at the back of the room. Octive starts walking down to the alter, arm linked with Cinna's arm. She looks absolutly gorgeus in the dress. Zig elbows me, I'm holding the rosemary. I follow Zig to our seats in the front. Aqua is to my right, Zig is to my left.
I zone out most of the ceromony. It doesn't interest me that much. But, I look how beautiful Octive looks. I image or day dream about Octive and her almost husband living the rest of their lives together. Nights on the beach, most likely in District Four, sitting on the steps of their new house, raising their kids together, all of that so nice. I thought I would have that with Hunter, but he now hates me.
"May I see the rings." snaps me back to reality, out of my thoughts. Zig stands up, hitting my elbow. He goes to the person giving the ceromony, he gives the rings to the guy. Then he sits back doen next to me. They do their vows. They slip the rings on the left ring finger. Both say, "I do," and kiss.
I get up from where I'm sitting, as I'm suppost to. I follow the new weddly cuple out of the room. Zig, all the briad's maids and all of the best men leave with us. I leave more petals on the aisel as I go. We all leave the place.
We leave in a very long, back limozeene. We head to the training center. I have the seat next to Zig on the ride there. The training center brings back so many memories. Everyone congradulates Octives and her new husband. "To Octives and Ollie!" is the cheer in the limo we give. We all raise our glasses.
We arrive at the training center in a few minutes from leaving the ceromony. Cars are following us to the training center. It must be the after party. I'm looking foward to talking to Aqua, it's very important. It's about the dream I had about my mother and father and Rue. I stand with the other very high standard people at the wedding. I don't look at my parents at all. I'm still mad at them.
Soon, everyone arrives at the party. We take our seats for the courses to eat. I'm assigned to sit with the briad's and groom's table. My group is sitting at a table labeled Hunger Games Winners. Gabe, Ellie, and Jaxon are also sitting there. My parents and the rest of the briad's maids and best men are at their own table.
At my table, I only have a few important people. Octives, Ollie, Zig, Egner, Cinna, Portia, and this elderly ladie are at the stands up, he taps on his glass to get everyone's attention. All the conversations stop, all eyes go to Cinna. As if, what he's going to say is the most important thing.
"Thank you for coming everyone to celebrate my Ollier and Octives in holy macromony. I worked with Octives on my prep team over twenty-five years ago. That's where we met Peeta and Katniss. Soon the games ended and I was in hiding rom the capital.I didn't get to see Octives for a long time. When my son brought her home a few years back, saying he and her were dating. I was thrilled to hear it, as was my lovely wife, Portia. A couple weeks before the games started up again, he and me were having a father son talk. 'Dad, I love her. I'm going to ask her to marry me,' he told me. I gave him the greatest advice a father could give his son. 'Go for it, son!' I told him excited. Today, I'm a proud father, my son is a man. I hope my other two sons find amazing girls just like Ollier," Cinna tosts. Everyone raises their glasses to him.
It goes on and on for hours. Everyone goes up and gives a long story about Octives and Ollie. Everyone has something to say about them, I eaisly finish my glass of wine that I'm aloud to have.
Finally the last speech is given and is over. I take my fourth glass of wine into my hands. The dinner is finally destributied to all the guest. The soup is the first given out. It's a weird orange color. It's creamy and very delious. The chicken is filled with this thick gravy. One of the side disses is mashed potatoes. There is corn as a vegable. For dessert, it's a chocolate cake, with butterscotch icing. It must have been made by my father, the married couple cut it together.
During each portion given, we chat about everything. I'm in a weird way, part of the family. I'm sitting at the family table. When I was born, the first non-relitive to visit me was Ollie. Portia and my mother acually shared a room for giving birth, because they became friends after the games ended. After Zig and mine birth, I've always called Ollie my older brother. He told me at a young age that I was his baby sister. He still calls me his little sissy, I still call him my Biggie-Bro.
We are aloud to go on the dance floor. I've acually never shown I can dance, I don't think I can do it now, with twelve years of my life gone by. The first dance is with Octives and Ollie doing their first dance as a married couple. It's their first of many dances as husband and wife. I stand back and watch.
I mingle with the other guests. There are relitives from both Octives' side and Ollie's side of the family. I also meet friends of both of them. They went to the same hang out, because they lived in the capital. I tell everyone that I'm Ollie's not-biological baby sister. They compliment about how beautiful I looked.
Hunter is still very angry at me. I can just tell that me and him might never be together anymore. He didn't even look or glance at5 me during the wedding. I know he's now advoiding me. Either standing with the group. He's standing at the punch bowl by himself, starring at space. What Hunter said about me, it's true. It's all my fault thata lot of people died because of the games, mainly Lilianna.
I start walking towards him. I need to apologize to him about everything. I can't walk in a straight line, too many drinks. Zig runs up to me, grabs my arm to stable me. "Are you alright?" he asks in a wisper. His lips against my ear tickles. Octives comes over to us. "How cute, come dance with us," she says, we follow. "When will you two get together?" Ollie asks being silly. We ignor his comment.
We light dance for a little bit. Soon, then the music changes to a slow song. Everyone starts to pair off. All the Hunger Games couple get together, also, Roxanne and Jaxon, my parents, Johanne and Gale, Egner and his briad's maid partner, even Gabriel and Ellie. Zig comes up to me. "Would you like to dance with me?" he asks.
His hand is streatched out towrds me. I smile at him, I take his out streatched pulls me in close, my face hits his chest. He starts rocking us back and forth. The way we dance together, it feels so natural. I rest my head on his shoulder. We've partner danced several times. He's the only one that knows a little of my dancing talent. he's so gental with me. Sadly, it only a coupl of minutes, the song is over. Zig, with no hesitation, presses his lips against mine. I kiss back, be a little drunk.
I push him off me. I can't do this. "What was that? We can't, you and me. We're like siblings, I'm so sorry," I say startled. I feel eyes on us. I run out of the room, I don't want to see Zig's face. Tears start flowing down my cheeks.
I deside to head up to my room from before the games. I hear foot steps behind me. I don't want to talk to him. I press the button for the elevator continuelessly. I hear the foot steps of the person getting closer. The elevator doors finally open. I run in and press the close button over and over to make it close. It's about to close, when a hand appears in the door way. I clasp to the floor. I don't see who has entered the elevator.
"Go away! I don't want to talk to you," I scream at the person in a stern voice. "That's not very nice to say," a voice says that doesn't belong to Zig, but only can be my father. I get out my arms out in the air for him, as I did when I was a little girl. He lifts me into his strong arms and craddles me there. The elevator doors open.
He steps out of the elevator, still carrying me in his arms. We sit down on the couch in front of the tv we watched all the results. "So, my princess, what's the matter? Running off during a party, that rude comment to your mother, sleeping for almost three full days. You tel me about it, you can tell me about anything," he asks, all caring.
I think about it for a couple of minutes. I tell and fully explain the Hunter problem., about how he thinks his mother and many other deaths were all my fault. How that the new baby was made as a replacement for me because for their only daughhter was going to be killed by a random kid for their entertainment. How I do believe it's all been my fault the whole time. How, if I didn't leave the train at District Two, then the games would have never happened again. My dream and that I heard that I was a mistake, all of it.
"Princess, you are no m istake, even though it took several years, twelve years, to convince your mother to have children, but you were the best choice that we've ever made. The new baby isn't replacing you or anyone. We didn't even know about the games, or even the baby until she was six months into the pregnancy. None of this is your fault, what Hunter said, he was hurt. We all love you," he exlains so calmly.
I sit there and think about what to do. After thinking for about a few minutes, I make up my mind. I'm going to go to each district, to tell my story of what happened to me during the Hunger Games. The pain and nightmares I'm still going through. This will make me grow up. "Father, I think i want to leave the capital. Go tot district to district, telling my story of the games. I want to do this by myself, I need this to grow up as a person," I tell him.
He's quiet for a long time. I'm positive he'll say no. I bet he doesn't his daughter going around the country by herself. "Okay, it'll give the districtsa reashoring of Panam after the games and changing of presidents. Coming from the President's daughter, it'll help the people of Panam. I'll call the mayors of each districts to arrange it. We do have to get your mother's approval, first," he finally says. I give hima Mellark hug.
We go down and find my mother. we tell her everythingWhy I've been upset lately. Also about our plan for me. She has to think about it too. Please say yes, I think. "Let's do it!" she finally says. She sits down on a chair, she looks out of breath. I wrap my arms around her, giving her my famous Mellark hug. I feel pressure coming from her stomic. The baby kicked me.
I stay in my special seat in the bakery at the capital, called Bakery of Paman. I wait for my cheese buns to be done. My father started working at the bakery since we've moved in when my mother became president. He misses working at the Mellark's Bakery at home in District Twelve. It's been two weeks since Ollie and Octives, that means two weeks since Zig and I kissed. I deside to leave and travel.
Ding. The bell says that my cheese buns are done cooking. I smile, the smell coming from the oven is good. I grab my special oven mit, pull out the steaming hot cheese buns. I place in my fifth batch of cheese buns in the oven to cook. The bakery is usually closed on days like this, it's a special holiday. I go to bakery either way, to cook for the family. So while my father is making phone calls for work, so I bake.
I ake out some flour to make something else. I find a resipy for some special scones. I made this resipy when I was three, it's a special resipy to me. I want make these for everyone. I start baking them. I have an easy three batches in only a half an hour. I'm so glad that my father taught me how to bake.
Gabe is with Roxanne and Ellie, she's baby sitting them as her job. She's taking them to the park to play. My mother is in one of her moods again, that's why I begged my father to let me go with him. Everyone is doing something away from the house. Tron and Aqua went to the beach today for a romantic date. Clava and Gem are going shopping around the capital for new clothes. Jaxon, Tylor, Bennie, Luke, and Hunter are playing a game of basketball. They have Zig with them to play a three on three.
"Rosemary!" my father screams from his office. It's a cry that sounds like he's hurt. I drop the tray, which is empty. I was just about to put dough on it. I run to my father's office. I open the door without knocking. He's sitting there at his desk, he looks fine."What's the matter, is anything wrong?" I ask paniced. He chuckles a deep laugh. It's a laugh that's full of life."No, I just finished talking to the mayor, District Twelve to say. They all said yes to our plan. Next month, you start your tour of districts," he says all excited. I scream for joy. I can't believe I'm really doing it, I think.
I go back to the kitchen part of the bakery. My father helps me finish with the scones. I also bake an apple turnover with my father's help and guideness. Once the apple turnover is crispy and finished, we wrap up all the pastiers in containers. This will be the dinner for tonight, I hope they'll love it.
At dinner, everyone is sitting around the table, when we arrive. My father and I destribute the cheese buns and scones. They all love the cheese buns. I make sure my mother gets a lot, thoughs are her favorites, too. She ate them all through her pregnancy with Gabe, I've been told even with me. "Great food, Mr. Mellark," Roxanne compliments. "Nope, I didn't bake any of this , it was all Rosemary who baked this. Call me with Papa, Father, or Peeta," my father comments.
I hand out the apple turnove when everyone seems done with the cheese buns and scones. They dive right into the apple turnover. I feel like this is the right moment to tell them my big news. "Everyone, I have some big news to tell you all. I'm leaving soon. I'm going to go district to district to tell my story of the games and reashore our people that our grand counrty is truely grand. I leave next month," I tell them.
I leave the room to let the news digest for them. It's pretty big news. I go into the living room and take a seat on the velvet couch. I want to tell them about the rumors about me are false. My leaving the capital for a couple of months, alone. I chew on a scone.
Hunter comes into the room and takes a seat next to me. "Rosie, I'm so sorry, about everything I said. Not giving you any of my attention. Blaming my own mother's death. None of it was your fault, you didn't know, no idea what was happening. Please don't leave because of me and my idiotity," he apologizes for everything. I don't look at him or his amazing gray eyes. "I'm not leaving just because of you and your hurtfulness. I need to grow up, to became a woman. To move on from you," I say coldly.
I make sure I don't look into thoughs gray eyes that I love so much. My back is facing him, so I can't see his face. I move farther away from him, I don't want to be near him. He scoothes closer to me. I feel his arms go around my waist. He starts kissing my neck. Then moves up to my cheeks and nose. "Please, oh please, forgive me," he begs. I stay silent, being so still with the kisses.
He continues kissing me. Coving me with his kisses, leaving his siliva on me. His lips finally find their way to mine. I close my lips, then my eyes. His lips taste like apples, they're soft against mine. I've missed this so much. I miss being with him, I love him. "Yes I do, I forgive you, thanks for admitting your wrong ," I say. He breaks what I'm saying and starts kissing me again, I start kissing back with him. I go to his neck. "I love you, so much. I will stay with you, always," he responds to what I said. We start kissing, relaxing on the couch.
Finally, today is the day. My bags are packed, I'm ready to go. I'm leaving to District One today. Only for a couple of days, though. Then I go to each of the other districts for a couple of days. I can't believe the month has gone by so fast.
I wake up at seven AM. I moan at the light coming in from the windows. At one-thirty, I'm leaving on the train. I have six and a half amazing hourd to spend with my family and friends. I want to spend all of it with my amazing boyfriend, the love of my life. I find a red tee -shirt and black short from the closet. Aqua is up aswell. She's wearing the same shirt in the color blue and the exact same black shorts.
I go to find my parents. After I check their bedroom, I go to the kitchen to check. Knowing my father, he's most likely cooking breakfast. No one is in there. No father, it's weird, he's always cooking breakfast, it's his favorite thing to do, besides painting. I do find a note on the counter.
Dear Rosemary,
We're out right now. At a check up for your mother. T o make sure our baby boy is perfectly fine. Please, make the breakfast for everyone, princess, I bet I'll be better than mine. We will be home before you leave, we'll take you to train station. We want to be there, to wish you on. Will you please watch Gabriel? Thank you so much, our princess/ sweetheart.
Love,
Mom & Dad
I read the note to myself. I sigh at the note, no parents to spend my last few hours at my new home. I take some eggs out of the refrigarator. I'm going to make scramble eggs with bacon for breakfast. Also, pancakes with fruit on them. I want this for my last breakfast here. I picked the fruit with my mother yesterday, in the woods outside the capital. The wood here with my mother is best experience I've had with her.
I get lost in my cooking. I love to bake and hunt. I end up forgetting that I'm in the mansion, and I'm not alone. "That smells sooo goood." That brings me back to the reality of life. I turn around to see Luke standing in the doorway. He comes over to the table, tries to take a piece of bacon. I smack his hand with the wooden mixing spoon in my hand. "Bad, now pour the orange juice for everyone," I command. He head goes down. "Fine," he huffs, fake upset. "Breakfasts!" I call.
In a few minutes, everyone is down in the dining room for breakfast. I set out the breakfast on the table with the help of Luke. Everyone starts taking the food and eating it. I don't dive right in, I'm in no mood to eat. Hunter is sitting right next to me, so he feeds me, putting egg in my mouth. Making sure I eat, mainly the bacon.
"What is everyone doing today?" I ask with a mouth full of egg. "Double date today, planned it weeks ago. But I'll make it to your leaving sending off," Luke say for Tylor, Gem, and Clava, who all nod. "I got a job at the bakery that your father now owns. This is my first day of work, with the boss letting me run it for the day, as the boss today. All thanks to my new father-like figure," Bennie says, letting me down. I sigh at the news, I give all of them a hurt expression. "I don't want to be by myself on my last day home for month of being away," I wine, complaining. Hunter gives me that loving look that beings love shivers down my spine. "You won't be alone, I promise. I'm spending every last moment with you," he tells me. He takes my hand and kisses it. My group nods.
The others leave after they finish their breakfast. I clean up all the food and wash the dishes. I put the left overs in the refrigirators. When I finish, it's ten minutes after nine o'clock. I have a good four hours left.
I go into the living room to go with the rest of group. Tron, Aqua, Roxanne, Hunter, Ellie, and Gabriel are all sitting on the big couch watching something on the tv. Tron has his arm wrapped tightly around Aqua. Ellie is sitting on Roxanne's lap. Gabe is sitting on Hunter's lap, playing patty cake with him. That surprises me. Yeah, my boyfriend and baby brother are bonding, wonderful, I cheerfully think.
"What's today's plan to do. Anything special for my send off?" I ask curious. I hoping they'll say, "We're doing nothing but hanging out." Aqua comes over to me, dragging Tron with her. "Well, I was thinking that we go into the town, go to the park, maybe shop, whatever you want to do," Aqua tells.
I grab Gabe from Hunter's lap. I craddle his in my arms. "Rosemary, where'd mommy and daddy?" he asks concerned. I see the little tears forming in his gray eyes. I rub his back, Hunter comes over and hums a lullabye with me. "Shh, don't worry, my baby Gabey. Their at a doctor's appointment for mommy. They'll be back soon," I say reashoring him. Hunter wips away his tears.
I smile at the two of them. My boyfriend and baby brother being so nice to each other. Hunter caring for Gabe, like he's is own brother. This is normal to see. He's been doing this since we've came home from the games. He would be the best father when we grow up, maybe ten years from now.
Hunter's hand intertwines mine, snaps me out of my day dreams of my future with Hunter. Jaxon walks into the room. "May I come with you?" he asks shyly. "No!" Hunter snaps at Jaxon. That's cold of him to say, his own brother he denize, I think. "Yes he can!" Roxanne demands, she hisses it at Hunter. "Thanks, Roxie babe," Jaxon thanks Roxanne. He goes up to her and kisses her passionately. We all look at them surprised. No one knew that they are a romantic couple.
We head out for the streets. They chatter about how lonely it'll be without me being around. Hunter goes on and on that he'll never be the same without me here with him. Aqua complains that she won't have her best friend forever and roommate for a long time. Gabe wines about not having his big sister to look up to.
The streets are crowded with people looking as weird as ever. We go into this one shop that I know of it from my parents. It's the place where they and their troup hide out during the war, also known as the Seventy-Sixth Annual Hunger Games. We walk into the shop. "Rosemary London Mellark, my have you grown. And is that your little brother, baby Gabey? It's been years since I've seen you or your parents. You were about eight and he was two," the ladie at the front counter gushes about. "Hey Tigris, I know it's been forever since our last inquire. Been busy, anything good? I need a present for my best friends back at home in District Twelve," I say giving her the biggest smile.
She shows me all the materials she has. With help from Tigris, Aqua, Roxanne, and Jaxon, I find the perfect gifts for Debbie, Jake, and Trinity. Debbie loves to be fancy, being from the town part of District Twelve. So, I buy her a nice, red scarf, it's fox tail, made from a real fox. I buy Jake a nice, expensive watch, the guys help me with that, knowing what guys like. It's so he has something manly. Trinity, I know her so well. I buy her matching braclettes for us, to show off our best friendness. Also a cute head band for to look hot on dates with Jake.
We head off to the candy shop in town. We step in, I'm hit with the aroma of taffy being made. The owner's son walks up to me. I can't remember his name, it's never stuck with me. He wraps his arm around me. "So, how's the Baker's Daughter doing?" he asks hitting on me. I grab his arm from my shoulder and put him in a chicken arm position. He winces in pain. "Mercy!" he cries in pain. I give in and let him out of the chicken arm. "Good, Candy Boy, no arm around me, I don't care that you are my older fourteen year old friends, my boyfriend is right here. Why have I never met your parents?" I say in a mocking tone. Candy Boy has light brown hair and crystal blue eyes, he has strong muscles from lifting weights. He has almost a full head over me. All the girls around talk about he's this fourteen year old hottie.
Just then, mid-twenties to early thirties come in from the back of the store. I gasp in shock, I know thoughs two. I danced with them when I took that one class. They excepted me years ago, I never forgot them. "Oh my gosh, Neal and Karyn. I can't believe you two are accually together or married. I haven't seen you two since I was five and you were, uh, I think seventeen. Now, I'm friends with your son, who's fourteen, wow," I gasp out. They nod, tears filling their eyes. I talk with them for a little bit, catching up with what has happened with them. I can't believe they had their son at the age of eleven.
Before leaving the store, I make a trade with them. Ten sticky buns for all of us to get some candy. It's a great deal we make, being super close now. My friends and little brother get what they want as candy. I get some chocolate fudge. "Bye Neal, bye Karyn, bye uh..." I say, stumbling over Candy Boy's name. "It's Cheiro, okay Rosemary, hope you remember me," Candy Boy, Cheiro says. I see him wink at me.
We out on the street again. I see that it's close to eleven. "I need bread and meat to make a delious lunch for you guys. How about Roxanne, Jaxon, Ellie, and Gabe go to the bakery and get sliced bread, you don't have to pay. The rest of us will go to the butcher and get the meat. We'll meet back at home," I say to them.
We split off our seperate ways. The butcher's shop is only a few blocks away to walk. We walk in silence. It's close to eleven, so that means I have only two hours and thirt minutes left before I leave. The bell to the butcher shop rings as we open the door to enter.
"Why, what a nice surprise this is. Rosemary and the gang are here. Thought you were leaving today? Needed a hug from your Uncle Grey?" the butcher says as we come in. I smile at him. "Well yes, also I'm making lunch today, your options?" I ask giving him a hug. He looks a lot like Uncle Haymitch, except with only one hand and a wisky beard. He gives me a bag of his finest meats, with no charge. I wave good bye to him. "Bye Sweatheart," he calls out to me, making me blush. We exit the store.
Aqua asks me a million questions about how I know everyone in this place or about my "Uncle Grey." And many more things. I answer all of the questions. I reviele my secret dance life, how I can dance. The guys stay queit and to them selves. Wispering things to each others, keeping from Aqua and me. This secrt thing is kind of hot, for Hunter, Aqua is thinking the same thing about Tron. We finally make it home.
I find the sliced bread on the counter in the kitchen. I get right to work on the sandwitches. I want them to remember the last meal I make them for a while. I'm eaisily done making two sandwitches for each person. The phone rings annoyingly. It ruins my concentration in cooking. "I'll get it!" calls Roxanne from the other room.
Soon she scream out, "We have to leave now!" I'm confused about what is wrong. Her voice sounds stressed. "Why, I made sandwitches," I say grabbing her arm. She stops in her tracks. "Your mother went into labor, she's having the baby early. We have to go to the hospital," she answers quickly. She sounds scared. Oh no, I think. "Everyone, grab two sandwitches and head out to Roxanne's car!" I scream at them.
In only a couple of minutes, everyone is squeezed into Roxanne's car. Her car is so small, so Roxanne and Jaxon sits in the front. Gabe and Ellie share the seat in the middle of the back seat. Aqua has to sit on Tron's lap, I have to sit on Hunter's lap. Lately, I've been sitting on Hunter's lap a lot. We drive for less than ten minutes to the local hospital. When we arrive and park, we rush out of the car.
The desk in the front area is a mahogany color. My mind goes straight to Aunt Effie, she always says "That's Mahogany!" A ladie wearing goofy clothes and a blue wig is sitting there reading a magizine. "Excuse me madame, we are here for Katniss Mellark, I'm her-" I start to say to her. "I know who you are, sweety. Go in, it's room three hundred nineteen," she tells me, cutting me off. We go up in the elevator and down the hallway.
We reach my mother's assigned room. I imbrass myself not to freak and follow the group in. I'm clutching Gabe's hand. He's as nerves as I am to meet our new baby brother. I was this nervous when Gabe was born, first time being an older sibling is scary. My parents seem happy to see us.
"Rosemary, Gabriel, my babies! I want you to meet your new little, just born brother. be quiet, he's still sleeping," my mother says sweetly. I can't belive she's wake after just giving birth. I go up to the little baby in my mother's arms. His eyes are closed, so I can't see what color eyes he got from our parents. His whole body is very small. Small arms, legs, head, heads, feet, fingers, and toes. He has a small smile on his face.
"What have you named him?" I ask with wide eyes. "We want you to name him. You do come up with perfect names," my father says. My mother hands me my new baby brother. I feel the honor of naming now both my brothers. Gabriel is sitting on my father's lap. "Emmanuel, hi little Emmanuel Euphraties. I'm your older sister, Rosemary . Your older brother is Gabriel over, sitting on daddy's lap," I tell the sleeping baby. He opens his eyes, waking up for the first time in our real world. They are a blue-gray color, they are the most beautiful color eyes.
I hear Aunt Effie complaining from the other side of the room. I walk over to the other side of the room to Aunt Effie. She's holding a sleeping baby in her arms. It's a baby girl. Uncle Hamitch is holding one of Aunt Effie's hands. She notices me right away. "Rosemary, come over!" she cries out.
I go up to her, I'm still holding the newest member to the Mellark family. He's so quiet in my arms. "What did you names her?" I ask nerously. They look at each other, then at me. "Well, this is Emmanual Mellark," I point out. My godparents smile at the name. "We've heard that you are the name goddest. You named brothers with nice names, so we want you to name her," Uncle Haymitch says. I look at her in honor. The babies hair is coming out, it's an orange-brown. I imagin her gray eyes shining. "Autumn," I answer. Her eyes open.
I get to also hold Autumn in my other arm. She and Emmanual will be best of friends, I think. She will be the most beautiful girl when she's my age. Hunter puts a hand on my shoulder. I turn, smiling at him. I give him Autumn. "I hope our children are as beautiful as Autumn and Emmanual," he says out of no where.
I look at him confused. When did having kids come into play? We're only only twelve, almost thirteen, soon. Aww, he sees a future for us, I think. I want to tell him all that. But all I can say is "You want children?" He smile widely. "Yes, a baby girl and little twin boys. I want to name the girl Lily, for my decested mother. One of the twin's name will be Rye for your uncle on your father's side of the family, your father told me about him. We'll name the other twin when it's that time," he tells me. I smile at him. He wraps his free arm around me.
I look at the clock, it's one-eighteen. I give Autumn and Emmanual back to my mother and godmother. "I have to go," I tell them. I hug my godparents first. I go to my parents' side of the room. "Bye, I love you," I tell them. They give me a long hug. Emmanual and Gabriel are invovled in this hug. A big Mellark hug. "You won't see me for a month or two, I want you to remember me and that I love you," I tell Emmanual. My friends and I head out.
I hold Hunter's hand the whole time. We walk the short distance in sad silence. I like the feeling of his hand in mine. I feel the heat coming from his hand, it feels so nice. Only Hunter, Tron, and Aqua are here with me. The rest stayed back in the hospital. Sadly, we reatch the train station, means, I'm leaving.
I look around. There are so many peope from the capital standing around. I feel so out of place, but I don't really care right this minute. "Train for District One will be arriving in five minutes," an annousement echos, filling the room. I look at my friends sadly, the memories flow through me. I've been through so much with them. I hate saying good bye. I'm very good with words. I just look at them.
Tron is the one who says something first, breaking the silence between us. "When you get to District Three, go to cemetary, say 'Tron loves you' to Marco DiCarlo. He's my great uncle. I never got to say good bye to him before he passed away," he requests. I put a hand on his shoulder. "I promise I will," I promise him. He nods.
Aqua takes my hands. "Please, oh please, don't forget me. You are family to me, only one that's been like a sister to me. If you see any of my friends from school, tell them I say hi. They'll know that you're my friend and go up to you. Do one other thing, stay away from Ariel. Visit the beach, for me. Do that for me," she says almost crying. Tears fall down my cheeks, tears fall down her cheeks. "Of course, anything for my sis. Ariel, have to look out for her. Can you help my parents with Emmanual? Also, if anything happens that is interesting, give me a call. Beat any girl that tries to flirt with my Hunter. You're the best," I say to her. We give each other a meaningful hug, starting to cry harder.
I feel a tap on my shoulder. I look over to see Luke has finally made it. He opens out his arms, I walk right into them. He is my older brother, I don't care if people say it's not true, because then their lying. "I can't belive you'll be missing my adoption ceromony, I'm legally going to be your brother. My last name will be Johnson-Mellark. The ceromony will be next week, we'll take pictures for you. Don't worry about girls around my future brother-in-law. If he cheats, he won't live to see the next day or you to explain. I care so much about you. I love you, Rosemary," he has a hard time telling me this. I look up at him. He has tears welled up in his eyes, I nod in approval.
I turn to face Hunter. His gray eyes that I love so much have filled with tears of pain for me. His dark hair is messy, I want to tangle my hands in it. He's wearing a green shirts and jeans. He looks absolutely handsome this moment. I start to walking closer to him, he does the same thing. His arms go out for me. I walk right into them. He holds me close, starts rubbing my back. I look him in the eyes with my crystal blue eyes. I see the hurt in them. "Hunter, I want you to know before I leave, I-I l-," I say but Hunter's lips cut me off before I get to tell him that I love him. They're soft and warm, like melted gummies. I wrap my arms around his neck. His hands slip down to my lower back. I kiss him back, strongly. We stay like this for what seems like forever, but only a minute goes by. We finally break away, just because the need for air.
I look at him, his gray eyes are flowing with tears. He lets them drop, with no shame. I have tears in my eyes, too. They eaisly fall, for the pain of leaving. I feel like that we are the only ones in the crowded train station. I bury my face into his shirt. I start bursting into tears. I soil his new shirt. He lifts my chin from his chest. "I love you, that's all that matters. We can totally make through this mess. Remember a couple months ago when we were in the same situation. The only thing different is that I was leaving. We made through that, which was so hard. We can do anything in this relationship," he says. He leans in for another kiss, I give in and he gets it. It'll be our last for a while, I want it to last.
The train pulls in to the station. Everyone starts loading onto it or leaving the train. I pick up my bags next to me. My suitcase is big for the clothes I need. All my friends come in for one last hug together. "Behave!" Luke jokes. I walk to the door of the train. My transportation to leave my love ones is right in front of me. I have my good byes given out. I blow kisses to them, just like how I did in the openning ceromony. "Bye," they say together. I enter the train. I pick my spot and press my face against . I love you, I lip out. I face Hunter. I love you so much, I lip out to him. The train screetches to a start. I feel the train start moving out of station. I see my friends, brother, and my lover disapear. Off to my tour.
ent here...
