A Primrose and a Game
I awoke and my dream came rushing back to me, I was picked for The Hunger Games. Me. Primrose Everdeen. Taken away from my mother, Katniss and even Rory. Taken away to fight to the death against twenty three other boys and girls, I'm going to die I'm sure of it!
Then I think of my father as I always do at times like this, singing loudly through the house, because when he sings, even the birds' stop to listen, Katniss would talk about him, describe him when he sings, but my mother got upset when we talked about him. I don't remember much from before the mining accident. Katniss says it must have been the shock and that I have blocked it out. I was only seven. That was five years ago. There is only one thing I can faintly remember a song Katniss would sing to me when I was a baby. No words, just the tune.
Crawling out of the bed I share with Katniss, I curl up in my mother's bed, and as if feeling my warmth seeping out of the bed, Buttercup, my little flower, his muddy yellow coat mirrors the bright flower, comes to my side a cat-like warrior guarding his princess. I fall asleep with a smile and on my face.
I awoke once again to the sound of my mother at the wardrobe where she keeps her old clothes, she's leaving out a blue dress with matching shoes for Katniss and for me, Katniss' first reaping outfit, a skirt and a ruffled blouse it's a little big on me so mother tries to fix it with pins, but when Katniss comes back after going hunting, and she has her bath, she says "Tuck your tail in little duck," as she smooths the blouse back in place, I try to make her worry less by joking "Quack," I say giggling.
My first reaping, we go to the square to sign in. I am so terrified. This is a good opportunity to keep track of the population of Panem. As the clock strikes two, the mayor begins to read about the history of Panem, the country that rose up out of the ashes of a place that was once called North America. He tells of lots of different disasters. Then about the Dark Days, of uprisings in the districts against the capitol. Twelve were defeated, the thirteenth obliterated. Now we have The Hunger Games.
It's time for the drawing, and Effie trinket says, "Ladies first!" and crosses to the glass ball that holds the girls names, digs in deep, and pulls out a slip of paper and she calls out my name! "Primrose Everdeen," and I start walking towards the stage, when out of nowhere Katniss shoves me behind her and says "I volunteer!" No what is she doing, "I volunteer as tribute!" No she can't do this I can't do this I can't lose Katniss.
She kept me alive after my father died. She keeps me alive every day. Going out risking her life to hunt with Gale. No I can't lose Katniss. Gale comes and carries me away I can tell why, Katniss is on the verge of crying but she doesn't want to. So I stop screaming and just cry in my mother's arms. I only get to see her for a minute in The Justice Building.
The next ten months fly past in a blur. I only remember four things, when Rue from District Eleven was killed and Katniss surrounded her with flowers, watching her fall in love with Peeta, I think I'm the only one who realized she loves Gale too and that Katniss won, and that Peeta did too and how I know wholeheartedly that I hate the new house in The Victors Village.
She's going back in. she's going back into The Games. That's all I remember from before the fire.
Gale comes, "there's a fire, and you have to leave now." So we run. We run to the meadow. The first thing I do is look for Rory. He has to be here, he's Gale's little brother. There. I can't stop myself I run straight to him, jump into his arms and kiss him throwing my full force into it. Then all I can think of is how my first kiss feels so inspiring, I feel free, of everything, of the Capitol, of The Hunger Games, of everything. Somehow I know with my whole being that I love him.
When we were taken to District Thirteen. I wouldn't leave Rory's side, I was lost without him. The harshness of District Thirteen, living underground is hard. I have always, ever since my father died, wanted to heal people and animals. So when President Coin of District Thirteen, asked if I would like to train to become a nurse, I jumped at the chance. Rory and I had been exploring, we had found this great little attic, and we went there to talk and I tell about Coin's offer to allow me to train as a nurse and he tells me I should go for it and I kiss him, I've been doing that a lot lately.
So I tell Coin I'll do it, Katniss is so busy with the mockingjay thing and the rebellion, that I don't have time to tell her.
Then the day arrives, the day I die, Capitol children penned in for Snow's safety and then out of nowhere a Capitol hovercraft appears and down float scores of silver parachutes, the children know what they hold. Food. Medicine. Gifts. They reach for them with frozen fingers and five seconds pass and twenty parachutes explode. Some children die instantly, some lie there in agony.
Then we are there, rebel medics, there's a crying child and I yank my coat off to give to the child. My shirt becomes untucked, just as the day of the reaping and then that's when I hear her. Katniss. Just as I turn to her, the rest of the parachutes go off, and then I lay there dyeing and remembering the song Katniss sung to me as a baby,
Are you, Are you
coming to the tree.
Where they strung up a man,
they say murdered three.
Strange things did happen here,
No stranger would it be.
If we met up at midnight,
At the hanging tree.
Are you, Are you
Coming to the tree.
Where the dead man,
Called out for his love to flee.
Strange things did happen here,
No stranger would it be.
If we met up at midnight,
At the hanging tree.
Are you, Are you
Coming to the tree.
Where I told you to run,
So we'd both be free.
Strange things did happen here,
No stranger would it be.
If we met up at midnight,
At the hanging tree.
I don't want them to cry for me, I hope Peeta looks after Katniss and that she doesn't blame Gale, but still fire is catching and if we burn, you burn with us.
I love my little niece and nephew, they will never know how much, but Katniss will make sure they know my story. Now her children will never know the fear we faced at the hands of the Capitol.
They play in the meadow. The dancing girl with the dark hair and blue eyes. The boy with the blond curls and grey eyes, struggling to keep up with her on his chubby toddler legs. They have each other. They will make them understand in a way that will make them braver. But one day she'll have to explain about her nightmares. Why they came. Why they won't ever really go away. She'll tell them how she survives it. That on bad mornings, when she feels like it's impossible to take pleasure in anything because it feels like it will be taken away. She makes a list in her head of every act of goodness, she's seen someone do. It's like a game. Repetitive. Even a little tedious after more than twenty years.
But there are much worse games to play.