Part 1
The Reaping
1
The country of Panem has been at ease for quite some time now. The war that took out the Hunger Games and rebelled against the Capitol was nearly twenty-five years ago. My life has been pretty normal. I live in a wonderful home in the Victor's Village of District Twelve. My parents, Katniss and Peeta, were the victors of the last ever Games. My mother even led the revolution. My father needed to have his leg amputated and get a prosthetic replacement. It doesn't get in his way too much anymore. He still has brief episodes of identity confusion as a result of being brainwashed by the Capitol. My brother, Kaien, knows about my family's past too. Things are a lot easier knowing what they really went through.
I am Primrose Rue Mellark. Most people call me Prue. My name is a mix of Primrose Everdeen and a girl named Rue. Primrose Everdeen was my mother's younger sister. She would be my aunt if she didn't die in the war. Rue was a friend of my mother's in the 74th Hunger Games. I look mostly like my mother. With my father's eyes. Possession of long black hair, olive skin, and blue eyes is mine. My brother resembles our father more. He has blond hair, white skin, and gray eyes. His eyes are my mother's. Unless we stand together with our parents it's hard to tell we are related. Today I turn sixteen! I have everything I've ever wanted. Not spoiled though. The valve of life has been instilled in my head. It is definitely not something I would take for granted.
I stroll down the stairs to greet my family at the breakfast table. The feast consisted of all my favorite morning dishes. Scrambled eggs rested in a pot with bacon divinely assorted to its right. Silver-dollar pancakes stacked up high could be a skyscraper. Apple juice floated in a clear pitcher. Our breakfast table is round with four chairs in each quadrant. The seats go my mother, Kaien, my father, and me. "Finally," Kaien says as he dives into the food.
The only time we wait for everyone to come down before we eat is holidays and birthdays. "This all looks great," I say.
"It is for you." My father winks at me. He scoops a chunk of egg and splats it onto his plate. Following was my mother with a pancake. I take a bit of everything.
One of my parent's friends, their mentor, and our neighbor Haymitch comes in. It was shocking to see him awake this early in the day. He wasn't completely drunk yet either. "Did you hear about the Quell?"
My parents paused in their spots. A Quarter Quell only happened when the Games were around. To make them more fun they add a special twist. In the first Quell it was twenty-five years after the start of the Games. The first Quell had the people in the district chose who competed. In the second, twice as many tributes were sent. This was Haymitch's year. The third Quarter Quell my parents had to compete a second time. It called for past victors to compete again. This sparked the revolution. Has Haymitch had a drink? A Quell is not possible. "That can't happen," I say. "Can it?"
"I got a call from Effie this morning," Haymitch answered. Effie Trinket is the person who is in charge of all things business related. Whenever my parents have any appearances or press to do she's there. Always with a new exotic hair color.
My dad wanted to know more. "What did she say?" He grew stiff at the table. The days in the arena still haunt both my mother and father. This is why my dad has his leg and episodes of brainwashing. And the reason why my mother wakes up in the middle of the night screaming.
Haymitch scratched his stubble trying to remember. My mom still sat in silence with just a blank stare running though her. "She told me that a while ago the Capitol decided to only bring back the Games every Quell with a twist. And since it's the fourth Quell there will be a different twist for each district. Announcement's at noon. Mandatory watch."
"Thank you. For telling us ahead." My mom managed to speak. Previous victors have to mentor the new tributes. Both my mother and father will have to mentor two people that are about to be sent to fight for their lives. At this moment it is ten-thirty in the morning. I have an hour and a half until my name goes into the reaping. Being a victor's child, the gun is pointed at me. "Do you want any food? Help yourself."
I joke, "You better hurry. Before Kaien devours it all."
"Nah, I'm on my way out." He leaves.
A ding comes from the oven. My father rose to retrieve the object. He opens the oven door and pulls out a cake. In the cabinet he takes out different kinds of frosting and frosting tools. I walk towards him with a childish grin on his face. "Is that for me?" I held out the 'me' for four counts. A good thing about having your father as a baker is fresh desserts when you come home. When I was little he'd wait until I got home from school to frost them. He would let me pick out the flavors. Even though my choices were more based on color. He even would get the sprinkles that come in cute little shapes. He always guided my hands with the frosting tube to keep it from going all over the room. There were whole weekends we would spend together baking.
As I got older he spent more time baking alone. I would be out with friends, or not want to. Times I would try to assist him I got a cold shoulder. "Yes," he mimicked my tone. "So you have to wait until later to see it."
I hated it when he pushed me away. To boomerang the hate I always pretended I didn't care. "Fine, I have to call Jiarr anyway." I escaped to my room to gain a speck of privacy. Jiarr is my boyfriend. We've been together for five months. He has curly brown hair, green eyes, and olive skin like mine. I pick up my phone and dialed his number. "Hey, Jiarr. It's Prue."
Most families in the Seam couldn't afford a telephones. Those that were fortunate enough to have one did not have caller identification. For him to know who was calling I had to clarify. "And how is the prettiest, most wonderful birthday girl on the planet?" That is why I like him so much. He always praised me and found ways to make me feel extraordinary.
"She's good. She's waiting for her boyfriend to come over," I spoke.
"I was on my way. Until the announcement of a message from the Capitol was called. My mother wants me to wait here until it's over." There is still one hour before the president announces people will have to hand over their children once again for his own pleasures. "Do you know what it's about?"
I could tell him the truth. It's not my place to though. "No, I wonder what it is."
"Weird, being a victor's kid I'd expect you to know something," he says. It's like he knows I'm lying.
"My parents might," I covered. "But they don't tell me these sort of things." I wish I could warn him, prepare him.
He continues, "It must be something important. I mean they've been leaving us alone for a while now."
"I have to start getting birthday ready. Come over as soon as you can," I requested. We agree, and then hang up. By the time I return downstairs there are five minutes until worlds are turned upside down. My family sat closely together in the couch. My mother, Kaien, myself, and my father. Being a victor's child, no matter what the Quell calls, I'm going in. Hopefully they'll spare Kaien. He's only fourteen and may never last. Such a good kid with a great future.
President Clent appeared on the screen. The national anthem began to play. My father gripped my hand tightly. I'm not sure if that was to comfort me or him. Trying to reach for my brother's hand I find they both are occupied. My mother held both of his hands close to her. All of us stare into the screen. Me? Kaien? Both of us? Standing next to President Clent was a boy holding wood box. Opening the lid the president pulls out an envelope marked with a one hundred on it. After the anthem ended the president began to speak. "Good afternoon. One hundred years ago we started the Hunger Games!" How could he be so happy saying that?
Both of my parents shuttered away. Probably thinking about their days in the arena.
President Clent is a hefty man. The remains of his hair are too thin to identify a color. He rips the bandage off and announces the big news. Many of the oldest town's people and some younger will have caught on by now. The box being the big giveaway. "To make sure the Dark Days are never forgotten the Games will be returned every Quell with a twist." Haymitch was right. I could hear the gasps escape through the town. "For the first quarter quell to remind the districts that children died because they initiated violence they had to chose who went into the Games. In the second Quell, because two rebels died for every Capitol citizen, twice as many tributes were sent. In the third and previous Quell to show even the toughest of the tough can't avoid the power of the Capitol, the tributes were chosen from the existing pool of victors." I'm surprised he brought that up. Considering that was the reason for the revolution. Opening the envelope he paused.
The moon could crash down on my house right now and we still wouldn't move.
"For the fourth Quarter Quell to remind each district that they each possess their own characteristics to master their jobs, each district will have their own twist." He unfolded the paper wider to announce each separate twist. We are the last district and will have to hold onto every word. "As a start, Capitol children will be included this year." That was not expected. My parents looked like they understood it. "District One's reaping will go from the ages ten to twenty. District Two the girl chosen will pick the boy. District Three's potential-tribute names will be entered five times for each person. District Four's tribute will be from the oldest children in the families. District Five's wealthiest children will be reaped. District Six's smartest children will be reaped. District Seven will have their most athletic children included. District Eight's school teachers will decide who will be reaped. District Nine's reaping will go from the ages fourteen to eighteen. District Ten's poorest families will be placed in. In District Eleven only those who must apply for tessarae will be placed in the reaping."
Here it comes. The moment of truth. I grasp my father's hand tighter and he holds it like my mother held Kaien's. One, two, three . . .
"Finally, for District Twelve, the children of past victors will be chosen." No. hat made it certain I will go. There are three victors with two children. A girl and a boy. I will have to fight my brother to the death.