Hello All (or few). This is another one of my ideas for a story so let me know what you think. Reviews are always appreciated.
I do NOT own the Hunger Games.
Prologue:
Numbness. That was all I could feel at this point. I no longer felt the hunger, the pain, the cold, the despair…and as much as I know I should have I no longer had the capacity to think of anything besides the numbness that before had only threatened to consume me, never fully capturing me until today. The pouring rain in the cold no longer registered as I lay in the wet smelly alley somewhere in district 12.
I had gotten food to her today right? Surely I must have, my actions were becoming robotic and automatic, but I must have at some point, right? As this thought began to regisgter I made myself stir. I began to look around as if Prim would be right beside me to give me answers, instead of the safe place I hid her during the day while I tried to find food for us. Even if the hunger would finally take me today I wanted to be sure that Prim was at least fed something so she would not face the same fate.
As I looked around me buildings seemed to be blurry, in a haze of exhaustion and hunger and despair. How long had it been since I had eaten? Days are meaningless once you no longer feel the hunger. It had been more than three at least, but it had been even longer since the food came from somewhere else besides the garbage bins around town. As I continued to look around desperately searching through the haze one building came into focus. Well, not exactly a building but a house, while it may not hold promise to others I knew who lived there. But was I desperate enough to go there? Would I rather risk being arrested if I was rejected? Was I willing to face the price of going there? Or if I did not go I risked not being able to feed Prim. I contemplated this for a while and then found the will to stand and start stumbling my way to the house.
For Prim
Each footstep seemed to be more painful than the last, going up the few steps to that house seemed to drain more energy from me than I knew I had. The only thought that allowed me to take each step was thinking of being able to feed Prim for at least another few meals; to ensure us being together for one more day.
For Prim
For Food
I stepped up to the porch and noted that I was not alone on the porch I saw two other women there, no one made eye contact with me. We all knew what standing on the steps to Peacekeeper Cray's house meant, what drove this action. I was resigned to the fact that since this was my first time here, the odds of me being selected was higher than these other ladies.
Well at least for once, the odds were in my favor.
For Prim
For Food
For Prim
Over the sound of rainfall I became aware of two things. The sound of a lock turning at the front door, signaling Cray making his way to see who had come to his house needing money for the price of an evening with him. The second thing was more footsteps coming up the porch. Something was off about these steps though, they were more hurried, not like a dejected woman, they sounded determined or even desperate.
Nervousness began to consume me and my resolve began to waver as I heard the doorknob begin to turn.
For Prim
For Food
For a Future
For Prim
I would not let my fear show I decided. I turned my face towards the door to face my fate determinately, the same time that I felt a hand grab my arm.
I whirled around startled and frightened, expecting to find a different peacekeeper that had recognized me and was here to arrest me, but instead was met by blue eyes that were horrified, desperate, and pleading.
"Please don't, Katniss" Peeta Mellark pleaded softly as he stared at me with those crystal eyes full of compassion and sorrow. "Don't do it."