Part 1: "The Tributes"
1
"Peeta. Peeta. Peeta! Wake up, sleepyhead." I open my eyes and look up into the dark hazel eyes of Nat. I smile up into the smiling face.
"Hey, don't forget about me!" I laugh without thinking about and turn my head to Mitch and see his slightly pouting face.
"Mitch, don't be a baby. That's cute little Peeta's job," I turn and look back at Nat's now smirking face.
"By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Yell both of the taller and older boys at me. My smile grows into a giant, teeth showing smile. Both Mitch and Nat have giant smiles on their faces. "Well, get dressed so we can go," Mitch says quickly.
Both of them exit my room and I quickly jump out of my bed quickly and put on some clothes from the floor and run out of the room. Both Mitch and Nat are standing by the door waiting for me. They both look towards me and smile again. I slip on my shoes and the three of us walk out.
Then, everything around me changes. Four Peacekeepers come and take Nat and Mitch away, but both of them are fighting.
"Peeta. Peeta!" They both scream at me from the top of their lungs. I can't move, all I can do is watch as the Peacekeepers beat them both until all they are is just bloody bodies. "Peeta, why didn't you save us?" They whisper with their last breaths.
"NO!" I sit up with a speed that makes me lightheaded. I'm covered in a thin coat of sweat covering my day that haunts my family has arrived once again. The day two out of my three older brothers were reaped within two years. For the sixty-eighth Games, Nathanial, the older of the twins and of all the Mellark brothers, was reaped to play in the Capital's Games but the strange part was that they showed us the opening ceremonies and the tribute interviews but they didn't show any part of the actual games. But they did say that no one survived through the games about five days after it had started. So my oldest brother never returned home, not even his body came to us.
Mitchell or Mitch as we would call him, loss not only an older brother that day but his older twin brother. After grieving the loss of Nat who died at the young age of seventeen, the sixty-ninth Games rolled around and Mitch had to stand in the group of eighteen year olds by himself with no Nat next to him. And then the unthinkable happened, he was reaped. As his name was called everyone in the square stared at the woman with the strange hair and clothing as Mitch stood tall and walked up the steps to the strange woman who lead Nat to his death just the previous year. Again, all we saw of the sixty-ninth was the opening ceremonies and the interviews nothing of the Games and again there was no victor.
I know I have to get up and go to the woods, the only place I can call home since they both died when I was only nine and then ten, but I know Gale will understand if I don't make it. But, also I'm the better hunter of the two of us since "The Twins", as everyone references my oldest brothers to, had taught since I was old enough to start helping in the bakery, teaching me how to use knives, bow and arrows and swords to protect myself and to hunt game also how to make my own weapons. I hoist myself out of my hard and uncomfortable bed and grab some clothes off the floor and pull them and then go downstairs to grab my game bag and a loaf of bread for Gale and I.
I walk quietly through the early morning and go straight to the "electric" fence which we all know is just about never having electricity running down it. My brothers taught me long ago that the fence was never alive but to just check and see if you heard a bug like sound coming from it, then you knew that for some reason it was awake.
Thinking about Nat and Mitch again isn't going to make it better. I've got to stop myself before it hits me again. Distracting myself by looking for the hidden weapons in the forest didn't really help my thoughts. I go to the tree with the long deep hole in a part that was originally rotting and pull out my five hunter knives. Even though they taught me how to use all different types of weapons I always stick to my hunting knives but a sword isn't bad at all either.
Even though hunting in the deep, thick forest is illegal and poaching is one way to defiantly sign your death certificate, most people would risk it if they had the weapons. But, most don't or they don't have the confidence to go out and try it. Even if they did go out the Peacekeepers would just turn their back if people do go into the woods since their just as hunger as most of the district. I'm one of the slightly more lucky ones since I leave in a bakery but we still only eat the stale bread, but my brothers had the courage to go out and hunt for meat so we would have something to eat. Dammit! I'm thinking of them again!
"Peeta!" yelled my hunting companion, Gale. I've never been happier to hear his rich voice call out to me.
"Hey," I answer as the older boy stops in front of me, I smile and give him a friendly hug. He may be taller than me and older but I'm defiantly stronger and more muscular.
"So how are you on this every so depressing day?" The way he phrases his sentence makes me want to laugh.
"Well, I've been think about them since I woke up this morning so I guess same as always," my usual cheerful grin falling down into a more saddened frown. "But, I promise not to for the time while we're in here," I say quickly as to not make my depression rub onto him. I bring the loaf of bread out of my bag and tear it in half giving Gale one part.
"Hey, thanks baker boy," he smiles at me at me using my nickname. My normal grin comes back on my face and we both begin to eat our bread and walk towards our spot. We walk side by side until we reach our rock ledge that overlooks most of the forest but, still has bushes to protect us from the chance of being seen. "Oh! I almost forgot! Happy Hunger Games!" He states as we sit down on the ledge using the ridiculous Capital accent. Even with the thoughts of the reaping just hours away, Gale can still make me smile brightly. "And may the odds-" he picks some dark blackberries and throws one at me.
"be ever in your favor." I say in the same Capital accent he used as I pop the berry in mouth and taste the sweetness mixed with bitterness erupts on my tongue. We both laugh since if we don't we would be crying and he's trying to make me forget what's happened years ago. I rest my head gently on his shoulder and his arm wraps around my shoulders giving me a squeeze. We eat our sweet yet bitter berries and the bread I made last night as a breakfast most people would love to have.
"We could do it you know," comes Gale's soft voice.
"What?" I ask him with curiosity clear in my voice.
"Leave. Leave the district, live in the woods," his answer is easy
I don't know how to answer. Ever since my brothers had gone into the Games the woods have been my only real home but with Gale's younger brothers and sister how could we? "Gale, how?" I whisper to him.
"I don't know I just know we could," he answers after a minute.
"Yeah, you're probably right," I whisper to him. Now the topic we're on doesn't feel quite right. I have a feeling we could make it but to risk it with James, Rory and little Posy. I don't know. "What do you want to do now?" I ask trying to change the topic at hand.
"Let's hunt," he answers standing up. I quickly stand up and Gale brings out his knives and I reach for mine in my belt.
"Let's go then," I say.
We make out good. By late noon we have twelve squirrels, four rabbits, a bag of greens and, best of all, a gallon of strawberries. Looks like I'll be visiting Madge. On the way home we stop at the Hob. It's similar to a black market, seeing how we trade illegally. But, we wind up selling two rabbits for salt and four squirrels for some oil. We stop by Greasy Sae, a bony old woman who sells hot soap. We trade another three squirrels for some hot soap and then we leave and head towards Madge's.
We sell half of the strawberries at the mayor's backdoor to Madge and we talk a little. Today for the reaping her normal school outfit has been replaced by a soft spring green dress that stops at her knees and her hair is pulled back into a half bun with a ribbon on a similar color.
"Pretty dress," Gale says after staying quiet during most of the conversation.
"Well, if I end up in the Capital, I need to look my best right?" She answers with a straight mouth. It's sad that even the mayor's daughter has to also have to be in the reapings.
"Not like you'll actually wind up going," he states in a cool tone. His voice holds a little bitterness in it since he doesn't have a fondest for her, I know, but he doesn't have to be rude. "What do you have five entries? I had six when I was twelve."
"It's not her fault Gale," I answer smoothly. I know that Gale has forty-two slips but I still don't think he should be cruel. I understand why he would be upset, someone like Madge who's never had a reason to put her name in more times for tesserae would make him mad. He's put his name in extra times to put some food on his family's table while she's lived a life of luxury.
"No, it's not. I'm just saying what comes to mind," I can see the hint of angry growing in his eyes. I rest my hand gently on his strong bicep, he maybe have thick biceps but I have even thicker.
Madge presses the money for the berries in my hand. "Good luck," she whispers.
"You too," I whisper back. "Let's go, Gale."
We walk back together in silence. When we get closer to the bakery Gale stops and places a hand on my shoulder. I turn and look at him. "I'm sorry," he whispers.
"It's not me how you should say sorry too," I answer back.
"I know." I stare up into his eyes. Then drag him down an empty alley.
"Here," I whisper and place two rabbits and a squirrel in his hands. He quickly puts them in his bag. As I start to pour some strawberries out he stops me.
"You take them," he answers my unasked question. "Make a pretty cake with them," he smiles. I can't help the smirk tug on my lips.
"Okay," I answer. "See you in the square."
"Wear something nice," he smiles and turns around, walking away.
At home I see that Warren is ready and so is my mother and father. After I set the squirrels on the table I go up to the bathroom. A tub of warm water is waiting for me so I strip and start scrubbing off the dirt and sweat of my body and my hair. I climb out once the thick layer of dirt and grime is gone. After drying my body off I walk into my room seeing my father standing there.
"Here," his voice is soft like always but holds a roughness deep inside it.
"Thanks," I say as I take the clothes from his hand as he leaves the room to give me space. I pull on the creamy brown pants and the sky blue shirt in time for Warren to knock on my door. "Yeah."
"Hey, want me to do something about that hair?" He smiles at me lightly and I nod my head. He brushes my coarse hair out with the hairbrush then slicks it back. Not my favorite way to have my hair but it looks good.
Warren and I walk down the stairs to our parents and then silently we ll had to the square. My parents and Warren go to the waiting section for Warren is now nineteen and they're my parents. I walk to the check in station and watch as they check my blood. Yup, still just Peeta Mellark. Then walking to the place where all the sixteen year olds stand I wait for everything to begin. I don't wait long before Effie Trinket walks up to the microphone.
"Happy Hunger Games, District Twelve. And may the odds be ever in your favor. But before we begin we have a little video for you all to watch," her Capitol accent strong and annoyingly high.
I blank out the video since it's the same one every year decide to look for Gale. I see him standing with the other eighteen years old and smile when he catches my eye. He gives me a half smile back just as Effie calls our attention back to her.
"Now, for the choosing," her sickly sweet smile makes me gag a little as she walks over to the bowl holding the female names. "Ladies first," she says as her hand dives into the bowl and pulling out one envelop. As she walks back to the podium you can feel the thickness in the air as she opens the envelop. She clears her throat before speaking again, "Katniss Everdeen."
Katniss. Katniss Everdeen. The healer who rivals even her mother. Wow. It's a sham to lose her. I see Katniss standing up there shaking like a leaf and the look of panic clear on her face.
Now Effie walks over to the bowl filled with the male names. As she walks back to the microphone I have a sick feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. "Peeta Mellark." Yup, defiantly something bad.
I sigh a little and stand straighter than ever and walk over to the stage and up the stairs. Pull yourself together. This not the time to look weak. I stand there glaring at the camera focused on my reaction.
Again I tune out the speaking but this time the mayor's but still it's the same every year. After he finishes Effie instructs Katniss and I to shake hands. I put out my much larger hand and gently shake hers since I didn't want to break her.
Then, after it all Effie leads us into the Justice Building.