It's not me. It's Primrose Everdeen.
I try to find Prim between all the 12 aged girls, which is not too hard as all the girls part their way for her. She is standing there, all frozen, not knowing what to do.
"Come up here, little girl," I hear Effie saying with her annoying Capitol accent. As I see Prim walking up to the stage, I just have to do something. I make my way through the girls of my age, trying to get to Prim.
"Prim!" I shout at my little sister, just a few meters in front of me, muffling back in her duck tail. The Guards hold me back, or at least try to do so. Prim turns around, standing there frozen again, looking at me more scared than ever. She looks so fragile.
"I volunteer!" The Guards let me go. "I volunteer as Tribute!" I shout at the stage, not looking at Prim anymore. I don't want to see the look on her face right now.
"No, I won't let you!" Suddenly I have to look at Prim, she is standing right in front of me, keeping me from volunteering. I go down on my knees and hold her by her shoulders.
"Prim, let me do this, please. I can't let you go out there, it is so dangerous!"
"No, Katniss, no! Why should I let you go out there then? It's dangerous for you too! And I won't be able to take care of mom like you can!"
"Well, it seems like there is a little confusion right now…" I hear Effie saying. I just ignore her, I can't let Prim go.
"Prim you can take care of her too! Of course you can, you can make cheese from Lady's milk or you can just sell the milk as well. You can do this, let me go," I'm begging her to let me go into the Arena. Who would have ever thought I would be volunteering for the Games, or begging to go for that matter?
"No, I'm going, you have to take care of mom," she says, looking at me with a glance I have never seen on my little sister before. She looks so determined to save me, but I want to do exactly the same for her. She turns around and continues talking to Effie.
"I want to go," she says, tears in her eyes, but still trying to smile to comfort me a little. I stand up, wanting to say something, but Effie beats me to it.
"I'm sorry, dear girl, but if the original Tribute wants to go, they go. Come up here, Primrose, there you go," she says. I can see Effie is bringing Prim to her place with an arm around her little shoulder, before I collapse on the ground.
My dress is covered in dirt from collapsing on the ground when I wake up on a little bench. My mother is beside me, looking at me as I wake up. She looks so fragile, but at the same time stronger than I have seen her in the last couple of years. How is that possible, her youngest is about to go off to the Games, the terrible Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favour, well, they sure aren't in our favour this year.
"We can almost see her," my mother says. I look around me and realise we're in the Justice Building. Before I can say anything, I see Madge approaching in the hallway. When I catch her eye, we smile a little. We know each other from school, as we are both different than the other girls. When she is standing right in front of me, she takes my hand and puts in a pin.
"Please give it to Prim, it's for good luck. I hope it will actually bring good luck this time," she says. I look at her with a strange look, I have no clue what she is talking about, until I feel my mom shivering next to me. When I look at her, she starts explaining.
"It has been Maysilee's, she used to be my best friend, until she…" I can feel my mother is holding back her tears. "Until she was killed in the 50th Hunger Games."
"And Maysilee was my mother's twin sister, so she would have been my aunt," Madge explains to me. I suddenly feel sympathy for my mother, which I haven't felt for years. This is the second time someone close to her is going into the Arena and most likely not coming back.
The Guards approach in the hallway and finally take us to Prim. They stop in front of a door, saying nothing. Assuming we can just go in, I open the door and see Prim standing at the window. When she turns around, I can't hold in my tears anymore and neither can my mother. Prim's eyes are red from crying and her cheeks are red from her wiping off her tears.
"Why did you do this, Prim? You know I didn't want you to go," I say, hugging her together with my mother.
"But I didn't want you to go either, Katniss! I know you can save mom, I can't! You can get food, I can't!" "But Prim..."
"There was never any good option anyway," my mother says. I know she is right, it's not like I really wanted to go in there. But I for sure didn't want my little sister to go either. I know my mom can't make a decision between either of her daughters and I don't expect her to, but this comment is not helping right now.
"Prim, just try to hide in there. You know a lot about plants, you can use that. Just try to make it out there alive, you little duck," I say to her, trying to get hold of my tears and holding Prim close to me.
"But he can help me, we already talked about it! We will work together and try to make it out there alive!" Prim is saying, trying to comfort me. I realise I don't even know who the Tribute boy is, as I collapsed when Prim got on stage.
"Who are you talking about, Prim? Who is the Tribute Boy?"
"You don't know?" Prim asked me, totally confused.
"She collapsed after you went on stage honey, she couldn't have possibly known…" my mom says to Prim.
"Who is the Tribute boy?"
"Well, Peeta Mellark, you know, the baker's son, was reaped, but then…" Prim hesitates and looks at our mother.
"Then what? Come on, just tell me already!"
"Gale volunteered."