[I do not own any of the characters, nor do I own the original work The Hunger Games in which these characters come from originally. These all belong to Suzanne Collins.]
"It's your first day of sixth grade, Prim! Aren't you excited?" I run my little sister's brush through her thin blonde hair, making sure to tug gently on the tangles. She's always been softheaded, and I hate when she cringes as someone yanks a brush carelessly through her pretty hair.
"I don't know, Katniss… Doesn't the middle school I'm going to open later than your school?" Little Prim turns her doe-like eyes to me, and I see her dainty eyebrows curled nervously. Her pale lips are pulled into a worried frown, and the rosiness that often inhabits her cheeks is not there.
Sighing, she's pulled into my lap by my long, tan arms, and I run my fingers over her cheek. "Hey, there's nothing to worry about. Just stick with Rory, he's an eighth grader this year. He'll watch out for you. Besides, even if he doesn't, you have your other friends, right? There's nothing to be worried about."
My sister sighs and pulls back to look me in the eyes. She's smiling a little now, and I give her a warm smile in return. "I guess you're right, but I don't like the idea of going alone. Even with Rory."
"You'll be fine," I promise, and kiss her forehead gently.
"You ready, Catnip?" A deep voice resonates from the doorway, and I nod.
"Ready, Gale." I hug Primrose one last time, promise again that today will be great and run my brush through that beautiful golden hair again for a moment. Then I stand, pulling my jacket on and grabbing my backpack to head after Gale, who's already heading out into the kitchen. He'll be a senior this year. I will be a sophomore. He's held the spot on the "Top Ten Hottest Guys In School" list in the girl's bathrooms for two years running, and I'm… Well, a wallflower. I have never kissed a boy before, I've never had sex and I've never dated. I've only been asked out once, and that was by Peeta. He's not my type. I'd rather date the School Resource Officer, Darius, the twenty-one year old child. And that isn't even legal, because I'm only sixteen. Anyway, he isn't the SRO, not really. He's more of an assistant, but Officer Cray almost never shows up for work, and when he does, he is usually drunk or hung-over, and spends the day asleep at his desk.
I ponder what it's like to be popular as I pass Rory. He's helped himself to bread and jam, and he's shoving the sticky mess into his mouth. I roll my eyes at him. "Who let a five-year-old into eighth grade?" I tease, smiling a little. I've known him since he was seven, when eating like that could be waved off as an age-related habit, something that he'd grow out of.
He chews up the bite and rubs at his mouth with the back of his hand. "Shut up, Katniss!" He replies, giggling like a little kid. I swear, that boy needs to be five again. I think he misses it.
"Hey, take care of Prim at school today, will you?" I ask as I pull my keys off the ring hanging by the front door. Mom has taken the courtesy to place a neon yellow sticky note just above where my key ring was hanging, with writing in navy blue. I pull it off the wooden coat rack and squint to read what it says. It's just something from Mom about having a nice day, and not forgetting my keys. I crumple the note and toss it in the trash as I pass it. "It's her first day of sixth grade." He already knows, but it doesn't help to remind him.
"Alright, Katniss."
I send a farewell nod to the dark-haired boy as I open the door and cast one last glance around the kitchen before I leave. There's dishes in the sink still, telling me that Mom must have had to leave for work rather quickly today. She owns the local clinic down the street, and during the summer Prim helps her out. Normally, when she rushes to get out the door, it means someone is already there and has called her emergency number.
Gale follows me outside, messing with his gray t-shirt silently. I'm not sure what's up with him, though, so I turn around. "You alright?"
He says nothing, only heads toward his car. I can see ten-year-old Vick in the back, waving wildly at me through the window, and Posy, squirming in her car seat, grins at the sight of us. Posy's five, and because of her early birthday, she's starting kindergarten today. Vick is going into fourth grade.
Gale yanks the passenger door to the 1993 Impala open and doesn't wait for me before he goes around the front of the car and opens his own door.
I roll my eyes. "Are you on your guy period this week?" That's what Madge and I refer to when boys seem to have a set time when they're more pissy and obnoxious than usual. Madge is one of my only other friends that I could trust with my life. She's got nice gold hair, and she's the vice principal's daughter. She and I are quiet around most people, but she's a lot of fun to be with. She and I have known each other since middle school, but only eighth grade did we really start to hang out and talk. I must say, after your best friend has been a boy since fifth grade, it's nice to have a female friend. Besides, she understands PMS. Gale always gives me this blank look that's half confusion, half terror.
He glowers at me and climbs in, making a point to slam the door. I should know he'd behave like this. He's always upset the first day of school, as he hates our principal. Principal Snow. It's a very large school. Elementary, middle and high are all tied together on the same grounds, but all the times are different. The high school is smallest, though I'm not sure why. Wouldn't they assume that if they have to shove fifty kids in each elementary class, wouldn't they have to do the same for high school classes? I only realize later it's because most kids don't survive middle school.
I sit down in the beaten down, black car, pulling my door closed. Posy is squealing in the back seat. "Hi, Kat!" The little girl cries, waving a small hand at me. She looks just like her mother, with dark reddish brown hair and pale skin. Nothing like her brothers or her father. Gale and his two brothers take after their dad, Michael. He was a construction worker with my dad, Jason. They were both killed in the same accident. While Gale, Rory and Vick do look a lot like their blood, the dark hair, tan skin and stormy gray eyes are nothing to be taken aback by around here. More often than not, in this area, you could get two blonds or two redheads together and end up with a dark haired, olive-toned, gray eyed baby with no confusions or wondering on where the genes came from. It was just the kind of thing to be expected here. Blonds and gingers were a lot less common. There's a girl at school, Lavinia. She's got red hair. Darius is ginger too, and always tries to get a kiss out of me by promising that redheaded guys have the most stamina during sex, and the most powerful sex drive over all. It's all senseless teasing, though. I'm not interested, and even if I was, I couldn't be looked at by him until I was eighteen. No one ever said he was the best officer or role-model, flirting with high schoolers, but when I was in eighth grade, he was a senior, so he had probably seen me around a bit. I know he and Gale hung out a lot before I caught up in high school, and I'd consider the officer a pretty close friend.
Prim and my mother and Madge aren't very common, either. Mom's hair is a honey color with silver lacing its shining fingers through her roots. Prim has got the prettiest golden hair you could ever find, and Madge has been blessed with platinum blonde. There's not many boys with blond hair that I'm friendly with. Peeta's got a dirty blond mixture and blue eyes, but his skin is tanned. I am part of the majority. Dark brown hair with gray eyes and olive skin. And I'm okay with that.
I smile at the little girl. "Hey, Posy, hey Vick. Are you two ready for school?"
Posy's pale face lights up at my mention of school, but Vick's face turns downcast and he looks outside the window. "No!"
I frown. Normally, Vick is excited for school. He isn't the best student, but he gets on well. "You loved school last year, what's changed?"
Gale chuckles. "I'll tell ya' later, Catnip," he says. I want to hear the problem from Vick, but he doesn't attempt to open his mouth or even let me know that he heard me, so after a moment I turn around in my seat, putting on my seatbelt. As Gale pulls out of the driveway, I stare out the car window and I begin to daydream about how the year will go.