II was talking to my friend and I became interested in an idea, so I'm going to try it. Give it a chance.
Shout out to my beta Josh4eva3 for her awesome beta-ing skills!
Chapter 1
Katniss POV
I was in the woods, hunting. I wanted to be sure that if neither Prim, Peeta or I get reaped today, that I would have enough food to make a small feast for our luck. So far, I had a couple of squirrels and a rabbit. I then spotted something brown, which I recognized as a deer, eating leaves. I closed my left eye, aimed, and was about to shoot when a twig snapped. The deer looked up and ran away. I aimed my bow to where I heard my intruder and saw Peeta standing, with his arms up.
"What were you going to do with a deer?"
"Peeta! That was for today!" I said before lowering my bow.
"It's okay, if we all make it out, I'll bring the food" Peeta said. It was now a small tradition that if everyone we cared about got out of the reaping safely; we would hold a small feast at my house to celebrate.
"I don't know if were going to have a feast this year, my odds are definitely not in my favor," I said, with a pronounced Capitol accent. I laughed, but Peeta didn't.
"Don't joke about that," Peeta said quietly. I heard an animal moving closer to us; I could tell it was an animal because I heard four feet, instead of two. I took my bow and silently walked after the animal. It was another rabbit. Once again, I closed my left eye, aimed and released. I heard Peeta trudging closer to me.
"Peeta, you have the loudest footsteps I have ever heard," I said and laughed. I took the rabbit and threw it in my game bag. "Come on, let's go," I said and we both took off to the fence, I easily slipped under and turned around to see Peeta carefully going under it.
"Okay, I'll see you at the justice building," Peeta said. He walked off in the direction of the town, and I walked off in the direction of the Seam.
"Peeta! Good luck, and may the odds be…" I said in my capitol accent.
"Ever in your favor," He said, his tone matching my own. I laughed, and continued to make my way to my house in the Seam. I walked into my house and saw my mother helping Prim with her hair.
"You look pretty, little duck, but tuck your tail in," I said and laughed. It was typical Prim to have a bit of her shirt hanging out.
"I have something for you to wear," My mother said to me in a small, frail voice. I looked to her and I saw her holding a nice, blue dress. Back from her days living in the town. I quickly nodded and took it from her. I wore the dress and walked out.
"Wow, Katniss! You're so pretty!" I heard Prim say, I smiled lightly and looked at her.
"I thought I could do your hair…" My mother said.
"Okay," I said and sat down. My mom then started to work on my hair. I felt her put my hair into a complicated braid. She then stood up and admired her work.
"Thanks," I mumbled. I decided I would head off to the justice building now.
"Come on, Prim," I said. Prim came up and took my hand. We walked to the Justice building.
"Don't worry Prim, they're just going to take a small blood sample, then go and stand with the twelve's, okay?" She nodded and then walked off. I went and stood by the sixteen's. My eyes connected with Peeta's. Peeta gave me a small, forced smile. I just looked at him, and looked at the ground. Our only live victor, Haymitch Abernathy, came up the stage, stumbling before he fell. Peacekeepers came and took him and put him on a chair. We saw Effie Trinket, sporting a light pink wig.
"Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor"
"Ladies first!" When I heard this, I prayed that it wouldn't be Prim or myself. Effie walked over to a glass bowl filled with many, many papers. I saw her slowly put her hand into the bowl and move around before choosing a paper. She unfolded the paper and stepped to the microphone.
"Our 74th Hunger Games female tribute will be Primrose Everdeen!" Everything happened so fast.
"Prim! Prim!" I yelled her name over and over again as I saw her walk up to the stage.
"I volunteer as tribute!" I said, putting my hand up. The crowd fell silent. Prim started sobbing and she hugged me. I saw the peacekeepers ask her to back away but she wouldn't. I then saw Peeta come in and take her. My head was spinning and all I could focus on was the stage.
"Well, I believe there's a process of introducing the original tribute before asking for volunteers…" Effie said uncertainly. No one really knew what happened.
"Who cares?" said the mayor.
"Okay, well, and who might you be?" Effie asked, smiling brightly again.
"Katniss Everdeen," I said into the microphone.
"I'd bet my buttons that was your sister! Didn't want her to steal all the glory did we?" How sick.
"And now, for the male tribute!" Effie then walked over to another bowl, containing thousands of papers. All I could hope for now was that it wouldn't be Peeta. That it would be anyone but Peeta.
"Our 74th Hunger Games male tribute will be Aston Becker," It wasn't Peeta, which I was grateful for. It was a kid from the Seam who couldn't be more than 13 years old. He began trembling uncontrollably and ever so slowly, made his way to the stage. From the stage, I looked over to where Peeta was standing. But he wasn't there. He was running to the stage.
"I volunteer as tribute!" Peeta said. No! He couldn't be doing this.
"Don't Peeta! I will hate you if you do this!" I yelled at him, but I knew that that wouldn't stop him.
"What a turn of events, two volunteers from District 12!" Effie said.
"I like these ones! They've got spunk, more spunk than you!" Haymitch said, it was unclear to whether he was talking to the crowd or the capitol but it didn't matter because he then fell.
"Very well now, shake hands," Effie said as she turned around motioning at Peeta and me. Peeta opened his arms for a hug, and instead of hugging him, I went and started hitting his chest.
"You idiot! You weren't supposed to do this! What if you get hurt in the games? How about our families? You put yourself in danger!" I said as I continued to hit him. Peacekeepers then came and restrained me.
"How about a round of applause for our 74th Hunger Games tributes" Effie said. The crown was silent. Then one man, put his three middle fingers to his lips, kissed his fingers and raised them. The crown soon followed. I knew what this sign meant, it was a sign of respect, or honor. Normally it was used at funerals. That made me feel a whole lot better. The peacekeepers then escorted Peeta and I to the rooms so we could say good-bye to our families and friends. The first people that came in were my mother and Prim. Prim immediately came and hugged me. She was sobbing into my dress.
"Katniss, you shouldn't have done it! I could have gone in. This is all my fault!"
"Prim, listen, its not your fault okay? You have to use Lady and make cheese from now on okay? Trade with the baker or the mayor's daughter, Delly. Find eatable plants, but whatever you do, do not sign up for tesserae!" Prim nodded into my dress and continued to cry.
"Katniss, promise me that you'll try!" Prim said. She knew she couldn't make me promise to try to come home, not with Peeta in the games.
"I promise little duck," I said. I turned to face my mother.
"Don't blackout again. She needs you now" I said. My mother nodded. I pulled her into a hug before the peacekeepers came.
"Katniss! Katniss!" I heard Prim's screams becoming more distant. The next person that came in was Peeta's dad. He was holding a small package from the bakery.
"I'm sorry this had to happen to you," Peeta's father said. "I brought these." He said before handing me the package of pastries. I nodded and looked away.
"He's going to make sure you come out alive, don't worry," He said softly.
"That's the thing! I don want to come out alive! I have nothing to live for! He does, he's the better of us, he is coming out alive," I practically yelled. I didn't know why I was confessing this to Peeta's father of all people, but he just nodded.
"I'll make sure your family is fed, don't worry about them" He said before the peacekeepers came. He stood up, gave me one last look. "Good luck, Katniss," He said before walking out. I sat there for a while before the door opened again. I don't know who it would be; I wasn't exactly Miss Popular in District 12. I preferred being alone. I saw long blonde hair and recognized it as Delly.
"Hi," She said softly.
"Hi," I said back. The reason Delly and I got along so well was because we both preferred speaking only few words. She took something out of her pocket, and unwrapped it. It was a gold mocking jay pin.
"This is for you," She said softly. I didn't understand. What would I do with that?
"Tributes are allowed to wear something from their District as a token, I was hoping you could wear this," she said. Now I understood. I nodded and took it from her hand. She hugged me and the Peacekeepers came in.
"Good luck, Katniss," She said before walking out.
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