The Hunger Games – Peeta Mellark Story

1

Have you ever had that feeling of waking up and knowing today is going to be the worst? We am 100% sure that it will be today. I reach for my older brother, Tim but he's gone already kneading the bread helping my father with the baking, showing off like always. I'm shaking right through my body like always every year on this day. Of course I am it's the day of the reaping. I lean up against the wall and notice across the room my sleeping brother as soundly as a lamb. I get dressed and head into the shop I head over to the decorating pipes and begin. The swirling motions in my hand flow down onto the cakes my father says I have a talent my mother says otherwise.

I finish off the cakes that were cooked yesterday and set off to the market for the daily 100lbs of flour. I pass like always the soup shop but I have to stop because there was no denying the ever-lasting love I have for Katniss Everdeen. She sits there eating soup with her friend that sells it and with the Peacekeeper, Darius. Her smile glistens in the afternoon sun but doesn't quite reach her eyes as they carry the sorrow of her beloved father's death. My eyes still fascinated on her as I walk over to the stall next to her which is ran by the same person and trade a mocking jay pin I found in my back garden for money. As I am still watching Katniss I go across the way to the flour shop and I pay Sally and carry the 100lb sack of flour all the way home, but just as I am leaving I notice the Mayor's daughter, Madge walk over and buy the mocking jay pin.

Just as I reach the door of my house it opens. "Where have you been this day is not a time to go flour shopping!" screeches my mother, "Go get your brother's hand-me-downs and put them on, comb your hair and wash your face, now!" Of course I have to go but I can't help but mumble under my breath that I would have had to even if I hadn't. I get a beating up the backside and instantly know not to cross the line any further. This of course is natural for me, as I am the youngest I am the one to always be in the wrong. I get washed and dressed and go downstairs to comb my hair, to come to another argument between my mother and father.

"What have I told you? They go past the barriers Gerald! I will tell the Mayor. Tim, Fred and I will not eat any of that disgusting wild squirrels, I don't care what you and Peeta do anymore!" my mother shouts. "But Martha it's cheaper and fresher coming from Katniss and Gale! And anyway the Mayor knows and even buys off them!" my father shouts back. "Forget it! Snaps my mother. I slip past them and through the door in among the crowds of 12 – 18 year olds. My names only in 7 times this year as the harvest was pretty good but there is still a chance. You become eligible for the reaping the day you turn twelve. That year, your name is entered once then the next year it's two and so on until when your eighteen that's the year your name is put in seven times. Fred's name is in seven times because he's eighteen and I'm the one who always takes the tesserae.

I follow the silent crowds down the street which like always is full of gloom we will walk back on this path at 3:00pm with two less people and probably the population will stay down by two. Unless of course you live in the poorer part of District 12 nicknamed the Seam then at least you've always got the advantage of used to being low on food. Katniss would be great in the games as she is not only used to be low on food sometimes but can also hunt. Every day in the early morning you can hear the very, very faint footsteps of someone walking along the path outside and whenever I look (which is every day) it's always Katniss with her game bag going out past the border to hunt some wild creatures. She is amazing though every time she knocks on the back door I peek round my father and see her pulling an arrow out of its eye. Every time she does this and every time there is no other damaged part of the meat. The only reason I ever recognised her was just before our first day of school my father pointed her out and said to me "You see that girl there? I wanted to marry her mother." "Why didn't she?" I ask "Because she married a miner who when he sings all the birds stop to listen." And that day during a lesson the teacher asked who knows the valley song and her hand shot straight up and I swear when she sung all the birds outside stopped to listen. That's when I knew she was the one.

I finally reach the square where the reaping is held, I join a line that contains all the 16 year old boys. I get to the front and like usual there is a peacekeeper in a whit uniform asking for my finger. If you reject you end up getting yourself killed it happens at least every two years when an eighteen year old tries out smart the Capitol but it never works because if you are missing they will search you down and if they can't find you they just kill your family instead. I search for Katniss in on the left where all the girls stand and I just spot a girl with her hair braided back and she turns no doubt looking for her sister Prim as it's her first reaping and I immediately know it's her.

All of a sudden I get distracted, by Effie Trinket (District 12 escort for the games) taps on the microphone. This year she decided to have a bright pink wig with a pink rose. This changes all the time and I think this is the most calming colour she has ever had on her wig. Before she begins she welcomes in Mayor Undersea who then makes a long speech it's the same every year so I tend not to listen. "Well thank you Mayor Undersea. Now a film brought to you all the way from the Capitol." Interrupts Effie Trinket. The film is all about the reason behind the Hunger Games which is referring back 74 years and how the uprising brought this upon us. The film then finishes as numerous 12 year olds burst into tears, but Effie just ignores them and carries on. "Now please give a round of applause to the last victor, Haymitch Abernathy." She says a little sadly. District 12 over the 74 years has had exactly two victors one of which passed away so that leaves the alcoholic Haymitch is one of the reasons no escort or stylists wants to work with District 12 all because of him. Most of the time he doesn't even stop drinking to mentor the tributes in the arena.

Haymitch comes stumbling on to the stage as drunk as ever and makes a head dive off the stage. Two peacekeepers run to his assistance and drag him away. "Right then back to sanity. As usual ladies first." Says Effie pretty embarrassed by Haymitch. She walks across the stage to a bowl full of girls names; her hand swirls around the dish and grabs a slip of paper. She walks back to the microphone, her scary smile still upon her face. She says the worst name I could think to choose. Primrose Everdeen.

Thanks, for reading! Hope you enjoyed it, if you have any cool twists in the story that I could write about later on the story, please tell me and i'll include ideas.

I'm sorry if I make my chapters long I just loose myself in writing.

Love you all!

P.S. Later on in the week I'll be downloading another story called Willow and Rye's Story make sure you look out for it!