The gong sounds. I run away from the scene, but I am not fast enough. A pack of wolves are there, staring at me hungrily. I scream and run in the opposite direction, my eyes closed, my head thinking "I am going to die, I am going to die, I am going to die." I do not hear the wolves' angry snarls any more, and I sigh with relief, realising that they must have left. I suddenly hear a voice.
'You are going to die!' I open my eyes to see a huge boy holding a sword. I scream and try to run, but the boy grabs me. He then turns into Katniss, but she has fanged teeth dripping with blood. I scream, but she will not let me go. She bites my arm, and I scream in pain. Her teeth go towards my neck…
I wake, wet with sweat, but even so freezing cold and shivering. My head whips from side-to-side, expecting to see the boy or a fanged Katniss poised to attack. I do see Katniss, but she is the same, kind, loving sister that I have always had. She looks so beautiful in sleep, her dark hair spread around her shoulders, her usual grey eyes fluttered closed. I cannot get back to sleep. All I can imagine is my name being drawn out from the reaping ball, going to the Capitol, and being thrown into the arena, with 23 other tributes out to kill me. My heart rate increases, and it's all I can do not to scream. I roll over towards Katniss, trying to warm myself, but her body is scrunched up into a little ball, and it is hard. I climb out of bed and see that mother, as usual, has a vacant space on her mattress. I slide in with her, and encase myself in her body, so that her warm cheek presses against mine. I feel Buttercup press himself up against my knees, guarding me. This is comforting, and after a while I feel myself fall asleep.
I wake and see that it is still dark outside. I tiptoe to the window and see pale grey light, allowing me to see the silhouettes of trees, signalling morning. I notice that Katniss is not in bed, which means she has gone hunting. I look on the table, and see that the goat's cheese I left her is gone, meaning that she has taken it into the woods to share with Gale. Gale. The only person who has Katniss' full trust; even I am not taken seriously by Katniss sometimes. I feel something brush against my leg. I reach down and stroke Buttercup's soft fur, who rewards me with a lick on the hand. I don't bother changing, knowing that I will have to change into my reaping outfit soon anyway. I have to tent to Lady. I tiptoe out into the back yard and find Lady, chewing on a tuft of yellow grass. I go to the small wooden shed and take the red bucket out. I place it under Lady and begin to milk her, until half the bucket is full. I reward Lady by feeding her a handful of my tessera grain. Katniss would not be happy if she found out I fed Lady some of my tessera grain, but I never tell her. I stay with Lady for another five minutes, stroking her head, until mother comes outside and in a hushed voice tells me that it's time to get ready.
When I get inside I pour the milk in a container and put it in the cupboard to stop it going sour. Mother has boiled the kettle a few times to make the water I am to bathe in warm. I undress and wash off the dirt from outside, and wash my hair. Mother has laid out my first reaping outfit; a long grey skirt and a slightly ruffled white blouse. I dry myself and pull on the outfit. I feel a bit more comforted, knowing that I am wearing the exact same outfit that Katniss wore at her first reaping. It's a bit too big on me though.
'Mother?' I say in a voice barely audible.
'Yes Prim?' She says in a voice equally quiet.
'This outfit is a bit too big on me.' She comes over with a container full of pins and pins the skirt into place. She tries to pin my blouse into place too, but I can feel that the back of it has become untucked. Oh well I think. It doesn't matter what I look like if I'm going to die. But I tuck it in anyway. My stomach fills with… Butterflies sounds to innocent. Snakes. My stomach fills with a writhing mass of snakes. Mother hands me my soft grey shoes and then gets herself dressed into a pretty light grey dress. Just then, the door opens and there is Katniss, holding fish, greens, strawberries, high quality bakery bread, and a small amount of money. My eyes light up at the food. She gets into the bath and washes herself, then goes over to the bed where mother has laid out one of her old dresses, a light blue one with matching shoes.
'Are you sure?' She asks when she sees the dress.
'Of course. Let's put your hair up too,' Mother says quietly. She towel dries Katniss' hair and braids it up on her head. She looks utterly unrecognisable.
'You look beautiful.' I whisper to her.
'And nothing like myself.' She replies with a hug. She stands there, and I see a flicker of sadness in her eyes.
'Tuck your tail in, little duck.' She says, tucking my blouse into place. I giggle and manage to give her a small "Quack".
'Quack yourself.' She says with a short laugh.
'Come on, let's eat.' Katniss plants a swift kiss on the top of my head. Mother and Katniss decide to save all the things Katniss brought home for tonight, when we have a feast because neither of us was chosen for the reaping. If neither of us are chosen for the reaping my mind says.
'Prim, did you milk Lady?' Katniss brings me back to the real world. I go over and open the cupboard and with shaking fingers, pour the milk into three glasses. We also have some bread that mother makes out of the tessera grain, but I don't eat much. I'm too nervous.
When the old clock on the wall shows that it's one o'clock, we head for the square. I love the square. All the shops that surround it, where I sell Lady's milk and cheese. The few lone trees that have been there longer than anyone can remember. But most of all, the Justice building, with its tall, striking towers and old, porcelain white walls. The only time I do not enjoy visiting the square is the Reaping day, and today is the first Reaping where I have actually been eligible to have my name entered into the Reaping ball. Katniss didn't allow me to apply for tessera, and she says that it's nearly impossible for my name to be picked, but it doesn't matter. I feel horrible. As we silently sign in, I see two of my friends; Brooke and Lily, looking just as scared as me. The Peacekeeper pricks my finger and it's all I can do not to yank my hand away. Just before Katniss and I separate to the area for our age group, she gives me one last hug. I then walk stiffly to the back of the roped off area, and find myself standing in-between two other twelve year old girls. I can't really see the stage that well, but I get a quick glimpse of Effie Trinket, with white lips, pink hair, and a green suit. The clock suddenly strikes two, and the Mayor steps up to the microphone and reads the History of Panem, about how it used to be a place called North America, how it was destroyed by a series of natural disasters and then a violent war. He tells us about the uprisings, how District Thirteen was destroyed, and how the Hunger Games started. He concludes the speech by reading out the most recent twelve victors, who almost all came from District One, Two, or Four. There is only one from an outline district, and that is a boy who won it from District Nine a few years ago.
Suddenly, Haymitch Abernathy; the only living victor from District Twelve, staggers onto the stage. I can only see snatches of him, but by the sound of him he's drunk. The crowd begins to clap, but I don't join in. I'm too nervous for that. I hear some squealing that could only come from Effie Trinket, and by the sound of it Haymitch is trying to give her a hug. Effie Trinket must have managed to get him off, because suddenly her voice booms out over the square.
'Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour.' I am hyperventilating by now.
'Ladies first.' She says as always. My heart is beating faster than ever before. Please don't be me or Katniss, Please don't be me or Katniss, Please don't be me or Katniss, I wish silently. The square is so silent I can hear the slips of paper rustling around as Effie tries to pluck one out. I hear her footsteps echoing on the stage and know that she must have picked one out. I shut my eyes and try to block out the name. But I can't, I just can't. The name Effie reads reaches me loud and clear and I feel like I'm going to be sick.
'Primrose Everdeen!'