Today is the day of the reaping. I'm happy that I don't have to worry about being in the Hunger Games or in this case, the third Quarter Quell. I'm worried about Prim getting chosen. Me and Peeta are getting ready together at my house in Victor's Village. I'm really nervous about any of our family members getting chosen to be in the Quarter Quell. Even if we're their mentors it doesn't mean they're gonna win or one of them is gonna win. It just hurts thinking that we're helping kill 23 innocent children.
"Doesn't it hurt thinking that we're helping kill 23 innocent children?" I interrogated Peeta.
"Yes, but there's nothing we can do about it."
I'm dressed in a teal strapless floor length dress, teal peep toe heels, a gold necklace that has He who holds the key can unlock my heart and has a slot for the key, a silver infinity necklace, a blue and black bracelet that has Hers Forever engraved on the front in silver letters, and my hair is in a fishtail side braid AKA Katniss braid.
Peeta was dressed in a teal dress shirt, black dress pants, black dress shoes, a gold necklace that has the key that goes in my necklace, a silver infinity necklace, a blue and black bracelet that has His Always engraved on the front in silver letters, and has his hair combed back.
"Okay."
Effie and Haymitch knocked on the door and we were upstairs in my room.
"COME IN!" I yelled loudly so they'd be able to hear me.
"MANNERS!" Effie yelled in a elegant voice.
"I think I learned a lot of manners last year but thank you for saying that and you're the one that wanted us to look perfect and sort of match."
"Let's go." Haymitch ordered, in a sober voice.
We were walking downstairs and I almost fell down the stairs because of these heels but Peeta caught me
"Thanks."
"Just hold onto me. I don't want you falling."
Effie was dressed in a teal strapless knee length dress, same teal peep toe heels, silver infinity necklace, and had a teal wig on.
Haymitch was dressed in a white dress shirt, black dress pants, black dress shoes, a silver infinity necklace, and his hair was his usual hairstyle.
"My god, you guys do look perfect." Effie gushed.
"Let me see your bracelets and necklaces." Haymitch demanded and we both walked over to him.
"Perfect. Snow'll love them and that means you're suppose to wear them in the Capital."
"We aren't stupid." I replied in a sassy tone.
"I'm going to keep my comment to myself."
I thought about it and then once I knew what he was going say, I scowled at him and then Peeta scowled at him, when he thought about it.
"Okay, we need to go."
"Okay."
We walked out of my Victors Village hours without Prim and mom since they left way before us. Peeta and I held hands and walked to where the reaping was being held. Peeta and I walked on stage and kissed and then took our spots on stage.
Haymitch joined us and stood next to me.
"Sweetheart, if Prim gets picked you can't react badly on stage. Peeta and you can walk back to your house and you can react badly there."
"Okay, Haymitch." I said in a serious tone.
"Okay, Sweetheart." And then none of us talked and just sat there in comfortable silence.
Effie came prancing across the stage and to podium.
Effie starts talking.
"Now the time has come for us to select one courageous man and woman for the honor of presenting Distract 12 in the 75th Hungers Games or the Third Quarter Quell."
"As usual ladies first."
I got nervous after she said that and Peeta could tell, so he took me in his arms and I laid my head on his chest.
Effie pranced over to the bowl that had the girls' names in it and picked one out.
She walked back over to the microphone and opened the white card.
Her face fell and I knew exactly who it was.
I struggled out of Peeta's arms.
"Primrose Everdeen."
I went running off the stage and to my house in Victors Village.
Peeta's POV
After Katniss went running off the stage, I wanted to see if anyone would volunteer for Prim.
Effie had a sad look on her face and so did Haymitch.
Prim was walking for about a second, when a girl that I recognized from the school me and Katniss used to go, stood up.
"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" She yelled.
"I believe we have our second volunteer in Distract 12."
I remembered the girl's name.
It's Amber Smith.
Katniss's POV
Once I reached my house in Victors Village, I opened the door and then slammed it and then went running up to my room and locked the door and curled up under the covers with the cover over my head and was sobbing. I was in the Hunger Games for a reason and it was to keep Prim alive and now she's going into the Hunger Games.
Peeta's POV
Once Amber got up on stage, I smiled at her and then went running to Katniss's Victors Village house. I walked into the house and then went running up to Katniss's room. I tried to open the door but it was locked. I had a penny in my pocket and I picked the lock.
What I saw broke my heart.
Katniss was curled up under the covers with the cover over her head and was sobbing. I sat next to her on her bed and pulled the covers off her head.
"Somebody volunteered for Prim." I cooed in her ear.
"Who was it?"
"Amber Smith."
"She always was a nice girl."
I called Haymitch and told him to tell Effie to wait for me and Katniss to get back.
"You got to fix your braid, baby."
Katniss fixed her braid and slid her heels back on.
"Let's go."
Haymitch's POV
Effie wasn't to happy that she had to mess up her schedule and wait for Katniss and Peeta to arrive.
"Uh… where are they?" She kept asking me.
Soon, Peeta and Katniss arrived.
"Finally, you guys are here. Effie wasn't happy that she had to change her schedule around."
"Oh, she can be patient." Katniss declared loud enough so that Effie could hear her.
Peeta's POV
"Now for the gentleman."
Effie pranced over to the bowl that had the boys' names in it and picked a name out and then went back over to the microphone.
"Brody Mellark."
I had tears in my eyes and Katniss took me in her arms and just held me there and I didn't cry because I knew that I needed to be strong for her.
A boy stood up.
It was Brody's friend, Aaron Johnson.
"I volunteer as tribute." He announced.
Brody walked back to his spot and Aaron walked up to the stage.
"Tribute shake hands."
Amber and Aaron shook hands and then were whisked off to the justice building so that family and friends could say goodbye to them.
We went in and waited on the bench inside the Justice building.
One of the peace keepers was staring at Katniss and she glared at him and he looked away.
"That's what I thought."
Soon Aaron and Amber came out with tears in their eyes.
Katniss and me stood up.
"We'll do our best to try and help you come back home but you can't help the Careers which are Distracts 1,2, and 3. Okay? And don't make enemies."
Katniss laughed at that.
"Thresh was my enemy but yet he didn't kill me. He saved me from Clove because he found out that Clove killed Rue and I was her ally and tried to protect her."
"You got to watch who are your allies because they could turn on you and then you'll have to kill them."
"Okay."
"It's probably better for you two to just be allies."
"Okay."
"And we'll train you."
"Oh, and don't hit the game makers food because they don't pay attention to you." Haymitch added and all of us burst out laughing.
"But I still got a training score of 11."
"We got to get on the train now if we want to arrive in the Capital at the right time."
"Oh, joy, being in the Capital again." Katniss commented sarcastically.
"Okay, so the tribute parade is tonight. The Victor or in your case, Victors of the precious year go before any of the distracts."
"Okay."
"So that means you need to be perfect because how you act or dress like could get Aaron and Amber sponsors."
"We ain't doing any of the Star-Crossed-Lovers-From-Distract-12 all over again." Haymitch stated.