Today's the reaping. These three words bounce around my head as I get dressed. But I'm the mayor's daughter. I only have five slips. Five slips in thousands. I comfort myself with this, and surprisingly, it works if only a little.
I step into a beautiful white dress. It was my mother's and she passed it down to me the minute I turned 16. I then pick up a golden pin. ...It's a circle, with a mockingjay inside, ready to take flight. This, too, is a family heirloom, passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Someday, I'll pass it down to my daughter. Finally, I tie my hair up with a pink ribbon, and look in the mirror. I huess I look okay. I glance at the clock. Only 11:00. I have three hours to kill. Just then, the doorbell rings.
"Ooohh, that'd be my strawberries," my father says, sounding as though it was a ton of gold being delivered and not a few ounces of strawberries. "Madge, could you get the door? Don't want to lose my berries."
"Sure, Dad," I call, then walk over to the door. When I open it, my heart skips a beat. There's Katniss, and there's... Gale. Of course he's going to be here, he always delivers our strawberries with Katniss. But he's right there, right outside my door. All the moisture from my mouth moves to my palms and I don't know what to say or how to speak. Why does this always happen when Gale's around? He's perfect. Tall, muscular, loves his family, willing to fight for what he wants. And completely head over heels for Katniss. How I wish I was her, the person he loves most in the world.
"Pretty dress," he says.
I look at him. Is he being genuine? I don't think so. He's hated me as long as I've loved him. I press my lips together then force a smile. "Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?" I try to make a joke of it, but he takes me seriously.
"You won't be going to the Capitol," Gale says, and there's ice in his voice. He looks at my mockingjay pin. "What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was just twelve years old.."
"That's not her fault," Katniss says, coming to my rescue. I close my face off to find the pain Gale's words have caused.
"No, it's no one's fault," he says. "Just the way it is."
I give Katniss the money for the strawberries. "Good luck, Katniss," I tell her.
"You too," she says.
I close the door and head to the kitchen to put the strawberries away. Then I run up to my room and sob on my bed for a good two hours. It's amazing how deep Gale's words can cut me.
