My eyes snap open in fear, today is the day of the reaping. I swing my legs over the side of my bed and slip on my favourite faded blue dress. I sit down on the old creaky chair and feel my mothers shaky hands pull my hair tightly into a braid down the side of my face. Every year they do this. Steal two people from their lives to make them fight to the death in the arena. I am enraged by the unkindness of these people, the selfishness, everyone dreads this, the reaping, The Hunger Games!
As my shoes step onto the cold wet grass the water goes straight through them and my old torn socks. I stand alongside Prim, my little sister. She is frightened and scared, We make our way to the town hall. Instantly I am surrounded by people, all wearing old dull clothing. We line up in our age groups twelve to eighteen. I see a little lady walk onto the stage, she is wearing high heels and a fur coat. 'Welcome' she says in a high, pitchy voice , to the 74th annual Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favour. She looks a joke, I say to myself.
First for the boys, she shuffles over to the big glass bowl, with names in it and picks one name, 'Peeta Malark', our boy tribute for this year. Peeta please make your way up to the front of the stage, Peeta looks frightened but still unsure of exactly what is happening. And now for the girls, I look towards Prim she looks frightened so I blow her a kiss and mouth the words ' You will be fine', she blows one back one to. The little lady shuffles over to pick another name out of the glass bowl, She unscrews the paper, and takes what seems like forever to announce the name, Primrose Everdeen. I am shocked. I take a while to realise exactly what is happening. "No! Shes my little sister she can't go shes to young, shes not strong enough," I yell.
I volunteer! , I stutter, the atmosphere goes silent. I cant' let her go she won't survive I think to myself . My arms are shaking as I stand up the front of the stage next to Peeta, my forehead is sweating and my body is quivering as I watch all of the district raise three fingers in the air as a sign of respect. This may be the last time I see my friends, my family. I am overwhelmed watching everyone leave, I have to win this for district 12, for Prim.