Chapter 1
I wake up to find, clothes laid out for me, my mother never does that so it must have been my dad. They're nicer than usual so it must be a holiday or something. Once I'm dressed I go to the small kitchen we have in our little house behind the bakery. I see the looks my brother's faces and remember. It's reaping day. Great, we dress up and act like it's a holiday, then we watch our friends die horrible bloody deaths. We eat in silence, we head down to the square. We don't talk, we used when we couldn't be chosen. My mother, father and oldest brother go to stand with the other families while My other brother, and I go to our respective places. I stand with the other 16 year olds and my brother with the 18 year olds. We stand stiffly next to each other, not talking. Once everyone is here Effie Trinket –The overly peppy woman from the capital- bounces up to the podium she gives her signature "Happy Hunger Games!" says "Ladies first!" and walks –More like bounces- to the glass ball containing the girls names. She grabs a name, bounces back to the podium and reads the name. It's Primrose Everdeen. For a minute I think she will be going then I realize she wont be. Katniss would never let that happen to her. Then I see Katniss running through the crowd.
She's yelling "Prim! Prim!" she doesn't need to push through the crowd because everyone is making a path for her. She reaches Prim pushing her behind "I volunteer! I volunteer as a tribute!" she says loudly as if to make sure she's heard, Of course she will be it's dead silent.
"Well I believe there's a small matter of introducing the tribute and then asking for volunteers..." says Effie Trinket
"What does it matter?" Mayor Undersee says "Let come forward."
"No Katniss! No you can't go!" Prim yells wrapping her arms around Katniss. Then Katniss's friend is there I don't know his name but they seem to favor each other. Secretly it makes me jealous, it's silly I've only ever been close to her once, when we were kids and she was starving. Anyway he come forward picking Prim up before he goes he says "Up you go Catnip." Then he carries a screaming and crying Prim to their mother. Katniss slowly walks up the steps to the stage.
"What's your name?" asks Effie Trinket, happily.
"Katniss Everdeen." Says Katniss stiffly
"I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her stealing all the glory do we?" asks Effie.
Katniss just walks to stand at the back of the stage just as Haymiytch Abernathy stumble up on stage drunk. He throws his arm around Katniss's shoulder's and says "I like her. A lot of... Spunk!" he says triumphantly " More than you!" he lets go of Katniss and walks over to a camera pointing directly at the lens "More than…" just before he finishes he plummets headfirst off the stage. Was he taunting the capital, was he seriously so drunk that he even thought about that?
"What an exciting day!" says Effie Trinket "But more excitement to come!" she says bouncing over to the reaping ball with the boys names, she grabs the first one she see's and runs back to the podium. "Peeta Mellark!" I stop breathing. It's me. I square my shoulders and slowly make my way up to the stage. I go to stand next to Katniss on the stage. Mayor Undersee reads the list of the past vistors, District 12 has had only two a woman who is not alive anymore and Haymitch, after that he reads the long dull treaty of treason, then I turn to face Katniss he shake hands and I give her a reassuring squeeze. Then we ride in a car to the Train station.