Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games, or Peeta (quite unfortunately). I am not Suzanne Collins. So... yeah. Hey there.

The Reaping is my least favorite day, though I doubt I'm alone in that feeling.

I know that it will always be my least favorite day, even when I'm no longer eligible to be reaped. Because then I'll be worrying about friends and neighbors and nieces and nephews and cousins and sons and daughters and… the list goes on and on.

But I shouldn't worry about that now. For now, I should just focus on surviving today.

To be honest, I shouldn't be that worried about having my name drawn. Not too many of those slips have my name written on it. It will most likely be a boy from the Seam that is chosen, as usual. And I don't have too many friends from the Seam, which makes it slightly better.

Except for… but no. She can't be chosen. I can't even consider that.

The square is already sweltering when I enter it. The sun is hot enough, and the abundance of people packed into the small space only makes it worse.

I sign in and then I walk directly over to my spot.

A few of my friends exchange looks with me, but today is not the day to be talking and goofing around. Today is the day to stand straight and suffer through it.

The ceremony blurs in front of my eyes. It's always the same, so it doesn't really matter. The only exciting part is that, this year, Haymitch is extra drunk. Oh, great. It's a wonder that nobody from our district wins.

And then it comes time for Effie Trinket in her ridiculous pink outfit to select the names from the jars.

I look over at the girls as Effie reaches her hand in and a few of the faces jump out at me as girls who live on my street or are in my classes. Like Delly, and Madge, and Lanavia, and…

Katniss.

Oh, please don't pick her.

And then relief. Because the name that Effie picks isn't any of these girls. It's not any girl that I've talked to, even.

It's Primrose Everdeen.

Oh no.

And rather than watch her go towards the stage like everyone else silently does, I look towards her older sister, who's frozen.

Katniss springs to life. "I VOLUNTEER!" she screams.

My whole world falls apart.

This is the girl that I've liked since kindergarten. And she's over there, screaming her head off, volunteering herself to be killed. She's walked up to the gun with her hands above her head to save her little sister.

I half-notice the admiration on my peers' faces. They're impressed – nothing like this has happened before.

But I'm not impressed. I'm screaming on the inside.

My best friend Gryffin puts a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, you okay?" he whispers because everyone's still silent, everyone's still in shock.

Katniss is walking up to the stage.

"No," I whisper back.

Effie is greeting her.

"Absolutely not."

I may never see her again.

But no.

Maybe she could win.

She's strong. She hunts. She's pulled her broken family out of depression and starvation. She's shown her bravery just by volunteering.

Maybe Katniss could win.

And just like that, I'm filled with hope again.

Katniss may be able to fight her way back home.

She'll be broken if she ever makes it back. She'll have nightmares that haunt her every moment of the day and she'll never be the same.

But she'll be home and safe.

And that's all that would really matter.

I'm so concentrated on how Katniss will come home, that I hardly notice when Effie Trinket calls my name.

As I'm ushered to the stage, I know that Katniss Everdeen will make it home, because I will do everything in my power to make sure that she does.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review to tell me what you thought!

~writergal24