The reaping
I stood there watching and waiting outside the justice building on this dreaded day, the day of reaping to see which poor unlucky child will be sent off to die. The idea of the games is unbearable, 23 children sent to their deaths every year, and one to live the rest of their life knowing they committed murder, how can the capitol find that entertaining? I hate the capitol. Especially president snow. Not only because he murders innocent children, but because he hurts people that I love. Katniss Everdeen, the only girl I've ever loved goes without food, almost every night in order to feed her family. Yet president snow just sits back and watches it happen, he would kill her and not bat an eye! It sickens me.
A pale skinned pink haired woman walks onto the stage. Effie Trinket. The utterly insane capitol woman, who chooses who will meet certain death. She's not my favorite person either. She greets us with the annual wish of luck, loaded with irony that she is to blind to see, "happy hunger games, and may the odds be ever in your favor." It is neither happy, nor will the odds ever be in anyone's favor. "Ladies first" Effie says, and dips her long finger nails into the bowl. "Hmm" she says and plucks one folded paper out of the bowl. I close my eyes in a silent prayer that it is no one I know well. "Primrose Everdeen." She chides. My heart skips a beat. Katniss's little sister? No way! It was her first year. I scan the crowd and my eyes fall on the dark haired girl, her hair in a braid. I see on her face an expression of horror as though she is trapped in a nightmare. She starts to push toward her little sister. "Prim," she shouts "prim, no prim" a peace keeper grabs her arm and she fights desperately to get to her sister.
"I volunteer." The fatal words of the girl I loved echo through my mind. "I volunteer as tribute." Prim is screaming now, as she is taken away, she too knows that this is a choice of death over watching someone you love die. If I was a girl right now at this moment, I would volunteer for Katniss. I know what she feels for prim, because I feel it for her. Effie congratulates Katniss on being the first tribute, and walks over to the boys' bowl. My heart skips a beat, and I am begging dear god that it is not me, and when I open my eyes. "Peeta Mellark."
My heart stops beating, but only for a second. I was probably just imagining it, right. I look up at Effie and she repeats my name. "Peeta, dear are you out there?" I begin to realize that this is real, and a numb feeling creeps up my body, causing me to sweat nervously. I begin to walk forward. Why me? I think. Why her? I step up the steps to the justice building and Katniss looks at me, her eyes full of memories. I nod to her slightly then allow the peace keepers to lead me away.
I sit in a dark room alone, until my family comes to see me off. First my father walks in and squeezes me tightly. "I will always love you son!" my oldest brother is on the verge of tears, and my slightly younger , but older than me , brother has red spots around his eyes meaning he was crying, I guess for all they tease me and push me around, they really do care. They both hug me. "Hey, don't get too caught up on staring at Everdeen that you forget to fight ok?" he says to me. And I almost smile, but this moment is too painful for happiness. My mother is last to talk to me. She never seems to be proud of me, no matter what I do. I look at her face which reveals nothing, "yeah, she's a fighter that one. Maybe district twelve will finally have a victor." She's a fighter; I knew she didn't believe in me. I nod at her and her eyes meet mine; she pats me on the back and walks away. My family leaves the room right after her. I sit and cry for a minute, thinking of the impending doom, bent on destroying me and the girl I love. Where is Katniss for that matter? I dry my eyes and fix my hair. First impressions last forever, and I walk to her room.
I walk in on her crying. Oops, I quietly try to back out but she whirls around, a hateful expression on her face. The hate in her eyes melts away when she realizes that it is just me, and behind it I see a scared little girl. I come and sit next to her. "Um Katniss? Do you need anything?" she wipes her eyes a little. "There's nothing you can do… I just…I wish that I could know that if I don't come back prim will be ok." I look her in the eyes. "Hey, Prim will be ok. Everyone loves her. And your friend Gale… well he can take care of her." She nods and looks at the bag of cookies she is holding. "Oh yeah, your dad gave me these. Want one?" she asked. "Sure," I say, "they look good." We nibble the cookies half-heartedly. "You won't die Katniss" the words that come out of my mouth take me by surprise. "Peeta, the odds will never be in my favor, what do you think I will do? Find a bow and arrow and go hunting for people? I can't do that." She looks down. I look at her. "Would you do it for Prim?" she stiffens at my question. "There are few things I wouldn't do for prim. But Peeta, this is impossible. There are 24 of us, only one comes out alive. I couldn't kill you in cold blood, I couldn't kill anyone."