The morning of:Chapter 1
Hi readers! Now, I'm new at this, so try not to judge this story too harshly. This is an account of the 74th Hunger Games from Prim's P.O.V. The only thing I need you to understand is that at the beginning, in order to make it realistic, there will be some of the same things you have already read in The Hunger Games. However, if you wait until Chapter 2, it gets a lot more original. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy my story!
Betaed by Thalia the Huntress
Chapter 1 (The Morning Of...)
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" I scream myself out of the nightmare, and reach for the comfort and protection I know only Katniss can provide. All I encounter, though, is the mattress, as cold and stiff as the tributes in my dreams. It is then that I realized last night, when I had awoken from the first of my many nightmares, I had crawled in bed with our mother, knowing she was already awake as well. I mean wouldn't you be too if you knew that the next day one of your children could be boarding a train to take them to their almost certain death.
Oh, it scares me just thinking about it. "Katniss" I call, propping myself up on my elbows, hoping she can make me feel better like she always does. Then I realize, since it's a holiday, she's probably already out in the woods with Gale. Hunting in the woods surrounding District Twelve is strictly forbidden, punishable by death, but Katniss takes her chances because she knows that if she didn't hunt we would all have died of starvation after our father was killed in a mining accident. I had only been seven, at the time, but I still remember everything about him…
"Meow." My cat, Buttercup crawls up to me.
"Oh, good morning Buttercup! How's my special guy?" I say as I scratch between his ears. I can still remember the day I found him. I had been walking home from school, just like any other day, but just as I was passing by the baker's I heard a crashing sound from inside.
Then, I heard, "Honestly Peeta. We can't take in every stray you find walking around in The Seam! Throw it outside. NOW!" Oh, I thought, of course the witch was screaming at someone again. No surprise there. Then, I saw a boy about Katniss's age come outside and gently placed a kitten down in a soft patch of grass. He looked back to make sure he was alone, then gave it some milk, scratched its ears and ran back inside. He hadn't known, but I had been watching from behind the apple tree in their yard. After he left, the little kitten walked right up to me, and there was no way I could have turned him away. He looked at me in a way that was so sad I thought I might cry. The witch must have taken out her anger on him too, because his little nose was mashed in and half of one ear was missing. He was adorable, though, and had the fluffiest fur, the color of the bright buttercup flower. So, I decided to bring him home. Katniss was not happy about having another mouth to feed, but I think she loved him too. At first I felt bad, but I just couldn't put my sweet little Buttercup out on the street. So, I talked to Katniss, well actually, more like cried and begged until she gave in. It turned out well enough though, I love him and he mostly just eats the mice he finds in our home so I don't think Kat minds anymore.
When I enter Lady's pen and sit down on the stool she walks right up and nuzzles her snout in the small of my neck. "Hey, good to see you too, Lady" I say giggling. Since this could potentially be the last time I ever milk her I want it to be special. I want her to know how much I love her. As I start to milk her I'm so distracted with thoughts of the Hunger Games that I miss the bucket. Buttercup starts licking up the mess from the ground for me. "Oh, I'm such a klutz!" I mutter, determined to keep the tears from spilling down my cheeks, but I just can't. I'm too afraid for this afternoon, so Lady and Buttercup nose their way into my arms and help calm me down. And after I stop crying I finish milking Lady, then make my way to the kitchen, where my mom is waiting.
"Good morning Prim. Sit down and eat. I made your favourite" Says my mom as I walk in.
"Wow Mom! Thanks. You didn't have to do that for me." I say as I see that, instead of the usual brown mushy bread made from our tesserae rations, she's toasted real bakery bread over the fire, and even made some of her amazing strawberry jam.
"Oh, Prim, don't be silly. It was no trouble." She says as I dig in, eating 3 slices before I realize that Katniss is still nowhere to be seen.
"Shouldn't we save some for Katniss?" I ask.
"No, don't worry. She said she'd be with Gale until lunch." My mom replies, so I eat another piece, then another, until I'm actually full. "I boiled some water for you to have a bath, alright? Then when you get out I'll do your hair for you." she smiles, pretending it was just a normal day.
"Okay mom, sure." I reply then go into the bathroom, strip off my clothes, and let the warm soapy water wash away all my worries
Once I'm out of the bath tub I grab a towel, put my clothes back on and head back into my bedroom to dry my hair "Prim? I'm just going to boil some water for Katniss's bath, and then I'll come do your hair." My mother calls from the other room.
"Okay Mom, sounds good!" I call back. I continue wringing out my long, damp, knotty hair until Mom walks in holding what must be my outfit. "So, what do you want to do with your hair, Prim?" Mom asks me gently.
"I don't know. What do you think?" I reply, since my hair is about the farthest thing from my mind at the moment.
"Well, why don't we put it into two braids instead of one, then we can twist them back." She suggests.
"Sure Mom. That would be great!" I force myself to exclaim, trying to hide my fear from her. The truth is, I'm not even afraid for myself, because, since I'm just twelve and Katniss wouldn't let me take any tesserae, I only have one entry in the Reaping. I'm not afraid for myself, I am afraid that my sister will be taken from me, and I keep telling myself that, even though she has 20 slips, there are still thousands more of them in the reaping ball.
"Okay Prim, I'm done with your hair. Why don't you pull on your reaping clothes. Katniss will be home soon, then we'll eat our lunch, alright?" she says walking out of the room.
"Alright Mom." Looking closer at the clothes I can see that it is Katniss's first reaping outfit, a skirt and ruffled blouse. It really is pretty, but it's too big for me, so mom is going to have to make it stay with pins. It will kind of bunchy at the back, but it's still the most beautiful thing I've ever worn. Since I'm ready I head down stairs.
SLAM! I hear the door close behind Katniss as she enters the house, and walks into the kitchen to empty her game bag. She has it loaded with two fish, a few loaves of bakery bread, some greens, a quart of strawberries, salt, paraffin, and even some money left over. As I was examining her game bag she headed into the bathroom to wash off the grime from the woods. While she is in there my mother and I decide to start cooking the food. I cut up the greens, while mom cleans the fish. We have it all stewing in a pot, but we decide that to make this evening's meal special. We will save the stew, bakery bread and strawberries for tonight after the reaping. For lunch, Mom decides to make some bread from our tessera grain, and I go get some milk from the storage shed. Once we are done making lunch I go into the living room to see if there is anything on our little old TV that can comfort me. As usual, all that's on are old Hunger Games recaps, which are definitely not comforting.
Scared, I decide to go check on Katniss. When I walk into the bathroom I hardly recognize the beautiful woman in front of me as my sister. She is in a soft blue dress and matching shoes, with her hair braided up on top of her head.
"You look beautiful." I say in a hushed voice.
"And nothing like myself." she replies as she leans down to hug me. I know she's trying to comfort me, but I'm just so afraid, and I know that I should be comforting her since she's definitely more likely to be chosen, but all I do is accept her hug and try not to cry.
"Tuck your tail in little duck!" She says, and I realize that the back of my blouse has come untucked again.
"Quack." I say giggling as she tucks my shirt back in.
"Quack yourself!" she says with a light laugh, a laugh that I almost never get to hear. In fact, I think the only time she ever smiles is in the woods or when it's just me and her.
We head into the kitchen and sit down with our mother to eat our food. The milk is good and rich and, for tessera, the bread isn't bad either, but no one has much of an appetite
By one o'clock we head for the square, where the entire population of about eight thousand will be gathered since attendance is mandatory. As we arrive I am ushered toward the back with the other 12 year-olds into a rope like pen, while Katniss is herded more towards the front with all the other 16's. Since there isn't very much space, the latecomers are sent to side streets to watch on the huge television screens.
I look up just as our overly peppy escort, Effie, takes the stage and walks to her chair. It is then that I realize Haymitch is missing. BONG, BONG. Just as the clock strikes two, Mayor Undersee takes the stage and I zone out, no matter how hard I try to pay attention. All I can think about is how despicable this whole thing is. Why do we have to suffer for what happened over seventy years ago?
My attention is dragged back to the present just in time to see a very drunk Haymitch, our unfortunate mentor, stagger and holler as he mounts the stage. In a fit of drunken confusion he tries to give Effie a hug, which she has to fend off, but it doesn't seem to put a damper on her peppiness. I giggle a little bit, but as she mounts the stage to draw the names I become quiet again. She begins, as always, with her token "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour!"
As she says this I wish with all my might that this time the odds really are in our favour. "Ladies first!" she trills as she crosses over to the girls ball. She inserts her hand deep into the mass of paper, grabs a small slip and crosses back to center stage. As smoothes out the paper all I can think is please, please, don't let it be Katniss. Please no. And strangely, the odds are in my favour this time. I get my wish. The name she reads off the tiny slip of paper is not Katniss Everdeen, but instead, the name Effie calls out is my name. "Primrose Everdeen."
Okay, so that's the first chapter! I'll have the second up tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed it and please review! And again the originality is coming just wait :). Thank you!