The day of the reaping has always been a morose day throughout the districts. Two kids from each district plucked from their homes and forced to battle in a free for all with twenty three other kids in the same situation that they are. Well that's not true, I think to myself, the tributes from districts one, two and four train from a young age and then volunteer for the games. Everyone else is just trying to survive, to see their family again. With one last sigh, I roll out of bed. Just because the reaping is today doesn't mean that I don't have to work before and after the ceremony.
With the reaping comes an increase in the number of people in the district. People from the capitol have been coming and going for days, setting things up and getting the village square ready. All of these people are from the capitol, which means they have money to throw around. Our business always picks up around reaping day. I overheard pop once tell Don, my eldest brother, that we make more than half of our yearly profit during the setup for the reaping. As I exit our house, judging from the light coming over the horizon, I can tell it is around 6:30am; which means that I slept too late. I enter through the back door of the bakery as always, mom says the front door is for customers only. As I walk in my older brother Jeremy looks up and shakes his head.
"You're late Petey," he said. "She's furious and pop isn't here."
"It was an accident," I said. "Overslept."
"She ain't gunna care," he said, turning back to the dough he had been kneading.
"Well, at least it's reaping day. She won't do anything serious until tonight."
Since I would be seen in public during the reaping she couldn't beat me too bad, at least not anywhere that might be visible. The last time I had messed up on reaping day she had ignored me all day, until that night at least. I still have a knot on the side of my head from where she hit me with the rolling pin, and that was two years ago. Pop knows that she hits us, but he always turns a blind eye to it. I often think back to what he told me about him wanting to marry Mrs. Everdeen when they were younger. I sometimes like to imagine what it would be like to have her for a mother. Of course I've never actually met her, but what I have seen of her around the village tells me that she is nicer than my mom.
"Boy!" I hear from the back as I'm stocking the front display with fresh bread, cakes and cookies. I know she is talking to me because I'm the only one she calls boy. How pathetic is it that I haven't heard my own mother say my name in years?
I walk through the door leading to the kitchen and see her standing by one of the counters. She doesn't say anything, she just holds out a list of things for me to do. By the look in her eye I can tell that there will be hell to pay tonight. I take the list from her and as soon as it is out of her hand, she turns and walks back to the office. The best way to pacify her will be to complete the list of chores as quickly as possible, it won't stop the punishment but it may lessen the severity of it. Hell, I thought, I'd take five lashes in the square just to get her to use my name again. The list of chores, thankfully, wasn't full of difficult tasks. However there were a lot of things on the list. It would take all morning just to do half of it, I'll just have to finish after the reaping.
After I've scrubbed myself clean and put on the best clothes that I have, which isn't much just a blue button down shirt and some slacks, I make my way to the square for the reaping. The closer I get to the square the more people I begin to see. Most are like me just wanting to get this over with as soon as we could so we could get back to work. As I round the entrance to the square my breath catches. Standing not thirty yards from me was Katniss Everdeen, she was looking around frantically while clutching her sister Prim to her chest. It seemed like she was checking to see if any of the Peacekeepers were watching them. As she looks around I briefly catch her eye, but before I can acknowledge her she is already focused back on her sister. I don't even exist to her, I thought. And why should I? I'm just the baker's son. I'm not particularly good looking, and unless she needs a cake I don't have any useful skills. Before I can even finish my thoughts she has already moved on with her sister.
I take my place in line and let the Peacekeeper at the table prick my finger. After I've registered, I find my way to the boy's side of the square and wait to see who the unlucky bastards will be this year. Nothing significant happens during the beginning of the ceremony. The Mayor drones on about the Treaty of Treason and how generous the Capitol is. Though it seems as though the district twelve escort Effie Trinket, has managed to make herself look even more ridiculous than in previous years. At the very least Haymitch never fails to entertain, he almost fell off the stage at one point.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear the girls name as Effie read it aloud. In a near state of panic I look over to see if it was Katniss, but she is in the same place that she was the last time I had looked. She has a relieved look on her face, so I assume that it wasn't Prim either. After a few moments a small girl stepped out from the crowd, she couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen. Her hair and skin color indicated that she was most likely from the seam, a mining family. The girl was visibly shaking as she climbed the steps and stood next to Effie. It was customary to have the tribute introduce themselves, but the girl was so scared she couldn't speak.
"Speak up dear, it's alright," Effie said. How dare she tell this girl "it's alright." As if she has any clue as to what this girl is feeling.
"Hollimae," she whispered into the microphone.
"Wonderful," Effie said rather loudly. "And now… for the boys."
I watch as she runs her hand through the bowl of names, mixing them up as she does. Once she was satisfied, she plucked a slip out of the bowl and made her way back to the microphone.
"And this year's male tribute is… Peeta Mellark!" she exclaimed.
What? Was the only thought running through my head. I had too many things to do today, so many things that I wanted to do. I couldn't have heard her correctly. I look around and notice that all the guys are looking at me. Oh shit, I think as I walk toward the center aisle. Looking up toward the stage I see the girl standing beside Effie, and while she is shaking, she is holding it together. The little girl is taking it better than I am, I noticed that a few rows up from where I had been standing was my brother Jeremy at the aisle. This was his last reaping.
"During visitation bring the girl some cookies," I said as I passed him. He looked at me for a moment before slightly nodding.
I continued my way to the stage, climbed the stairs and took my place at Effie's side. I looked out over the crowd and noticed that very few of these people cared for either one of us. My dad and my brothers I could tell were upset, but everyone else was relieved. I couldn't blame them I felt the same every year. I look over at Katniss and see that she is looking toward the boy's side of the square. I follow her gaze and find Gale Hawthorne, her best friend. I swallow my jealousy as Effie shimmies her way over toward me.
"What is your name?" she asked.
"Peeta Mellark," I answered.
"And who was that you were talking to on your way to the stage, dear?"
"My brother."
"And what did you say to him?"
"It's private."
"And you won't share it with us?"
"No."
"Well, alright then," she says. "How about a round of applause for this year's tributes?"
Her request is met with silence, as it is every year. I guess I had hoped that it would be different. That someone would say or do something that made this a little easier for me to bear. However, that was not to be as I was guided into the justice building and into a room to one side of the hall.
The room was small, barely large enough to fit five people comfortably. I was in the room for maybe ten minutes before I have my first visitors. My family, well most of them anyway, it seems my mother couldn't be bothered to make an appearance. My father tells me to be strong, to listen to my mentor. I try not to think about how many of the tributes from our district have ever won. This is the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, and district twelve has had a total of two victors. One from the twenty-second games, she died before I was even born. And then there was Haymitch Abernathy, winner of the fiftieth games. He was a drunk and had never managed to get a tribute into the top twelve.
My brothers don't say anything, they just look at me with pity. I avoid their eyes because I can't stand the look, I get the same look from them when mom tears into me. When the thirty-second knock comes from the door, they each give me a hug and tell me for the tenth time to be strong. As they leave, I sit down knowing that I will not be getting any more visitors. I don't have any friends, at most they could be called acquaintances. A few people that I talk to at school, but I never spend time with them outside of school because I have to work. This is why I was so shocked to hear another knock on the door about twenty minutes before I had to leave.
While I was surprised to have another visitor, I never could have guessed that it would have been her. Katniss Everdeen walked through the door and stayed close to it, standing rather awkwardly. Her outfit has been changed, she is no longer wearing the dress from the reaping. Rather she is wearing a worn brown leather jacket over a green button down shirt and jeans.
"Hi," I said.
"Hi… I know that we're not friends, but I couldn't let you go to the games without telling you this."
Oh my god. Is she going to tell me that she feels the same way that I do? Judging by the way she is shifting awkwardly it's pretty clear that she is nervous. I let myself have this moment of hope, but unfortunately fate is never that kind.
"When you gave me the bread… I never thanked you for it. That bread saved my life as well as my mother's and my sister's lives. So… thank you."
Oh, of course she doesn't feel the same, we've never spoken to each other.
"You don't have to thank me Katniss, I was happy to help."
And with a small nod, she turned around and left. She didn't tell me what I wanted to hear, but a visit from her was just what I needed. I stopped my moping and made a choice… I'm coming home.
It wasn't long after Katniss left that Effie came to guide us to the car. It was strange at first, I have never ridden in a car before, I even got a little nauseous from the movement. I spent so much time focused on keeping my lunch down, that I hadn't noticed we had arrived at the train station. I had been here before, anything that comes into or leaves the district came through the train station; that includes the mail. Every time we needed to place an order, my mother would make me take the long walk down to the train station to send it to the capitol. Thankfully the peacekeepers would deliver the goods to the bakery; having to carry one-hundred pound sacks of flour that far would be suicide; though I doubt that would stop my mother from making us try.
Effie quickly shuffles us onto the platform and into the train. As I walk through the door I am momentarily awestruck. Living in the better part of district twelve, I thought I had known what luxury was; but I was clearly mistaken. This train car was immaculate. The carpeting, which I had previously only seen inside the government buildings, was strewn with intricate designs. The wood of the table was expertly shaped and polished.
"Move along dear," Effie said gently nudging me forward.
We were lead into another train car that appeared to be a lounge. Effie slid us down into a couple of chairs and then took a seat directly across from us on a couch.
"Isn't it magnificent?" she asked, though it didn't sound like a question. "This train is the epitome of luxury; only the best for my tributes!"
We sat staring at her silently. After a few moments of awkward silence she stood claiming that she was going to find Haymitch. When the door slid closed behind her, I let out a loud sigh. I must have startled Hollimae because she jumped when I sighed. I looked over at her and for the first time I noticed that she had tears in her eyes. In her hand I noticed she was clutching a bag from the bakery.
"How were the cookies?" I asked her.
"What cookies?" she asked nearly whispering.
I pointed to the bag in her hands and she looked down at it. She didn't even know they were cookies. Apparently Jeremy had just given her the bag without explaining what they were. I told her to open the bag and try one, but she seemed too nervous. I was just about to make a joke to try and cheer her up a little, when the door slid open. Haymitch Abernathy, the victor of the fiftieth hunger Games, stumbled in and glanced at us.
"Congratulations," he said, though it was obviously sarcastic.
He made his way over to the drink cart by the window, and poured himself a drink. Bringing the bottle with him, he sat across from us where Effie had sat a few minutes ago. He was just looking at us while occasionally taking a sip of his drink.
"Well?" I asked.
"Well what?"
"Aren't you supposed be giving us advice? Telling us how to get sponsors?"
"You want some advice kid? Here you go: Accept the probability of your imminent death, and know in your heart, that there is nothing I can do to save you."
I couldn't believe what he had just said. Not only was he a drunk, but apparently he isn't even going to try to help us.
"I see," I said, noting that Hollimae was now sobbing quietly beside me. "Is that how you won the games? Because I seem to remember an axe being involved."
The next thing I know my jaw is pounding and I'm looking up at Haymitch from the floor. I have been hit many times before, whether it was my mother or my brothers, so the shock wears off fast. I'm on my feet in a second delivering my own punch to the left side of Haymitch's face. He is too drunk to dodge and crashes hard into the wall behind him; dropping his drink in the process. I ready myself to avoid any retaliation, but none comes. Instead Haymitch starts laughing while holding his own jaw with his left hand.
"Well, it seems I finally got a fighter," he said between bouts of laughter. "I'll make you a deal tough guy. You don't tell me how to mentor, and I'll cut back on the drink enough to help you in the games."
He leaves without waiting for a response. When he is gone I look over at Hollimae and she is looking up at me with wide eyes. At some point during the altercation, she had jumped from her chair and pressed her back against the wall of the train car.
"Are you okay," she asked.
I look over to her and give her a small smile.
"Well, it hurt, but at least he's going to stay sober enough to help during the games."
She just nodded her head in response. I turned to the drink cart and looked for some ice, I figured that a train with this level of luxury has to have ice on it. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any ice on the cart. Just as I was returning my chair to it's upright position Effie comes in alerting us that dinner is being served. I wasn't even aware that I was hungry until she had mentioned it.
At dinner Haymitch was so drunk he passed out and his face landed in a bowl of soup. Hollimae had never seen something so funny. Effie called a couple of attendants and they took Haymitch to his room. After that dinner was a fairly normal affair, Hollimae being from a mining family wasn't accustomed to having so much food available to her. While my family had never had anything near as much or as delicious, I had never gone hungry. I could sympathize with the girl but could not relate to her. Though I did defend her and explained her situation to Effie when she had reprimanded Hollimae on her table manners. After dinner we were shown to our rooms and I was so tired that I just fell on the bed and went to sleep.
I was woken the next morning by an attendant and told that breakfast would be served in thirty minutes. I was able to figure out how to work the strange showers fairly quickly, but I accidentally ended up using the rose scented soap. After drying off I was a little hesitant to open the closet door of my room. Thankfully it was not full of the weird capitol style costumes that Effie is so fond of. I found a tan button down shirt and some jeans that fit just right.
Breakfast was surprisingly quiet, Haymitch didn't seem to be much of a morning person. I swear his coffee is more alcohol than coffee at this point. Hollimae eats slower than she did the night before and keeps her head down. I hate to see her seem so hopeless, though I know that there is no way she is going to win. Finnik Odair was the youngest to ever win the games and he was fourteen when he did. He also happened to be from district four, which trains it's tributes from a young age for the games. So as much as I hate to admit it, I know that she will be dead within the next two weeks.
"So Peeta," Haymitch starts. "Tell me about your skillset."
"Well, I placed second in the school wrestling tournament. I was only bested by my older brother," I said.
"I see… Well I know you can throw a decent punch, so I would say you're good in terms of hand-to-hand combat. Have you ever used any weapons?"
"I've used knives at the bakery, but I've never thrown or fought with them."
"Okay… What about survival skills?"
I shake my head.
"Well we'll think of something, and as long as you don't go into the arena smelling like roses you should be fine."
Hollimae laughs at Haymitch's joke, which brings his attention to her.
"And how about you sweetheart, any skills?" he asked.
She just shyly looks down at her lap and shakes her head. I hear Haymitch sigh and curse under his breath.
"Well… your best bet is to just avoid everyone. Find water and stay alive as long as you can."
She sadly nods her head and takes a drink of hot chocolate from her mug.
"Alright, we should be arriving soon. When we do I want you Peeta, to smile confidently and wave to the crowd. Holli I want you to act shy and look as innocent as possible okay?"
Just as Haymitch is finished giving his advice, we enter a dark tunnel. It doesn't last long and when we have emerged from the other side, I see it. The Capitol. It is unlike anything I have ever seen before. Giant towers that had to be over a thousand feet high are everywhere. The mountains on the other side of the city provide a fantastic background. Unfortunately we came into another tunnel and I am no longer able to see the city.
Effie squeals out a "we're here" and drags us to the doors. Through the windows on the door I can see the people on the platform as we pass by. I try to ignore their strange outfits, which I find rather easy given my recent proximity to Effie. Putting on my best smile and pushing away my nerves, I watch as the doors slide open. Almost immediately people are screaming for our attention, when we step out I raise my right hand and wave to the crowd. I have never seen people go so crazy before. I manage to keep my shock hidden as we are marched across the platform and through the train station.
When we emerge from the other side of the station, we are hustled into another car but I seem to handle this one a lot better. It must have been the bumpy roads of district twelve that caused me to feel sick. The ride this time is smooth and I enjoy it and the sights so much that we arrive at the remake center after what felt like just a few short minutes. Climbing out of the car, Haymitch pulls me and Hollimae to the side.
"Okay, this is where we leave you for now," he said. "In there you are going to be taken into a room and prepped for the tribute parade. It isn't that bad, but I promise that you aren't going to enjoy it. Just grit your teeth, get through it and then we can move on, okay?"
After promising to do as we were told, they ushered us through the doors of the building, and we were thrust into a world we truly did not understand.