I wake up, as usual to the smell of baking bread.
I looked around me room. Remaining perfectly still. In my mind, if I didn't move, not even a fraction of an inch (except for eye movement), than the day wasn't starting yet.
tried to remember when I made up this game.
I could not remember.
The reason for playing this game wasn't the usual, not wanting to deal with my mother abusing me.
Today I didn't want to have to deal with the Reaping. The day when one male and one female tribute will be picked out of a glass ball and made to fight to death in the Hunger Games.
Joy.
I decided it was time for the day to get started, so, I rolled out of bed and got dressed. As I was heading down the stairs to the bakery, I heard the bell ding to alert us that we had a customer.
I looked at my watch. It was early. I wonder who it could be. My question was answered as soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs.
Gale Hawthorne.
He was holding a fat squirrel in his hand. He looked, at me nodded, and went back to talking with my father, discussing a trade.
I walked into to the kitchen and pulled out the cake I had been working on for the past few days. I felt slightly disappointed that Katniss hadn't been with him. But then again, she typically didn't come with him to the bakery. She didn't want to risk running into my mother with any of her trades, every once and a while though, I would she her looking into the display window with her sister Prim.
I tried to push Katniss out of my mind and focus on the cake.
Some how I managed.
I was only pulled out of my trance when my two brothers, Folar and Rye, came bounding down the stairs.
"Happy Hunger Games little brother!" Said Rye.
I stepped back from the cake as he locked his arms around my neck, I smiled slightly, bad mistake.
I turned grabbed his arms and in a quick maneuver I had him in a headlock.
"You too." I said, he struggled against my hold.
He and I both knew that he wasn't going to be able to escape. We play fought for bit more until Folar left muttering something about having to be the responsible one in the family.
We both snickered at him.
He truly was the odd one out in the family. He didn't share the same build as Rye and I, he was small, had dark hair, and dark eyes. He was interested in just about everything. And he was the only son my mother liked.
I walked back over to my cake and was just finishing the piping on it when she rounded the corner.
"Peeta," she barked I stood up and said,
"Yes ma'am?" she came into view, "Get the dough out of the fridge, knead it, and then put it in the oven." she ordered.
"Yes ma'am." I responded, dropping what I was doing and walking to the fridge. I got the dough out and began to knead it.
Even though my back was turned. I could still feel her presence, I tried to ignore her and focus on what I was doing.
She cleared he throat and I turned around expecting for her to say something.
"Did I tell you to stop?" she asked.
"No," I responded quickly and turned back around to continue.
She took step closer to me,
"What was that?" she asked in a quite, deadly voice.
Oh no. I thought.
"No ma'am." I corrected. I silently cursed my self for forgetting it the first time.
"That's not what you said the first time." she said. "What did you say the first time?" I tried to prepare my self for what was about to happen next, I tried to play out a hundred different scenarios in my head.
"I said, 'no'." she took another step towards me.
"Why is your neck red?" she asked in a deadly voice.
Damn. I thought to myself.
"And don't you dare lie to me." she finished.
"Rye and I were messing around…" I said. I was trying to brace my self for the pain that surely about to happen.
"And what," she said taking one step closer towards me with each word. "have I told you about 'messing around' with your brothers?" she asked .
"You've told us not to…" I said quietly.
"That's right." she said. "I've told you not to, and you've gone and done it anyway." she finished, then without warning, she raised her hand and brought it down hard on the back of my head.
It stung, but I'd had worse.
"I swear," she said backing up, "The only thing you're usual for is decorating cakes." she sauntered off.
That went better then I would have hoped, I thought as I rubbed the spot where she had hit me.
There was going to be a mark. But at least it wasn't bleeding.
I went back to the bread, and after I finished that, I went back to my cakes until my father came into the kitchen.
Several hours had passed.
"You need to get ready. It's about time to go." he said. I looked at the clock. He was right, the Reaping was at two.
"Ok." I said as I put the cakes in the fridge. I would finish them when I got back.
I walked up stairs and pulled out some dress clothes. Got dressed and walked back downstairs. My family was waiting in the kitchen.
Folar was dressed similarly to me. Rye was no longer eligible. And for that, I was thankful.
We all walked to the town square in silence. Once we arrived my parents and Rye walked over to an adjacent area to watch, and Folar and I went to check in. Folar looked at me nodded and then went to stand in the section roped off for fourteen years olds as I went to the one reserved for sixteen year olds.
I surveyed the people around me. I saw Gale standing in the area for eighteen year olds he was looking at something in the crowd, instinctively I looked to see what he was, then I saw her. Katniss. Even though she looked worried , she still looked beautiful.
She was wearing a blue dress and her hair was in an elegant braid. She looked away from Gale, so I looked away from her. I waited a few more minuets for the Reaping to begin. The clock chimed two so Mayor Undersee stood up and walked to the podium and began to read.
It's the same story every year. The story of how our "Great Nation" was formed.
I try to tune him out.
And I succeed until district twelve's lone victor, Haymitch Abernathy stumbles upon the stage.
He's wasted.
Like usual.
The mayor introduces him, but he gets confused and tries to give out escort, Effie Trinket a big hug.
I laugh darkly, as do a few others around me.
She just barely manages to fight him off. She stands up and gives her usual
"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" she sounds ridiculous, as do most of the people from the capitol.
Her pink hair, witch most be a wig, is tilting slight to the side after her little encounter with Haymitch. She tries to fix it as she walks up to the reaping ball.
"Ladies first!" she says, manically upbeat. I bet I would be to, if I didn't have to worry about being thrown into an arena and forced to fight to the death on live television. She sticks her hand into the large glass Reaping ball and swishes it around dramatically, before plunging her hand and pulling out a little slip of paper. I only have enough time to hope that the name about to be read aloud isn't Katniss Everdeen.
She reads the name out loud.
And it isn't Katniss' name.
It's her little sisters name.
Primrose Everdeen.