Characters/Relationships: Prim, Effie, Rory, Prim/Rory (friendship)
Reaping Day (Effie) - 74th Hunger Games
I shove my hand into the glass ball containing the first and last name of every teenager in District 12. For several seconds, my fingers brush over countless scraps of paper, and a simple fact forms in my mind: no matter what card I choose, some poor, unfortunate child will be sent to an almost certain death. But the thought passes almost as quickly as it came, and I'm still grinning brightly at the crowd below. Finally, I grab hold of one and, before I withdraw my hand, I take a look at the name: Primrose Everdeen.
Oh, no! Not this poor little child. I blink in despair. This morning, when I arrived in District 12, I was greeted by a tiny blonde girl and her companion. Most people here dislike me; while they are living in poverty, I have a life of ease back in the Capitol, with all the food I want and a different pair of shoes for each day of the year. So when I come to announce the names of the two tributes, I get worse-than-dirty looks. Some of these filthy barbarians even appear as if they will attempt to rip my head off if I get any closer to them. I did not expect a young girl to willingly approach me and offer strawberries.
"Thank you, dear, but I'm afraid I cannot accept your gift. Thank you once again for your kindness," I had replied, "and may the odds be ever in your favour!"
"Effie," the girl said tenderly. I turned back around to face her quizzically, and she giggled. "Don't feel bad. It's your job; no one should blame you." By the softness of her expression, I could easily pick up the new subject.
I held out my hand, and she shook it gingerly, still smiling shyly. "May I ask your name?"
With a nod, she stated, "My name is Prim. Primrose Everdeen. And this is my best friend, Rory Hawthorne," Prim gleefully added as she pulled her hand away.
"Well, Primrose, it was nice meeting you, but I had better go for real this time." I smiled at the precious little girl, patted her head, and hurried off, waving over my shoulder.
I just couldn't do this. I'm not a monster. Surely this tiny angel couldn't hurt a fly; she would be dead the second the Games started! No, Effie, don't do it, I command myself. It's wrong. But then another voice in my head fights back. What the Capitol does is wrong, too… I find her in the crowd and nod my head ever so slightly, before dropping the slip and rummaging around for a few more seconds. After all, a few seconds can change a life.
I've had this idea in my head for a while... and I decided to put it into words. I hope you liked ittt(: