The end of my world

I hope you enjoy my story like you have on my other stories :)

I looked at the audience waiting for Effie Trinket to pull out the male tribute's name. I looked at the other men lined up behind their roped off area. I didn't know half of them. My grey eyes met my friend Gale Hawthorne's grey one. In them I saw a promise that he would look after my family.

Effie was wearing a bright pink wig and her powdered white face looked out of place in District 12 among the starving and dead grey eyes of the citizens. Her pink dress and pink eyelashes added color to the colorless world I had known for so long. She placed a white hand into the bowl which kept the male tributes and pulled out a single slip of paper. She went back to the microphone on the stage and looked down at the name.

"Gale Hawthorne." She read. My heart went to my throat, Gale, no that can't be right. I tell myself even though that I knew that the odds were never in his favor to begin with. This year alone his name was in that bowl forty-two times. My name was in there twenty-one times but somehow Prim's name was called. I watched in shock as my best friend and the only one who could keep my family alive walks up to the stage to stand beside me.

My world was collapsing in on me and I was having trouble breathing. I barely felt as the peace keepers lead me into the justice building to say my good-byes to my family. I sat down on a red velvet couch and absent mindedly rubbed my hand on the fabric. The door opened and a blond blur streaked across the room to me and flung her arms around my neck.

"Shh, little duck it'll be alright." I said rubbing my hand up and down her back trying to calm her down. I looked up at my mother who was willing herself not to cry.

"You can't go out on her, not like when dad died." I say sternly at her.

"I won't." She answers almost audibly

"No, you can't. She needs you and I won't be around to feed you two. You have to promise that no matter what happens in the arena you will hold on for her." I answer indicating Prim. I crouched so I was at eye level with my little sister. "Don't take any tesserae it's not worth putting your name in more times." I hugged Prim one more time before the peace keeper signaled them out of the room.

The next person to visit me was Mrs. Hawthorne, Gale's mother. She was a tall scrawny woman. She did the laundry for the citizens of the seam. The seam was the poorest part of District twelve. It made up most of the population. She had five year old Posy on her hip and her other two sons came in behind her. Their eyes were still red from saying good-by to Gale.

"I'll look after them and make sure that Prim doesn't starve." Mrs. Hawthorne reassured me. I nodded my assent willing myself to be strong for Rory and Vick's sake. They each gave me a hug good-bye and left me.

I waited another ten minutes before the next person showed up. I never expected these people to come to me. I didn't even know them that much only that I traded to the older man. The next people to visit me were the baker and his youngest son Peeta. The baker liked to trade some fresh bread for a squirrel, but only when his witch of a wife wasn't around. The baker wasn't much of a talker but he gave me a package of cookies.

"Thanks." I said looking at the package thoughtfully.

"I'll watch out for the little girl." He assured me. I was happy for Prim that she had so many people looking out for her. It would be more of a comfort to me had Gale's name not been picked for the reaping. At least if Gale were watching out for her he would be able to give the family fresh game when he went out hunting. I nodded to them anyway but the boy didn't go right away he lingered for a moment longer.

He looked down at his boots for a minute before looking up and not meeting my eyes. "Katniss I know we haven't officially met. I'm Peeta…I just...I..." He was a strange one. We have seen each other in school but we never officially talked to each other. What caught me off guard was right before he left he kissed me on the cheek and his own cheek flushed red. "I've had a crush on you since we were five but I guess that's going to be short lived isn't it?" He half-heartedly laughed. "Anyway don't forget to aim straight." He smiled one more time before vanishing.

The last person to visit was Mage. Mage was the Mayor's daughter. She was nice, unlike the girl you would expect her to be. She wasn't snobby or thought you were beneath her she gave everyone the benefit of the doubt but we never talked to each other before either.

"The tributes get to wear a token into the arena right?" She said questioningly. She pinned something to my blue dress my mother gave me. "Can you wear this into the arena when the Games start?" I looked down at the gold pin. It was a mocking jay with its wings on the edge of a circular ring and its tail out of the other end.

She left without another word and the peace keepers came to lead us onto the tribute train. I went without a struggle onto the silver train. I didn't even bother going into the dining compartment I went straight to my own bedroom compartment and fell face first onto my down comforter and let all my emotions out. It was hours before I emerged from my room and it was only because I couldn't' stand Effie Trinket's knock telling me to come down for dinner anymore.

Just wondering if this is an interesting spin to the hunger games and hoping that no one tried this already. I'm sorry if i took anyone else's idea.

I won't put up the next chapter until my finals are done so you'll just hav eto be satisfied with this first chapter until then.