Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games books, anything that you recognise belongs to Suzanne Collins.
Thank you for reading, please review Jenny x
My dark brown hair looked almost dull in the dim light of the day completely opposite to my brother Finnick next to me whose golden curls shine like a halo on his perfect head. As we walk to school in silence i like to go over all the small blemishes and parts of his face i love. According to Mother and Father we were named after old friends who are no longer alive but still have a special place in there hearts. They say they'll tell us when we're older, although we're already pretty old already. The grand old age of 12! The walk to school includes going past the rusty gates of the old coal mines and were mummy says a place called the hob used to be but i make Finnick take the lead because i dont like the smell. One time when i asked him to go in front he said "Oh come on Rue, imagine its the smell of sugar or something very sweet just like you!" but i just rolled my sapphire blue eyes at him and ran in front trying not to trip over rubble but trying to get to school quicker than him, because he doesnt like bieng alone. Now he always goes in front only because he knows i'll tell mum when i get home. When we've finally made it to school we go our seperate ways i go over to Joh. She is a girl, but didnt like her name so she shortened it to Joh i said id keep it a secret not even my mum knows her real name. She has short cropped blonde hair with tanned skin and warm brown eyes admittadly her appearance is a bit boyish but then again Finnick looks like a girl with his long blonde curls! Speaking of him he hangs out with a shy boy called Ben they're very alike although Ben wears glasses and has grey-blue eyes that match the fog that hangs over the water in winter. Ben is nice but we dont talk. I guess me and Finnick are only different in school because everywhere else its like we're stuck together, i guess i like staying with him because he's nice and doesnt tease me like other boys do. Me and Joh meet in the playground next to the red swing that squeaks to much. Dad says i should make more friends but i like not having to worry about who to play with. "Hi!" i say to Joh as i approach her sitting on the swing "hey, why are you so late?" she asks not in a pressing tone but quizzically enough so i know that she was worried "Sorry, Uncle Haymitch came round i dont see him that often" i reply
"I swear he's not you real Uncle" she asks giggling
"No, he's not but mummy, daddy and him are really close so we call him that" i reply gently, we walk accross the playground towards our bench but half way there the signal for the start of class goes so we say our good byes and go into our seperate classes. I have to sit next to Charlie, i dont like him because he tried to kiss me last year, which makes it really awkward now we have to sit next to each other. Professor Hanks has his usual clipped back hair, black and red striped tie, a white shirt covering up his chest and smart black trousers reaching down to his shiny black shoes. "Tomorrow is a special day, we will have a visit from soldiers of each district yes including 1" he says because he knows we are all fascinated by one as it is the farthest away and we dont get to see its contents much accept for on TV, but thats still rare. Accpet for that piece of intriguing news nothing much is interesting about that day other than lunch time with Joh, but only because its with Joh. At the end of the day me and Finnick meet at the red gates before going home because we also walk home together, on the way home me and Finnick talk about who we think tomorrow will bring to District 12, run down, rubbly, grey and barely surviving District 12. Although my families lucky because apparently we won lots of money and prizes because they won a game it must of been a special game, i dont think i'd of won. You'd probably have to be brave.
When we get home Mummy takes our coats and bags and asks about our day. I let Finnick do the talking because whatever i say seems to sound so stupid to me. When Mums in the garden the phone rings and i pick it up "Hello?" i ask down the yellowing device in my hands "Hello, is Mrs Katniss Mellark available?" a raspy voice asks. "Um. Yes i'll just go get her" i reply in my nervous tone.
"Mummy, theres a man on the phone, i think its Uncle Haymitch" i shout into the garden decorated neatley with pink primroses that smelled wonderful in the summer and could heal any blocked noise with the sweet sent. Mum comes out from behind one of the bushes cheeks red and eyes a glossy grey. "Are you alright?" i ask gently
"Yes, of course dear, know who was on the phone?" she asks politley trying to deflect my question. I know something was up but i dont press her because i dont like people crying. I hand her the phone and she starts jabbering on about how someone should visit us after something had finished, but i think they couldnt because they had to return home. I suspect its Uncle Haymitch he's always busy doing mysterious things that our parents refuse to tell us. As Daddy comes in from work i run upstairs to mine and Finnicks bedroom hoping to catch him playing with my dolls set to tell Joh and humiliate him! But i find him lying on my bed reading a book. I try and sneak up to suprise him but he see's me coming. "haha, nice try big sis" he jeers. He uses the fact that he's braver against me. But i dont laugh because hes only 10 and so not funny!
Next thing im in school and a smart man entered my class room from District 1 and a rugged man from 2 and lady with short cropped hairr from 3 from 4 there is another woman small with pink highlights in her dark hair from district 5 comes a burly strong man with long hair and a grumpy face almost like Uncle Haymitch! Now i see why District 12 is so poor because every other District is wealthier. From District 6 there is a small child with long dish-water blonde hair and sea green eyes. 7 theres a tiny man with cropped hair and glasses. Then from 8 a young woman with the same blonde hair as Finnick. 9 a stick thin woman with no shape annd dark grey eyes.10 a tough man with tanned skin and hair almost covering everywhere on his body. Then 11 a monster almost grotesque flaky skin and matted hair. Ugh. But then everything goes wrong the monster starts chucking chairs and tables then everyone else joins in. Accept me. I sit there chairs and tables flying. As one comes swooping towards me i jolt up like a bolt of lightning with sweat pooring down my face. Dripping. Daddy comes running in, a worried look on his face. "Daddy i had a nightmare" i moan.
"Its ok Daddy is here now just snuggle down and i'll stay here, dont worry Rue, its ok" he replies in his soothing voice. So i snuggle down in my thick douvet and eventually leaving dark mysterious dreams at one end and enter the beautiful sunshine and world of laughter and smiles that is a real dream. When i wake im enclosed in blankets and Finnick is leaning over me nudging me to get up. As i realise what the time is i jump up and within 20 minutes am out the door with my little brother. Although im nervous about the soldiers from the districts, i do want to meet them but i cant wait until after school when Mummy picks us up to go swimming in the woods instead of straight home. After meeting Joh i go into class were Mister Hanks is waiting with 11 people at the front of the class completely different from my nightmare. As he went through the names i dosed off only a few clicked in my brain. But i had lost them by the end. By the time i had met Mum and Finnick at the gates i was tired of names and jobs and completely not funny jokes. Just as i was about to say how boring the day was my mother ran over to a man i remeber him from District 2 he was the only normal one with dark hair and olive skin with the same grey eyes as my mother, in fact his whole appearance looked like my mother. "Gale!" she squealed as she ran accross the playground towards this man, "Catnip! How are you?" he answered back in his soft voice, calm and serene. "Oh my gosh Gale! Im fine thank you but look at you, i havent seen you since...since the...war." she said as if something was finally making sense in her brain. War? She never mentioned a war? "i know its been along time,12 years, but you were always my best friend. No one could be the same as you Katniss. Ever." he replied, this Gale is my mothers best friend! I've never heard of him before. Maybe she just got upset about him. because there has to be a reason she wouldnt hide something like that if there wasn't a reason. Would she?