Haymitch Abernathy
Why the hell am I awake? I drank enough last night to tranquilize an elephant for a week! Jesus, the sun is too bright. What happened to the shades… What happened to the shades?
"Ahh, there he is." says Darius as I raise my head from a pool of spilled liquor. "Did you think you'd get out of it this year?"
"Giet owtta waaht?" I mumble, pulling myself out of the chair. Not so easy with a wicked hangover I might add.
"Jesus, Abernathy. They really did a number on you didn't they? Today's the day of The Reaping! And you're late." Laughs Darius, though any sober individual could hear the pity in his voice.
"Dnnn't beee sho laowd…" I practically whimper at him. I really should get a reign on this drinking thing. HA! Who am I kidding? I can't function without a bottle. Trust me folks, this is good functioning. This is excellent functi- Holy mother of! Fucking jesus fuck! "Arrgggghhhhh!" I yell slashing around with my knife.
"C'mon you old drunk, we got a schedule to keep!" says Purnia, setting down a now empty bucket. The ice cold contents of which she just emptied upon my head.
Peacekeepers. They can rot in hell, the whole lot of them! Well, Darius isn't too bad, but Purnia! I swear she gets a kick out of torturing me any chance she can. "I'm coming, I'm coming."
I take a few shaky steps towards the door and it becomes clear I'll never make it to the square on my own. With a sigh Darius and Purnia each grab an arm and half lead half drag me to the Justice Building. Right on queue. The mayor calls my name and I go stumbling towards a brightly colored object that can only be Effie Trinket, the Capitol escort sent to ferry two poor kids and me to the infamous Hunger Games. Maybe I overdo it a little trying to hug her and all, but what can I say, I despise the woman. Alright, time to find a chair.
"I volunteer!" Those words cut through my pounding headache like a knife through butter. Who in the hell is volunteering to be slaughtered? Sounded like a girl too. I open my eyes just enough to see a young, scared looking little girl standing at the foot of the terrace hiding an even smaller little girl behind her back. Katniss Everdeen. I recognize her from my time spent at the Hob, our little Black Market trade here in District 12. Well damn, I actually don't hate this kid. It's gunna be even harder watching her be slaughtered in the arena. But maybe she'll take a few down with her, she seems like a fighter. I get up, bad idea, and half stumble, half fall my way towards her in the center of the stage. "I like her! Lots of…" What's the damn word I'm looking for? "Spunk!" I shout into the cameras "More than you! More than you!" I taunt those pompous arses in the Capitol, sitting on their high horses. Right before I promptly fall off the stage. But come on, we all saw that coming.