Primrose POV
My sister is stroking my hair as we wait for Effie Trinket, the bizarre, dollish woman from Capitol to draw a name from the reaping balls, and I am shaking.
'Please don't let it be me, please, please…' I whisper silently, but she hears me.
'It won't be you, Prim. It won't be.' It will be though, I know it. I know it. My name is in there a thousand times. A thousand tessera, to save my family from starvation.
'Primrose Everdeen!' And there it is, my name, as I knew. And the Peacekeepers are dragging me forward, into the depths of the Justice Building, and it dawns on me that I will never see my district again.
'Katniss!' The pillow is soaked in sweat. 'Katniss, where are you? Katniss!' She should be here! My dreams are always so terrifying on the Reaping day.
'I'm here Prim, I'm here.'
'It was me, Katniss; it's going to be me.'
'It won't be, Prim. It's your first year; you're not taking any tessera. You'll be fine.'
'What if it is?'
'It won't be. There's thousands of names in those balls, Prim.'
'Okay…' I trail off, and curl my head down into my older, braver sister's shirt. Once the fear from my nightmare has worn off, a new fear emerges. 'What about you?' She laughs.
'It won't be me either, Prim. There's no need to worry.' There's fear in her voice, though, and I know it's because she's not sure. My strong, brave sister can't ever be sure about the Reaping, about what the Capitol will do to us next. They think I don't understand how cruel the Capitol will be, but I do. I've heard them, and I'm twelve now; I've seen enough of the Games to know that we are not in safe hands.
'Prim, I've got to go, got to hunt for tonight, so we have something nice to eat after we all come back from the Reaping.'
'Okay, Katniss.' Sliding herself out from under my heavy head, she presses a kiss on my forehead, and I hear her leave, like a whisper, to escape from our District into the woods.
It is mid afternoon now, and the sirens are wailing. Katniss hasn't come back. 'Mom, where is she?' I can't help the desperation sinking into my voice. To go into the square alone, to face Effie Trinket and Mayor Undersee on my own is an unbearable thought.
'She'll be back soon, I'm sure. We need to go now, honey.' Even behind her smile, I can see uncertainty. What a day for Katniss to go missing, the one day we all need her most.
