Chapter 1: Nightmares

In the middle of the night, I wake up from a terrible nightmare. The same kind I have always been getting recently, my name being picked in the reaping. Katniss is still asleep, so I move out from under the bed covers with care not to disturb Katniss's peaceful sleep.

I don't know how she does it, sleeping peacefully the night before the reaping. It might just be because she has gone through this for a few years now and this is my first year with this new fear. I've also always been a worrier and many things scare me. It seems like nothing scares my sister Katniss.

She seems so peaceful sleeping in our bed. I wish I could have a peaceful night's sleep. I've only seen her angry once before, when mom went into a depression after dad died.

After I am safely out of the bed, I sneak into my mother's room. I don't know what it is when I crawl into my mother's bed, but when I do, I always feel more secure. I know she is awake, because when I lay down beside her, she starts to slowly rub my back gently.

This has been happening every night for about a month now. I've told her about the nightmare dozens of times. She knows every detail of it just like I do. She told me she had the same nightmare when she was the age to be reaped into the frightening hunger games.

I finally fall asleep, thinking about Katniss's reassuring words.

"It's your first year Prim, your name's only in once, they're not going to pick you."

She seemed so sure that what she was saying was true, like there wasn't even the smallest chance at my name being picked. But I don't know how she can be? Doesn't she even have the slightest fear? Maybe because she has been through this for a few years now. She had her name entered more times for more food for our starving family.

Even though my name may be in only once, I have the strangest feeling that it will be my name rolling off of Effie Trinket's tongue at the reaping for the 74th annual Hunger Games.