Chapter 2: World upside down
I wake up early in the morning, today is May 21st the fist day of summer. This would usually be a good day for me, May 21st usually meant first day of summer vacation and no school till September 5th, but today is not a good day for anyone in Seams. Today is Reaping day, the day that one boy and one girl will be taken from their families and thrust into the violence of the Hunger Games.
I roll over and look at my clock, it's 7 in the morning, eight hours until the Reaping begins. I notice my smart phone is flashing that I have a message. I reach over and pick it, I unlock it and look at the message. It's from my father, I read it "I want you and Prim in my private study at 8:00a.m, we need to talk". I think about what Dad is going through, the last time Seams was picked as the Reaping Town he was chosen as the tribute and now it's up again and this year both me and Prim are of Reaping age, plus we're the daughters of Panem's most famous victor and Seams has produced District 12's only two victors so luck is already not on our side if the Capitol decides to rig the Reaping.
I decide to get up and head for the bathroom, I slip off my sleep clothes and throw them down the laundry chute and step into the shower. After I shower I head for my walk-in closet, my closet has filled about halfway over the years. I decide just to put on a t-shirt and leggings with sandals. I exit my room and see that Prim is waiting outside for me.
"Hey Little Duck, are you ready?" I ask her. "Yeah, I'm just real nervous and scared" she says.
I softly place my hand on her shoulder and say "It's going to be okay Prim, now lets go see Dad"
We head over to the other side of the second floor where the Library is. We enter the Library and make our way back to the door that leads to Dad's private study. We enter the study and see Dad sitting in one of the circular red love seats that face the fireplace diagonal. Me and Prim head for the love seat and sit down. I look at Dad's face and can tell he's been in here most the night. He looks up at us with that sweet and caring look.
"Girls I wanted to talk to you about today, now I know you two are nervous and scared and I wont lie to you I am too. But I want you to know that know matter what happens today that we will get through it together as a family, ok?" Me and Prim both nod.
"Now today after lunch I will drive you two down to the square where you'll sign in and head to your designated spots, ok?" me and Prim both nod again. Dad leans forward and takes both of our hands. "No matter what name they pull out of those bowls, it's going to be ok, now lets head down to breakfast".
We leave the study and head down to living room where Uncle Ron is just sitting breakfast on the table. Breakfast is soft biscuits, white sausage gravy, bacon and strawberry yogurt. After we're done with breakfast we sit there till late morning just talking. It isn't till almost eleven that Me, Prim and Dad head back up to our rooms to get ready.
Once in back in my room I look through my closet for dress to wear. I decide on a teal green dress that comes down to my knees with a brown belt around the waist. I put very little makeup on and let my hair fall strait down to the middle of my back. I slip into some short white wedge sandals and look myself over in the mirror, I've grown a lot over the years now at nearly five foot nine and nearly 130 pounds I'm one of the tallest girls at my school. I look at the clock on my makeup table and see its 15 after noon, we'll be leaving in 45 minutes so I hurry down stairs.
When I reach the living room Dad and Prim are already there. Prim is in a summer yellow dress and brown sandals and Dad is wearing a simple tan suit and tie with brown loafers. My Dad walks up to me "Well Baby girl you look just beautiful" he says.
"Thanks Dad, you Prim look real nice too." I respond. Dad and Prim both thank me and we head over to the table where Ronald has prepare a light lunch of cold cut sandwiches and fried potato wedges. "My you three look wonderful" Ronald says. "Thank you Uncle Ron" Prim says. We all sit down and enjoy one last moment of talking and laughing among each before we have to leave.
At one o'clock the four of us head down to the underground garage where we get into Dad's Phantom. It's a short 15 minute ride to the square, there me, Prim and Ronald get out of the car while Dad drives over to the Justice Building. Ronald walks over to where the rest of the parents or guardians are, while me and Prim go register. At the Registration table they prick our index fingers for blood and smear it on blank square and scan it with a device that identifies us, after that they direct us to roped off squares that are marked by age. When all the children are finally registered and in the roped off areas, the large wooden double doors to the justice building open and the Mayor of Seams, Effie Trinket, Dad and Haymitch Abernathy walk out, well Haymitch more of stumbles out.
Effie walks up to microphone on the center of the stage while the Mayor, my Dad and Haymicth take seats off to the right. Effie is in her usual wildly colorful puffy dress and massive wig, I can tell by her expression that she does not want to be hear, hoping one day they'll move her to a better district. Effie sports a halfway decent smile as she give the formal introduction in her high pitch Capitol voice.
"Welcome! Welcome! Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor!" Effie goes on to read from a small card about the history of The Hunger Games. She reads about the rebellion in the dark days and how the Capitol defeated the rebels and District 13 was destroyed and that as punishment for the rebellion every year the districts would have to give up one girl and boy between 12 and 18. These 24 children would be delivered to the Capitol to fight to the death until one victor remained this victor would be showered in riches. Effie then introduces District 12's victors, first my Dad who receives a roaring applauses then she introduces Haymitch. He stands up gives wave before vomiting and stumbling forward and face planting the stage. My Dad shakes his head and you can clearly hear him say, "Dammit Haymitch, you drunken jackass". Everyone in the square laughs as two peace keepers drag Haymitch off into the justice building. Effie face is flustered a bright red clearly frustrated and embarrassed.
"Well let's get on with the drawing. As always ladies first" she says. My heart is pounding in my throat as Effie walks over to large glass bowl on the right and reaches her hand in pulling a small envelope from it and walks back over to the microphone. She opens the envelope pulling out a small card with a name on it. Effie reads off the Name.
"Primrose Blackhawk!"
A feeling like a Capitol Coal Truck hitting me washes over me as I feel like the world is starting to spin. I instantly look at my father who is fiercely fighting back tears. I suddenly have a panic feeling hit me. Before I know it I'm making my way through the crowd, there's no resistance as everyone moves out of my way. I make it to center pathway where a peacekeeper is already escorting Prim to the stage.
"Prim!" I call out to her as I make my way to her. "Prim!" I scream again, two Peacekeepers stop me. "Prim!" I yell again as the two Peacekeepers start to push me back. I panic trying to think of something to do, I yell the only thought I can muster.
"I volunteer! I volunteer!" "I volunteer as tribute!"
Effie speaks up, "Why that's wonderful dear but you have to wait till we call for volunteers". My Dad suddenly speaks up a distraught tone.
"Effie!" he says a few tears rolling down his face. The Mayor puts a hand on my Dad's shoulder trying to comfort him and then speaks to Effie. "Ms. Trinket it's okay, let her come up". By this point I've already made my to Prim and Ronald has walk up to collect Prim.
"I've got her Katniss, you go on up." Ronald says. The three of us share one last hug before Ronald takes Prim back to the Parents and I make my way up to stage beside Effie.
"What's your name dear?" Effie asks me. "Katniss Blackhawk" I answer, tears are starting well up in my eyes as I come to realization of the situation. "Well, I'll bet my hat that was your sister." She says. "Yes" I say. "Well let's have a hand for our volunteer." Effie says. The square is silent but then every person there puts their first three fingers to their lips and holds their hands up in the air. A symbol of goodbye to a loved one or a friend in the districts.
Effie clears her throat. "Time for the boys" she walks over sticks her hand in the glass bowl and pulls out a small envelope. She walks back to the microphone opens the envelope and pulls out the card and reads it.
"Peeta Mellark!"
A sudden gut punch hits me. Not Peeta, a boy whose been such a good friend to me and Prim all these years. I look out into the crowd and spot him about five foot eleven, muscular build say 160, ashy blonde hair. Me and him instantly make eye contact as he ascends the stairs next to Effie.
"Wonderful! This years tributes for the 74th annual Hunger Games Katniss Blackhawk and Peeta Mellark! Now shake hands you two." We shake each others hands and then are instantly rushed into the justice building where we are each placed in separate rooms to say goodbye to our family and friends. Dad, Prim and Ronald enter room and the peacekeeper gives us 3 minutes to say our final farewells.
Prim runs up and hugs me. "You have to win Katniss" she says. "I'll try my hardest Prim, you know I will" I say to her. "I love you Katniss" she says to me, tears our running down both our faces. "I love you too Prim". Prim backs away next to our Dad and Ronald walks up to me and hugs me. "You come home to us dear. I just want you to know this, I always thought of you and Prim as granddaughters" he says. Ronald takes hold of Prim's hand and says to my Dad. "I'll take care of her until you two get home sir" "Thank you" my dad responses. Prim and Ronald exit the room and now it's just me and my Dad. We both embrace each other tightly.
"I don't care what it takes. I'm getting you out of that arena alive and bringing you home." He says between while sobbing. "I love you so much Dad" I say. "I love you too baby girl". We break our embrace, Dad reaches in his suit pocket and pulls out a gold pin. "This is my old Mockingjay Pin, I wore it in my games I want you to wear now" he says and pins it to my shirt. There's a knock at the door that signals us that our time is up.
We're taken by car to the train station where we board a capitol bullet train. At over 300 mph we'll be in the Capitol in six hours around 10 o'clock tonight.
That evening at dinner we Me, Peeta, Effie, my Dad and a now sober Haymitch are seated at a table in the dinning car. Dinner is filet mignon, salmon, peas, cream corn, mashed potatoes and desert is chocolate lava cake. Effie goes on during dinner how she is so excited about working with Leonidas Blackhawk's daughter and that district 12 might finally have a female victor and Haymitch keeps going on about odds of survival, my Dad finally has enough and orders them both out of the dinning car calling Haymitch drunken asshole and Effie a insensitive bitch. I've never seen my father cuss so much but I understand the pain he's in. He comes back and sits down, "I'm sorry about that, I'm not usually like that." He says. "It's ok Dad I understand" I tell him. He gives a smile before going into what we should expect tomorrow.
"Now tonight when we arrive at the Capitol we'll stay on the train tonight. After breakfast you'll be taken to the tributes center where you'll meet your prep team and stylist. It's best not to resist anything they do to you. Now after lunch will be the opening ceremony where they'll take you out on chariots and show off to all of Panem. Now after breakfast tomorrow you probably wont see me or the others till after the opening ceremony. Ok. This is what you should expect tomorrow."
"Any advice?" Peeta asks. "Yes. Put on a good show." He answers. "Now I'm going to go and try to apologize to Effie and Haymitch" my Dad says as he gets up and leaves the car.
"Well I never thought life would lead me here" I say. "Hey it's going to be okay Katniss, your Dad is smart man and besides we'll get through this thing together and no matter what happens we'll always be best friends" Peeta says.
We both lock eyes. "Okay" I say to the boy that I've been friends with for nearly six years and the past three have been secretly in love with. Just then I see the lights of the Capitol and realize mine Peeta's worlds are about to be turned upside down.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter and always thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites.
Also the Hunger Games Trilogy is property of Suzanne Collins.