Hello there! Sorry about the wait. All of the holiday stuff around here has settled down, so now I'm free to update. So let's recap, Peeta and Katniss have gotten married, they will be mentors in the Quarter Quell which is about three weeks away, they will be mentoring multiple children, the Winter Festival has come and gone. So here is the long awaited update!
Chapter 7:
The Morning after the winter festival
Gale's POV
My family and I are headed towards the Victor's Village. I have conflicted feelings about this. We are supposed to be having a gift exchange at Katniss's house, but after what I saw the other night, I'm not sure I could face them.
I had been walking through the Victor's Village trying to find Rory. He had run off in search of Prim. The Everdeens sure do have an effect on us don't they. While I was passing Katniss's house, I had seen them, once again wrapped around each other in a kiss. At least they didn't see me this time. I had snuck away without making a sound.
So now we were on our way to their house. I don't really know how I will be able to look at them straight anymore. When we arrived, it was clear that Katniss and Peeta have no idea what I witnessed last night. We exchange gifts happily, well everyone else is happy. I act happy though. That way nobody gets worried.
Katniss's POV
The days go by normally without many significant happenings. Peeta takes me into town almost every day and we help in the bakery. On Sundays, I still try to patch my friendship with Gale when we hunt, but he hardly ever comes into the woods. When he does we don't talk, and he never looks at me.
Days pass by like this, then weeks. Time goes by too fast; it is the morning of the reaping. I wake up and feel Peeta's arms wrapped around me. I shake his shoulder and whisper his name. He opens his eyes and smiles. The smile falls from his face.
"It's today, isn't it?" He whispers. I nod my head and sit up. We get dressed in our reaping clothes with stiff, robotic movements. This is probably the only big event I can think of where we aren't prepped by a team and dressed by a stylist. I wear a pale green dress tied with a white ribbon around the waste. I'm pretty sure I wore it on the victory tour in district seven. Peeta wears a ivory suit that he wore in ten.
We have slept late, so we start heading to the town square, each of us holding a cheese bun we grabbed before we left; our other hands clinging to one another. We just have time to whisper good luck to Gale's family before the mayor has us head up onto the stage. We say hello to Effie and take our seats on the makeshift stage next to Haymitch.
Effie begins with her usual "Happy Hunger Games!" and it is all too soon when she is calling out "Ladies first!" and her hand dips into the girls' reaping ball. I hope that the girl tribute won't have siblings. I want as few tributes from twelve as possible to enter the arena. Effie grabs a slip of paper and reads out the name.
"Leevy Mare!" Effie chimes. No, not Leevy. I know for a fact she has siblings. "Will Leevy and any sibling of hers please come to the stage." Continues Effie. I watch Leevy wrap her arms around two boys in the twelve year old section of ropes as she walks forward. Twins by the look of it. The two boys hug tightly to Leevy and start to tear up; not Leevy though, she holds them tightly and all three of them mount the stage. "Please state your names and ages." Effie says to them.
"Leevy Mare. Seventeen." Leevy says in a controlled voice.
"E-Eliot M-M-Mare. Twelve." The first boy says, still choking back tears.
"O-Oak Mare. Twelve." The second one says, in the same state as his brother. They are both so tiny, even for twelve year olds, honestly they could be six! They have dark hair that hangs just in front of their eyes, showing they're from the Seam. Their one detail, that nobody else in their family has, is their bright blue eyes. I can see the sadness on the faces of the crowd. They always act like this when a twelve year old is chosen, and now there are two of them before the male tribute has even been called.
"Splendid." This is always Effie's response, but she doesn't have that normal note of unnatural happiness that she usually does. I guess even a capitol woman can't ignore such a sad sight.
She crosses over to the boys' reaping ball and grabs the first name off the top of the pile. She reads the name in a clear voice.
"Gene Grass" this name has no significance to me, but by the pained expression on Peeta's face shows that it does mean something to him. I squeeze his hand and give him a sympathetic look.
"He-he's been my best friend since we could talk…" Peeta starts to tear up a bit and we drop the topic; I have a feeling that if we continue, Peeta will have a break down on live TV. Gene grabs the hand of a girl who looks about fifteen as he walks towards the stage. The two of them both have dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Obvious merchant kids, but then, I recognize them. Well, I font recognize their faces, but I know all too well where those bruises came from. They are from the community home. They say there information before Effie can ask.
"Gene Grass. Sixteen." Says Gene; you can tell that he is struggling to keep from crying.
"Stephaney Grass. Fourteen" His sister says in a much more steady voice then her brother. Effie asks for volunteers, but as usual, nobody steps forward.
Leevy's POV
I sit on the plush velvet couch in the justice building. They had to use more rooms since there are so many tributes this year. I receive my first visit from my mother. Before I can say anything, I start crying into my mother's shoulders.
"Where's Dad?" I ask through sobs. Then I realize that this is a stupid question. My father is visiting one of my brothers. My mother explains that the two of them will be visiting us separately. With the quell, the peacekeepers have cut our time for visiting due to so many tributes. I go through my visits, and all too soon, Effie Trinket is ushering me out to the hovercraft.
Gene's POV
Stephaney and I just waited in the hovercraft from the beginning, we have nobody who would visit…except maybe Peeta, but he's one of our mentors now. We hear voices and we see the other tributes. I don't know them. But seeing those little twin boys, and thinking about them in the arena, send a pang of sadness through my chest. They are so small; they'll most likely be dead within the first half hour of the games. Wait, I take that back; the careers will focus on the big threats at the beginning. They won't go for those two until the pool is down to at least seven or eight. That is…if nature hasn't finished them off already. I stop thinking about it.
Katniss's POV
At dinner, we sit with the tributes. We have to discuss what is yet to come.
"Ok." I start. I am the first one at the meal, which has been going on in silence for about an hour. "First things first, when we get to the capitol, you will all meet your stylists. With the surplus of tributes this year, they had to call in more stylists. Portia and Cina will be working with the two main tributes. That means Leevy and Gene. The twins will both have Chase, a stylist that Cina has been training. Stephaney, you will have Brand, Portia has been training him. None of you will like what the prep teams do, trust me. You will be exposed and rid of body hair. It will be painful, but you will not complain. What they do gets sponsors and sponsors give you life in the arena." They give me odd looks and I realize that this is the first time I've ever talked like this. "President Snow sent out a notice saying that all members of the last family sending will become victors, so stick together. Until the pool of tributes shrinks a bit, you should all stick together. The career pack will most likely be monstrous this year." We finish eating and sit down to watch the replays and see exactly who the other tributes will be.
Gasp! And you all thought that I was going to put Gale in. Ok so sorry that this update was a bit shorter than usual. But this gives me an amazing opportunity to hear from you! I want your ideas for the other tributes and their siblings! (Or an only child if you prefer) the ones I like best will be entered in the 75th hunger games! (If there aren't enough ideas, ill fill in the blanks with my own ideas so no worries. Review my story and submit ideas!
