The world has a wonderful sense of humor.
Katniss frowns at the sunlight pouring through their bedroom window, alighting on her sister's hair and turning it into spun gold. The bright, warm air just outside the house suggests that today might bring good tidings- or at least a sleepy, full, summer afternoon.
But today will not bring good tidings, nor is her sister's hair made of such a profitable material as gold.
As Katniss sits and ponders the cruel irony of the world, Primrose turns to meet her gaze.
"Katniss?"
The elder Everdeen daughter gives her full attention to her most favoured companion. "Yes, Little Duck?"
Prim's usually beautiful and serene face is drawn tight into a worried pout as she speaks. "I'm afraid."
Katniss sighs, rises from her seat in front of their rickety old vanity, and walks across the small bedroom to sit next to her sister on the only bed in the house.
She wraps her arms around her sister's shoulders and pulls her in close, resting her chin atop her golden curls. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise." She says softly. Prim turns and burrows deeper into her hold.
"And who will protect you?" She whispers into Katniss' worn blue reaping dress.
She wishes- for Prim's sake and no other's- that she had an answer. Instead, she lets the lingering silence answer for her.
…
Katniss holds tightly to her sister's skinny fingers as they walk with the streams of children toward the check in table. It's moving steadily- that is to say, at the constant pace a snail sets as it makes its way across the ground. And yet, it is altogether too fast. It seems as if the day has only just begun.
Prim whimpers as she catches sight of the needle-gun used to draw blood for identification, and tugs on Katniss' arm.
"Prim," she whispers. "Prim, it's ok. It's only a little prick."
Prim bites her lip but allows herself to be carried ever closer. Katniss looks around and wishes for what must be the millionth time that morning alone that she could save her precious sister from this.
The square is filled almost to the brim, and yet more people keep coming from all over the district. Even now there is a distinct mutual segregation between the Towns children and the Seam children in their sectioned off age and gender squares. Katniss tries to search the sea for a familiar brown head of hair, but is unable to find it before the Capitol official is demanding for her finger.
Katniss sucks at her own pricked finger as she leads Prim to the twelve year old girls, then continues on to her designated section with the other sixteen year olds. Once again she scans the crowd for her hunting partner, but still comes up empty.
The crackling of a microphone echoes across the square and she reluctantly drags her gaze to the stage in front. Standing behind the microphone is a garishly dressed woman with robin blue hair, and a dress that shimmers like glass in the misleading sunlight. Next to her stands the Mayor of District Twelve.
"It is both a time for repentance and a time for thanks," he says, before reading two names from a disappointingly tiny slip of paper. A very wasted man half-slumped in a chair behind them rouses at the sound of his name, but the other gets no response. Because the person it belonged to is long dead.
Effie Trinket, as she's introduced to us every year, takes control of the microphone.
"Happy 73rd Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" She says happily, clapping her hands together. "Ladies first!"
Katniss' heart rate skyrockets as the impish woman crosses the stage and swirls her hand around in the hundreds of name slips. She plucks one, dramatically, and walks back to the microphone. As one, the district takes in a deep breath as she opens the slip, and reads with a smile.
"Delilah Jones."
Katniss can feel the way her lungs flutter as the air leaves them. Relief is a familiar feeling, and one she welcomes strongly. She has survived one more year, and more importantly her sister's name has not been chosen. Now she will do her best to push the worry off until next summer.
"And now, for the boy!" The Capitol escort practically prances across the stage and repeats the swishing motion in the opposite glass bowl. She seems to take pity on them and is faster in reading the name on the second slip she chooses.
"Peeta Mellark."
Oh no. The thought crashes into Katniss' mind. Not him.
Katniss watches with shallow breath as the crowd stirs and from it a blonde boy her age emerges and starts towards the stage. She watches him walk steadily forward, never once looking behind him; admires the way his shoulders stay firm under the pressure suddenly dropped on him.
Once he has taken his spot on the other side of Effie, she asks for volunteers. For a moment Katniss is surprised at the shot of hope that goes through her. She knows Peeta has two older brothers, but likely only one is still within the reaping age. She looks around, but already knows the other would not volunteer.
She thinks perhaps she was the only one prepared to take a sibling's place today.
After Effie concludes that no one will step forward, she instructs the new tributes to shake hands. Even from her spot in the crowd, Katniss can see the fear in Peeta's blue eyes as he clasps hands with the brunette across him. It's the same look she gets every time she aims her bow at an animal in the woods just outside the district fence.
The tributes are led into the Justice Building behind them, where friends and family will go to say their last goodbyes.
Katniss stands still even as the people around her begin leaving. She hardly takes notice.
Why him?
Before she can stop to think about what she's doing, she's started off towards the Justice Building. She has to do something- she has to at least say thank you.
She has never spoken to Peeta Mellark before, but she already owes him her life, as well as Prim's and her mother's.
As she climbs the steps to the building she thinks of how she had had five years to repay him, and hadn't done anything. She thinks perhaps he won't even remember her. She shakes her head minutely. She is going to go in there and say thank you if it means the death of her pride, and if she looks like a bumbling fool so be it.
She has to wait for his family to exit before she can go in and speak to him for a few minutes.
That is all the tributes are gifted before they leave their district for, most likely,the last time- a few minutes.
When they exit, Peeta Mellark's family does so in a rush. His mother's face is flushed with what might be anger, but certainly not sorrow. That emotion is saved for his father and eldest brother, while the second Mellark son looks guilty. As they pass, Mr. Mellark meets Katniss' eyes, and a brief look of surprise flashes across his face. It disappears almost as quickly, and then they are gone.
Katniss hurriedly enters the room as the Peacekeeper holds the door open for her, but stops a few steps into the room.
Peeta turns away from the window to face her, surprise on his soft features. She wonders briefly if he hadn't expected to get any more visitors. It's a strange thought to her, since he's always had so many friends.
He doesn't say anything for a few moments, but when it becomes clear she isn't going to speak first, he takes a step closer.
"Katniss?"
Her fingers twitch slightly. She hadn't thought he knew her name.
"Thank you." She blurts out. "For the bread."
He blinks at her, his blue eyes wide and perfectly round.
"What?" He asks, voice barely more than a whisper. He clears his throat. "The bread…?"
Her stomach turns oddly, and she wonders if she is getting ill. It's not until he adds, 'From when we were kids?' that she realizes that feeling may well have been disappointment.
She nods. "I-I've never been able to repay you, and I don't expect you to understand, but-"
He cuts her off with a frown. "And don't try to make me, I'm obviously too dim."
His words bring Katniss up short. She's always thought of Peeta as a kind, soft-spoken person. Perhaps it's the anger at being reaped rising up, and he's not intentionally pointing it at her.
"It's just… In the Seam we always have so little, and people don't usually do things for others unless they know they'll get paid back. But you threw me that bread, and it saved me and my family, and you've never even asked-"
"I don't want anything back." He says quickly, and for a moment she almost believes him. But no one does something like that without expecting something back.
"Come back." She blurts again.
This time he looks even more confused. "What do you mean?"
Katniss can feel a blush forming on her cheeks. She's not used to talking to people other than Prim or Gale this much, and it is definitely showing.
"Come back from the arena, and I can pay you back."
He stays silent for a moment, before a small grin works its way onto his face.
"Katniss, are you trying to tell me you want me to win?"
The fire on her skin burns hotter as she scowls. It's the only response she has when she doesn't know what to say.
His smile flickers away soon after. "I don't think-"
"I do." She says, interrupting him now for the third time. "I think you can win."
"Ok."
She blinks at him before frowning, "'Ok'?"
"It's just, if I don't-"
"Don't talk like that."
Once again Katniss can tell her words shock him, but he keeps going. "I'm just saying, in case I don't-"
"You will. Because I owe you." A pause. "And… I do want you to win."
He opens his mouth to say something, cheeks red, but then the door is thrown open by the Peacekeeper, and his hand is on Katniss' shoulder already pulling her out so that she just barely catches what he yells after her.
"I will!"
…
Katniss finds her sister waiting next to their mother in the almost empty square.
"Where were you?" Primrose asks. Katniss looks around at the few people left, but they are paying her no attention.
"I had to do something real quick," she answers, putting her hand on her sister's shoulder and beginning to walk her towards home. Her mother falls into step on Prim's other side, her pale face still as gaunt and blank as usual.
Hate bubbles up unbidden in Katniss' stomach.
"Were you saying goodbye to Peeta Mellark?" Prim asks, always too keen for her age.
Katniss can feel her cheeks heating again, but shakes her head. "No, Little Duck. I was… Looking for Madge."
Her little sister pretends to believe her, but Katniss knows she sees right through her lies.
She's never been very good at lying.
Especially to people she cares about.
Hello everyone!
So some of you may have noticed the mention that this is the 73rd games, and gone 'but Prim isn't twelve for that one!'
Well, you're not wrong.
But! I have decided to age them all up just one year, because I can.
So right now during the 73rd hunger games (set one year before the first book) Katniss and Peeta are 16, and Prim is 12.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for more!