This is my first story, try not to be too harsh. :P
This story is rated M for violence, strong language, and future implied lemons. (maybe not... but probably implied)
Also I will try to keep the spelling/grammar mistakes to a minimum! Tell me if you see them, i feel horrible that i even had some in the first place! :)
I DO NOT OWN THE ORIGINAL STORY IN ANY WAY,
i made this story into my own and i changed everything pretty much. For example: Haymitch calling Katniss princess. If you dont like that, then dont read on. If you want things to be exact go read the book! I know it sounds really harsh but i dont want to have people read something they dont like!) :P
Give the story a chance ^.^ I swear it gets better :D
"Katniss Everdeen" The words ring in my ear.
"No! No, Katniss don't go!" Prim screams in my ear. She's collapsed on the floor, crying uncontrollably.
I'm frozen, I can't move. It couldn't be me they called. It was impossible! Everyone around me is backing away; I'm all by myself now. The peacekeepers are coming to get me, just in case I try to make a scene. But of course I wont, that would only hurt me in the long run. I slowly march to the rhythm of the peace keepers and make my way up the stairs.
"Wonderful, simply wonderful" Effie gives me a smile and announces that she will now be drawing the boy tribute.
"Peeta Mellark!" The cameras zoom in on Peeta, he looks around in confusion, maybe he's thinking they meant someone else. "Yes, you young man. Come up! Don't be shy! I don't bite."
The peacekeepers escort him to the stage, he just looks at his feet. Its clear that there are a range of emotions going through him.
We're both on the stage; Peeta is trying to hold back tears. I'm void of emotion, all I can think about is Prim. How is she supposed to get by without me? Looking into the crowd Gale catches my attention and I give him a look, he knows what I want and nods. He leads my sister away from the crowd, Prim will be taken care of, and that gives me comfort.
"District 12, these are your new tributes for the annual 74th Hunger Games! Say hello! They look like two strong young citizens, you might have a good turnout this year after all! Wonderful! May the odds be ever in their favor!" Effie is too happy about this; everyone in the crowd is silent and staring at her. Sensing that the procession needed to be over quickly she decided it was time to leave. "Yes... well we must go! Your tributes have a lot to do! Say farewell!" As we are escorted away the crowd holds up three fingers, a symbol among my district.
The peacekeepers lead us off stage and we're put in waiting rooms. They tell me I have a few minutes where I can speak to my family, these are the last words they will ever hear from me. When Prim comes to say her goodbyes she's so hysterical that the peacekeepers have to pry her from me. But Prim is too flexible, easily getting out of their grasps. She runs to me and puts an object in my hand.
"You have to win for me, promise me you'll win!" Prim pleads with me. "With this you'll have good luck, you'll win with it."
"I promise I'll try! Oh Prim I love you, be careful out there and take care of mother." I'm still holding what she gave me and when I finally look I can't help but to smile.
It's a mockingjay pin; my father had given it to me as a child. They sing so beautifully, he said to me. He thought such beauty should be shared with everyone. I'm so happy Prim was kind enough to give it to me, I was sure that it had been lost years ago. I pin it to my shirt, its good to have something from home with me going into the games.
"I'm sorry, Katniss." My mother appeared from the corner of the room, I hadn't seen her there. "I'm so sorry."
"You owe Prim a good life, don't mess this up! Take care of her, make sure she doesn't watch the whole thing…" She knows what I mean, my death.
"I promise. I love you Katniss." We embrace in an awkward hug, but it feels good and I'm glad she came to see me. And with that she exits the room, I'm exhausted so I go over to sit down on a plush looking chair.
"Now, now, don't just sit there! We have so much to do!" Effie says bursting through the doors, she walks over to me and picks up some of my hair. "This just simply won't do. Oh, I caught myself in a rhyme, how avant garde. Ok, follow me!"
I start following her onto a train where I meet up with Peeta, we both give each other understanding looks. Neither of us wants to be here, nobody from District 12 wins, hardly ever. The only living victor is Haymitch, and he's not a good mentor; he can never be sober for more than a few hours. He's basically our town drunk, but when the Games start up he cant even be talked to. We never had a chance.
A few hours go by, I had locked myself in my room for that time. Peeta was talking to Haymitch and Effie about strategy for a majority of that time, and even got to get some good advice from Haymitch. Effie summons me to the dining room to have a talk and eat dinner. I find myself not hungry."Now, Haymitch is here to talk about your strengths, Katniss, how about you start!" Effie says.
"Well, there's nothing really special about me." I whisper.
"That's not true! Katniss can hunt! My father buys her squirrels all the time, and she always shoots them in the eyes!" Peeta shouts
"Well don't you think that's something you should have shared?" Haymitch hiccups, and then finishes the bottle of wine. "Look princess, you need to share these things with me or your chancing of surviving are cut in half. Be more like Peeta, at this point he's the only one with a chance. Lets just say if it was between you two i'd put my money on him."
I lose it, Haymitch is the type of person I want to punch in the face. He is so insensitive to the fact that my life has pretty much just been taken from me. I will die in front of everyone that I have ever loved, and everyone that has ever loved me. I grab my knife and stab him in between his fingers.
"You don't know anything about me!" I scream at him.
"That is mahogany! Really, Katniss you have no manners." Effie pouts.
"Now that's what I'm talking about! Show more of that spunk and you could win. Show the sponsors you're not one to be reckoned with." And with that Haymitch gets out of his seat and walks off to find some more alcohol.
"I just love the Hunger Games!" Effie shifts uncomfortably in her seat, smiles, and takes a sip of some beverage I've never heard of and walks away.
"I'm trying to help you! Can't you see that? You are destroying whatever chance you have at winning this. Haymitch needs to know these things, he can help you by telling the sponsors. You need to make them like you; nobody is going to like you if you go around being a total bitch. Sorry for the language but we both need sponsors, so please don't mess this up for me. I have a family I want to go home to." Peeta storms off and I am alone. I'm better off being alone anyway.
He's right about one thing, I am in desperate need of sponsors. I guess I've spent most of my life in solitude, not used to social interaction. Well if he wants people to like me, I will make them like me. He's not the only one that has a family to go to. I decide I should go to sleep, there's a long day ahead of me. An avox leads me to my room, it's the nicest I've ever seen. I lay my head on the silk pillow and fall asleep in minutes.
I'm woken up to arguing between Haymitch and Effie, something about alcohol. Can't they have some regard for others? It's not like they're going to be fighting for their lives. I stretch out on my bed, my body desperately wants to go back to sleep. Somehow I will myself to get up.
"I think you're going to need some of this" Haymitch sits next to me offering me some alcohol. I had found a quite nook in the back of the train to gather my thoughts. I was just about to nod off again but then Haymitch decided to barge in.
"No thanks." I can smell the drink on his breath and it's repulsive. "Are you ever sober?"
"No, I like the feeling of being drunk. C'mon princess, you would drink too."
"Yes, but I need a mentor not a drunkard!" I chastised at him. "You need to help me get sponsors, and mentor me through this. The idea of me going into the arena is a scary thought, I'm scared Haymitch. I know you know how it feels and it sucks, you just want to shrink away forever. Do me a favor, sober up."
"I can't promise that I'll be sober, but if you're serious about winning I could stop drinking as much. Its just that I've never had a tribute that hadn't already given up. Every year, two kids die from our district. Do you know what its like? I spend days upon days with these kids, mentoring them and trying to make them ready and prepared. I used to form bonds with the tributes, you know. But the Games... they're so taxing on me. I don't want to see any more of my tributes die, but its a sad reality. If you win, you're going to have to deal with it too. It will drive you crazy. For me, alcohol dulls the pain inside of me."
Haymitch walks away, leaving an empty beer bottle behind. Its not that I haven't given up, I have. The fact is that I need to at least try to win, it's the least I can do for Prim. I promised her that I'd try. I get lost in my train of thought and drift off into a deep dream.
"Youre going to die Katniss." An evil voice whispers in my ear. "Youre nothing."
I thrash my body to no avail; his grip is still on me. Admitting defeat is no option, I must win, I must kill.
I throw my head forward, knocking into his. It's unexpected and I gain a vantage point. We're both circling each other, desperate to attack the other.
"I am not nothing you dirty bastard." I lunge for his heart with my knife. He jumps out of the way and I land on my stomach. I can taste blood in my mouth and I know i've bitten right through my tongue.
All of a sudden I'm lifted up by the hair, and it hurts badly. I am struggling against him and I can't move. He has me, theres no where for me to go.
"I'd tend to disagree." And he slits my throat with my own knife, just like that. I'm not sure if it hurt, I think I might be dead.
"The winner of the 74th hunger games, …" A voice echoes through the arena.
I jolt awake, I am covered in sweat. What a horrible nightmare... My end can't be like that, I simply won't allow it! You never go out with a fizzle; you go out with a bang. And a death like that, lets just say I need to put up more of a fight. I walk back into my cabin to get dressed, we are arriving in the capitol today.
The train pulls up to the capitol and I run to the window with Peeta, in the background I can here Effie screaming with excitement. The people dress differently here, like Effie. A woman walks by with a pink dog, how strange. I am speechless, this place isn't anything like District 12, it's everything District 12 isn't.
"Children! Children! The Capitol calls! Oh look at all the people that have come to greet you!" Effie is ecstatic, probably ready to get back with her 'type of people'.
The peace keepers come to collect me, they practically push me off the train. The Capitol is like nothing I've ever seen, strange people and clothes, its breathtaking.
I step off the train, and put on the biggest smile I could muster up.
