Chapter One

Barely even eleven o'clock, I slink back in the house, wrap the strawberries, and put it in a rusty old icebox. I rush towards the kitchen window and watch the young suppliers leave freely on the dirt path. I can't help but reflect on what the young traders had said to me earlier:

"What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was just twelve years old."

"It's not her fault"

"No, it's no one fault. Just the way it is,"

I close the blinds on them and return to the dining room. I sit back to my usual spot on the dining table. I was ready to finish my breakfast.

However, my appetite seems to have a questionable discussion.

I know my meal isn't like the luxurious feast over at the Capitol's but eating something exotic like red peppers in the omelette or drinking coffee is a wasteful luxury in my district. Nevertheless, my hunger is stronger, and I strive to finish my breakfast.

Thump.

The ceiling gave a little shake as the dust unsettled in the air. I sigh grimly. Mother is at it again. I leave my chair and march upstairs. Without knowledge of the owner, I enter the bedroom listlessly. Mrs Undersee is lying on the floor, stone cold high. My nose wrinkled at the surgical smell of morphling.

"Huh? Darling." she slurs, her cobalt blue eyes obscured behind her copper blonde hair.

"Morning, mom," I hum critically, lifting her back up on the bed. Mom would usually protest that'd she will get up herself. This time she didn't.

"Ugh, I know honey…I'm a total mess," she garbled, rubbing her head. I gave a submissive nod and open the curtains.

"But I promise, Madge, I'll quit for good this time."

I was about to open the window, yet I slam it shut. My mother jumped. "Shit, stop scaring your mother like that."

I feign a remorseful shrug and ignore her while clearing up the room. Mom is on the bed, grovelling and in a foetal position. "She never promises anything…she's too co-dependent on the morphling,"

"Do you know what day it is," I grumble, putting the filthy clothes in the laundry shoot. Mom paused before she could answer.

"Yes..."

"Good, you weren't that stoned then,"

"Madge," she spoke firmly.

I turn around. "What? I'm just telling it like it is," I say in a cold manner. Hmm, okay-maybe I went a little far when a metaphorical knife had stabbed her coldly in the heart. I sigh again. Since it's today, I pull her in a hug despite the powerful scent of morphling reached my nose.

"I love you sweetie,"

"I know," I mumble, biting my lip.

I let her go and tell her to get changed. I exit the room and head back to the dining room. However, I was stopped by one of my dad's men that are guarding the door.

"Can't go in Miss Undersee. Important call to the Capitol"

"That's fine, Linus…just tell dad there are strawberries in the icebox," I say indifferently.

"OK, Miss—I'll notify him,"

I feign a smile and change my direction towards an overgrown flower garden in the backyard. I sink in on the overturned slabs and observe the bees collecting nectar to one of the ugliest of pollen. Weeds. I count them in small whispers. These yellow things are spreading in any way they like.

They're already in between the steppingstones. I coughed violently. Those stupid allergies.

"Madge?" Father called behind me.

I wipe my mouth and trot steadily to the screen door. Dad opened it with a stern look on his face.

"I told you, not to go into the garden."

"It's fine, OK," I say, waving my hand dismissively.

"No, it's not fine, you just got to take your time,"

"I have been taking my time, dad…" I grumble, closing the door, and follow my father to the living room.

I can see mom is already dressed to the nines. She's leaned by the window, overlooking 12.

"Where did you go, honey-" she wondered dreamily.

"The garden," Dad uttered gruffly, guiding me towards the lounger. I gently wriggle out his arm that entwined with mine.

I sat on the lounger, moping.

"What? You went to the-"

"Quit suppressing me like I did a bad thing."

"We're protecting you, not controlling you."

I sighed miserably and drum my fingers on the upholstery. Dad took that as a sign and announced the usual but strenuous family meeting. I zone out. His words aren't vastly different like last time. Dad is just giving us some pointers that we'd forget immediately when we will be on screen this afternoon.

He pleaded my mother to not cause any fuss. Mom agreed with a "Yes, dear," and took a swig of her flask.

The mayor held out his empty palm. "Hand it over, you'll have it after all of this is over."

Mrs Undersee passes the shiny flask to him. Dad turned to me while disposing the flask in his right breast pocket. He placed his warm hand over my cheek as he knelt on the carpet. I gaze at him silently.

"I'm fairly confident that you'll be fine,"

"I think so, but what about everyone else-"

"I know this is selfish, Madge but I want you to live past eighteen,"

"It is selfish…still I think I understand why," I sigh and gave my father a reassuring nod.

Looking at the time, it's the stroke of twelve. I cleared my throat a bit and was careful to not expel something threatening to come out in front of my mom and dad. Excused myself, I shut the door behind them and head upstairs in a desperate run…

There they are again. My hefty eyes are watching the yellow parasites behind the fences. I breathed in low and shallow breaths as I follow the line of people to sign in. They took a prick of my finger and let my blood daub over the parchment.

After that was done, I enter what looks like an enclosure to keep us in. I settle in a cluster of sixteen-year-old merchant girls. They all look uneasy.

I slowly wonder on how many slips they must double or triple to make sure their family won't go hungry, cold, or dead.

It's not one o'clock yet and we're all about to gather tightly together like cattle. I look at the back of me and see a little girl that I know of. She could have pass as me at my first reaping…though her eyes are only more blue and her bone structure is lean and gaunt.

Prim.

She can appear different to her older sister. Katniss Everdeen.

I turn to the front and focus on the temporary stage. The three chairs haven't been seated yet. Although, I can see my mother sitting close by, looking strained. She's in withdrawal. How can you expect to put on a façade while her past slowly creeps in her brain?

"Her emotions must be on a haywire,"

Even though I detest her sometimes, I assure her with a ghost of a smile. Not sure if she would see me in the masses of thousands but I did all I can do for her.

Minutes after minutes felt like eternity when the Mayor, the Capitol Escort and the town drunk had taken the stage and their seating arrangements. Dad is inwardly frowning as he took the podium and have been inscribing a long yarn about the Dark Days, Treaty of Treason and how all of this gave each district the hunger games.

I can't help but watch the town drunk or Haymitch Abernathy rolling around in his seat.

The Mayor had finished his speech. Knots are twisting and coiling in my stomach once the Capitol Escort known as Effie Trinket had seize the podium. She gave the usual introduction and I want to vomit right there.

But I purse my lips. "Stay down, please, stay down," I think.

Effie Trinket clacked her ridiculous heels over the big bulbous ball full of slips. She selected the slip deep in the ball and pulled it out.

Returned to the podium, Effie Trinket unravelled the slip.

I wait in bated breath.

She cleared her throat for this awkward dramatic effect and uttered:

"Madge Undersee,"