Sole Survivor

Chapter Two:

My breathe leaves me out of shock and my body gasps for air frantically while my mind goes in circles a mile a minute. This is her first Reaping the odds are not in her favor but what could I do what can I do! My mind can come up with only one doable answer to volunteer; to save my little duck even if means to give my own life.

I step out of my age group and scream Prims name and start running towards her, all while breaking through the arms of Peacekeepers trying to stop me. I gather her up into my arms and hug her for all I'm worth gathering the strength to say those awful words that will execute me.

After a minute I put her down, stand up straight, and say with the strongest voice I can muster, "I volunteer."

The second I say it the screams and shouts of panic all stop into a stunned silence, I walk forward towards the stage with my head tilted proudly.

Nothing could stop me, I am an unstoppable force as everyone parts the way for me nothing could stop me but one thing the agonized sound of Prim screaming my name. As soon as I heard her I felt her too, she was clinging onto my leg begging me not to go, to let her go instead. I picked her up and just hold her until the peacekeepers came to take her. They pulled at Prim and when that didn't work they pulled at me and when that didn't work they started yelling and threatening.

Then there was a pair of familiar callused hands gently pulling Prim off of me and hug me goodbye, it was Gale the only person I could count on no matter what.

Once Prim was safely out of sight I continued forward at and even pace neither fast nor slow I wanted to show them that I was the one in charge here not them. When I reached the stage all was silent even the birds weren't even chirping in fact the only noise is my shoes walking on the stage.

Finally I reached Effie who was smiling that ditzy smile at me as she said, "You've caused quite the commotion which is as it should be considering you're the first volunteer from district twelve."

I rolled my eyes at how oblivious she was to other people and their emotions but I guess that's how all Capital people are.

"And now for the boys," Effie said still cheery as she stuck her hand into bowl once again and as brought out a single piece of paper she cleared her throat then announced, "Peeta Mellark."

Oh no anybody but him I own him for saving my life when I was sure to die without him, it was about five years ago when I had first lost my father and had yet to start hunting. I was out looking through the trash for any food and I had somehow ended up in front of the bakery looking through their trash for any thrown away bread. I had just found a big enough piece to feed my whole family when something knocked me over and onto the dirt. It was the baker's wife she called me a street rat and told me to stay out of her trash and when she turned around she yelled at her son for staring at me and to get back to work. The boy went back inside for a while and when he came back out he was holding a burnt piece of bread and wielding a hand shaped red mark on his check. Now I didn't know the boy but he tossed that piece of bread at me even though we've never spoken and I have yet to pay him back for that.

"The 74th Hunger Games tributes of district twelve let's give them a hand," said Effie the silence was deafening but then one by one everyone made our district sign at us and kept them up even as we were led away into the train by the peacekeepers.

We were lead in to the train by two peacekeepers that immediately left once we entered and closed the door behind them.

I looked around at the train it was even more extravagant than the Justice Building it even had a chandelier and food, more food that my whole house had. While I was looking around in awe Peeta had moved to the door and was going into another room. I quickly went after him into a huge dining room with a big elegant table, delicate plates and silver ware, and a pristine wide window. There were also a few magnificent paintings on the wall put I was more interested in the window and the different terrains out there. So while Peeta and I was transfixed on all the beautiful things in here Haymitch and Effie had walked in and were getting seated at the dining table.

After a few minutes Effie tapped her fork on her wine glass and said, "Peeta, Katniss please take your seat were going to eat."

I reluctantly took my seat and with all the manners I could muster I ate slowly savoring each piece and have way through I was full. There was more food on the table than I had ever eaten in my life.

"Eat your food child," Effie said in her squeaky accented voice.

"I...I can't this is more food than I have ever seen or eaten in my life," I said like a normal person.

"Listen to her, she's right about this one thing," slurred Haymitch, "you're going to need all the fat you can get for the Hunger Games."

I looked back down to my plate in disgust then up at Peeta who was on his third helping already I looked back down at my plate and started shoveling. I ate my second, third, and fourth helping and kept at it until I could eat no more and then I had desert. I don't know how these could people eat so much of everything if I had the option to eat all this, I would never starve again.

Suddenly I heard a ringing from Effie's direction and when I looked I saw her looking at her wrist, "Ooh," she squeaked, "seven o'clock, time for my program."

And with those words of wisdom she left the table leaving only me, Peeta, and a drunken Haymitch.

"So," started Peeta, "any words of advice for us."

"How about stay alive," he slurred as he laughed drunkenly and poured himself some more wine.

Peeta and I shared a glance of understanding neither of us is going to take that we want to survive or at least give a fight.

I took the sharpest knife from my plate and slammed it into the table watching Haymitch jerk in surprise from the noise and spill his drink.

Instead of yelling at me for spilling his drink he asked, "Can you hit anything besides a table with that knife?"

So I yanked the knife from the table and throw it at the wall hoping that it would at least stick into the wall but it landed solidly in the wall between two wires making me seem better than I am.

"Not bad, sweetheart," commented Haymitch, "what about you boy."

Peeta just shrugged his shoulders and looked down and I could see Haymitch was giving up on him so I called out, "Peeta's strong," when they both looked at me I said, "I've seen him lift fifty pounds in flour."

"Well, Katniss is amazing with a bow," Peeta retorted, "she sells my father all kinds of animals, all shot directly through the eye."

"Really," Haymitch said turning back to me.

"I'm not that good," I protested quietly.

"Oh, yes you are," said Peeta loudly.

"Well if you're both any good you'll learn how to play the Hunger Games," Haymitch said with finality.

As soon as Haymitch finished his sentence the room went pitch black, then just as fast as it went dark it was light again and I heard screaming from outside. Both Peeta and I got up to see what was going on outside the window we saw a bunch of screaming Capital people.

I stepped away from the window naturally disgusted at how excited they were to watch us suffer and die but Peeta stayed and waved happily at them.

As I watched them at a distance from the window Haymitch came up behind me and said, "You better watch out for that guy he knows what he's doing."