The wind had been literally knocked out of her chest as Prim slowly began to realize that the name that was called was hers. Prim didn't know what to do. Everyone was staring at her but her feet felt as though they were cemented into the ground. She looked over at Crystal to see her horrified expression turn into a blooming expression of strength. She squeezed Prim's hand and said ever so quietly "Go Prim."
Prim looked round at everyone's unhappy faces and finally began to slowly walk as Effie Trinket said, "Come on dear. Come on up."
She felt light headed and confused as the crowd parted its ways for her as she made her way to the peacekeepers outside of the rope. She had begun walking to the stage when she heard "Prim! Prim!" It took her a moment to realize whom the voice was coming from. "Prim no!" Katniss! She whipped her head around to see Katniss pushing through the peacekeepers to get to her. "Prim I'm so sorry!" She choked out. Katniss had managed to wiggle her way through the peacekeepers and hug onto Prim as tightly as she could before the peacekeepers were dragging them apart.
"Get off me! Just get off me!" Katniss yelled as Gale showed up to carry Katniss away.
"Don't you touch her! Please don't let her die!" Katniss hollered.
"Katniss please don't go!" Prim shouted. She could barely see her now because of how large the peacekeepers were in front of her. Prim felt the brim of her eyes welling up and let one single tear slide down her face before trying to suck them in.
"I'm right here I promise! I love you prim!" Katniss could barely be heard now that Effie was back at the microphone. The crowd was now made to feel a bit uneasy. Nobody likes to watch a poor twelve-year-old girl and her sister be separated by such a looming thing such as death.
"Well well that was..um.. quite something wasn't it?" She said trying to regain the audiences' attention back to herself as Prim timidly mounted the stage.
"Well Miss Primrose Everdeen, who was that that you were.. saying goodbye to?"
There was some what of an awkward pause as Prim was staring out into the crowd trying as hard as she could not to burst into tears.
"Katniss Everdeen. My sister." She said as strongly as she could now making eye contact with Crystal.
"Oh my! I bet my buttons that was your sister wasn't it?" Prim looked now at Effie and suddenly felt a hatred that she had never felt. She hated that this woman, that this horrible crazy capitol woman was standing here helping announce the names of the children who were potentially going to be killed. For the first time in her life Prim wanted to hurt someone. Her tears were now tears of hate. All of those times she didn't understand what Katniss was saying when she always talked horribly about the Capitol now made sense.
"Yes." She said quietly. "And now you've taken her away from me." She said even quieter.
Effie now looked a bit discomforted much to Prim's liking.
"Alright then now for the boys." That women couldn't go a day in her life without being cheerful could she? Prim looked again into the crowd for her sister and found her clinging onto Gale. Katniss saw her gazing and immediately stood up straighter giving her a slight nod.
"Peeta Mellark." She heard Effie say. It didn't mean anything to Prim but the confused look on Katniss's face told her that somehow she knew him. She watched the blue eyed blond hair boy climb the stairs to the stage and did see a small recognition.
"Ladies and Gentlemen our District 12 tributes, Primrose Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! Shake hands you two!"
Prim looked over at Peeta and suddenly realized now that they were up close why she recognized him. For as long as she could remember Peeta Mellark had watched Katniss and Prim walk to school everyday from his bakery window. Even sometimes when Prim and Katniss would look at the cakes on display he would be noiselessly be standing in the back watching them. It wasn't a creepy stare of course but more of a longing and loving look.
His large masculine hand grasped her small delicate one and they finally looked at each other in the eyes. Prim could see everything he was possibly feeling through his large ocean eyes.
"Why don't we give them a nice round of applause!"
Those next 10 seconds could have possibly been the most embarrassing moment in Prim's life for not one single person in District 12 clapped their hands. There it was. There was a small flicker in the audience. One single person had lifted their left three fingers high into the air. Within seconds the entire square was beginning to press their left middle fingers to their lips and then into the air. Prim felt touched. Everyone in District 12 was wishing them farewell and goodbye in the most proper way they could. Her emotions were all over the place. She didn't know if she was mad, horrified, sad or all of the above. Breaking the petrifying silence was none other than the very drunken Haymitch Abernathy.
"I like these two! You young one," He said pointing at Prim, "You're a bit small but at least you're not some stupid cry baby! Ha!"
Prim was suddenly filled with so much hate that she couldn't control it. She stomped over to Haymitch and punched him square in the jaw. As soon as the deed was done she regretted it. Her hand was throbbing. She couldn't have really hit him that hard considering how small she was but the whole ordeal was a surprise not just for the entire crowd including a thunderstruck Effie Trinket but for herself. This is not the Primrose Everdeen she knew herself to be.
The Hunger Games hadn't even begun and already they were changing her.