A/N: Ok so here's Chapter 2! This one is a little longer than the first one. Sorry that I didn't have an author's note for the first chapter because I was still figuring out how to use it. Ok well anyway sorry if that chapter wasn't too exciting…but it will get better! And btw "Mer" is short for Meredith, it's kind of her nickname. And for this story I will be keeping all of the characters and tributes, and I also will be making up names for the characters that didn't have any. (ex- The boy from District 3) Enjoyyy :)
I'm sitting on a small couch in one of the rooms in the Justice Building when my family bursts through the doors. They immediately pull me into a hug when the tears come. "I'm so sorry mom!" I say as I cry into her shirt. "Shhh…no worries everything is alright, you don't have to be sorry." she says. "No, everything is not alright. I'm probably just going to die out there in the arena!" I sob. My mother falls silent. Then she pulls back and looks me straight in the eye. "I love you, you know that right? And I trust in you…you're going to come home." she says quietly. Then my dad gives me a long, loving hug. "You'll be ok, Mer." he says. I just nod slightly, and then he hands me a bag that says "Mellark Bakery" on it. "They're cookies and brownies. Peeta and I made them for you before the Reaping." He says while he looks down at the floor. "Thank you." I manage to choke out.
Then Peeta walks in and my parents leave. "Peeta…" I cry. He quickly hugs me and we stay like this for a long time, until he finally speaks up. "If I could of done something to stop you from going into the arena, you know I would." That just makes me cry even harder. "I trust in you, Mer. I know you can win this."
"But what about Gale?" I ask.
"I- I don't know." Even Peeta seems like he's out of words to say.
Finally Katniss, Prim, and Madge walk in. Peeta lets go and I pull Prim into a hug. "I'll miss you so much!" she cries. We cry together until she finally says, "We brought something for you..." Katniss holds out a small, golden pin that has some kind of bird in the center with an arrow. "Is it a mockingbird?" I ask quietly. The bird looks familiar, but I honestly don't know what it is. "No, it's a mockingjay. We thought you might want to wear it as a district token." She says. Then Madge speaks up. "It used to belong to my Aunt Maysilee…when she was in the Hunger Games." I remember her Aunt Maysilee, well at least I remember stories about her. Madge told me she was in the 50th Hunger Games, the year our district drunkard Haymitch won. Madge takes the pin from Katniss' hand and pins it to my blouse. "Don't forget what I taught you and Prim, it could be useful." Katniss says reassuringly. "And don't forget what I taught you about plants and medicines." says Prim. We all just stand there in an awkward silence until Peeta speaks up. "We'll be waiting for you when you come home." I nod sadly and everyone looks down to the ground. Then the peacekeepers burst in, obviously not caring for our privacy, and order my friends and brother to leave immediately. After they have left, I sit back down on the couch and put my head in my hands. I hate this. I'm never going to come out alive in the arena.
Just then the door bursts open once again and in come Effie, Gale, and Haymitch. "Hurry up sweetheart, we have a train to catch! Now we wouldn't want to miss that, would we?" Effie squeaks. I just nod and we all get into a small, dirty car. Then something dawned on me. Since I was crying so much during the Reaping and my eyes are so puffy, I could pretend that I am weakling, to draw attention away from me. Then maybe I wouldn't be a target for most tributes.
As soon as we arrive at the train station, which is no more than a large, wooden platform, camera crews are surrounding us. They ask questions about how we felt during the Reaping and take pictures. Almost immediately, the tears come. This is good. It will be perfect for my plan to draw attention away from me. We abruptly walk onto the train when the doors close shut behind us, and then it starts moving. It's moving pretty slowly at first, but once the train station is far behind, it begins to zoom forward. Effie says to me "This train is traveling up to 250 miles per hour! Isn't technology just wonderful?" Effie asks me. After what she said sinks in, I start to feel dizzy. I sink down to the floor and lean against the wall. All that I do is just stare straight ahead and say nothing, not really caring about the worried stares I'm getting from everyone. No Effie, technology is horrible. Anything that makes me feel like I'm going to throw up is horrible, I think to myself.
Gale crouches down beside me and puts his hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asks. I shake my head. Why would I be alright? We just got Reaped and now we're forced onto this horrible train. He scoops me up and carries me to a seat in one of the booths in what seems to be the dining cart. He gently sets me down in a seat and takes his place across from me. We just stare out the window in silence. Surprisingly, it makes me feel a little better. After what seems to be hours, Effie and Haymitch walk in and come sit at our table. "It's time for dinner!" Effie squeaks. She orders dinner for everyone and in a matter of seconds, the table splits in two and out comes four steaming hot meals. I stare at the dish in disbelief; I have never seen this much food in my life! Even though I am not very hungry, I eat the chicken covered in sweet, orange sauce and some pudding with a cherry on top. Then Effie asks me "Are you going to eat any more food, dear?" I just shake my head, not really wanting to deal with her right now.
After everyone has finished eating, Effie asks "Shall we watch the recap of the Reapings?" Gale and I look at each other for a moment and nod our heads simultaneously. I'm guessing he's not too excited to watch what seems to be our death sentence, but when you think about it, it kind of is. Twenty four tributes are picked and only one comes out, so what are the odds that either one of us are going to survive? Maybe Gale could pull it off, because he's big and strong, and he can hunt and set up snares. But what can I do? I can shoot with a bow and arrows, but I'm not as nearly as good at Katniss, who could hit a bullseye with her eyes closed. But I don't want to think about this now. Just not now.
We head into a small room with couches set up around a large TV, just in time for the Reapings to start. First up is District 1. A girl named Glimmer was chosen, and she is smiling, waving, and blowing kisses as she walks up to the stage. This other boy named Marvel was chosen, and he look really tall. He smiles happily and they both wave to the screaming crowd. Ugh. This is exactly what I mean about those kids being so stuck up and arrogant. Next comes District 2. A girl named Clove walks up to the stage with an evil grimace on her face. Ok, I have to admit that's really creepy. Then a boy named Cato volunteers before anyone else can, and while he walks up to the stage he pushes down the kid that was originally chosen. He falls to the ground and hits his head, knocking him out. I make a mental note to myself to stay away from both tributes from 2. For the rest of the Reapings I just put my head in a pillow and try to ignore who is getting picked. I'm not paying attention until I hear a very familiar voice say "And our female tribute for the 74th Hunger Games is…Meredith Mellark!" And with that I run out of the room before anyone can see me cry.
I go into my room and get dressed into some pajamas that were left out and climb under the covers. I try to fall asleep, even though I know this is going to be a sleepless night. But I just can't help thinking about what is going to happen to us. Maybe I could talk to Gale about it; he probably isn't even sleeping. I finally decide to get up and look for Gale. I wander around the halls for a while until I end up in the dining cart, but he's not there. Then I make my way to the small room where we watched the recaps of the Reapings, and sure enough, Gale is there sitting on the couch. "Hey, couldn't sleep either?" I ask. "Nope." He replies. I sit down on the plush couch next to him, and I can't help looking at what he's writing.
"What's that?" I ask.
"Oh, just a list of all the tributes we're going to have to compete against." He hands me the list and I read it carefully. I'm glad he made this, otherwise I would be lost because I was only paying attention to the tributes from 1 and 2.
District 1: boy-Marvel girl-Glimmer
District 2: boy-Cato girl-Clove
District 3: boy-Tim girl-Hazel
District 4: boy-Sawyer girl-Luna
District 5: boy-Arron girl-Emerald
District 6: boy-Grayson girl-Brooklyn
District 7: boy-Glynn girl-Esther
District 8: boy-Caiden girl-Avery
District 9: boy-Jason girl-Diane
District 10: boy-Chaz girl-Leah
District 11: boy-Thresh girl-Rue
District 12: boy-Gale girl-Meredith
"Wow, it's very organized!" I joke. "So, do you have any ideas for allies?" I ask.
"Yeah, I was thinking maybe Thresh, he looks strong. But that's pretty much it." He says almost casually. "How about you?" he asks.
"Um, well I wasn't really paying attention so no, I don't have any ideas yet. But I know who I'm gonna stay away from." I joke. Gale looks confused for a moment but then a smile creeps up on his face.
"District 2?" he asks.
I nod in reply. We just sit there in awkward silence until Gale speaks up. "You know, it wouldn't be a bad idea if we were allies." He says. I just laugh. "Of course we're going to be allies." I say softly. I have a feeling that he's going to be the one trying to protect me, trying to make sure I come home. Well, I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen. I think to myself. I'm not the one who is going to come out alive. I'm going to make sure Gale comes home.