Michael Andrews and Gary Jules
Katniss reentered the decaying house to see Prim nervously tugging at her fingers, fidgeting with her dress clothes. "What are you doing little Duck?"
"I'm scared Katniss."
"Don't be Prim, your name is only in there once." Katniss took a seat and began to brush back the girls hair.
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine Prim don't worry about me"
"Katniss" Their mother said exiting the bed room. "I laid out a dress for you on the bed."
Katniss nodded and continued to brush Prims hair. "I've got it Katniss."
Katniss tried to hide her glare. But she was an awful liar and her mother looked at her with a sad sigh.
Katniss didn't WANT to hate her mother. But what would you do if your mother abandoned you, left you to fend for yourself, made you grow up far beyond your years, and made you the sole provider of the family.
She walked into the bed room and felt the soft fabric of her mothers old dress. From her apothecary days. It was made for a well fed and well proportioned girl. Katniss fit neither of those criteria.
She shrugged to herself and looked to her left where a steaming hot bath was waiting for her. The water was fresh, and the warmth made her skin tingle.
After her quick bath she dressed and looked at herself in the cracked mirror. She was too thin for this dress, it hung on her body. She didn't feel pretty, but she never had before. She did not care for such a petty thing as beauty.
"Katniss?" Her mother walked in, "You look beautiful dear." Katniss nodded civilly, "Would you like me to do your hair?"
Katniss ran her hand through her unruly and tangled locks of hair. They were still damp from her bath. She sat on the edge of the bed and allowed her mother to untangle her hair and intricately braid it.
No matter how resentful she was to her mother, she enjoyed feeling her mothers nimble and soft hands glide along the back of her neck. This was the closest contact she had with her mother any more, now that she was trying to wake up from her years of depression.
"You ready to go little duck?" Katniss asked when their mother had finished Katniss's hair.
She nodded solemnly, "Smile for me." Katniss said with a small smile of her own. Prim obliged her sister with a sweet smile in return, "There you go little duck." She said before walking to the door, "Mother?"
"I'm coming." Her mother said taking Prims hand. Katniss closed the door and turned around to look at her sister.
Her sister and her mother hand in hand, they look so sweet, so innocent. Like they weren't going to find out who would fight to the death in an arena.
They looked like a mother and her daughter going on a walk just for the fun of it.
Katniss took a glance at the other families who had the same peace about them. What ever happens, happens.
"All around me are familiar faces, worn out places, worn out faces. Bright and early for the daily races, going nowhere, going no where.
"The tears are filling up their glasses, no expression, no expression. Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow no tomorrow, no tomorrow.
"And I find it kind of funny I find it kind of sad that dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had. I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take. When people run in circles it's a very, very Mad World. Mad world." She ran after her mother and sister and walked to the square with them.
They looked at the different shops and closed signs in the town. Katniss looked at the stony dirt roads, "Children waiting for the day they feel good, happy birthday, happy birthday. And I feel the way that every child should. Sit and listen, sit and listen.
"Went to school and I was very nervous. No one knew me, no one knew me. Hello teacher tell me, what's my lesson? Look right through me, look right through me."
"Katniss" Prim whispered as they reached the square.
"You have nothing to be afraid of Prim." Katniss reasured her sister. "I'll be here for you."
Prim nodded, they stood in line before clustering in their group of friends. Katniss shuffled her feet a bit nervous for her little sister.
She glanced over and smirked when she saw Gale. They'd done this so many times before, they knew everything by heart.
The cermony began the mayor read a speech. A video of the dark days played and then Effie, the escort of district twelve, asked the rhetorical question of the hour, "Any volunteers?" No response not even a breath.
"Well alright" She giggled in the most unatractive manner one could muster, "Ladies first."
She pranced over to the bowel with girls names, Katniss held her breath. And she was not called even after all her effort she was not called but... "Primrose Everdeen."
Prims face turned to one for sheer horror, Katniss's face stretched as her jaw parted her lips, and her eyes widened.
Prim was ripped from her standing place and she began to cry. "I volunteer." She said loud and clear. Every eye was on her fear stricken face. "I volunteer as tribute." She took a step towards her sister who was now being set on the ground.
"Katniss no." Prim cried, "Don't!" She shouted running into her sisters arms.
"Prim let go okay?" Katniss said calmly.
"No Kat"
"Primrose let go!" Katniss shouted ripping the little girl from her torso. She saw Gale take the girl's arms and walk her away. Katniss took to the stage.
"Well how exciting! A volunteer, what's your name and age?"
"Katniss Everdeen... Sixteen." Katniss said into the microphone that was shoved in her face.
"I bet that was your little sister hmm?" Effie jeered obnoxiously.
"Yes it was." Katniss looked down now fully realizing what she had done.
"A round of applause for our female tribute!" No one applauded, they only kissed their three fingers and held them up in respect for her. She stood back and sighed.
"Our male tribute this year will be Peeta Mellark!" The blonde baker boy walked forward. Katniss felt a pang of regret. The boy who saved her so many years ago for absolutely no reason other than the kindness in his heart, would have to die so she could return to her sister.
As he walked up she sang under her breath "And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had. I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take. When people run in circles its a very, very Mad world, mad world, enlarging your world Mad world." He had heard her and tried not to stare.
"What's your age?" Effie asked in a flirtatous tone.
"Sixteen." He mumbled before standing next to Katniss and trying not to stare.
"Our tributes for District Twelve! The seventy-fourth anual Hunger Games have now begun." Everyone clapped half heartedly and Katniss glanced at Peeta.
"Shake hands you two." Katniss stretched out a bony hand to shake his muscular but otherwise bony hand. She was a bit shocked that he wouldn't be more well fed. But district twelve was really poor.
She swore she saw goosebumbs run up his arm. His face was stone cold, she could see his deep blue eyes well.
They broke their gaze and were turned to the justice was afraid because she knew that many people never go there. Most of them are dead before they've even stepped in.
Katniss had only ever been in there once, to recieve a medal when her father had died. Now she would go again to receive her own death sentence.
