There was a lot of empty space without Katniss, A lot of lonely days. I didn't know how she was doing, it was just a guessing game. The few days after the reaping were the worst, everybody was talking about "District 12s very first volounteer", but Prim and I seemed to be the only ones who really understood the severity of what had happened. Katniss never was a prominent figure in District 12, but she was known. At all the other Reapings, names would be called out, and that would be that. No volunteering, no drama, but Katniss was different.
There was an eeriness in District 12, after the reaping, especially The Seam. The Hob was quieter, not it's bustling self. Even the animals in the woods seemed quietened. It wasn't the same hunting without Katniss, and she was all I had really. So I spent day after day wandering through the woods, half expecting to see her bow and arrow still standing against the rock by the stream. Half expecting to see her braid wisp behind a tree or hear her warm laugh echo through the trees, but I never did.
Her mum shut off again, she had never really recovered from losing her husband and then she was faced with the haunting concept of loosing her daughter. I knew there was nothing I could do, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't coax her out of her nightmare, Shut out from the world, leaving Prim alone. But Prim trusted me, she had always trusted me and I loved her too. I have never forgiven myself for what happened to her, little Prim, little duck.
There was nothing worse than knowing that Peeta was there, sucking up to Katniss. I had spent the past few years trying to reer her away from him, whenever I could. Didn't want anything to happen between them, but this was a situation I couldn't control, and there was no doubt that when she came out of the arena, she would be changed. I didn't however think that Peeta would take it that far, confessing his undying love for her on live television.
Ever since we were young, I had always liked her, even before we were friends, but I had known Peeta had too. I had kept my distance from both of them, never really spoke to either, but I always saw him gazing at her. When she sang at school, it was mesmerizing, I knew that we would be friends one day, I had always wanted to get to know her and one day perhaps more, but when she volunteered to go into the Arena for Prim, I knew, I just knew that was it.