The Hunger Games

Chapter Two

Rows of people from District 12 lined up in front of a stage. Effie Trinket and Haymitch Abernathy waiting as the crowd filed in. Ellie was squeezed in, Katniss on her right and another girl on her left. Effie had a pink wig and a beautiful dark pink dress with gold accents --probably Cinna's handy work-- She walked up to the microphone and spoke with a high pitched voice.
    "Welcome to the 77th annual Hunger Games. We are doing something different this year, two tributes from the boys and girls will be picked. This year we will have four tributes from each District. As you know, ladies first and may the odds be ever in your favor!" She walked over to a clear glass bowl with hundreds of little paper slips. "What a stupid saying." The girl on Ellie's left mumbled, her head bowed.
    "And our first tribute is...." Effie opened the slip of paper. "Ellie Greystone." Ellie looked down and concealed her emotions, her face expressionless as the rows parted as Ellie walked up towards the steps. Prim was held back by other kids in her line as she struggled to get to her friend. Ellie climbed the steps and stood in front of Effie and Haymitch. Effie picked out another piece of paper and came to the microphone again. "Our other tribute for the girls is....." She unfolded the slip. "Oh no." She mumbled. "K- Katniss... Everdeen." Effie said, her voice breaking. Prim was thrashing now. She broke free and ran to her sister before Katniss could reach the stairs.
    "Katniss, no! Please! Don't go! I-" Katniss covered her mouth before she could finish her sentence. Peeta and Gale came up, carrying Prim away and made sure that she didn't say anything stupid like 'I volenteer.'
    Katniss stood beside Ellie, glancing at her from time to time. The two girls betrayed no emotion as Effie made her way to another glass bowl and pulled out two slips. "Our third tribute is..." She opened the paper. "Terik Azon." She said. A boy with light brown hair and blue eyes walked up the steps and stood on the other side of the microphone. "And our final tribute..." Effie gave a nervous smile as she opened the final slip of paper. "Gale Hawthrone." The name felt like a punch to Katniss' gut. Before Gale could get past the crowd, someone called out "I volunteer!"
Katniss' heart pounded when she thought about Peeta. But a boy with hazelnut skin and brown eyes stepped forward. His face, hands, and clothes were covered in grit from the coal mines and his clothes were faded and dirty.
    "My boy, what is your name?" Effie asked, putting a hand on his back and leading him to where Terik was standing. "Kenric Rose." He muttered into the microphone. "Well, we haven't had a volunteer since..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced to Katniss. The Peacekeepers lead the four into custody, Peeta, Gale, Ms. Everdeen, and Prim visiting Katniss while Kenric and Terik had their families and friends while Ellie sat in her room with no one coming to her door.
She assumed that Prim wanted to spend the most time she could with her sister, which Ellie could understand. She had a brother once, Stephen Greystone, had been picked for the Hunger Games and died within the first couple of days. She and her parents had cried for days only for her parents to go out a few weeks later and die in an explosion.
    The creak of the door dragged her out of her sad thoughts, Prim sitting into her lap, Ms. Everdeen standing in the doorway. "I can't help you and protect you in there." Prim sobbed, her head buried in Ellie's shoulder. Ellie hugged Prim back, running the girl's back as Prim cried into her jacket.
Ellie locked eyes with Prim's mother and mouthed 'I'm sorry.' She nodded. "I guess that bread didn't do much, huh?" She whispered in Prim's ear. She looked back at Ms. Everdeen. "Prim knows where I live. I have a slab of lamb and bread there. Take it." She said, Prim squeezing her tighter.
    Gale and Peeta stepped behind Ms. Everdeen and gave weaks smiles to Ellie. Peeta and Gale came in and hugged Ellie. "Try and keep her alive." Peeta said. Ellie nodded. Gale had said something to her with the same meaning. "Bye El." Prim said, wiping her eyes and left with the others as Katniss, Piper, Terik, and Kenric walked to their transport to go to the Capitol.

*       *      *

    Katniss looked at the girl sitting next to her. Her name, Ellie Greystone had been one of the people in District 12 that had been called as tribute for the Hunger Games. The boy across from had dark skin unlike Ella who had olive skin. The boy, Kenric, had volunteered when Gale's name had clearly been working in the mines and Katniss figured that Kenric became friends with Gale while mining. He sat next to a boy who had tan skin but looked pale now. His red hair was curly and unkept and his clothes were dusty and looked two sizes too big. Katniss could tell that Ellie had been one of the secret hunters like her and Gale.
    Katniss thought that she and Ellie were alike in some ways. Ellie wore the same look on her face the day Katniss had the day of the Reaping. Kenric looked terrified and Terik looked nervous as the train moved toward the Capitol. Effie and Haymitch entered the room but no one but Katniss seemed to notice.
Katniss couldn't help thinking about Peeta, Gale, and Prim who were in the safety of District 12. She also thought about how the numbers had been doubled. The first time she had played the Hunger Games, there had been twenty-four tributes. Now there would be forty-eight.
    She noticed a gold chain around Ellie's neck and reached for the necklace. Ellie didn't stop her as Katniss' hand closed around the circular pendant. It had a gold rim with a royal blue background, the image of an eagle flying in the middle. "The Eagle's Children." She muttered. "You know it?" Ellie asked. "Only about what happened to the people." Katniss replied.
"The group was blown to bits. Any items related to the group orders an instant execution." Ellie said, the pendant thumping on her chest as Katniss let go of the necklace. "My parents died when the bomb was dropped." Ellie explained, tucking the chain under her shirt.
Katniss shuddered as the thought of her father blown up in the coal mines. "My dad died in one of the coal mining explosions." She mumbled, looking at the floor. "I'm sorry for your loss." Ellie whispered, looking at her hunting boots. They gave each other a weak smile, the feeling of being allies or even friends creeping into their minds.
    Kenric and Terik squirmed nervously in their seats as Ellie gripped the arm of the chair --sign of anxiety-- as Katniss looked out through the window to her right. Effie and Haymitch rocked back and forth as the train came to a stop. They had arrived at the Capitol.

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