『 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗥𝗡 』𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

The Reaping

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The day of the reaping was always a day to be dreaded. Every year twenty four poor children are dragged away from their homes, leaving their families behind for them to watch them be slaughtered on live television. You had a very strong objection towards the Games, and you were sure you were not the only one. 

You huffed, your breath hot compared to the chilly morning air. You waited beyond your District fence for your two friends for your usual early morning hunt. Although you rose early so as to have time to clear your mind before the the day truly began. You fiddled with a small knife in your hands, watching as the rising sun shone brightly off the blade. You examined the knife for a moment before swiftly throwing it into the unsuspecting tree across from you. You weren't surprised when it hit it's target straight on, you knew what you were doing. 

As you went to retrieve the blade from the tree, a rustling in the bushes behind you makes you turn quickly and pull the knife out of the tree, pointing it in the direction the bushes were. You sighed as your friends emerged from the brush and lowered your teeny yet deadly weapon. 

Katniss lead the group of two as they emerged from the bushes, her long, soft black hair pulled into its usual braid ( similar to your own ) - Her bow in hand. Gale followed not far behind, his face was pink and flushed from the tickling cold wind and you figured yours looked the same. You envied how chipper the two of them were this early in the morning, you were only awake because the thoughts of the days activities haunted your subconscious as you tossed and turned in your bed. 

" You're up early Y/n," Katniss noted in greeting, she wasn't surprised however, the reaping day always had you up early - even when you didn't want to be. 

" Just figured I would get a bit of practice in, besides you never know when it might come in handy." You shrugged as you fiddled with the blade in your hand, hinting at the fact that today might actually be the day you get reaped. 

Gale scoffed at this, probably because of his own 42 slips of paper. " You have less of a chance of being reaped than I, Y/n." He said digging in his pocket for something. 

" Well that's not exactly saying much," Katniss said with a wry smile. 

Gale rolled his eyes, " Well, I was going to split this with you, but just for that I'm not so sure anymore." He said waving a fresh looking loaf ( more like 1/3 of a loaf ) of bread. 

" Where did you get that?" You asked eyeing the bread hungrily. 

" The baker, I think the old man was feeling a bit sentimental this morning, he even wished me luck. " Gale replied and broke the bread into three separate pieces and gave two of them to you and Katniss. 

" I think we all feel a little closer today, don't we? " Katniss smelled the bread and smiled contentedly. " Mmm still warm." She whispered to herself. 

" What did this cost you?" You asked Gale curiously. Nothing good here came without a price after all. 

" Only a squirrel," He said with a shrug of his shoulders. You nodded and took a small nibble from the bread, you wanted it to last as long as possible. 

" Oh, Prim left us cheese." Katniss spoke as she revealed the treat. 

" Thank you Prim. We'll have a true feast!" Gale said teasingly, you sighed amused.

Suddenly he broke into a Capitol accent, " Happy Hunger Games!" He squealed dramatically making you roll your eyes. You all can't help but joke about the circumstances because the only other alternative is to be scared witless. Besides, the Capitol accent is so posh and outrageous that almost anything sounds funny in it. 

" And may the odds," Katniss began. 

" Be ever in your favor." You both finished. 

You all laughed slightly, enjoying this moment before the chaos - before your lives possibly fall apart. You sighed deeply, taking another bite from your sliver of bread, popping a blackberry from a nearby bush into your mouth. You wanted to savor this moment with your friends, for all you know this could be the last time you get to be together all three of you. 

Seemingly picking up on your change in character, Gale speaks up. " Really Y/n, What are the odds that your name gets picked out of what? Thousands? You're going to be fine." He assures you. You only shake your head and sigh. 

" I'm not just worried about my name being drawn , but for you and Katniss, what if you're reaped?" You ask. 

" Prim is pretty upset as well, she says she keeps having nightmares where she gets reaped." Katniss said taking a bite out of her bread. 

You shake your head, Prim? In The Hunger Games? You couldn't possibly imagine. Prim was too sweet and frail to go into The Hunger Games. She was like a little sister to you, you would never let anything like that happen to her. 

" She only has one slip of paper, she isn't going to be reaped." Gale said confidently. 

" That's what I keep telling her, but she's terrified." Katniss sighed. 

" I can't blame her, who wouldn't be scared on their first reaping?" You sympathize with the poor young girl. Katniss and Gale both nod in agreement. Suddenly after a few moments of silence, you stand. 

" We should get moving," You said briskly and your two friends stood with you. 

All together the three of you made your way into the forest. When you and your friends are done hunting and collecting from the snares, you make your way back towards the District. You sell your catch of the day at the Hob and part ways to go get ready for the reaping. 

Upon arriving home you bathe and try to scrub away any trace of the outdoors, you might look clean but you sure as hell don't feel clean. You slip on your only dress that you save specifically for the reaping. It was a grey simple dress, and was growing short on you, but you couldn't afford to buy a new one. A knock on the door let you know your aunt was ready to do your hair. "Come in," you called quietly. She smiled at you softly as she moved to stand behind you. She brushed your hair thoroughly and then began to braid. Once she was finished, she set her hands on your shoulders from behind. You both stared at your reflection in the mirror, your aunt gently placing a kiss to your cheek before leaving the bathroom. 

As you slid on your shoes couldn't help wondering what the day will hold, you were worried for your friends. 

You walked out of your room and into the kitchen. Your aunt, your only family you have left, gave you a tight hug. " I love you." was all she said before shooing you out of the door. 

You left your house and made your way to the town square. You rolled your eyes at the amount of peacekeepers roaming the streets. You spotted Katniss and a very shaken looking Prim along the way and decided to walk the rest of the way with them.

You stood in the crowd of girls your age as you watched Effie Trinket, District 12's resident Hunger Games presenter, smiled a bit too excitedly. " As always, Ladies first!" she smiled brightly as she reached into the bowl, digging her hand around to cause some sort of suspense. She finally gripped a small slip of paper and unfolded it, you prayed silently that it wasn't someone you knew. 

Yet nothing could have prepared you for what came out of that woman's mouth. 

" Primrose Everdeen! " 

You froze. Prim? You watched as the peacekeepers pulled Prim towards the stage and one look at Katniss' frantic expression you knew exactly what you had to do. 

" I volunteer as tribute!" 

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