The Hunger Games (Told by Primrose Everdeen)

Chapter 17

   The final days of the Hunger Games were here. I awoke with my nerves buzzing with anxiety. I couldn't sit still the whole day. It felt like torture having to wait until the evening to watch the recap of the Hunger Games every day.
  
   The chores that day went by in a blur of goats milk and strong-smelling herbs. I helped mama restock the medicine cabinet until it was full. We also went over to the Hawthorne's to see how Hazelle was doing. She was near full recovery now. The only lasting evidence of her sickness was a rasping cough. Mama said it would be gone in a week.
   We brought over some herbs to help her lungs recover faster. It was good to see the kids and Gale. He seemed just as anxious as me about the Hunger Games. We decided to go out in the back to talk.
   "So how are you doing?" He asked me.
    "I've been very anxious these days. After the Feast it gets pretty competitive I hear."
    "You and I both know your sister, though, Prim. She's made it this far into the Game," Gale reassured me as he picked pieces of grass, deep in thought. We both sat in the little field at the back of the house.
   "So your mom seems to be doing much better," I said, changing the subject. Thinking about the Games was causing my heart to beat a little too fast.
   "Her strength is growing more every day," Gale said with a smile. The view from the back of the Hawthorne's house overlooked the forest which Katniss and Gale often hunted in, even if it was illegal. They had always provided for both of our families so well. It was so hard without my big sister.
    "I miss her so much," I collapsed against Gale's arm as a wave of emotion hit me. He wrapped both his arms around me in a comforting big-brother hug.
   "I know. I do too." Tears were streaming down both of our cheeks in no time. Eventually, my mom came outside to get me and I wiped my eyes on my dress sleeve.
    "I guess I'll see you later, Gale." I gave him a little wave as my mom and I walked to the front of the house.
    "See ya later." His eyes were ringed with red from crying. He went back inside through the back door.
   My mom and I walked home in silence. When we got to the house, I looked over at Lady and realized the gate to her pen was slightly open.
    "Did you leave the gate open when you came to milk Lady?" my mom asked me.
    "No. I remember specifically shutting it after I was done."
     "That's weird," she mumbled as she went over to close it all the way. Just then, a small rock flew over my head and landed near Lady inside of her pen. She startled and moved away from it.
    "Peeta's going to win the Hunger Games," I heard the voice before seeing who said it. I turned around and saw two kids, a little older than me, staring right back at me. There was a boy, who had done the talking and a girl, a bit younger than him, by the looks of it. The kids seemed vaguely familiar and I wondered where I'd seen them before. Then it hit me. They went to the same school as me. The boy was two grades above me and the girl was one above. I've seen them walk home with Peeta a few times. I realized that they were his cousins.
    "What do you want?" I asked. My mother was now by my side.
     "What we want is for Peeta to win the Hunger Games. And he will," the boy gave me a nasty look as he turned on his heel and walked away, the girl right beside him. I looked up at my mom and her usually pale face was red with anger.
    "Let's go inside," she said through her teeth. I followed and she calmly shut the door behind us. When my mother was mad, she got overly calm and it always scared me.
    
   That night, after all the drama with Peeta's cousins, my mom and I watched the recap of that day's Games. If Katniss can survive today, she can definitely win, I thought to myself. And sure enough, there was my sister's face up on the screen, looking very pale and bedraggled, but alive.