May the odds be ever in your favour (Book 1)

2

Ryan's PoV

I walk through the square and see the stage, my stomach churns. I ignore my family's bakery, although I can hear mom calling for me to come home and get ready for the Reaping. But I have to go to the hanging tree.  There's a little plaque there for a Sejanus Plinth, and he was a friend of sorts to Lucy Gray. And every time I've been to Lucy Gray's I always say hello to him. I don't know how a former district 2 person like Sejanus who was executed gets a plaque in district 12 but whatever. 

I tell him that it's the 74th Hunger games. I tell him how Lucy Gray's doing. And only after, I've spent 10 minutes at this memorial plaque do I head back home. My mom, was not impressed with me at all. 

"What were you thinking?" she screeched "Going out hunting today on Reaping day! You could have been caught!" 

"Mom, you know how hunting calms me, and how foraging calms me! We're all nervous today! What was I supposed to do? Sit at home and twiddle my thumbs meanwhile, I'm absolutely terrified that my name or Peeta's gets pulled out?"  I explode back.  

"Yes!" 

"I will be damned if I have to just sit there and watch the stage being erected! Watch the damn tables being set up! Katniss and Prim needed me today." 

"Katniss! Katniss! All about Katniss! You'd think you were in love with her!" My mom screams. Little does she know. This is not how I pictured telling her.  Before I open my mouth, Pa interjects. 

"I think it's lovely how Rye dedicates himself to her. And  I'd rather him do something he enjoys to calm him down on reaping day." 

Mom looks at Pa as if she wants to kill him. But Pa ignores her looks and turns to me. 

"Get anything good?" 

I pull out some Squirrels, and the Katniss leaves.  

"Oh my favourite, Squirrel!!" 

"Is that all?" mom asks

"Well I gave some to Mrs. Everdeen incase Katniss gets reaped."  I lied. 

I have a quick bath. And get dressed in a nice forrest green shirt and jeans. I dab on some Patchouli perfume oil.  The scent comforted me, and I needed all the comfort I could get, if this feeling was going to persist. 

Now I just had to sit and twiddle my thumbs.  And wait for the people to start heading to the reaping. Unfortunately I would not be able to stand next to Katniss, give her a gentle squeeze. And I can't run and hug Prim god forbid her name were to come out.

Resentment to The Capitol begins to bubble inside me. All of us who are able to take part in the games weren't even a sparkle in our parents eyes. Most of our parents weren't even alive in the rebellion and the dark days. And yet they punish us, for crimes our ancestors committed. 

I find myself sketching and re-sketching various plants. I could tell I was restless. I began humming. It was the song that Lucy Gray and I sang earlier. It was soothing me. I began to wonder what was Katniss doing right now? Was Prim anymore calmer?

Katniss Pov

I have a bath, and then as I am wrapped in a towel, I look at the dress on the bed that mom has laid out for me. It's a nice duck-egg blue knee length dress. One of her old ones.

As I put it on, I realise it's made from a nice feeling fabric, that feels foreign on my skin. I sit on the rickety kitchen chair and mom is behind me, doing my hair. She's putting it in my usual style, just with a slightly more formal touch. 

The three of us look in our biggest mirror. Even Mom has done herself up. All three of us look smart, that is until I see what Prim has done with her shirt. 

"Tuck in your tail little duck." I chuckle. 

"But it's comfier this way." She replies, but proceeds to tuck in her shirt tails. I know it won't be long before she untucks it again.  We sit and talk for a bit. I go over some of the edible plants, herbs and mushrooms with Prim. She already knows them all, it is more so for me. If I end up in the arena I'm going to need to be able to identify what is safe to eat, and what isn't.  All of this just to kill time.

A way to delay the inevitable. I look out the small window, and we hear the whistle, telling us to gather in the square. It's time. 

"Are you ready Prim?" I ask, giving her my hand. 

"Yes," She squeaks out, giving me a slight nod. She's putting on a brave face.  I squeeze her hand. Prim's shirt was untucked, again. I suppress a chuckle. She clutches my hand tightly, and we walk to the square. 

Prim stops suddenly, and I see why. She has just caught glimpse of how they get the tributes name on the card. I lean down to her. 

"You'll be okay Prim." 

"They take blood?" 

"Yes, but it's only a scratch." 

"It'll still hurt," 

"But only for thirty seconds Prim and then all you will need to do will be to walk to where the little kids are and wait." 

Prim nods. And I kiss her forehead, giving her a tight hug.  The peacekeepers then wrench us apart. I watch Prim be registered and then a female keeper does me.  I take my place in with the 16 year old girls.  I look to my right, and there's Gale.  He asks if I'm okay, I nod. 

I look to my left, there's Ryan. He asks me if I'm okay, I want to tell him I'm not. I want to tell him I'm anything but okay. I nod. And although I can tell he doesn't believe me.  He nods, and gives me a wink!  I become aware of a dozen things at once. The wink that Ryan had given me, what did that mean? I don't know, but what I do know, is I finally realised that the butterflies I had. He was the cause, and although I may have limited experience with romance. If I had to guess, I'd say that this is what it was. 

(A/n:  Here is part 2! The next part is the reaping!)