Hunger Games Unedited

Chapter 5: Gifts and Blood

As soon as the anthem ends with a rousing "For the land of the enslaved, and the home of the starving." The Peacekeepers take us into the Justice Building to be executed. Just kidding... (not really.)

They leave me in a room alone filled with rich people stuff like carpets and velvet. I make snow angles in the fabric to calm me down. Next is the time we say goodbye to everyone and crying is for wimps.

Mom and Prim come first. Prim hugs me and Mom tries to hug both of us all awkward-like because she knows I hate her. After I judge we've hugged sufficiently I go through a list of everything they'll have to do without me because they're lazybutts. I'm pretty muffled under the pile they've made on top of me.

Prim can't trade her name in the reaping fishy bowl for stuff. They'll have to scrimp and sell everything they own, but they can make it. And Brainman will help them because we made a pact in blood about it and if he breaks it he'll be even more cursed. But if prim and Mom don't give him anything in return they'll be cursed so I warn them very adamantly not to be cursed.

Prim can't hunt because she's a wimp. Trust me. I've tried. Scorpio scared her to death and when I shot one of his minions she was all like, "We can keep him alive! We can teach him to be a fine, upstanding, good animal! He's been told lies! He can't be that bad! Oh, don't execute him!" She's useless.

After that I tell them about fuel, trading, staying in school, and to not eat too many sweets or they'll get tummy aches. Then I turn to my Mom, "Listen to me. Are you listening to me?" She's a little deaf though she won't admit it. She nods. "You can't leave again."

She looks down because she's ashamed. She should be the little twit. "I know. I won't. I couldn't help what—"

Dumb excuses.... "Well, you have to help it this time. You can't clock our and leave Prim on her own. There's no me now to keep you alive. It doesn't matter what happens. Whatever you see on the screen. You have to promise me you'll fight through it!" I almost grabbed for her throat. She's ranks just under Scorpio as the most inherently awful people in the world.

She's angry at me now. "I was ill. I could have treated myself..."

Blah blah blah. Whatever. I don't care what happy meds she has to take as long as she doesn't abandon Prim.

"Then do what you have to do and take care of her!"

"It'll be alright, Katniss," says Prim trying to get us off the subject. "But you have to take care, too. You're so fast and brave. Maybe you can win."

I am pretty awesome, The Huntress, but I can't win. There are people who want to do this and train for it. They'll weed me out pretty quick.

"Maybe," I say sarcastically. I'll fight alright. It's my nature. "Then we'd be rich as Haymitch."

"I don't care if we're rich. I just want you to come home. You will try, won't you? Really, really try?" asks Prim.

"Really, really try. I swear it." It'd be nice if we had some sort of blood sacrifice to make over that, but in a rich people room everything must be done unprofessionally.

The Peacekeeper tells them it's time to go and we hug really hard and I tell them I love them because that is socially acceptable. When they're gone I bury myself in fabric again.

Now someone else comes in and...it's Peeta's daddy. I'm gonna be killing his son soon so why is he here? I mean, he's really nice and trades with us sometimes, unlike his wife. His wife ranks under my mom on my "Most Inherently Awful People I Abhor" list.

He looks sad. He must have just said bye to Peeta.

And then he pulls out a package of cookies! How dare he?

I take them, again because that is socially acceptable. "Thanks." I try not to show my disgust and make a little small talk.

He says nothing and I give up because he gave me...COOKIES....

The Peacekeeper finally calls him out and thank goodness. I could hardly stand being civil to this cookie giver. "I'll keep an eye on the little girl. Make sure she's eating."

Yay! Maybe Prim will live after all because people like her. Everyone hates me.

Madge comes too. "They let you wear one thing from your district in the arena," she says quickly. "One thing to remind you of home. Will you wear this?" It's the pin she had on. It has a bird flying on it.

"Your pin?" I say. I really don't care. Fashion is for dummies.

"Here, I'll put it on your dress, all right?" I would have told her no and maybe punched her too but she doesn't wait. "Promise you'll wear it into the arena, Katniss? Promise?"

"Yes," I say. Where is a good animal sacrifice when you need it?!?!? Cookies, a pin, gosh are they trying to make me miss home or something? It's not working! I will remain unaffected by you losers! And then Madge just up and kissed me on the cheek! What the heck??? Completely uncalled for and totally weird! Yuck.

And then good ole Brainman comes in and I know he won't give me cookies or kisses. I'll be lucky if he speaks coherently. Whew. He just hugs me and it feels natural even though I don't do hugs, ever.

"Listen," he says. "Getting a knife should be pretty easy, but you've got to get your hands on a bow. That's your best chance."

That's Brainman. Always thinking ahead. "They don't always have bows," I say, thinking of that time all the tributes had to stab each other to death.

"Then make one," says Gale. "Even a weak bow is better than no bow at all."

I can't make any bows at all. I can't even tie my own shoelaces!

"I don't even know if they'll be wood," I say making sure to be extra difficult because Brainman hates that. One time they threw them all in a barren desert. Most of the tributes died from snake bites, which isn't a bad alternative actually.

"There's almost always wood since that year most of them died from cold. That was no fun."

Yeah. One year we had to watch all those kids freeze to death in the cold. It was much better than watching them die slowly from head wounds, but the Capital loved to see children bleed to death.

"Fine. There's usually wood..." I roll my eyes.

"Katniss, just go hunting. You're the best hunter I know."

"It's not like hunting. They're armed. They think," Like Scorpio's evil minions! Maybe I do have a shot at this!

"So do you. And you've had more practice. Real practice. You know how to kill."

"Not people."

"How different can it be, really?"

Gosh, Brainman just got major morbid on me.

Then the Peacemakers come and I haven't told Brainman everything I wanted to! I didn't tell him to wear a coat when it snows, and to take showers regularly! I grab onto his hand afraid he won't be able to survive without me. "Don't let them starve!"

"I won't! You know I won't! I'm cursed if I don't, after all! Katniss, remember I—" and they slam the door. He probably wanted me to remember to brush my teeth or something.