The Capitol

Chapter 1 - The Reaping

I feel a weight in my stomach as I walk like a robot toward the reaping. I glance to my right to make sure Katniss is still there, and she is. I grab her hand and hold on tight. What if I get chosen? How can I ever win the Hunger Games?

My finger still hurts from when they pricked it. They, I mean, as the horrible people from the Capitol. The people from the Capitol have tortured us, starved us, and made us fight in this terrible form of entertainment, The Hunger Games. In The Hunger Games, 24 kids fight to the death in an arena that is different every year. It's horrible and sick, but how can I stop them? I can't.

I think Katniss senses my worriedness, because she speaks to me with words of comfort.

"Don't worry Prim," she says. "Your name is only in there once. It's impossible for them to pick your name out of that bin."

Each year all of district 12 gathers in the plaza for the Reaping. However, you can only participate in the Reaping if you are 12-18 years old. They split up the boys' and girls' names into two huge, clear bowls. On name is drawn from each bowl, and those two will be the tributes for the Hunger Games. But your name doesn't have to be in there once. To get food, you can put your name in more times as a price, which increases your risk of getting chosen for the games.

My name is only in there once. There's no way they can pick me, my chances are so slim.

But there's always a way.

"Primrose Everdeen!" I hear the familiar Capitol accent shout. At first I'm confused. Why are they saying my name?

And then the white gloves grab me from every direction.