The Hunger Games- Peeta's POV

2

I know the name Everdeen quite well. After all, I'm in love with an Everdeen. It was as if I got hit in the stomach. Katniss' sister was reaped. Everyone muttered unhappily. They all knew Primrose. She was so young and small. She would never turn out a victor. She starts to walk up to the stage. She looked pale and stiff. Her hands were clenched into fists.

"Prim!" A voice shouts, sounding pained. "Prim!" It comes again. My heart squeezes. This must be Katniss. I see her running toward Primrose. When she reaches her, Katniss pushed Prim behind her and shouts, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

"No!" I breath out loud. Everyone murmurs, surprised. There's not wonder, either. There hasn't been a volunteer in District 12 in a long, long time. In other districts, many people volunteer all the time. But in districts like ours, everyone hates the Reaping process, and the Hunger Games in general.

"Lovely! But I believe there's a small matter of introducing the Reaping winner and then asking for volunteers," Effie says. "And if one does come forth then we um..." she stops talking, not sure what we actually do when someone "comes forward."

"What does it matter?" The mayor asks quietly, but still loud enough to echo through the crowd. He's looking sadly at Katniss, as am I. "What does it matter," he repeats, louder this time. "Let her come forward."

"No, Katniss!" Prim's hysterical screaming makes my heart break even more. "No! You can't go!"

"Prim, let go," Katniss says harshly. She looks upset and tired. "Let go!" Gale Hawthorne, a friend of Katniss' walks up from behind and grabs Prim away. She thrashed around, trying to get away and grab Katniss. Katniss walks up the steps to the stage and stands near Effie.

"Well, bravo!" Effie says approvingly. "That's the spirit of the Games!" I want to dry heave. This is disgusting. "What's your name?"

"K-Katniss Everdeen," Katniss replied, her throat sounding tight.

"I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on everybody! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!" Effie looks out at the crowd expectantly. If she thinks I'll applaud to that, I'll volunteer as tribute too. But no one else claps either. We all stare solemnly up at Katniss. I can feel the respect and regret fuming off of everyone. Then several people touch three fingers to their lips, and raise it up to the air. Quickly, I follow along. Soon, pretty much everyone's arms are in the air, silently signaling a loving goodbye to Katniss.

"Look at her, look at this one!" Haymitch comes staggering up next to Katniss. I tense up. He's bad news. He throws his arm around her shoulders and leans onto her. "I like her! Lots of..." he pauses for a while. Still, everyone is quiet. "Spunk! More than you!" He points right at a camera, and I want to laugh. It's true. But what makes me really laugh is when he falls to the ground, unconscious. He's pulled away by a stretcher. I smile, but become solemn again quickly. Now it's the boys' turn. I start to feel a bit nervous. What if it's me? What if it's my brother? The odds weren't in Prim or Katniss' favors. Who knows for me. Effie quickly returns to the podium and picks from the boys' fishbowl...

...

"Peeta Mellark!" She shouts. My eyes widen and my heart stops. That's me.

I make my way up to the stage, climbing the stairs. I try to calm myself as I get closer and closer to Effie and Katniss. I try to keep myself steady, controlling my breathing and stepping in time. And no one will volunteer for me. No one I know cares that much.

I look at Katniss and see the alarm in her face as she studies me. I remember the day when I helped her out. I was eleven years old. My mother saw Katniss in my yard and screamed at her. I watched her from a distance longingly. She looked sick and she fell down, leaning on the trunk of a tree. My mother forced me inside and we continued to bake bread. I was daydreaming, worried about Katniss right outside my door. I wished I could help her... but I could. I realized I could. Quickly, I dropped some bread in the fire, pretending it was an accident. My mother, furious, hit me with a rolling pin and screamed at me, telling me to go feed the trash to the pigs. I ran away and started feeding them the pieces. Katniss was still there. That cute, amazing girl in my class. She had such a beautiful singing voice, too. It was raining and she sat there shivering from the icy cold. I felt so much compassion for her. I kept myself turned to the pigs, but I  threw my bread to her direction. Two loves. She stared at them, and I ran inside quickly. I slept well that night, knowing I helped her.

And now here Katniss and I are, standing next to each other on a stage, gazing at each other. The mayor reads some boring excerpt called the Treaty of Treason. When he finally finishes, he tells Katniss and I to shake hands. Her hands are cold and small compared to mine. I look her right in the eye and squeeze her hand slightly.

It's going to be okay, I tell her in my head. I want her to try to believe it, even if it isn't true. Even if this whole thing is messed up.  The worst part about all of it is knowing that we are  going to have to try to kill each other, if others don't get to it first.