The Hunger Games: The Untold Story of Peeta Mellark PART ONE

chapter five

Peeta Mellark PART ONE continued...

“Prim!” A strangled cry is heard from the audience. “Prim!” this time louder and more assertive. I’m pushed back as Katniss runs through the audience and makes her way to the stage. She clutches her sister’s arm and forcefully pushes the feeble child behind her. Her light grey eyes are wild with desperation and disbelief, and then I grit my teeth in anticipation of what she will do next. “I volunteer!” she shouts, almost out of breath, as if she doesn’t believe that anyone will hear her otherwise. Suddenly, the look of terror in her eyes changes into something else, something I can’t quite pick up on. Maybe the realization of what just happened, of what she had just done. Her face turns to stone, I no longer detect any sign of fear, she had made her decision. “I volunteer as tribute.” She states in an even voice.

There are muffled gasps from the audience. I pinch my self on the wrist to make sure this isn’t another one of my nightmares. But no, this is as real as it gets. Katniss Everdeen, the girl who hasn’t left my head since I was five. The girl who I’ve been in love with since I can remember, but to whom I’ve been too cowardly to speak. Why haven’t I even attempted to speak to her in the past? Why have I only let myself admire her from a far for so long? Maybe it’s because I was scared? Of Katniss or my mother? Maybe I was too arrogant to want to be seen with a girl from the Seam? But that can’t be it. Then what? Now the girl standing on the stage with her dark braided hair, olive skin, grey eyes, blue satin dress that hangs loosely against her frail frame, and scarsely heard singiing voice that still lingers in my mind, will be hauled away just like a pig for the slaughter. She will be imprisoned in an arena and be forced into a fight to the death with 23 others. And now I’ll never get to say to her what I’ve been keeping inside my head for 10 years.

The little girl, Primrose, is screaming now. She frantically grabs onto Katniss but, is yanked away by Katniss' boyfriend who traded with my father this morning (i'm pretty sure his name is Gale), he whispers something I can’t make out,  and then takes the girl to her mother.

Once Katniss introduces herself to Effie, not one person claps. We’re not about to give the capitol the satisfaction of watching us celebrate this hideous event. One by one everyone begins performing the district twelve hand-motion, usually only used for funerals in order to say goodbye, this is the first time, to my knowledge, that this has ever been used at the reeping. I touch the three middle fingers of my left hand to my lips and then hold them out in admiration and remembrance of the bravery of Katniss Everdeen.

Next thing I know a drunken Haymitch begins to harass her as he did Effie, making Katniss incredibly uncomfortable. “Look at her! Look at this one! I like her! Lot’s of spunk!” He slurs. “More than you!” He points to the cameras, my guess is that he’s addressing the capitol, pretty gutsy. I start to feel some admiration for the poor guy when he plunges off the stage knocking himself unconscious. I shake my head sympathetically. This is what the capital does to you.  

Now Effie scampers to the center of the stage desperately trying to call attention away from Haymitch, “What an exciting day!” She shouts in attempt to silence the murmuring of the crowd. “But more excitement to come! It’s time to choose our boy tribute!” My stomach drops as I attempt to mentally prepare for what is to come. I look at Katniss Everdeen standing awkwardly on the stage unsure of what to do with her hands. What boy will join her to be hoarded to the capitol and readied for the slaughter? While trying to keep her fluffy pink wig from falling off of her head with one hand, the other takes the first slip from the glass ball that it encounters. She goes back to the podium and reads the name so quickly that I’m caught off guard when I hear her say “Peeta Mellark!”