The Hunger Games - Primrose Everdeen

Chapter Two

Everyone's eyes dart towards me. Face's locked onto mine. The other twelve and thirteen year old's around me clear a path, as if to say, "Go! Before they make one us take your place instead." I know that's far from the truth. They care. I can tell, but I'm just too scared to think straight.

My feet move before my brain realizes it. Just about now I'm ready to throw up the small amount of food I ate this morning. Good thing I didn't eat too much. 

I'm on the stage all too quickly. People murmur. It's easy to tell that they hate the idea of a twelve year old girl such as myself entering a fight to the death. But I may still be safe. Katniss may take my place. She has a better chance of winning than myself. But then again, Katniss could still very easily be killed by a career tribute. Someone who has been training their entire life just to enter the arena. Now I'm hoping that she does not take my place. 

"Exellent." Effie rings out in her Capitol accent. "Do we have any volunteers to take Primroses's place." Absoulute silence. Not even Katniss moves. She just stands there, mouth slightly open in shock. Good, she's too shaken to take my place. Now my mother and her may survive while I take the ultimate sacrifice. "Now for the boys." 

Who will it be? Someone who could easily be taken down within moments of the gong ringing out or someone who may even finish me off himself? I can only hope for it not to be the later.

"Peeta Mellark!" Says Effie. Sadly it is the later. Peeta is a very strongly built young man who happens to be in Katniss's year in school. Never have I talked to him, I only know him because I love admiring the cakes he bakes and frosts for his families bakery, but it's easy to tell that he could so easily kill me off in just secounds. Peeta mounts himself onto the stage just a few feet apart from myself. Again, Effie Trinket asks for volunteers. Once more, no volunteers. Peeta and I shake hands as the tributes do each year and then we are ushered into two seperate rooms. This is where I will say my final goodbyes to everyone that I hold dear to my heart.

The first few visits are clusters of my loyal friends from school. Those visits are filled with hugs and tear stained cheeks. One of my friends even passed out she was so nervous. Another one who I'm pretty sure always had a slight crush on me named Rio vomited from fright. Shouldn't it be me that's so scared that I pass out and throw up my breakfeast?

I loved seeing my friends for just one last time, but I really want to see my family so I may tell them how much I care for them. How much I need them to be strong for the next couple of weeks. How sorry I am that I will be leaving them. They finally enter the room.

Without saying a word I run into their open arms. My words are so tear filled and shaky that surely neither of them could make out one single word.

"I'm sorry I didn't protect you enough, Prim. I'm sorry that I couldn't have taken you far far away, somewhere that you'd always be safe and hidden from the Capitol. Mostly, I'm sorry that I did not volunteer to take your place. Out of everyone, even yourself, Prim, I was the most upset. The one who could not even speak." Katniss sobs. It's nerve racking to see her like this. The only person since I was seven to teach me how to deal with this evil world, is crumbling at it's feet.

I weep a few more tears before talking. "Katniss, don't be sorry. It's better that it's me. It truely is." The sound of my voice frightens me. It's as if in just secounds I have grown from a crying child to a young and responsible adult ready to face her uneviteble end. "If it weren't for you, mother, Gale and his family... they'd all be dead. Including myself. So please. Be strong. Know that this is how it best works out." A few more words of sorrow and tears are shed. Katniss keeps telling me that I can win if I just prepare.She tells me all about hunting until the peacekeepers come to drag my family out of my life forever. 

"Prim!" My mother yells. "Win!"

I close my eyes as the door slams shut, along with my family, friends, futuer, my life. "No." I whisper softly to the empty room. Two moments later the peacekeepers are back to escort me to a car. From there I am taken to a train. I've never been in either a car or train before. Actually, it's pretty cool. If only I weren't being readied for murder.

I'm shown to my room then told to get ready for supper and be in the dinning hall in no less than an hour. Before getting ready, I sit on the edge of the bed. The bed is soft and cozy, much nicer than the one I am forced to sleep on every night in District Twelve. How I ache to be back on that mattress. That stiff, cold mattress.

The first step to getting use to this is not thinking anymore about my little home. Instead of more memories of home I take a warm shower. Never have I taken a shower. Whenever I bathe it's in our tiny little bathtub that we have to fill up ourselves. No one can just twist a small nob and have hot water at their fingertips just pouring out of the faucet. I stay in there for twenty minutes or so. Just sitting on the floor soaking in the sweetness of having an endless supply of hot water at the push of one simple button. 

Once I force myself to turn off the shower and get dressed I pick a plain baby blue longsleeved shirt and lightly colored jeans. I decide not to wear shoes, instead I put on a pair of comfortingly fitting socks. With a smile on my lips, I cross into the bathroom that has a tiled floor and slip around in the socks. It's impossible not to giggle with all of the fun I'm having... Until I slip and bang my head onto the floor. Lucky for me, no blood springs from my head. That's a good sign. 

For the time being I will have as much fun as possible. My life is going to be short. Very short. So I must make the best of it. Reak havoc, as long as I don't get in trouble for it. That'd be rude. But, I should definitely do this more often. Laugh I mean. It gives me a great feeling that even when such a horrible fate awaits me I can still enjoy myself while I am in a fun little place.

After even more slipping around on the floor I head down to the dinning hall. "Primrose! Where were you? You were suppose to be down here ten minutes ago! Explain yourself.

"I'm sorry, Effie. I was just having too much fun." Peeta and Haymitch give little snorts at what I say. They must beleive that I'm just being sarcastic. But I smile to show them I was serious. "Really. I was-"

Effie cuts me off. "I do not want to hear it. Please just sit down so we all may begin eating." 

With no further protest I take my seat in the only open dinning chair left. "So... What's for dinner." I ask, just realizing how much my stomach craves food.

Haymitch laughs while Effie scowls at me. "Next time be on time for supper. Then I will tell you what we will be having to eat."

"Okay." I sigh shyly. 

In no time plates of freshly cooked food are being placed infront of us all. All of it is too much for me to take in at once. Soon enough, though, I am able to pick up my silverware and shovel the delicasies into my mouth. I'm about to put another spoonful of delicious soup into my mouth until I realize Effie is glancing at me. "Excuse me." I sweetly say. Then I begin to eat again, although this time with more manner. I completely forgot that the people from the Capitol have so much food that they actually have time for manners.

Mostly we are silent. How is it back home? Are my mother and sister silent, too? Is Katniss crying with Gale? Is she alone in the woods? I don't want to think anymore of it. It sickens me to think that Katniss may already be crying over the lost of her little sister.

When we're all through with dinner we go into a seperate room to watch the recap of the reapings all across Panem. There are so many heavily built tributes. The boy's from two and eleven frighten me the most. Tall, strong, unfazed by being on the stage to enter the arena - Although the boy from two was a volunteer so of course he would not be at all scared. Anyways, he is a career. He alone could possibly win this - anways, my point is that they are prepared. Unlike me who will enter the arena and crawl under a rock - assuming there are any rocks - and wait for my slow and painful death to attack.