The Capitol Games

The reaping

"May the odds be ever in your favour!"

I stand in the centre of the town, legs shaking, head fuzzy. Effie Trinket is talking away in her usual sing-song voice. This is Prim's first year in the reaping, and she has been worried sick all week. I don't tend to think about it. It happens, and there's nothing we can do. But now i am here, and Effie's manicured hands are selecting the dreaded paper slip, i feel dizzy. I hear "Ladies first!" And jump. I pray that my little sister will be spared of the tragedy of being reaped today. She didn't take any terasee. She should be fine.

"Teresa Applewood!"

I can feel my muscles relax and my head start to clear. It's not Prim. It's not me. We are safe.

Teresa, however, has just been given a death sentence. She slowly walks onto the stage, shoulders hunched, feet dragging. She is only small, 12 or 13, and is skinny and frail. A seam kid.

"Hurry, hurry child!" Effie sings. I suddenly get and urge to punch her surgically enhanced, too happy face. She has chosen a girl to go and get killed, and expects her to skip around and look happy about it?!

Teresa gets to the stage and slumps in the chair, tears rolling down her red cheeks.

"Now for the boys!"

I glance towards the boys to see a tall, handsome man with bright eyes looking at me. Gale. My heart starts to beat out of my chest and i struggle to control my breathing. I spent so much time worrying about Prim, i didn't think about losing Gale. He is my best friend, my hunting parter, and the only person i tell everything to. He has his name in over 30 times. The odds are not in his favour. Not at all.

Effie puts her hand in the jar painfully slowly. I stare at him and he stares back. He knows what i am thinking. He knows the likelihood of him being chosen.

"Gale-"

I start to fall even before i hear all of his name. Gale, my Gale, is going into the arena. I will watch him kill others, and maybe get killed. Gale- killed. My throat closes up at the thought.

A pair of arms hoist me up. Madge is lifting me off the floor. Steadying myself, i glance at the stage and see Gale shaking hands with the seam girl. To anyone else he may look bored, but i know him too well. Shoulders slightly hunched, ears red- Gale is on the verge of a breakdown.

I've seen it once before. We had only just met when both our fathers died in a deadly mining explosion. We hunted in the woods the day after, and he didn't say anything the whole time. It was when he was skinning a rabbit he whispered "he's gone". I glanced at him- tears were streaming down his cheeks and his ears were bright red. "He's gone! He's never coming back! It's all their fault! The flounce around in their fancy clothes, when we are barely eating enough!" He kicked a log and started to punch a tree. Then after a while he just stopped. He sat on the ground and hyperventilated. I didn't know what to do so i just sat next to him until he left.

That day was the day i saw Gale's true hatred to the capitol. Now he's shaking visibly and his fists are clenched. I close my eyes as Effie continues to babble.

Somehow i know what's going to happen even before i open my eyes.

When i do, i just catch Gale raising his arm- and punch Effie Trinket right in the face.

To be continued...