75th Hunger Games ONE SHOTS

Poison - Peeta

Poison

Peeta

Somehow this year is different.

                This time I thought I knew that at least I wouldn’t be in that reaping bowl, this time I would be safe. Well, as safe as I could possibly get. I was wrong.

I was impossibly wrong. I never thought that I could go through this twice, so when they announced that only victors would be eligible for the quarter-quell I felt like I was in another world.

I’ve done this once, I thought, that was supposed to be it, that was supposed to be the end of it. There are only two of us. Me and Haymitch. There are two tributes from each district. There was no choice for us here. I thought it was going to be the both of us who ended up in there.

Then they told us it was only going to be one. I was never filled with a sense of relief. I knew that if Haymitch was called I would volunteer for him, so I was guaranteed a spot in the games.

I said goodbye to my family before the reaping. I tried not to let my emotions come through but saying a final goodbye to my father was one of the hardest things I’ll ever have to do, especially when I had time to think it all through.

I stood in the square with just Haymitch by my side. A part of me was thankful for the fact that one whole year of kids knows that they’re never going to be where I’ve been. I’m thankful. I’m thankful.

Effie looked like she was a little less perky as usual. She loved me, I’m her little star. Or so she tells me. I think I’m just the key to a better status for her. She has been good to me though, I shouldn’t take that from her. I smiled a little as I thought about how my opinion of her has changed. I used to dread seeing her face but now I almost enjoy her company. Almost.

I heard her call out my name and she looked down at me with a look of what could be taken as regret. I took a deep breath in and began the long walk up to the stage. I felt like it would take hours to get there. I could feel the eyes of all the members of the districts on me.

And then Haymitch pulled me out of my cloud with a booming voice from behind me.

“I volunteer.” I turned around and shook my head.

“No!”

He marched up to the stage and put his hand on my shoulder. It was done; I couldn’t be in that arena now. It was set.

I still felt no relief. None. He is my friend, my mentor.

“Seeing as there is no female victor in 12, I have been told to ask you all for a volunteer, from anywhere.” We all turned to see Caesar’s smiling face on the big screens.

We all stood by in silence as he asked us all. He was grinning and laughing with his co-host and I felt sick. It was all such a sick little game.

All of a sudden his face changed, he looked shocked. Then the screens went black. We all looked around and then up to the stage where Effie looked just as confused.

“I volunteer!” The voice rang out over the speakers and everyone’s eyes turned to the screens.

They lit up again with footage from residents in the Capitol Square. There was a girl standing in the middle with an arm in the air and her lips forming the words that no one else dared.

“I volunteer as tribute for the Capitol of Panem!”

She stood out in the colourful crowd, she was different. The only way you could tell that she was from the Capitol was from her shiny golden lips. The Capitol citizens seemed to back away from her like volunteering was contagious.