The Little Duck's Tale

The Reaping

Hello! Quite a Long chapter today, mainly to make up for my non-existent posting schedule. Sorry! Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

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Leaving for your first reaping is always difficult. Both Katniss and mom had told me this time and time again. So often, that it had lost all meaning to me. Saying something once or twice is fine, but what most people, (my mom especially), don't seem to realize is that sometimes, it's better to say things just once, than to say it a thousand times.

I walked the first half of the way in silence; lost in though. But this time, it wasn't about my nightmare, or my name being picked, or even my sister's name being picked. It was about the parents, siblings and friends of the kids who did get picked. I thought of the torture they would have to go through, seeing their son or daughter fight to the death against 23 other people, most of whom would be much more experienced. Something like that would kill a person, as a parent, or just a friend.

"You OK there, little duck?"

I jumped. Katniss was walking behind me, smiling that same smile she always did. I couldn't bare to imagine my life without her. I nodded in reply.

"Nervous?"

I nodded again. It seemed like a pointless question. What 12 year old wouldn't be terrified right now? Maybe one far braver than me.

"Everything's going to be OK, I promise."

Everything's going to be OK" 

More words that had lost all meaning to me. Especially here, and now. How many times can you tell someone that everything's going to be OK before you start to doubt it yourself?

"I know." Was all I said.

I spent the rest of the trip talking to Katniss about anything and everything. What the games were like. The kind of people who got picked. About Katniss's hunting skills. Mom stayed quiet. It was clear that she had so much else on her mind. Normally I would have hugged her, and try to make her feel better, but I knew better than to interfere with her when she was thinking.

Eventually, we saw crowds of people in the distance. Bystanders, I thought to myself. Here to watch the reaping. As we got closer, we saw two small, enclosed spaces. One for girls, and one for boys. This detail alone gave me some comfort. This was different to my dream. In my dream, the boys and girls had all been crowded together. This wasn't a dream anymore. It was real

Mom split away to join the other parents, whilst me and Katniss joined a line of kids waiting to go in. As I peered round, I saw that their fingers were being pricked, and samples of their blood recorded on paper. This filled me with an unexpected sense of dread. As it got closer to my turn, Katniss turned around to comfort me.

"Don't worry, Prim. It'll only hurt a little, OK?"

I nodded, the dread rushing through my body. I wanted to run away, back to our house, through the woods and out of Panem altogether, but I knew I couldn't let mom get into trouble with the Capitol. Katniss had told me all she could about them. How they were a lot richer than us, and how they organized the games every single year.

"Next."

I looked up to find a stern looking woman staring at me. I looked at her blankly, too terrified to do anything. As I moved closer, she took hold of my arm, and pricked a needle-like thing into my finger. It was painful, but I tried to keep my face as expressionless as I could. The woman turned my finger over, placing it down on a piece of paper, leaving a small blood stain inside a box with my name printed above it in small letters. I moved towards Katniss. She would tell me where to go next.

"You go stand at the front with the other little kids, OK. I'll be right here, behind you."

I nodded, and pushed my way through the group of girls to try and reach the front. Eventually, I began to see a few faces I recognized from around our neighbourhood. I decided that here would be a good place to stop. Everywhere I turned there were voices. Bystanders looking on expectantly, parents nervously waiting, and kids talking to each other. I turned around and managed to spot Katniss within the sea of faces. She smiled at me, and I tried my best to return the gesture.

I looked up to the stage, in the centre of which was a microphone and two small glass bowls with little pieces of paper in them. These must be the names. I had a sudden flashback to my nightmare, sending even more terror through my shaking body. I looked to the three chairs placed on one side of the stage to try and take my mind ff things. One of them was empty. I couldn't even begin to guess who it was for. Maybe a previous victor? Someone from the Capitol? My attention was drawn to the pale woman seated in one of the chairs. I couldn't quite see her properly from where I stood, but what I could tell was that she was wearing the most alarming shade of pink, a colour rarely worn around here.

The talking began to quieten down, and once it had completely stopped, the woman in pink stood up and walked to the microphone. Now she was closer, I realized this must be Effie Trinket. I'd heard mom and Katiss talking about her, but I'd never heard any real details. I took this opportunity to get a closer look at her. She wore a hefty amount of pale, white make-up, making her seem almost ghost-like. Her dress was even more alarming closer up. The contrast between it, and her make up made her seem even paler. She wore a flower, in her almost white hair, that matched her dress. It was clear she had spent several hours in makeup, trying to find a shade of eye shadow that perfectly matched her dress. She seemed different to how mom had described her. Katniss had always regarded Effie Trinket as 'another person who thought killing people for sport is fun', but she seemed different somehow. Behind all that makeup, she had kind, but sad eyes. Maybe there was something more to her that fowery dresses and shocking pink flowers.

Effie cleared her throat, as if she was beginning a long speech.

"Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour!"

She talked a bit about the history of the Hunger Games, but I'd stopped listening. The sheer terror running through my body made it impossible to concentrate even through the short film about the games couldn't take my mind off what was happening. I hated where I was. I hated everything about it. I just wanted to be at home, with Katniss, and mom, and dad....

The film finished, and Effie began to move over to the glass bowls.

"Ladies first!" Effie smiled.

She reached her hand into the bowl, and moved it around, circling the hundreds of names of people whose lives could be destroyed with one word. Eventually, she reached in and brought out a name. She opened the piece of paper and examined the name. At that moment, it was as if the whole croud took a collective deep breath in, me included. Effie cleared her throat, and read out the name.

"Primrose Everdeen."

And at that moment, my heart stopped.