Peeta's Story- The Hunger Games

Chapter 2

She walks up bravely to where the Capitol lady is, but I can see her quivering, her jaw tight and fists clenched as she looks upon the blonde girl. Without noticing it, I find myself pushing through the crowd, trying to reach her. I am close enough to hear her whisper to the blonde girl, who was now crying and clinging to Katniss. 

"Prim, it's okay," she whispers out of the corner of her mouth, her steely expression never changing. 

I slap myself mentally. Prim was Katniss's sister. I had totally forgotten. And of course, Katniss would volunteer to take Prim's place in the Games. She was just so protective of her family it was probably instinct for her to do that.  

I watch as she stands stoically, never betraying any sense of fear. She looks so fierce today, her eyebrows knit together as she surveys the crowd with an intense glare. I barely register the Capitol lady's tinkling voice as she began speaking again. What would Katniss's family do without her? She was the one that kept everything together, feeding them and keeping them clothed. Without her, everything would fall apart. Not to mention that she is the girl I love. 

Through all my years, so many memories of her stick out. I remember in particular one day, when we were sitting in history class, and she was gazing out the window, smiling inwardly to herself. We were both 10 at the time, but she seemed wiser than all of our grade, with her strong personality and willingness to speak out. Suddenly, she frowned, and without a word to even our teacher, she jumped out of her seat and ran out the door. Our whole class curiously watched through the window as she ran to her little sister, who had apparently hurt herself while playing with her friends. Katniss knelt by her, hugging the poor little girl until she stopped crying. She then kissed her sister on the cheek and marched back to class, seemingly unaware that she was in big trouble. It was acts like this that show her true love for her family, that she would give up her life for them in a heartbeat. 

I am pulled from my reverie when someone calls my name. Looking around, I realize that all eyes are averted from me. Then I hear my name again, in a perky voice that makes me freeze in fear. 

"Peeta Mellark!" 

I have just been drawn as a tribute in the Hunger Games.

My feet seem to move independently of my brain, which is frozen in fear. I stumble up to where Katniss stands. I still can't seem to comprehend what is happening. As I gaze over the crowd, everyone seems to blend into one person, mocking me for my bad luck.  

The Capitol lady begins to speak again, and I feel more annoyed than usual when I hear her happy voice. "Shut up." I whisper, but of course, no one hears me. 

I feel eyes boring into the back of my head, and I look up to see Katniss staring at me. She gives me a sad smile that barely reaches her gray eyes and then turns away. She sighs, and I wonder what she is thinking about. 

With shock, I realize the truth of this situation. There could only be one champion, which meant that I would have to kill her, or she would have to kill me. My decision was instantaneous; I would let her kill me. I vow to myself that I would protect her and keep her safe. I promise myself that I she would come out of the Games alive. 

As the reaping draws to an end, the crowd begins to mill around restlessly. The lady from the Capitol, who introduces herself as Effie, signals for me to shake's Katniss's hand. We swiftly exchange a quick handshake and she looks away awkwardly. I wonder if she felt the spark that I felt when our hands touched. I doubt it, though. Rumor has it that she's dating her friend Gale. 

At the thought of his name, I can't help but feel jealous. He has it all- good looks, brains, and skill. Meanwhile, what am I? Just another pampered brat. I wish I could be as talented as him to go hunting with Katniss everyday.  

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Katniss waving sadly at someone. I turn around to see who she's looking at. Gale.

We are escorted into the Justice Building after the reaping. It is finely decorated and I can't help wondering why the Justice Building can afford such luxurious decorations. However, despite the lavishness, I feel constricted and the great hall seems to reek of the smell of mildew. 

I follow a Peacekeeper into a giant room, with an ornate wood table and an overstuffed couch. I can't help but feel resentful towards the Capitol as I look at these luxuries we were never allowed to have. I sit in silence and glare at the guard pointedly until he leaves, standing outside the door. 

I hear shuffling down the hallway and muted voices, then my parents step into the room. I can hardly believe what I am seeing- my mother, my uptight, emotionless mother, is weeping. She runs over to me and sobs on my shoulder. "Oh Peeta! Oh Peeta!" 

I can't help but feel a little awkward and unintentionally push her away, which makes her cry even harder. "I can't believe I was so mean to you this morning! I'm so sorry." She's acting like I've been sentenced to death, which I essentially have. 

My father steps forward, and I can't help but notice a change in his demeanor. He is usually so cheerful and happy, almost bouncy, but now he seems to have lost his energy. His forehead is crinkled with worry and his shoulders are sagging, as if someone has put heavy weights on him. I embrace him, and I can feel him shaking, trying to control his dry tears. 

Feeling guilty, I walk back over to my mom, who is drying her tears on the tapestry. I make a mental note not to let the government know that she is defiling their property. She sweeps me up in a hug, and still sniffling, she pulls a long chain out of her pocket. "For you," she says. 

It is a heavy gold locket suspended on a chain. I have seen it before, once or twice. It is a treasured family heirloom and when I take it, it just doesn't feel right. 

I hand it back to Mother. "I can't do this," I say, which makes her cry even more. Finally, I give in to her protests, and put it on, which seems to calm her down a little. 

The guard comes in and leads my hysterical mom out, while my dad follows, giving me one last long, searching look that makes me feel empty inside. 

A trickle of visitors come in to see me- Braedan and some of my other friends as well as one of my teachers. They all wear the same mask of grief and I silently wonder how Braedan will deal with this. Within two years, he'll have lost his sister and his best friend. 

Time seems to pass too slowly as the visitors come in to apologize for my bad luck, but the last thing I need is their sympathy right now. I just want to be alone, but they don't understand that their pity just makes me feel worse. 

Finally, the guard shoos the remaining people out and says that it's time to go. I stand up and follow him numbly outside to the trains tracks. I seem to have left my heart behind in the Justice Building as I ascend the steps to the train. I take one last sweeping look of District 12, and then the train starts, whisking my life away from me.

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okay okay I know this isn't in complete accordance with the book, but I don't have the book right now (I lent it out to my friend) so I had to rely on my oh so faulty memory and blah blah imagination. also, you might have noticed i made some stuff up. as i said, I used my blah blah imagination...oops!

Edited by Lizzy