I lie on my bed, with my older brother, Horsha sitting at the foot. He silently cries to himself, as our father was just hung. He was caught stealing bread from the Mayors house. And a guard caught him.
Thoughts drift through my head. The reaping is coming up. It's this afternoon, actually. It is my fifth year of being picked. I am 16. My brother is 18. It is his last year of being picked. Last year of dreading being picked for the Hunger Games.
We do not speak. My brother has been trained for the Hunger Games but I chose not to be trained, hoping I was never going to be picked.
I dress silently. I wear a pink dress about knee length, with a cream cardigan and cream pumps. My brother clumsily throws on a pair of beige trousers, a white shirt and a matching beige tie.
We hold hands and start making our way to the reaping. As we enter the square, my friend Primrose meets me. She links arms with me. Primrose is very pretty. She has long black hair and deep green eyes. She has been trained and a healer. She would be a clear winner of the Hunger Games. Everyone has to attend the reaping unless they are at deaths door.
Officials come around to check that they are ill, and if not, they are imprisioned.
This is how my mother died. She was so ill that she couldn't walk. She was at deaths door. But the officials thought she was not at deaths door and took her captive. She was imprisioned. She died a few days after, as her illness had not been treatened.
We all file in and sign in, and the 12 to 18 year olds are herded into a roped area. The oldest stand at the front and the youngest stand near the back. Primrose and I stand near the back.
Parents and family members stand around, waiting, waiting for the names to be read out.
Campbella Micky trots onto the stage, our escort form the Capitol. She has dyed her skin a pale purple and her hair is perfectly permed with the colour of deep blue. She taps her manicured her nails on the microphone stand.
"Huh, hmm" she coughs loudly into the microphone. Everyone turns their faces to the stage. She adjusts the microphones noise and it makes that loud, high pitched noise. Her voice is high and annoying. "Welcome to the 132nd Hunger Game!" I blankout and stare at the 2 balls with the boys names in one and the girls names in the other. My name is in there somewhere. That thought makes me queasy. My brothers name is in there multiple times. The mentor marches onto the stage, Carla Suppa.
She is the most beautiful woman in the world. She has blonde ringlets and deep blue eyes. Her skin is like satin and is so perfect it is almost translucent. She won 5 years ago. She is the finest archer and had so many male sponsors, which kept her alive. She teamed up with the Careers (the people who are trained) until it was only them left. Then in their sleep, she killed every last one of them.
Primrose clenches my hand and grits her teeth. Campbella, or Bella, as she is more publicly known, starts talking again.
"Which ball shall we start with, boys or girls?"
The audience screams, and Bella choses the boys ball. She reaches down deep and pulls out a slip. She coughs again.
"Horsha Smithens" I gasp. His last year and he gets picked. Horsha looks shocked as he turns to me. The crowd murmurs. My throat entirely closes up. "Any voluteers" Bella squeals. No body voluteers. I would voluteer, but I'm a girl and cannot. Horsha walks up to the stage.
"Girls now!" Bella wanders over to the girls ball. I start to feel sick. She takes a slip.
"Huh, hmm!" she coughs annoyingly, "Primrose Parkhum!" Primroses' grip on my hand tightens. Everyone starts murmuring. Primroses face turns a ghostly white. But then I know what I need to do. To be in the arena with my brother. I gulp. "I volunteer!" I scream, Primrose hits me in the stomach. I pull my hand out of her grip and shout again, "I volunteer."
"Oh GOODIE!" Bella squeals, "come on up here!" I make my way through the crowd getting filthy looks from a few people. I glance back at Primrose, who's mouth is in a little 'o' shape. And that's when I realise she's crying. Tears for me. I give her a reassuring smile. If my brother survives, he can tell her how much she's been to me. I step onto the stage. "What's your name?" Bella asks,
"Um, Newsalie Smithens." The crowd laughs. No ones ever liked my name.
"Ah, so you and your brother are going into the arena together, how sweet!" I nod, and she continues, "Well then give it up for Newsalie!" Carla Suppa struts over to me, "you've got alot of courage comin' up here, girl." She hugs me.
The Mayor starts his Treaty of Treason, then motions for me and Horsha to shake hands. Horsha gives me a look full of anger, love and fear as he squeezes my hand.
The Anthem of Panem begins and I face the laughing audience.
I might not survive... but there's a pretty good chance my brother might.
