The 77th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter One

"Ladies first" she smiles. It was a wicked smile. I don't know what I don't like about her. maybe its the fact that her hair is five different colours or the fact that her eyelashes are as long as my hand or her shrill voice but i have never liked her. The District 12 escort Diamond Bloodworth. she walked-no glided in her six inch platforms. She reaches into the reaping ball and pulled out a name. Her face clouds over, then two seconds later shes back to her overly peppy self. she cleared her throat making the microphone squeal, and my ears ring. my heart is beating a mile a minute.

"Cassandra Blackwell" she almost sings. My heart skipped a beat. All I could hear was the blood rushing through my ears. I walk up to the stage. No hint of emotion. Placid. I look out to the crowd and everyone is gone. There's no one left. I look to where Diamond was just standing. No one.

"What?" I whisper to myself. Then the peacekeepers come in marching in their perfect lines. I turn to run but I'm not moving I'm frozen. They come faster. One pulls out a gun. I look at the peacekeepers face. and I recognize it. It's none other than, my brother. My 8 year old brother. I hear the fire, and fly backwards.

I open my eyes and realize that it was all a dream. That I'm okay. Until two this afternoon. When the bells go off in the square. That could mean life or death for anyone in my District. All for the Capitols pleasure. I look at my bedroom. Sure its not big, or fancy as the ones in the capitol, but its home to me. the wooden walls, the orange of the sunrise coming through my window. I notice a note beside my bed, CASSANDRA written in shaky hand writing and all capitols. I laugh a little, and opened it. Come downstairs I made you a special breakfast, love Avery. I fold the note and put in my pocket. Not wanting to lose it and walk downstairs. What I see when I get down there surprises me. A roaring fire, mint tea, even some eggs from a water bird's nest that I collected yesterday. My mom and Avery are standing waiting for me. My mom and I don't get along that great, but Ave is the best part of my life. I sit down and start eating.

"Are you nervous?" my mom asks.

"Nope." I say shoving a forkful of eggs in my mouth. This is the first normal sized meal I've had in a month, as much I don't want to take the food she gives me I can't help myself. I look up at Ave, he's pale and shaking, "Come here." I say with my arms out. He walks over to me and I pull him into my lap.

"I'm scared." He say's with his head in my chest.

"I promise everything will be okay." I tell him. It takes everything in me to keep my voice steady. He nods his head, his big blue eyes staring up at me.

"But what if you're called up?" He asks looking at me with tear filled eyes.

"Mom has a job now, and you can sell Smokey and Bessie's milk and cream. You know how to make bread out of the grain we get from the monthly gift the Capitol sends us." I look at him again. "Everything will be okay." I smile, "and that's only if I get picked." I laugh. I hurriedly finish my breakfast and get ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" Ave ask's as I lace up my boots.

"I'll be back soon." I say. I walk towards the square. I pass the bakery, those lovely cakes, Peeta is an amazing artist. I smile to myself this is what home is. I walk down the bridge, to the medow. I look at the grass under my boots, thinking of how many people are under there. Who died because of the Capitol. I start walking again and stop, by Prim's gravestone, I gaze at it's smooth perfect texture, The sun shining off it's perfectly rounded corners. Perfectly mixed black and red stone, with the name Primrose Everdeen engraved in the front. It looks so out of place in the meadow. So unnatural. I keep walking, past the fence, and into the forest. I climb into a tree and grab my bow and arrows. I've been practicing I want to be able to shoot just like Katniss. I've seen her shoot. We've run into each other from time to time in the forest. She always get's them in the eye. She never misses. I've never seen her with her daughter or her son. I think there always with Peeta, I've seen her daughter drawing in the meadow. Shes almost as good as him. I sit and wait for game to walk by. After about an hour I start to get anxious. Why isn't there any game? There's usually lots. I get down from the tree, and walk around a bit, shaking out all he jitters. I hear some sticks cracking from my left. I crouch down and silently walk towards the noise. I see two rabbits munching on some grass. I quietly take out two of my arrows. I wait for the rabbit's to get farther apart. I load one of the arrows aiming carefully. Breathe in, aim, exhale, let go. I let the arrow fly and it hit's the rabbit in the neck. I do the same for the other rabbit but this time hitting it in the chest. After my first catches more and more game seems to pop out. By the time I leave the forest I have five rabbits, five fish, three water birds, and two dozen eggs. All the time waiting for game, I had time to think... what if I do get picked? What will happen to my family. They cant live off of bread and a couple scraps once a month. Avery's too young to hunt. I sake my head I won't get chosen. I can't. Walk back to town. I look up at the large clock on the Mayor's mansion. I have just enough time to get ready before the reaping.