Seventy four years ago....there was a rebellion in a shining nation called Panem. The thirteen Districts tried to overthrow its Capitol. The Districts lost. And District 13 was blown off the map. That was known as The Dark Days. The Treaty of Treason was signed. It was an agreement that the nation would live in peace. But, a reminder was put in place for causing the rebellion. It is called The Hunger Games. Two tributes, one girl and one boy, were to be sacrificed in a fight to the death. Each District not only supplies tributes to the Capitol, but life. District 1 is luxury, District 2 is masonry, District 3 is electronics, District 4 is fishing, District 5 is power, District 6 is transportation, District 7 is lumber, District 8 is textiles, District 9 is grain, District 10 is livestock, District 11 is agriculture and District 12 is coal mining.  All things that the Capitol needs and can't survive without. The most desirable Districts are 1 through 4. They don't have to worry about hunger or having a good home to live in. The rest of the Districts are outliers. They have to worry about food and protection. They have to fend for themselves.

 I live in District 12. I have to fend for myself. Until I was put into the Games. 

Katniss's P.O.V

I wake up to the sound of my litter sister's screams. I look around our room. I see no one. I go to her. I hold her close. 

"Shhh....shhh...Prim, it's okay." I say in a soothing tone. "It was just a dream. Only a dream."

She holds onto me for dear life. 

"They chose me!" She cries. 

"They won't, Prim. I promise. It's your first year." I say.

She lets me go. "But what if it is me?" She asks. 

"You won't get picked. You only have one slip of paper in there. I promise....it won't be you." I say.

I kiss her forehead. She lays back down. 

"Will you sing?" She asks. 

I nod and smile softly. 

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow, a bed of grass. A soft green pillow. Lay down your head and close your eyes. And when they open the sun will rise. Here it's safe. Here it's warm. Here the daisies guard you from every harm. Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true. Here is the place......where I love you." I sing.

"Try  to sleep now, Prim. I have to go." I say. 

"Go where?" She asks. 

"To get dinner. I'll be back." I say.

Suddenly her awful cat jumps on the bed. 

"Now you have him. Try to get some more sleep." I say. 

I ruffle Buttercup's fur. He hisses at me. I leave out room. I go downstairs. I take my father's old hunting jacket off of the hook. I put it on and my boots then leave my house. My family lived in the Seam. It's to older part of District 12. I've lived there my whole sixteen years of life. My family wasn't the same after my father died. He was killed in a mining accident. There was nothing to burry of him. After that.....there was a lot of suffering. My mother left us. Not physically, but mentally. She wasn't there. She was locked within herself because of pain. I was eleven. I had to take care of all of us. But when I turned twelve, things got a little bit better. I was old enough to be reaped. The more I put my name in, the better it was for food. Even though there was the chance of being picked to go into the Games. I hunted. Like I did with my father. And I befriended my now best friend, Gale Hawthorne. He helped me hunt and I helped him. 

I see him in our usual spot in the woods. I sit down next to him. 

"Hey Catnip." He says. 

"Hey Gale." I say. 

I take in the morning sun and scenery.

"I got us something." He says, which brings me back to him. 

He pulls out a loaf of bread. He tears it in half and gives me one. 

"Thank you." I say. It's still warm. I savor each bite.

"Happy Hunger Games." He says. 

"And may the odds be ever in your favor." I say in the voice of Effie Trinket. "How much did it cost?" 

"Just a squirrel." He says.

I nod simply. We stay quite for a moment. 

"We could do it you know." He says. 

"Do what?" I ask. 

"Run away in the woods." He says. 

I don't really know what to say. I've never thought of leaving. 

"We have our families." I say.

"They can come too." He says. 

I laugh a little. "Can you imagine Prim in the woods?" I ask.

He laughs too. "I guess we couldn't, now could we?" He says.

"I'm never having kids." I say.

Gale stays quiet.

'I never want a child of mine to grow up to be reaped.' I think.

"Should we go?" He asks.

"Yeah." I say. 

We hunt until 11:00. I get three squirrels and a rabbit. Gale gets two rabbits and four squirrels. We go to the Hob and trade some of our game. I find some ribbons for Prim. I look for something else for her. I see a pin in a container of buttons. I look at it. 

"That's a mockingjay." One of the traders says.

"How much?" I ask.

"Keep it. As a good luck charm for the Games." She says.

"Thank you." I say. 

I slip it in my pocket. Gale and I leave the Hob. I start to head to my house. 

"See you later." Gale says.

"See you later." I say. 

I go in my house. I find Prim and my mother ready. 

"Oh Prim, you look beautiful." I say and go to her. "Better tuck in your tail though, Little Duck."

 I smooth out her blouse. She smiles. 

"I have something for you to wear too, Katniss." My mother says. 

I go to the bathroom.  A bath is drawn for me. I scrub away the morning's filth. When I'm out and dry, I find a dress for me on my bed. It's light blue and flares out. There are black shoes layed next to the it. I dress and then join my family again. 

"Let's do your hair." My mother says. 

I sit down and she brushes my hair. She braids it onto my head. 

"You look so beautiful." Prim says quietly. 

"So do you, Little Duck." I say to her. I go and sit down next to her. 

"Want to see what I got for you?" I ask. 

She nods. I get the ribbons from my jacket pocket. I tie them to the ends of her braids. 

"I got you something else too." I say.

"What is it?" She asks. 

I get the pin. "It's a mockingjay. It'll protect you." I say. 

I pin it on her. I hug her. 

"Nothing bad will happen. I promise." I say to her.

~The Reaping~

Prim and I walk into the Square. Our mother goes to where the adults stand. Prim and I sign in. I pull her aside after we are done. 

"I'll find you later, okay?" I say, 

She nods. She hugs me tightly. 

"You're going to be okay." I say. 

She lets me go. I smile. She smiles a little. 

"Go with your group. I love you." I say.

"I love you too." She says. 

She goes to where the twelve year old girls stand. I join all the other sixteen year old girls. The clock on the Justice Building strikes 2 o'clock. The mayor of District 12 comes onstage. The other officials of 12 follow. Effie Trinket comes onstage and goes to the podium.

"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!" She says sounding as bubbly and bright a like she does each year. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"

She goes on and on about how much she's honored to be here and how excited she is about this years Hunger Games. I look over and find Gale on the boys side. I roll my eyes. He smiles. So do I.

"Now, the time has come," She says finally, "To select on courageous young man and woman for the honor of representing District 12 in the Seventy Fourth annual Hunger Games. As usual...ladies first." 

She goes over to the glass bowl that is filled with all the girls names in District 12. She digs around the bowl then pulls out a slip. She comes back to the podium. Every girl takes a deep breath. Hoping it isn't them. 

It's none of them. 

"Primrose Everdeen." Effie announces. 

I forget how to breathe. 

'How in the world was she picked?' I think. 

I see her walking up to the stage. I make my way through the crowd to her. 

"Prim!" I call. 

I go to her. I protectivly put her behind me. 

"I volunteer as tribute!" I say. 

The mayor and the officals are shocked. Along with everyone in District 12. There is some comotion onstage. 

"Katniss no! You can't go!" Prim says in hystarics. 

"Prim it's okay. Go." I say. 

"Come forward my dear." Effie says. 

"Prim, let go." I say. 

"Please Katniss! Don't go!" She cries. 

Gale comes out of the crowd. He takes Prim away. I go up to the stage. I stand next to Effie. 

"What's your name dear?" She asks.

"Katniss Everdeen." I say. 

"Then that must've been your sister." She says. 

I nod.

"Let's give a big round of applause for our very first volunteer, Katniss Everdeen!" Effie exclaims. 

She is the only one clapping. All the crowd gives me is silence. But all of the sudden, one by one, people touch their first three fingers to their lips. They raise them up to me. They salute me. This salute means goodbye......to someone you love. I know that no one would've volunteered form my sister. I had no choice. 

'I'm glad I did. I saved her.' I think. 'Even if I've doomed myself.'

"And now for the boys." Effie says.

She goes and picks a slip from the boys bowl. She comes back to the podium.

"Peeta Mellark." She announces. 

I feel a lot of emotions in me as I see him come up to the stage. 

'Why him?' I think.

Peeta and I are not friends. Not acquaintances, not even neighbors. We don't talk to each other. Or acknowledge that we both live in District 12. He comes on the other side of Effie. 

"Here we are. The tributes for District 12." Effie announces. "Go on you two." 

She steps back. I look at him. He looks at me. The memories of how we met play in my mind. I shake his hand. 

"Happy Hunger Games. And may the odds be ever in your favor." Effie announces