The Girl On Fire | Hunger Games | Peeta (1)

Chapter 3

Alessia's stomach fully dropped. She felt numb and was no longer full there. Every single person talking was completely tuned out. Her mind went to every worst possible scenario, if Prim went into the games.
She finally came back to reality and heard Katniss run forward, "Prim! Prim!" Katniss' voice cracked as she screams for her younger sister.
Prim is about to step onto that stage, but Katniss reaches the stage steps and pulls Prim back and stands in front of Prim.
Alessia starts walking forward quickly through the crowd. Just as Katniss is about to volunteer, Alessia steps in front of Katniss and yells, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"
"Alessia no! You can't." Katniss looks at Alessia and tears start to form in Katniss' eyes.
"Yes Catnip, I have to..." Alessia looks at her for a moment but Katniss pulls her back to prevent Alessia from walking onto the stage.

"This is lovely! But I believe there's a small matter of introducing that the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers, and if one does not come fourth we... um..." Effie starts saying.
Then the mayor interrupts her, "What does it matter? What does it matter, really? Let her come forward."
Alessia starts walking up the stairs towards the stage.
"No! Ali! No!" Prim screams. Prim wraps her arms around Alessia from behind. "You can't go!" Prim starts crying. "Prim. Let go, please," Alessia slowly grabs Prim's arms and takes them off of her. Gale then takes Prim and Katniss from Alessia. Prim thrashes in Katniss and Gale's arms. The two of them bring Prim to her mother. Alessia slowly takes a step on the stairs and goes onto the stage.

"Well bravo! That's the spirit of the games! What's your name?" Effie claps for Alessia.
"Alessia Farehert." Alessia states into the microphone.
"I bet my buttons that was your sister. Wasn't it?" Effie asks while looking over at Alessia cheerfully.
"No, they are my best friends, but their like family..." Alessia says coldly, she feels numb because she had no idea that this just happened. She couldn't believe she just did that. She already accepts her fate for death.
"Oh well, that was very strong of you! Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!" Effie cheerfully claps but no one joins in.
Haymitch staggers up the stage yet again.
"Look at her! Look at this one!" He slurs his words.
Haymitch walks over to Alessia, burps, and puts his arm around her.
"I like her! Lots of... spunk!" He staggers to the end of the stage and points to the crowd. "More than you!" He then points to the camera that's filming the reaping. "More than all of you! More than-"
Haymitch falls off the stage mid sentence, he becomes unconscious.
"What an exciting day! But more excitement to come! It's time to choose our boy tribute!" Effie walks over to the boys' glass bowl and takes a slip of paper from the raffle while trying to hide the fact that she's fixing her wig. She reads aloud hastily, "Peeta Mellark!"
Alessia recognizes the name but can't remember how she knows the name.
Effie than immediately goes to fixing her wig, and this time it finally works. Peeta hesitantly walks up the stage and stands next to Alessia. She looks over at him and he looks absolutely terrified.
"Welcome Peeta! Now if anyone wishes to take his place, do speak up! Any volunteers? No? Okay, how about a round of applause for our new district 12 boy tribute, Peeta Mellark!"
No one cheers but Effie. She awkwardly says, "Very well done my friends. Now..."

As Alessia looks over at Peeta, she has a flash back.

A/N: Whenever the words are diagonal means it's a flashback or someone's singing, like this, "heyyyy lol"

It's pouring rain and even thunder can be heard in the distance. Alessia looks younger, around the age 13-15 years old. She stumbles by the one and only bakery in district 12. She shields her eyes to see through the heavy pouring rain and goes to a small trash bin next to the bakery.
She checks it for any left over food that could possibly in there.
Then a lady stuck her head out the door of the bakery and yelled, "HEY! Get a move on, scum! Lousy brats always pawing through our trash... go on, walk away!" It was the baker's wife.
Alessia slides the lid back onto the trash bin. The baker's wife walks back inside muttering profanities to herself.
Alessia drags herself away from the bakery. She crumples down under a tree to get some cover from the rain.