I crept into bed and heard the faint rustling of Peeta stirring in his sleeplike state. He can never sleep the night before the Reaping because of his games. He would hate for me to get Reaped and he knows we can't volunteer for each other.
I live with Peeta and Peeta only. Just Effie and Peeta, I thought. I'm twelve with one little slip of paper in the girl's ball. Even though our parents are dead, I still think they are crazy for naming me Effie. Even worse my full name is Effie Trinket Mellark. My mom loved Effie, don't know how, but she did. Some say my mom was from the Capitol and some say she was completely insane. No one in all of District 12 knows much about her, including me. Whenever I try and ask Peeta he just goes completely silent and walks away. The only person in district twelve who knows about her won't tell.
Aparrently I fell asleep because I woke up to the blazing sun in my eyes.
I grabbed my Reaping dress and threw it on, chasing after Peeta. He didn't talk the whole way to the square. "Please don't go." I said sobbing uncontrollably. He squeezed my hand and Wiped away my tears with the other hand. "No you won't get reapped don't worry," he says. That made me feel a bit better. He got escorted by the peacekeepers, got his finger pricked and right when he left my sight line I screamed at the top of my lungs. "PEETA! NO!" And before thinking I elbowed the peacekeepers in the stomach and ran towards him. I held him as tight as I could. Astonished at what I had done he looked down at me and tried
To shake me off, but I wasn't going to let him. Knowing that I was going to get some sort of beating by the peacekeepers and maybe even never seeing Peeta again, I longed for his comforting voice telling me that I would never get reaped and how we always shared the best bread we could salvage.
The thoughts filled my head as I clung to Peeta. But the Peacekeepers still threw me off him and hit me in the side multiple times. Pain ripped through my skin, but I weakly scrambled to my feet as the peacekeepers escorted me to the line of twelve year olds. The first Effie Trinket was happily walking on stage, "Ladys first as usual." she said and headed over to the girls ball.
She reaches in fishes around and pulls out a slip, stressed I tried to look for Peeta in the large crowds but the people blocked my view.
Effie walked in front of the microphone and she gushed " Effie Mellark!" My stomach lurched. I have been Reaped. Peeta lied. I am hesitant to get up on stage. Now I know how Peeta felt, these are my games. I slowly walked up on stage. And shook hands with the trembling 15 year old male tribute crying for his family as the peacekeepers dragged him away. Like me crying for Peeta the only one left I can love.
