star crossed lovers ➸ cato hadley

i. reaping

        Natalie stared at her knifes that laid on the dull colored grass, ignoring the sounds of Katniss and Gale talking quietly to each other. She turns her head away from the knifes and picked at the grass. But she couldn't ignore the fact that it was the reaping today. She couldn't ignore the feeling in her stomach that something bad was going to happen. She didn't tell anyone about it though, she didn't want to seem crazy.

She pulled her brown jacket around herself tighter and ate a piece of bread quietly, in attempt to get rid of the feeling in her stomach, but nothing seemed to work. Just like everyone else, she was scared that she was going to get reaped but she was even more scared that her younger brothers was going to get reaped.

Hours had passed and she stared at herself in the mirror. She ran her hands through her hair and smoothed out her outfit. It was a simple pale blue dress that came to her mid thigh. It was also the nicest thing that she owned. She brought her hand to her necklace that she got from her twin brother.

She put her brown jacket on and moves her hair to side before grabbing her bracelet she got from Finnick Odair. She took a deep breath before walking out of the room, not knowing if it was going to be her last time.

She walked to the kitchen, where she saw her mother kissing each of her younger siblings on the head and wishing them good luck. She glanced over at Peeta, who looked sickly pale. She walked over to him and kneeled down in front of him before taking his hands and squeezed them lightly.

"You okay?" She whispered quietly to him. But she already knew the answer before he even said anything. He was scared and he didn't try to hide it. She could feel him shaking. "Always and forever, remember?" That was the thing she said before the alarm went off and they both knew that it was time to go.

She sighs before getting up and pulled Peeta up as well. She kissed her youngest brother's head as he was too young to get reaped and too young to understand what the hunger games was then she walked out of the door and into the square.

As soon as she got there, she got her finger pricked and made her way to the line. She glanced over at Katniss who was standing next to her. She took her hand and squeezed it gently.

Once Effie walked into the stage, everyone went silent and stood completely still. Natalie bit her lip, trying not laugh at what Effie was wearing. She coughed quietly and stood a little straighter. She glanced over at Peeta and gave him a small smile when he looked at her. She looked away and looks back at Effie who was giving a speech that nobody cared about.

"Now the time has to come to select one man and woman for the honour of representing district twelve in the seventh-four annual hunger games" She smiled widely.

"As usual, ladies first" She said before walking over to the bowl. She stuck her hand in and moved it around for picking up a piece of paper. She walked back to the centre of the stage and opened the paper.

"Primrose Everdeen!" She said loudly. Katniss tighten her grip on Natalie's hand as she watched her sister walk out. Natalie swallowed before doing something she knew she was going to regret. She let go of Katniss's hand and walked out to the middle.

"I volunteer as tribute!" She shouted, making sure she was clear. Everyone went quiet and still once again. Gale walked out to the middle to pick up Primrose up as she kept screaming. The peacekeepers came up behind Natalie and walked her to the stage.

Effie said something that Natalie couldn't hear. She could only hear the sound of her heartbeat and trying to focus on not falling make a myself look like a fool.

She stood next to Effie and looked out at everyone with a emotionless look on her face. "And what's your name dear?" Effie said, practically shoving the microphone in her face. "Natalie Mellark" 

She nodded and smiled again before speaking again. Natalie ignored her and everything around her. All she could think apart was the games and how she was going to die. She knew she wasn't going to make it. She knew she was going to die. But she was going to at least try.

She stood there for what felt like hours until Effie opened the piece of paper and said that name she didn't want to hear.

"Peeta Mellark!"

Natalie froze in her spot and went pale as she watched Peeta do the same. Seconds later, he was on the stage standing next to Effie.

Peeta looked over at Natalie and that's when they realise that only one can live. They were both going to lose their twin.