May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor

Chapter 1

Prim's POV

"Prim, tuck in your tail," Katniss said weakly from her bed. I did as she said and twirled around in the mirror. Katniss smiled fondly. "Beautiful, my little duck. Get over here."

I cautiously sat on the edge of the bed and Katniss kissed my forehead. "You'll be alright. You'll be fine." She reached up her thumb and wiped away a tear from my cheek.

"What if you get picked?" I asked quietly.

Katniss hesitated. "Gale will look after you and mother."

I blinked away another tear and tried to act brave like my older sister. "But if you get picked... in this sickly state... you won't make it."

Katniss clucked her tongue. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, my little duck. Besides, if I do get picked, I will have time to get better before the Games."

I breathed a shaky breath and kissed Katniss's cheek. "Feel better."

She smiled at me. "Now, don't be late. Mother is probably waiting for you."

I nodded and left the room, my heart beating faster than ever before. It was my first time being in the reaping. Katniss had put her name in many, many times so we could have more food. I just hoped she wouldn't be picked...

Last time something had happened to our family, Mother shut down. That was when Father died. She just shut down and stayed in her bed. Katniss hunted for food and took care of me. She and Mother don't have the best relationship right now. Katniss is still annoyed with her for shutting down.

If Katniss got picked, Mother would shut down again. This time, Katniss wouldn't be here to take care of us. Gale did have a promise, though, with Katniss.

I often wondered if Gale and Katniss would ever marry. Have kids. Gale wanted it--I could tell by the way he looked at her. He would do anything for her. If he was allowed to volunteer for another gender, he would go instead of Katniss. But he couldn't. And if Katniss got picked, nobody would volunteer.

Mother was waiting for me by the door. She smiled at me. "Are you ready?"

I mustered my biggest smile and swung open the door. The bright sun warmed my face and the day didn't seem too bad. That was until I remembered what day it was.

Mother held my hand on the way to the reaping. She held it so tightly, like I was a balloon. Like I could float away at any minute. Her face was pale, and she kept her head up high. When I had to leave her and go with the kids, she knelt down beside me. "Prim, I love you. Your name is only in there once. Do you know how many other names are in there?"

A tear escaped my eye, and she tugged my hand. "Prim, look at me. Do you know how many other names are in there?"

"But Katniss's name is in there so many times," I whispered, my voice quivering. "What if she gets picked?"

Mother wiped a tear from my cheek just like Katniss had. "Katniss is a strong woman. Come on now. Let's go."

She stood up and we went our separate ways. They pricked my thumb and pressed my blood onto a sheet of paper, but I didn't notice. My head was filled with worries. Worries for Gale, for Katniss, for me, and for my mother.

The crowd quieted as Effie Trinket arrived on the stage. As normal, she was pampered in outrageous, Capital fashions. Her high heels clicked on the stage as she walked to the microphone. I fiddled with the tip of my braid as she talked. I couldn't focus on what she was saying.

"...May the odds be ever in your favor," she said. Katniss often mimicked that statement, with the classic Capital accent. She was good at it.

I turned my attention back to Effie as she reached into the bowl with the girl's names in it. Her bony fingers clawed around until she was satisfied with a slip of paper. She made a big deal of pulling the paper out and then opening it. Her eyebrows popped up as she read the name.

"Ooh, a young one this year," she remarked. I took a deep breath out, relieved that it wasn't Katniss. She was safe. She was safe. The Everdeen family was safe. I turned my attention back to Effie. "This year's female tribute is... Primrose Everdeen!"

My stomach dropped as everybody's eyes turned to me. "Primrose, come up."

Three men in Capital uniforms moved my way. A scream rose up my throat and soon I was thrashing about. The Capital men were much stronger, and they held me until I was limp. Then, they hauled me up onto the stage. I found my mother's face in the crowd. She looked like she had seen a ghost.

I didn't hear the male name announced, but I saw Peeta Mellark nervously bounding up to the stage. Then, we were expected to shake hands. My hand was covered in salty tears, and it was tiny compared to his. We shook once, twice, three times before letting go.

Peeta was Katniss's age. They were in school together. He and his family were bakers. He was an ace at frosting. I could see the worry in his eyes. I imagined he could say the same about me.

We were ushered back into our own tiny rooms, each with a window and a chair. I sat and wept in the chair until Mother slipped through the doors and embraced me. Then, I sat in her arms and wept until the men in Capital uniforms came back to take her away. "I love you, Prim," Mother said. "Stay strong." She kissed my cheek and then she was swept away. Next came Katniss.

"Katniss!" I cried out. She was too sick to run so she carefully walked over to me and held me tight.

"If I had been there, I would have volunteered for you... you would have been safe," Katniss sobbed.

We cried onto each others shoulders until the men came back and she had to leave. Katniss's nimble hands fastened a pin onto my shirt. "What is it?" I asked her.

"It's a Mockingbird. I love you," she said. Then, she was taken away from me and I was left in the nearly-empty room until I was escorted to a train. I had only one thought in my brain. There was no way I was going to survive.