Fresh As a Primrose - A little angle

When Katniss went off to risk her life to give Prim a chance at her's what did Prim think? This is Prim's journey from a bud to a full primrose in bloom to a memory left imprinted in the sands of the time.

CHAPTER 1

"Primrose Everdeen" the name rang out loud and clear.

My whole world collapsed on me. It was me, out of the thousands of girls in our district; I was the one who was chosen, the reaping winner. I knew I had to walk to the stage but my legs seemed to have turned to lead. I glanced at my sister and then began to take small quick steps to the stage. The day had started like any other day that is any other reaping day. I had left Katniss and Gale some cheese and she had bought back a nice meal from the forest. However it now seemed that I would never get it.

Suddenly I hear her shout my name and am pushed behind her.

"I volunteer, I volunteer as tribute." Are her next words. No she can't go, and that is the only thought in my mind. I hug her round the middle, not letting her go up and on stage. I am sobbing and begging her to stay when suddenly I am pulled off the ground. I am sitting on Gale's shoulders and immediately start thrashing around trying to get to Katniss but he is strong and pulls me away from my beloved sister towards the crowd and my mother. I am really crying now. Our escort a lady with pink hair says something which I don't hear, all I see is Katniss looking towards the woods, deep in thought. Oh, Katniss, why o why did you do this?

Then I see our victor Haymitch, I think, go to her and then point at the cameras and fall right of the stage. Soon pinkie's hand pulls out the slip with the name of our boy tribute but at the moment I can't care less. This person, friend or enemy or maybe a stranger soon could be the one to kill my sister. No, I whisper sternly to myself, Katniss will come home. No way is she going to die in that arena.

Another name rings loud and clear and for just the tiniest fraction of a second I see her flinch. No one but me would have noticed but I wonder what Peeta Mellark has to do with Katniss. The Mayor comes on stage and reads the treaty of treason, which I have memorised hearing it year after year. Then the anthem plays and I see her shake hands with Peeta.

Mom and I rush up to meet Katniss in the justice building. I open the door and see her sitting on a bench. The room must be posh but I hardly notice anything as I go into Katniss's arms and cuddle in her lap like I used to, when I was younger. I wish time would freeze right here and we could stay like this forever. Now even though Katniss might tell that we were the best of friends and never fought excreta, I think we fought to death everyday and then made up again. I am really going to miss her these few days she'll be gone but I never mention anything as she speaks up instructing us on what to do after she'll be gone. Even though I make her promise several times that she'll come out live of wherever they put her, I can see that she has no hope of surviving. I also think she is going to mention that I should no learn to hunt but she doesn't and I sigh with relief in my head. I guess the disastrous trips showed her that. In the end she and mom start a quarrel but it turns out ok and then we are all saying I love you to each other and hugging before the peacekeepers pull us out. I see many people but there is no drama until Gale goes in. I do not what they said but the peacekeeper pulled Gale out while he was saying something to her and closed the door in her face. Poor Katniss she never got to hear what Gale wanted to say. We walk home silently and the Hawthorns keep us company. I find myself talking to Rory and turn to say something to Katniss before I remember she is gone.

As we walk inside our little house in the Seam, Mom lies dinner but I only manage a tiny bit of the strawberries before I tear up. I rush to where Buttercup is and start petting him. Tomorrow is all I think, that is when I will see her. Yes seeing her on television will not be the same as being able to hit her, laugh with her but she will be a sight for my eyes. My thoughts change direction as I begin to think about what Katniss will be wearing tomorrow. Since our industry is coal, the tributes are wearing coal mining suits and headlamps and one pathetic year they were naked covered with black powder to represent coal dust. No wonder because ours is the least desirable district in the whole of Panem. We do not get any sponsors and thus our tributes usually die early in the games, but then who is going to sponsor someone wearing a mining dress. I begin to worry for what Katniss will face tomorrow and decide that I will pretend that she is gone hunting and will be back tomorrow morning. I know morning will bring another round of tears but then Kat would not have wanted me wallowing for her and I need to stay strong for mother. I walk up to where she is washing dishes, Buttercup still in my arms and ask in a small voice "Mom when will hunt finish?"

She understands, wipes her tears and smiles up at me saying "Katniss will be back soon from hunting with fresh meat soon but she told me to put you to sleep"

"Wake me up after she goes hunting in the morning, in case she gives all her stuff to Gale." I say and on that happy note fall asleep.

School will be cancelled the day the games start and we will get to watch the games during breaks and in the evening and if we want at night. However today I have to go and the tears are close at the thought of walking alone but then the Hawthorns come in view and Rory takes my hand as if it is the usual day and we walk to school. I feel bad for Gale as he usually walks in front with Katniss but with her gone he has to walk alone, leading the group as usual. School is especially bad, people pitying me and some ignoring me but I make my face an emotionless mask as I have seen Katniss do but at lunch my anxiety is open to all. Before anything of interest happens, Claudius and Ceaser come up and start ranting about the tributes of these games. Once I asked Rory why they do this and he asked Gale and Gale told because the Capitol would get bored till the evening to wait for the parade. I see all the tributes stepping out of the trains and try to mark Katniss's competition but all I think what will Kat do if it comes down to her and Peeta. I really do not want her to die or him for the matter because no matter how hard she tried to hide it, I knew that this kind hearted blue eyed baker was the one who had given us the bread that had saved our lives.

We sat down with the Hawthorns on a blanket in front of the screen in the Town Hall and waited for the Death Ride as I called it to begin.

The seal of Panem and Snow's hideous face appeared and after that the horses began to roll out district wise. The beauties, they were snow white for one to represent their jewels, brown in two and so on till the coal black of twelve, these horses were enough to make one wish to be in the Games. Fits, does it not, to give luxury before death, just like a lamb before slaughter. I only have one word for it inhuman.

I was so lost in thought that had it not been for the fiery entry of Katniss and Peeta I would have missed them.

They looked like two fiery gods on a ride to away the essence of evil from the world. Katniss was behaving like she did when our dad was alive but now it was all an act. However the main attraction was not the fire or their behaviour or the roses they got but the joined hands and I knew that as much as Katniss would have hated it, she and Peeta had entered this as a team, as one, my only was they would exit it as one as well and knowing Kat as I did, she would never have it any other way but if only she realised it.

I knew that she had begun liking the baker's son, since that day when she went to see the wrestling match but averted her eyes whenever she fought and sighed whenever he came out unharmed. I even saw pride flicker across her face when he purposely lost to let his brother win but I never told her my observations because I knew she had not figured it out and would deny it and now I am glad she did not figure it out, otherwise she would be in pain and she has had enough of it. I can only assume what poor Peeta must be going through, I know he likes her, I have observed him as well.

I saw that the speech of our beloved president had ended along with my train of thought and packed up to go home, waved to Rory and his family when we reached their place and fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow only to be woken up by nightmares of Katniss's gruesome death.

****

Today was the day of the scores, the last two days I had been felling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. Preparing medicines, helping mom and milking Lady, and the most tiring of all keeping Katniss out of my mind. The only time I felt better was when I played with Rory and Buttercup. Gale told me that I seemed to have aged years in these two days and I thought "Well, it's my sister, not yours, who took my death sentence."

I have been my usual self, just a little more mature and less happy. I now understand what it feels like when your families dinner lies on you, of course Gale never let's that happen but I am plagued with what ifs. The reaping took out all the childishness which I had and Katniss loved.

Mom and I sit on the old worn out couch and see as pictures after pictures line the television. Katniss will be last, being the girl tribute from district twelve.

Finally Rue's picture lines the screen and a red seven flashes, I feel happy for her and hope for a moment she wins before I remember and feel sad that it's either her or Kat or Peeta. I feel sad that she might have to ruin her childhood and kill my sister because I know Katniss cannot and will not kill a twelve year old; she loves me too much for that.

I wish someone would stand up and yell at Snow, tell him how unfair all of this is, and send him to play his own games and beat him, so that he knows what the Hunger games are, what happens to you when someone you love is in there, he has never had to hungry like Rue and Kat and Peeta and me, what does he know of hunger? Nothing.

I am so lost that I miss her score and it is not until gale bursts in our house yelling she got an eleven that I see Mom's delighted face and the number flashing under her photograph.

"That's like my Catnip, guess she shot her skills at them, just like her isn't it? She never can take a compliment but there just a microscopic chance of improvement." Gale said before going out and I began to laugh, because Katniss was going to come home, home to me no home to us I thought as I petted Buttercup.

I still remember Kat's reaction when I bought him home, she tried to drown him, and she never did like him. This was my last thought before my head hit the pillow and I flew off into the land of nightmares.