When I open my eyes I am momentarily confused. Usually Katniss is gone before I wake up. But then I realize, it's not Katniss that I'm lying next to, it's my mother. Last night's dream floods back to me. In my dream, Katniss was reaped to go to the Hunger Games by a brightly colored Effie Trinket, the woman who pulls the tribute's names every year. I prop myself up on one elbow, surveying the room, Yep, Katniss is gone, along with the special goat cheese I left out for her to share with Gale today. A special treat for wile they're hunting. I see my cat curled underneath me, protecting me from any harm. He is world's most beautiful cat. Adorable, smushed up nose, cute torn ear, eyes the color of green peas. He's named Buttercup for his bright yellow coat. Katniss doesn't get along well with him, but I think he's wonderful.

Mother is waking up as I start to cook some eggs Katniss lifted from a nest a few days ago. I stick the toast in another pot and throw it on the fire, and flip the eggs onto a plate. I hand the plate to my mom, but I watch her, making sure she eats it all. After my father died in a coal mining accident, she went into shock. Luckily, we had Katniss, who hunted and found food for us. Since then, my mother's gotten better, but I still keep a close eye on her. We eat in silence. What is there to talk about today of all days? It will be hard on her; after all, today is Reaping Day.

Reaping Day is the day when the Capitol people come to each of the twelve districts and choose one boy and one girl to go to the Capitol to compete in the Hunger Games, which are a punishment for something called the Uprising which happened many years ago. So, now, kids 12 to 18 are entered into a drawing to choose the tributes that must go. If you are chosen, you will go to an arena, created by gamemakers, and compete against 23 other kids to win these games. If you lose, you lose your life, and if you win, you will be rich, forever.

You can see why she would be on edge. Katniss has 20 entries, because, for those of us who are poor, you have the option of taking a tessera, of grain and oil for your family, in exchange for an extra entry. Katniss took one for each of us, for every year since she was twelve, and the entries are cumulative, so she has a lot. Some people have more than that, like Gale, who's a close friend of Katniss, has 42 entries, from feeding a family of 5 for many years. Katniss wouldn't let me take any tesserae! I could have gotten us a whole lot more food, but no! I just have to deal with being useless in gathering food. If I went to the hunger games, they would be fine, but if Katniss went, we'd fall to pieces! Although, having one entry in thousands isn't really something to complain about.

Anyways, I start heating water for us to take a bath. Leaving my mother to bathe herself, I go to the meadow, to collect herbs for medicines. I'm pretty good with plants, between my mother and Katniss. Katniss uses my father's book of plants to find edible ones, and my mother is really good with medicinal herbs. Some of the people in town will come to us to be healed, from the smallest cough to a horrible burn from a mining accident.

I head home, though, and find my mother already dressed in a beautiful lilac dress from her days running the apothecary. Her hair is tied up in a bun. I rush through my bath as she hands me the soap. She helps me into one of Katniss' reaping outfits, a light, sky blue blouse and black skirt. The blouse won't stay tucked no matter what! Katniss walks in, pink cheeked from being outside all morning, and she jumps into the bathtub and scours herself clean. My mother helps her into one of her own dresses, an older one. It is light blue with matching shoes. She does her hair like she did mine, in a braid, up on her head.

She looks at me and smiles, and I return it with a worried one of my own. This is my first reaping so the odds are pretty much in my favor. But not for her, I don't know what we'd do if she had to go to the games.

"Tuck your tail in, little duck," she says, smoothing my blouse into place. I giggle and give her a small "Quack" We go over to the table and eat goat milk from my goat, Lady, and rough bread from the tessera grain. It's one o'clock, so we head down to the square. If you don't attend, you will be arrested. Katniss takes my hand and we go into the area where the kids 12 to 18 stand. Katniss' face is hard as she glares at the people without kids in the reaping, who are taking bets on the kids who'll be chosen.

There is a stage set up, in front of the Justice building with three chairs. They are filled by Effie Trinket, District 12's escort, who is sporting pink hair; the mayor, a older balding man, who is nice to Katniss, when she brings him strawberries from over the fence, around our district, where she hunts. He reads the list of victors from our district. We have two. One is dead, and the other is Haymitch Abernathy, who is very drunk and walks onstage, hugs Effie and falls into the third chair.

The mayor looks upset, although I don't really blame him, after all, this is being televised and District 12 is the laughingstock of Panem, and he knows it. He directs attention back to the reaping and introduces Effie.

She skips up to the podium, pink wig askew from her Haymitch hug. She gives her signature, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" She goes on about how much of an honor it is to be here, while we all know she hates being in a district where drunken victors hug you. I don't understand Effie. How can she be so happy? She is about to escort two more kids to their doom, and yet she giggles through her speech, acting like the Hunger Games is a festive event.

It's time for the drawing. My heart is pounding in my ears, I can barely hear Effie anymore as she says, "Ladies first!" and reaches into the first glass ball. My name is in there once. I try to relax my heart. Between me and Katniss, there are only 21 slips in thousands. So the odds are in our favor, right? She pulls out a slip and crosses back to the podium. I think my heart may jump out of my chest. She says the name loud and clear, and suddenly I can't think. Because that name is mine.

Primrose Everdeen.

Author's Note

Hi! Because this is an alternate ending story, I'm trying not to change much, so this chapter especially is like that because the alternate part isn't started yet. But yes, if you hadn't realized, it is Prim's POV, and won't change the entire story. Please review, I really would love to hear your feedback!

-Michela Snow