baby it's a violent world [oneshottt]
Jul 1, 2010 16:36:12 GMT -5
Post by phunke on Jul 1, 2010 16:36:12 GMT -5
[PPOV]
Though I'm not particularly fond of the Reaping, I'll admit that it can be amusing.
It's hard not to snicker at Effie's peculiar fashion, though personally, I find it loses its hilarity after the first year or two. I do, however, smile at Haymitch's extravagant entrance. I don't admire his drunkenness, but I'm a bit impressed by the sheer balls he displays when yelling at the cameras. Plus, he makes Effie flustered, which is always a plus.
Most of my friends are chuckling a bit, too. We all sneak glances at each other, making eye contact if only in peripheral vision, to share this secret joke with one another. All the merchant kids of our age clump together, as if proximity to friends could protect any of us from the Reaping.
The Reaping.
Effie is saying "Ladies first!" and suddenly I can't breathe. What if...?
No. She can't be chosen.
I tell myself this precisely because she might be.
---
[GPOV]
I can't see Katniss through the crowd, but I'm sure she's standing perfectly still, staring straight ahead. I'm sure because that's how she deals with things. She locks up and pushes her emotions into herself.
I have no idea how she does it.
I feel so angry. Mostly at the Capitol. The Games. That's why I shout in the forest. I can't anywhere else, and I can't push my emotions into myself. So I yell. Katniss understands this.
Katniss...
"Ladies first!"
---
[PPOV]
I can see her grabbing a slip and I can't help biting the inside of my lip, though I do manage to keep my eyes open. One of my closer friends, Liam, elbows me with a sly grin and asks me in a hushed voice if I'm sure I eat enough fiber.
I turn my head to glance at him. This is so not the time.
To his eternal credit, Liam recognizes the hard look in my eyes and averts his own so that I can go back to watching Effie Trinket.
"-Primrose Everdeen!"
I know what this means immediately, though I can guess that Katniss isn't able to process it.
Her sister. Going into the arena. An arena full of natural obstacles, engineered assaults from sadistic Gamemakers, and of course 23 people trying to kill her.
I know that Katniss will not be able to handle this. I've seen her at school - sullen, introverted. Hungry. But when I see her with her little sister, all of that changes. She becomes the girl I love.
The girl I love. Well, love is a strong word, really. I've never spoken to her. But what else could be twisting my organs into agonizing knots as my ribs seem to collapse in, squeezing until my eyes are almost watering at the thought of Katniss in danger? I don't know what I'm feeling, but it's not good.
I snap out of my thoughts and into reality as Katniss is climbing the steps, her chin forced up by the invisible hand of cold, hard determination.
---
[GPOV]
"Up you go, Catnip," I hear myself say as I watch my best friend ascend the steps to her certain death, holding the reason she has to die firmly in my grip. Prim is like a little sister to me, and I understand why Katniss has to do this. To protect her.
But that doesn't mean I'm okay with it.
Actually, it's a good thing I'm having to restrain Prim, because if my arms weren't occupied, I would probably bolt up on stage and punch Effie in the face. I can feel my own face contorting with anger, and though I know the cameras will inevitably pan over me, I can't smooth my expression. Only Katniss can do that.
I barely register Effie's meaningless jabber about Katniss until she asks for applause. Though I've refrained from eye contact with Katniss thus far, I look directly at her as I join the rest of District 12 in the greatest honor we can give her.
Touching three fingers to our lips and holding them out to her.
The greatest honor for the greatest curse.
---
[PPOV]
No.
No.
Not Katniss.
I feel numb on the outside, but something inside my gut is twisting horribly and I feel as though I might collapse. My vision is blurry, but without consciously controlling my actions, I raise three fingers to my lips and hold them out to Katniss.
Then I begin to think. This is what I do. I think things through.
Katniss is going into the Arena to die. Katniss, the girl I've had a crush on since I heard her sing. I think about her voice, and how I will never hear it again. I'll never see her at school or walking around the District.
This seems wrong to me. The motion, it means thank you, goodbye. It's basically an acknowledgement of her death.
There must be some way I could stop this. But there is none.
Unless...
No, I think. Not that. I cannot be that in love with her. I am a rational person, aren't I? Rational enough not to willingly put myself in a giant death trap with people who can kill with more ways that I can count on both hands.
But I don't have much time to think about this, because now Effie Trinket is moving over to the container holding the boys' slips.
---
[GPOV]
My whole world seems to narrow down to that big glass ball. There are so many slips of paper. And to think, more than forty have my name written on them...But I hope that the odds will turn out to be wrong. After all, this is my last year. I've never been chosen before. Why would I be now? I think about how Prim was chosen, and she only had one slip. So really, chances are slim that I would get picked. But if I did...would that really be such a bad thing? Going into the Arena with Katniss? Not in a romantic way; there's nothing like that between us. I tell myself there isn't, anyhow. But I could support her, help her in this impossible time. Protect her.
I'm thinking that this maybe wouldn't be so bad, when Effie calls my name out.
---
[PPOV]
"Gale Hawthorne!"
The first thing I think is, well, nothing. My mind is completely blank.
Think, Peeta. Think.
Katniss, the girl who I might be in love with, is going into the Hunger Games. Not only that, she is going in with her best friend. I see them together a lot. I see how he looks at her. He's probably in love with her too, even if he doesn't know it yet.
And he, like Katniss, has other people to care for. Siblings. I know he has several, though I don't know their names or ages. How will they support themselves when he's gone? We buy meat from him sometimes, things he's caught in traps. I'm positive that he is the breadwinner of the family. Those kids could starve like so many others if he is gone.
If I were gone, no one would starve. There would be consequences, of course.
The cakes wouldn't be nearly as pretty.
I began to think about what it would be like to see Katniss in the Games. Watching on a giant screen in the District Square as she fought for her life. Would she get killed? It hurt me to think it, but the answer was probably yes. Sure, she could shoot anything with a bow and arrows, but what if she never got any? Careers are trained to kill people like Katniss. Even if Gale helped her, the odds were against her survival...
And what would I do if Katniss died? Cry? Get over it? Would I find a new girl to silently observe as I wallowed in my cowardice? Just thinking about it pained me. The idea of Katniss being gone was powerful. A single question echoed in my head.
What would I live for?
I cant answer it. I honestly cannot.
Gale is on the stage now, and Effie is calling for volunteers.
I know what I have to do.
Because if I don't, I will be trapped in that Arena anyway. For the rest of my life.
At least this way, I will be trapped in it with the girl I love.
I have to go to the Capitol.
"I volunteer!"
I'm gasping, and a few other people are as well.
Liam is one of them. I can feel his eyes pushing into my back as I desperately clamber up onto the stage. I can't see anything though, except Katniss. I know what I have done is completely wrong to her. She may not forgive me. She doesn't have to, though; all she has to do is make it back home to District Twelve.
Effie asks for my name, and I give it.
I can feel Gale staring at me. My eyes flick to him. He makes no attempt to hide his emotions; confusion and a small amount of jealousy are written on his face. Above all, there is gratefulness. I have just saved his family, and him.
Suddenly I'm shaking Katniss' hand. I squeeze her hand just slightly. It's okay. I'm doing this for you.
I feel light, now. All the knots in my chest have untied. I feel so alive. Oh, the irony.
FIN.
Song: Life In Technicolor II - Coldplay
Though I'm not particularly fond of the Reaping, I'll admit that it can be amusing.
It's hard not to snicker at Effie's peculiar fashion, though personally, I find it loses its hilarity after the first year or two. I do, however, smile at Haymitch's extravagant entrance. I don't admire his drunkenness, but I'm a bit impressed by the sheer balls he displays when yelling at the cameras. Plus, he makes Effie flustered, which is always a plus.
Most of my friends are chuckling a bit, too. We all sneak glances at each other, making eye contact if only in peripheral vision, to share this secret joke with one another. All the merchant kids of our age clump together, as if proximity to friends could protect any of us from the Reaping.
The Reaping.
Effie is saying "Ladies first!" and suddenly I can't breathe. What if...?
No. She can't be chosen.
I tell myself this precisely because she might be.
---
[GPOV]
I can't see Katniss through the crowd, but I'm sure she's standing perfectly still, staring straight ahead. I'm sure because that's how she deals with things. She locks up and pushes her emotions into herself.
I have no idea how she does it.
I feel so angry. Mostly at the Capitol. The Games. That's why I shout in the forest. I can't anywhere else, and I can't push my emotions into myself. So I yell. Katniss understands this.
Katniss...
"Ladies first!"
---
[PPOV]
I can see her grabbing a slip and I can't help biting the inside of my lip, though I do manage to keep my eyes open. One of my closer friends, Liam, elbows me with a sly grin and asks me in a hushed voice if I'm sure I eat enough fiber.
I turn my head to glance at him. This is so not the time.
To his eternal credit, Liam recognizes the hard look in my eyes and averts his own so that I can go back to watching Effie Trinket.
"-Primrose Everdeen!"
I know what this means immediately, though I can guess that Katniss isn't able to process it.
Her sister. Going into the arena. An arena full of natural obstacles, engineered assaults from sadistic Gamemakers, and of course 23 people trying to kill her.
I know that Katniss will not be able to handle this. I've seen her at school - sullen, introverted. Hungry. But when I see her with her little sister, all of that changes. She becomes the girl I love.
The girl I love. Well, love is a strong word, really. I've never spoken to her. But what else could be twisting my organs into agonizing knots as my ribs seem to collapse in, squeezing until my eyes are almost watering at the thought of Katniss in danger? I don't know what I'm feeling, but it's not good.
I snap out of my thoughts and into reality as Katniss is climbing the steps, her chin forced up by the invisible hand of cold, hard determination.
---
[GPOV]
"Up you go, Catnip," I hear myself say as I watch my best friend ascend the steps to her certain death, holding the reason she has to die firmly in my grip. Prim is like a little sister to me, and I understand why Katniss has to do this. To protect her.
But that doesn't mean I'm okay with it.
Actually, it's a good thing I'm having to restrain Prim, because if my arms weren't occupied, I would probably bolt up on stage and punch Effie in the face. I can feel my own face contorting with anger, and though I know the cameras will inevitably pan over me, I can't smooth my expression. Only Katniss can do that.
I barely register Effie's meaningless jabber about Katniss until she asks for applause. Though I've refrained from eye contact with Katniss thus far, I look directly at her as I join the rest of District 12 in the greatest honor we can give her.
Touching three fingers to our lips and holding them out to her.
The greatest honor for the greatest curse.
---
[PPOV]
No.
No.
Not Katniss.
I feel numb on the outside, but something inside my gut is twisting horribly and I feel as though I might collapse. My vision is blurry, but without consciously controlling my actions, I raise three fingers to my lips and hold them out to Katniss.
Then I begin to think. This is what I do. I think things through.
Katniss is going into the Arena to die. Katniss, the girl I've had a crush on since I heard her sing. I think about her voice, and how I will never hear it again. I'll never see her at school or walking around the District.
This seems wrong to me. The motion, it means thank you, goodbye. It's basically an acknowledgement of her death.
There must be some way I could stop this. But there is none.
Unless...
No, I think. Not that. I cannot be that in love with her. I am a rational person, aren't I? Rational enough not to willingly put myself in a giant death trap with people who can kill with more ways that I can count on both hands.
But I don't have much time to think about this, because now Effie Trinket is moving over to the container holding the boys' slips.
---
[GPOV]
My whole world seems to narrow down to that big glass ball. There are so many slips of paper. And to think, more than forty have my name written on them...But I hope that the odds will turn out to be wrong. After all, this is my last year. I've never been chosen before. Why would I be now? I think about how Prim was chosen, and she only had one slip. So really, chances are slim that I would get picked. But if I did...would that really be such a bad thing? Going into the Arena with Katniss? Not in a romantic way; there's nothing like that between us. I tell myself there isn't, anyhow. But I could support her, help her in this impossible time. Protect her.
I'm thinking that this maybe wouldn't be so bad, when Effie calls my name out.
---
There's a wild wind blowing down the corner of my street
Every night there, the headlights are glowing
There's a cold war coming on the radio, I heard
Baby, it's a violent world
Every night there, the headlights are glowing
There's a cold war coming on the radio, I heard
Baby, it's a violent world
[PPOV]
"Gale Hawthorne!"
The first thing I think is, well, nothing. My mind is completely blank.
Think, Peeta. Think.
Katniss, the girl who I might be in love with, is going into the Hunger Games. Not only that, she is going in with her best friend. I see them together a lot. I see how he looks at her. He's probably in love with her too, even if he doesn't know it yet.
And he, like Katniss, has other people to care for. Siblings. I know he has several, though I don't know their names or ages. How will they support themselves when he's gone? We buy meat from him sometimes, things he's caught in traps. I'm positive that he is the breadwinner of the family. Those kids could starve like so many others if he is gone.
If I were gone, no one would starve. There would be consequences, of course.
The cakes wouldn't be nearly as pretty.
Oh love, don't let me go
Won't you take me where the street lights glow
Won't you take me where the street lights glow
I began to think about what it would be like to see Katniss in the Games. Watching on a giant screen in the District Square as she fought for her life. Would she get killed? It hurt me to think it, but the answer was probably yes. Sure, she could shoot anything with a bow and arrows, but what if she never got any? Careers are trained to kill people like Katniss. Even if Gale helped her, the odds were against her survival...
And what would I do if Katniss died? Cry? Get over it? Would I find a new girl to silently observe as I wallowed in my cowardice? Just thinking about it pained me. The idea of Katniss being gone was powerful. A single question echoed in my head.
What would I live for?
I cant answer it. I honestly cannot.
Gale is on the stage now, and Effie is calling for volunteers.
Time came a-creeping, oh and time's a loaded gun
Every road is a ray of light
It goes on, time can only lead you on
Still, it's such a beautiful night
Every road is a ray of light
It goes on, time can only lead you on
Still, it's such a beautiful night
I know what I have to do.
Because if I don't, I will be trapped in that Arena anyway. For the rest of my life.
At least this way, I will be trapped in it with the girl I love.
I have to go to the Capitol.
Oh love, don't let me go
Won't you take me where the streetlights glow
Won't you take me where the streetlights glow
"I volunteer!"
I'm gasping, and a few other people are as well.
Liam is one of them. I can feel his eyes pushing into my back as I desperately clamber up onto the stage. I can't see anything though, except Katniss. I know what I have done is completely wrong to her. She may not forgive me. She doesn't have to, though; all she has to do is make it back home to District Twelve.
Effie asks for my name, and I give it.
I can feel Gale staring at me. My eyes flick to him. He makes no attempt to hide his emotions; confusion and a small amount of jealousy are written on his face. Above all, there is gratefulness. I have just saved his family, and him.
Suddenly I'm shaking Katniss' hand. I squeeze her hand just slightly. It's okay. I'm doing this for you.
I feel light, now. All the knots in my chest have untied. I feel so alive. Oh, the irony.
Gravity, release me
And don't ever hold me down
Now my feet won't touch the ground
And don't ever hold me down
Now my feet won't touch the ground
FIN.
Song: Life In Technicolor II - Coldplay
![Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy] Avatar](https://timberline-adventures.com/wp-content/uploads/Rain2-250x250.jpg)
" look on my face. Which means I liked it. A lot.
