I never expected that I'd be sitting in one of these uncomfortable metal chairs that just scream I'm in trouble outside of the Headmaster's office today.
Then again, I never expected myself to become a career-in-training either.
The Academy is officially named "The Academy for Peacekeepers in Training", but all of those in the know realize easily that this isn't just to create peacekeepers to patrol the districts of Panem, but instead to produce volunteers for the Hunger Games, all experienced enough to have a fighting chance at winning the Games themselves. Us cadets call our home 'Second Chance', our lighthearted way at reminding us all that the reason most of us are here is that our parents couldn't afford to raise so many kids or because some were stuck in the streets of broken glass before we got here. Some of my friends still have deep scars on their torsoes from unsatisfied customers in the seedier parts of Two.
I myself shouldn't even be here. I'm the son of a baker, a man with flour on his hands and three strong sons to help him flip the dough and rake in the sesterces. At least, it used to be three. I wrestled as an extra-curricular sport for school, and accidentally broke the neck of the son of the mayor at the age of eleven in a match. Before the mayor could do anything about it, Mother frantically sent me to Second Chance and pleaded for me to be accepted. I still remember sitting in one of these chairs, kicking my legs against the floor as I listened to my mother scream with Headmaster Stamos about how I still deserved to join the Academy, even though I was a year older than the maximum age.
I don't kick my legs this time around. We're supposed to be model citizens of Panem, with perfect manners and respect for our elders. Peacekeepers in training aren't allowed to even move their leg when they're sitting in a chair.
Brutus Tomasini walks past me and gives a low whistle of sympathy, showing his fist to me in support before continuing to move through the halls. Other students walk quickly past the office and nod curtly to me, trying to get to their classes without being late themselves. Tardiness will only earn them a spot next to me.
I observe another victor walking toward me, their cane tapping steadily on the floor as they continue towards me. Natalia Haines sits down next to me, her green eyes sparkling in amusement as she waits with me for Headmaster Stamos to let me in. "What are you in for, kid?"
"Refusing to deliver a final blow." I turn my head away, trying to stop my blushing-red cheeks from being seen by the old victor. But Natalia chuckles in amusement before patting me on the head, her wrinkled skin smoothing and brightening as she smiles.
"You'll get the hang of it, kid. But keep your head about you in there. Can't have my little warrior get cut this year!" She laughs and stands back up, grabbing her cane as her short, dark grey hair twirls around her head. "You'll be fine, Peeta. I made it through, after all."
I wave goodbye to District Two's first career and sit patiently in my chair, waiting for the door to be opened. Natalia's right, I've got to get the hang of finishing the fight. After all, she's the reason I'm in the academy and not in front of the firing squad. She told Headmaster Stamos that she saw a fire in me that could be cultivated into the perfect warrior. No one in this school questions Natalia. No one.
The door finally opens and a dejected cadet trudges out, her hands in her pockets and what looks to me like a tear on her cheek. If I questioned it, I'd probably get my face slapped by the girl and spat on. We don't show emotion around here. Never.
I walk into the room, careful to keep my shoulders straight and my head held high as I walk towards Headmaster Stamos' desk. "I'm here, sir."
Headmaster Stamos pushes his dark glasses up the bridge of his nose and reaches a hand out for me to grab, waiting for me to shake it. I do firmly, making sure that he can understand that I'm serious about this. He can't see my face, after all. The man's been blind since his Games.
"Peeta Mellark, if I'm correct by your grip." The man sits back down in his chair and stares towards me, his eyes hidden by the dark glasses. "Your instructors have reported to me that you refused to finish a fight against… a boy by the name of Cato Tomson, if they have told me correctly. You know the values of this school, Peeta."
"Honour, Strength, and Respect," I recite mechanically, four years of our values being drilled into my brain paying off.
"Mercy is not on that list, Peeta Mellark." Headmaster Stamos leans back and touches his messy hair, trying to smooth it into something respectable. "You think that you should allow your fellow cadets to retain their honour, but that just takes from your strength. Perhaps you need to remind yourself once more about what those values truly mean."
I blush again and rub my face in nervousness, watching the wall instead of Headmaster Stamos' eyes. But the headmaster continues, not allowing me to respond. "But that's not the reason that you're here, Peeta Mellark."
I jerk my head up in surprise, almost falling out of my chair as I do so. I thankfully remain in the chair without making a sound, and I wait for Headmaster Stamos to finish. "Your father was here yesterday. He has requested to withdraw you from the school, no bows attached. If you do leave, you will still remain pardoned of your former crimes. It's up to you."
"Are you kidding?" I blurt out, covering my mouth as soon as I say so. I shouldn't offend Headmaster Stamos. But the thought of going back home, to a place of little regulations and no eyes on my back except when I bake the cakes is so surprising that I couldn't hold back my astonishment. "Sorry for interrupting, sir."
"No offence was taken, Mellark. That would surprise me as well if I had been offered that. But I was in the days where trainees lived at home and siblings trained together..." Headmaster Stamos trails off before regaining his train of thought, looking back up in my direction. "But before you decide, I want you to know that staying here will be hard work. You'll be subject to the same conditions as you have been for the last few years, and no one will be any less lenient on you. You'll go through hell, Mellark."
I nod, remembering the history class that I'm missing right now. We're supposed to take the course to remind ourselves why we train like this, how the Games teach us to be prepared for anything possible and how training so vigorously will make us the ideal volunteer - well, peacekeeper to anyone from the Capitol. Headmaster Stamos waits for me to ponder over the decision, rubbing his grey beard and looking where he thinks my eyes are. "But if you stay, you will have the chance to become one of District Two's victors. If not, at least a peacekeeper."
I nod, reminding myself of the poverty that my family is in. We could only eat the stale loaves back home, everything of value had to be saved for the customer, not the family. I had learned that the hard way when I was little, under the sting of my mother's blow.
"But… but this is my home!" I find myself saying, looking into the face of District Two's third victor. "I can't imagine leaving, sir."
"Then it's decided. I'll tell your father that I can't spare losing one of my cadets and that I declined this chance for you." I almost find myself in tears at the statement, blinking back the emotion vigorously. As wrong as it seems, I feel safe now that my father won't know that I declined the chance to go back home.
"Thank you, sir. I'll head back to class now." I rise from my chair and walk out, pausing when Headmaster Stamos speaks again.
"Keep going, Mellark. I don't want to cut you at the end of the week." I nod and walk out, hurrying towards my classroom. I can't plague myself at the thought of home, burying my head in history lessons and long runs along the mountains of Two during the week instead. I will not remind myself of what I pushed away in Headmaster Stamos' office.
And when Friday comes, I am not cut.
Welcome to my latest story! In case you couldn't tell from the summary, this is a Peeta/Katniss love story, in which Peeta grows up in Two. I hope you guys enjoy it, and it'd be great to have a few reviews, but if not, no harm done XD Until next chapter, TheAmazingJAJ
