CHAPTER 4 – SOBER UP
Note: I'm doing my best to capture Peeta's character in the story. Please read and review!
Effie spotted me waiting in the dining table, and I can see how genuinely pleased she is that I did not ignore her reminder to be here on time. "Oh, good you're here already!" she trilled. "At least you're punctual. Okay, I'll check on Katniss so that we can start dinner!" she added as she turned toward the door.
She was gone only for a few minutes, and when she entered the door, Katniss is already with her. I see that she also took a shower, and that she has changed from the pretty blue dress that she was wearing at the reaping to something that resembles her everyday outfit back at home: a dark green shirt and pants. Simple, I thought, but very captivating.
"Where's Haymitch?" Effie asked.
I remembered our encounter earlier and thought that he might still be sleeping. "Last time I saw him, he said he was going to take a nap."
Effie nodded, seeming relieved of his absence. I recalled how Haymitch came to her at the stage during the reaping, and I realized that Effie was not very pleased with that. I hid a smile. "Well, it's been an exhausting day." Effie replied. I have to give it to her: despite being humiliated at the stage, she doesn't say a bad thing about Haymitch.
The supper was so rich. And that's understating things. There were several courses, and I greedily indulged myself in the soup, salad, lamb chops, mashed potato, cheese and fruit, and a hearty dessert of chocolate cake. This is no doubt the best meal I've had in my life, far from the stale food we eat at home, and despite Effie's reminders that there's more to come, I devoured each dish wholeheartedly like there's no tomorrow.
"At least you two have decent manners. The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion." Effie commented. Somehow, I know that her words will hit its mark as it is a direct assault on the living conditions of the people in our district. Most people are poor, but being a baker's son gave me the helped me learn a few things about manners. The others never had to think about proper etiquette, especially when there's almost nothing to eat. Katniss too can eat decently – her mother belonged to a well-to-do family before she ran off with Katniss' father.
I looked at Katniss and saw that she's pursing her lips unhappily. We continued eating – with Katniss eating the rest of her meal using her hands. I smiled lightly, thinking that she has quite a temper. This meal is the most that I have ever eaten, and in all aspects, it is truly a feast. I feel so full to the point of wanting to vomit, but I kept it all in, knowing that every bite is precious. Katniss seems to be feeling the same way.
Once we're through eating, Effie led us to another compartment where we will be watching the recap of the reapings. This is the first time that we will see our fellow tributes. The Careers – those from districts 1, 2, and 4 – are noticeably strong and all too willing to go to battle. I felt shock cross my features when they called the girl tribute from District 11: she's so tiny, probably about 12 years old; but no one dared to take her place. Then we are up, and for the first time, I saw Katniss and I on stage as we took our places. Ours was an emotional scene, but Haymitch provided a distraction from this one with his on-stage diving act.
"Your mentor has a lot to learn about presentation. A lot about televised behavior." Effie said unhappily.
I laugh. Haymitch's act was not very surprising at all. "He was drunk. He's drunk every year." I say, remembering the reapings in the past years. As a victor, Haymitch is richer than the rest of us, and he can afford to live luxuriously. He, however, chose to spend his days getting intoxicated. I never understood why he wouldn't want to enjoy the fact that he survived the Game.
"Every day," Katniss added, and as I glanced at her, I see that humor has lightened her features.
"Yes." Effie replies. She's starting to get annoyed now. "How odd you two find it amusing. You know your mentor is your lifeline to the world in these Games. The one who advises you, lines up your sponsors, and dictates the presentations of any gifts. Haymitch can well be the difference between your life and your death!" she continued.
That, of course, is true. There is no counter-argument to what Effie just said, but I was rather hoping that Haymitch is just enjoying himself while official training haven't started yet. He has to come around, right?
The door to the compartment opens, and Haymitch came into view. "I miss supper?" Obviously, sleep doesn't do anything to make him sober. He stepped inside, then vomits on the expensive carpet before diving into his own mess. I stared incredulously, suddenly feeling worried for our future in the Games. Maybe we will be forced to face the arena without any guidance at all.
"So laugh away!" Effie said, clearly disgusted by the sight as she stepped out of the room. I sighed. Haymitch has gained consciousness again and is now trying to stand up, but with no success. His vomit stuck to his clothes, and the smell is starting to cling in the air.
I stood up, deciding that I can't take this any longer. It was only when I reached Haymitch and tried to help him up did I realize that Katniss is also doing the same thing. Maybe we can both find a way to make this situation work to our favor.
"I tripped?" Haymitch asks, clearly indicating that his thoughts are so clouded by the alcohol. "Smells bad." He added before wiping his hand on his nose. He is such a wreck.
"Let's get you back to your room, clean you up a little bit." I say. Maybe if Haymitch realizes what happened today, he will come to his senses and start getting sober. We slowly dragged him to his room and placed him in the bathtub before turning on the shower. I knew this could be an awkward situation for Katniss; she probably never had to take care of a drunk man anyway, so I decided to be a gentleman and spare her the trouble of fixing Haymitch up.
"It's okay, I'll take it from here." I said. I'm not really sure what to do, but scrubbing the vomit off Haymitch and tucking him to bet is probably the best that I can do.
"All right." Katniss agreed. "I can send one of the Capitol people to help you." She offered, probably wanting to ease my load too. But I don't want their help. I can barely stand being around them, knowing that they're betting on our lives. So I told her no.
Katniss nodded and left the room. I sighed, thinking that this is probably our first conversation, and turned my attention to Haymitch who is now fast asleep. I quickly removed his clothes and dumped them on the floor, deciding to let the Capitol attendants deal with it. I gently scrubbed Haymitch to remove any stench before carrying him to his bed, hoping that tomorrow, he will come to his senses. I slipped out of his room and gently closed the door before returning to my own chamber.
Will I be able to sleep tonight? I don't think so, but fatigue from the day's events is slowly wearing me out, and besides, I'm going to need all the rest I can have. So I crawled into bed when I'm done cleaning myself: I wouldn't want to sleep with the smell of Haymitch's vomit, which stuck in my clothes and even in my arms. I sighed, slowly relaxing in the soft bed, and let the darkness take over.
Probably out of habit, I woke up before dawn has risen. I felt well-rested already, so I began to make myself look presentable. We will be reaching the Capitol today, and I force myself not to think of that. So I proceeded to the dining room.
The place never seems to run out of food. Even at this hour, dishes for breakfast are already prepared. I sat at the table, not wanting to be rude by eating ahead of the others, when Effie comes in.
"You're up early!" she exclaimed. "Wonderful!"
She seemed to be in high spirits today and I don't want to burst her bubble, so I said a simple , "Good morning Effie."
"Well, well." Effie said as she sat across from me. "Did you sleep well last night?"
I nodded, thinking that this is probably the first time that anyone bothered to ask if I'm well rested. Maybe Effie has a sensitive side too; a motherly instinct that comes naturally.
"It's hard not to sleep well with that very comfortable bed. It's like sleeping in a heap of feathers." I say, keeping up with her mood.
Effie seemed pleased that I am enjoying the Capitol's accommodations. "Then you'll find your chamber in Capitol even better!"
"In that case, I can probably stay up for many nights in the arena, since I'll be so well-rested here." I say, adding in my mind that I may not spend even a single night there.
Effie laughs, commenting on how brilliant that sounds. I was momentarily distracted from our conversation by the sound of footsteps, and I immediately guessed that the footsteps belong to Haymitch since it's so heavy. I was right, and I can see how Effie's mood changed in an instant.
"Oh there you are." She said, still smiling. "So how is it like to wake up in a pool of your own vomit?"
Effie probably had that memory engraved in her brain forever. I imagine that this must give her a slight satisfaction. After all, no sane person would find it pleasant to wake up that way, even for a drunkard.
Haymitch turned to Effie, a smirk on his face. His face is red and slightly puffy from last night, but he seems sober, nonetheless. "I slept well enough, thank you. The Capitol attendants were nice enough to lead me back to my room."
Of course he wouldn't remember that it was me and Katniss who dragged him back to his room. He was so far off already at that time. A platter of food was placed before us, as well as a basket of rolls and a mug of a thick brown liquid. "Katniss and I were the ones to bring you back to your room, Haymitch." I said. He has to know that; I will not allow him to neglect us. He must know that we're willing to help him, so he should do the same.
Effie asked one of the servers for a cup of coffee, looking annoyed that we helped Haymitch after her speech for us. "Ah." Haymitch said, seeming confused at first before laughing loudly. "I remember! You stripped me, right?"
"Yeah, I did, but that was to clean you up," I say, taking the cup in my hands and gratefully sipping it. It tastes wonderful. "What do you call this?" I ask.
"It's hot chocolate." Effie answered, almost defeated.
He winked at Effie. "See? These tributes are nice, eh?" he said, before turning to me. "Well I would have to say thank you. At least now we're closer, you've seen all of me anyway."
I can hear Effie muttering something under her breath. "Well, someone has to do the job." I said, and took a roll from the basket, feeling embarrassed. I hear the door open and turned to see Katniss just as Effie was leaving the room. I heaved a sigh of relief, thankful that at least the conversation can be directed somewhere else.
"Sit down! Sit down!" Haymitch said, looking really happy that he seems to have won the brawl with Effie. Katniss walked over and sat with us. A platter of food and a cup of hot chocolate and orange juice were also served in front of her. She looked at the mug like she's trying to put a name to it.
"They call it hot chocolate. It's good." I say, wanting to encourage her to taste this delicious treat. I observed her as she took a sip and smiled when I saw that she enjoyed it too. I started eating bits of my roll and dipped them in hot chocolate. It tasted so good that even when I've finished my platter, I continue eating the rolls.
Haymitch, I observed, is starting to drink again. He has a glass of wine set beside his plate. My spirit sank – how will we get him to help us? I realized that Katniss is thinking the same thing when I heard her speak up. "So, you're supposed to give us advice."
"Here's some advice. Stay alive." Haymitch countered, before laughing aloud. I kept my face void of any emotion, but I can feel my eyes hardening as a struggled to remain calm. I looked at Katniss and saw that she's barely in control, too.
"That's very funny, only not to us." I say, hating the way Haymitch talked to Katniss without considering the weight of our situation. How we depend on him so much. That's when I felt the impact of his fist on my jaw and felt myself falling from the chair. I gritted my teeth, knowing that I shouldn't be fighting with him, but held my place.
Then an unexpected thing happens. When Haymitch was reaching for his wine glass, Katniss stabbed her knife into the table, barely missing Haymitch's hand.
"Well, what's this? Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?" Haymitch said, looking surprised. Effie would have loved that sight.
I rise from the floor and grabbed a handful of ice from the fruit tureen before his punch could leave a bruise on my face. But Haymitch stopped me. "No, let the bruise show. The audience will think you've mixed it up with another tribute before you've even made it to the arena."
I protested. I've been watching the Games ever since, and am aware that one of the rules is to not fight against other tributes before the Games officially starts. Does Haymitch really want us out? "That's against the rules."
"Only if they catch you. That bruise will say you fought, you weren't caught, even better." He replied, then turned to Katniss. "Can you hit anything with that knife besides a table?"
This must be it. I can sense a change in his tone, and I'm starting to hope that finally, he will be taking us seriously. I watched as Katniss took the knife and threw it across the room. It landed in a seam between two panels, demonstrating how good she is in handling weapons.
"Stand over here. Both of you." Haymitch instructed us. We did as we were told and went to the space he pointed at in the middle of the room. He started walking around us in circles, examining every inch of us. "Well you're not entirely hopeless. Seem fit. And once the stylists get hold of you, you'll be attractive enough." He remarked. This is it, I thought. He is finally paying attention to us.
"All right, I'll make a deal with you," he continued. "You don't interfere with my drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you. But you have to do exactly as I say."
"Fine," I replied, knowing that this is the best deal we can ever get from him. And it's a lot better than nothing.
"So help us," Katniss added. "When we get to the arena, what's the best strategy at the Corcucopia for someone –"
Haymitch cut her off. "One thing at a time. In a few minutes, we'll be pulling into the station. You'll be put in the hands of your stylists. You're not going to like what they do to you. But no matter what it is, don't resist."
Will we be transformed now to look like one of the people in Capitol? Heavily painted faces, over-the-top hair, and decorative outfits? Is that really necessary?
"But – " I hear Katniss counter. She must hate the idea as much as I do, but what choice do we have?
"No buts. Don't resist." Haymitch said. Then he took his bottle and left us alone.
I stared in disbelief, then I realized that we're almost in our destination as I saw the darkness outside. We must already be at the tunnel leading to the Capitol. Then as the train starts to slow, bright light begins to flood the compartment again, and Katniss and I run to the window. This may be the first and only time that we'll be here in this place. I took in the scenery and was amazed at its beauty. Even the cameras can't capture how truly beautiful it is.
Then I saw the crowd waving at us eagerly. These people treat the Hunger Games like a feast, and every year, all of them are very excited about the next batch of tributes; even taking bets on who will win the Games. I felt Katniss stepping away from the window, but I held my place, thinking that if I want to stay long enough at the game, I have to start pleasing them now.
I waved and smiled at them, and I am rewarded with hoots and shouts of encouragement. They loved it. All of a sudden, the train stopped.
I turned to Katniss and saw that she's staring at me, looking like she's disgusted. I had to make her understand. While she's got her skills, I can only rely on making people like me so that hopefully, I can gather enough sponsors. "Who knows? One of them may be rich." I shrug, and Effie comes rushing in the door to escort us outside the station.
"Okay! You have to move move move now!" she said, clapping her hands. "Remember: chins up, and smile! The crowd will love you!"
I understood that look on Katniss' face: the Capitol brought us here for their entertainment. In a few days, 23 of us will be dead. There are so many reasons to hate the Capitol, but I'm doing this – being humble to the Capitol crowd – to be able to protect her. Because that's the only thing I can do. I need to hold on to anything that I can to stay alive long enough to ensure that Katniss will be crowned victor. That's my dying wish.
