Chapter 6

We're lead through the Training Center toward the elevators that lead to the tower for the tributes and their teams. This will be our home until the actual Games begin. Each district has an entire floor. All you have to do is step onto the elevator and press the number of your district. I rode an elevator yesterday when the Peacekeepers took me to the Justice Building to say goodbye to my friends and family, but it was a dark, creaky thing that moved slower than a snail and smelled strongly of mildew. This elevator has crystal walls that allow you to see the city disappearing below you as you shoot up to your floor. My breath catches as we ride up and I want to ask if we can ride again, but that seems a little immature. While we're riding up to our floor, Effie compliments us not only on our costumes, but how we conducted ourselves. Apparently, she's been talking us up to everyone she knows here in the Capitol to win us sponsors.

"I've been very mysterious, though." She says. "Because, of course, Haymitch hasn't bothered to tell me your strategies. But I've done my best with what I had to work with. How Katniss sacrificed herself for her sister. How you've both successfully struggled to overcome the barbarism of your district."

Barbarism? Really? Coming from the woman who is helping us prepare to be slaughtered in a few days time that seems a little ironic. And where exactly is our "success" coming from? That we know how to use a spoon and a fork? She continues despite our confused looks.

"Everyone has their reservations, naturally. You being from the coal district. But I said, and this was very clever of me, I said, 'Well, if you put enough pressure on coal, it turns to pearls!'" Effie beams at us so brightly that we only can respond enthusiastically to her cleverness, even though it's wrong.

Coal doesn't turn into pearls, pearls grow in shellfish. She might have meant that coal turns into diamonds, but that might not be true either, because we were taught in school that District 1 has a machine that can turn graphite into diamonds. But we don't mine graphite. That's what District 13 did until they were destroyed. I can't help but wonder if the people who Effie's been talking us up to all day know that, or care. Maybe they don't, they've got Games to watch.

"Unfortunately, I can't seal the sponsor deals for you. Only Haymitch can do that," says Effie grimly. "But don't worry, I'll get him to the table at gunpoint if necessary."

I'll give Effie credit; she has a certain determination that's respectable.

My quarters are larger than the upper half of the bakery back home, entirely high tech, and plush. I don't think I'll have time to push all the buttons. I decide to take a shower and quickly learn that it won't be an easy thing. There's over a hundred buttons on the control panel that regulate water temperature, pressure, soaps, shampoos, scents, oils, and massaging sponges. I end up pressing buttons at random and being pelted with alternating jets of icy and burning water, then being assaulted with oil that smells strongly of roses. When the attack from my shower is over, I step onto a mat that blow-dries my body.

I program the closet for an outfit to my taste and decide to further mess with the gadgets here in the quarters. I learn that the windows zoom in and out on various parts of the city, I try to capture the image of the city in my mind, liking the way it shines at night. The city outside makes me wish to be outdoors, even though I know that can't happen. I end up leaving the room anyway. I explore the rest of the floor, growing more and more restless. A few moments later, Cinna walks out of his room and sees me.

"Hello, Peeta" he says politely.

"Hello."

"How are you faring here?"

"It's very nice here." I answer, even though I'd rather be anywhere else in the world than here. The reminder of the imminent Games and what it means for me make me even more restless. "I wish I could go outside, though." I say laughing a little, trying to play it off as a joke, in case I'm being recorded.

"Well, actually, there is a place you can go." Says Cinna.

"Really?" I ask, surprised.

"Yes. Follow me." He turns and leads me to a flight of stairs that end up leading to the rooftop. The wind whistles at higher volume than on the ground below. One side of the dome has been turned into a garden, with flower beds and potted trees everywhere. Hundreds of wind chimes have been hung on the branches of the trees, adding a tinkling sound to the whistle of the wind. It's a nice place to be, a place that almost seems like it would be unable to exist in the Capitol. The calm of it makes me think of District 12, a place that was safe for me. This place almost seems too safe considering where I am.

"Aren't they afraid of tributes jumping over the edge?" I ask Cinna.

"They can't," he says and he walks over to the edge of the rooftop and stretches his hand out, but he quickly jerks it back. "There's some sort of force field there. It'll just send whatever is thrown over back up."

"Oh." I say, walking over to the edge of the building, breathing in the cool, windy air, feeling it calm me down a bit. Cinna watches me for a moment, and then speaks.

"You and Katniss did very well out there tonight."

"Thank you." I know we have the Capitol's attention, especially, Katniss. So I'm thankful for what Cinna and Portia gave us.

"And thank you for understanding what I meant. How I wanted you two to hold hands."

"You're welcome."

"So, how well do you know Katniss?"

"Not very well," I know her well I think to myself. She just didn't know me at all until the reaping.

"I see. You two would be around the same age?" he asks. I nod as an answer.

"Well, I had just been wondering. How do you like Portia?"

"She's very good. And your costume idea was terrific." I say, glad for the subject change.

"That's good." Just like Portia, Cinna's not what I would've expected. One thing I notice is that he doesn't bring up going into the arena at all. Not my strategy or my skills. This helps, since the Games and the arena just make me more restless. Just then, Portia walks onto the rooftop. "Dinner's almost ready," she says. "We'd better get down there."

I follow Cinna and Portia down the flight of stairs that leads back in, and through to the dining room. We wait on the balcony for Katniss, Effie, and Haymitch to arrive. Katniss and Effie arrive a few minutes later. We all sit down at the table and wait for dinner. Haymitch arrives just as dinner is being served. He's obviously dealt with a prep team of his own because he's clean and groomed and more sober than I've ever seen him. Even though he doesn't turn down the wine, I see him eat for the first time when the soup is served. Maybe he's actually pulling himself together to help us. Cinna and Portia have a civilizing effect on Effie and Haymitch, who address each other decently, which is a big change from how they usually are. They have nothing but praise for our stylists opening act. We all make small talk over dinner. Except Katniss, who has never been one for conversation. I want to start talking to her, but I still don't know what to say to start a conversation with her. So I stay mainly focused on the food. The food is all delicious and still the best things I've ever eaten: mushroom soup, bitter greens with tiny tomatoes, rare roast beef sliced paper-thin, noodles in green sauce, cheese that melts on your tongue with sweet blue grapes. All of our servers are young people dressed in white tunics. I try wine for the first time, since I might not get another chance to try it again. It has a dry, tart taste to it that I only take small sips of. Katniss switches her glass for a glass of water halfway through hers.

The talk has turned to our interview costumes when a girl sets a beautiful cake on the table and deftly lights it on fire. It blazes up then the flames flicker out after a few minutes of burning around the edges.

"What makes it burn?" Katniss asks, with a hint of doubt in her voice. "Is it alcohol?" She looks up at the girl who brought the cake. "That's the last thing I wa- oh! I know you!" The girl's expression turns into one of terror at Katniss's statement, and the entire table goes silent. Katniss has obviously said something very wrong. Confusion and unease begin to appear on Katniss's face.

"Don't be ridiculous, Katniss. How could you possibly know an Avox? The very thought." Snaps Effie.

"What's an Avox?" she asks, still confused. I understand her confusion, what's so bad about an Avox, whatever that is?

"Someone who committed a crime. They cut her tongue, so she can't speak," says Haymitch. "She's probably a traitor of some sort. Not likely you'd know her."

"And even if you did, you're not to speak to one of them unless it's to give an order," says Effie. "Of course you don't really know her."

I can see that Katniss still recognizes the girl, despite what Effie said. I can also see her increasing discomfort and the way the adults are all watching her like hawks. I snap my fingers. "Delly Cartwright. That's who it is. I kept thinking she looked familiar as well. Then I realized that she's a dead ringer for Delly." I say to the table, looking over at Katniss.

Delly Cartwright is my friend from school. She and I have been friend since we were young, and she was the first person I could think of, even though the Avox girl looks nothing like Delly. Katniss grasps onto my suggestion. "Of course, that's who I was thinking of. It must be the hair." She says, smoothly.

"Something about the eyes, too," I add. The energy at the table relaxes.

"Oh well, if that's all it is." Says Cinna. "And yes, the cake has spirits, but all the alcohol has burned off. I ordered it specially in honor of your fiery debut." He finishes, answering Katniss's original question.

We eat the cake and move into the sitting room to watch the replay of the opening ceremonies that's being broadcast. A few of the other couples made a nice impression, but it's still very obvious that we outshine them. Even our party lets out an "Ahh!" as they show us coming out of the remake center.

"Whose idea was the hand holding?" asks Haymitch.

"Cinna's" says Portia.

"Just the perfect touch of rebellion," says Haymitch. "Very nice."

I can see it right away. The other couples stood stiffly apart, not acknowledging their fellow tribute. As if the Games had already begun. Presenting ourselves as friends rather than adversaries had made us stand out like our costumes have.

"Tomorrow morning is the first training session. Meet me for breakfast and I'll tell you exactly how I want you to play it," says Haymitch to Katniss and me. "Now go get some sleep while the grown-ups talk."

We walk out together down the corridor to our rooms. When we get to Katniss's door, I lean against the frame, not blocking her entrance, but making sure I've got her attention. "So, Delly Cartwright. Imagine finding her look-alike here." I say, asking for an explanation. I can see the deliberation in her eyes, whether she should trust me or not, and whether or not we're being recorded and overheard. I want her to trust me, even if the circumstances almost entirely rule that out, but I can help with the threat of us being overheard. "Have you been on the roof yet?" I ask. She shakes her head. "Cinna showed me. You can practically see the whole city. The wind's a bit loud, though," I can see she gets my hint. We won't be overheard.

"Can we just go up?" she asks.

"Sure, come on," I answer. I lead her to the flight of stairs that leads to the rooftop. We can see the lights of the whole city around us. The cool, night wind blows around us as we walk over to the railing at the edge of the roof. She looks straight down at the streets buzzing with people. I watch her, coming up with something to say.

"I asked Cinna why they let us up here. Weren't they worried that some of the tributes might decide to jump right over the side?" I say to her.

"What'd he say?"

"You can't," I hold out my hand the way Cinna did and feel it suddenly jerked back after a small zapping noise. "Some kind of electrical field throws you back on the roof." I tell her.

"Always worried about our safety." She says with a bit of irony in her voice. "Do you think they're watching us now?" she asks.

"Maybe. Come see the garden." I lead her over to garden and the wind chimes, knowing that the sound will block out our voices if we speak quietly enough. I look over at Katniss, waiting for her explanation. She examines a blossom while she speaks. "We were hunting in the woods one day. Hidden, waiting for game." She whispers.

"You and your father?"

"No, my friend Gale. Suddenly all the birds stopped singing at once. Except one. As if it were giving a warning call. And then we saw her. I'm sure it was the same girl. A boy was with her, their clothes were tattered. They had dark circles under their eyes from no sleep. They were running as if their lives depended on it," She pauses for a moment, "The hovercraft appeared out of nowhere. I mean, one moment the sky was empty and the next it was there. It didn't make a sound, but they saw it. A net dropped down on the girl and carried her up, fast, so fast like the elevator. They shot some sort of spear through the boy. It was attached to a cable and they hauled him up as well. But I'm certain he was dead. We heard her scream once. The boy's name, I think. Then it was gone, the hovercraft. Vanished into thin air. And the birds began to sing again, as if nothing had happened." She finishes.

"Did they see you?" I ask quietly.

"I don't know. We were under a shelf of rock," the look on her face tells me she won't tell anymore about that part and I won't push her. I realize that she's trembling from the cold.

"You're shivering," I say. Before she can respond, I take off my jacket and wrap it around her shoulders. For a moment, she begins to take a step back, but then she lets me wrap the jacket around her. I may not be able to tell her how I really feel about her, but I can be friendly. A friend would do this, right?

"They were from here?" I ask, while I secure a button around her neck. She nods.

"Where do you suppose they were going?" Since District 12 is pretty much the end of the line, only wilderness and the smoldering remains of District 13 are outside of 12.

"I don't know that." She answers. "Or why they would leave here."

"I'd leave here." I rashly say. I look around nervously, hoping no one heard me. I laugh, "I'd go home if they let me. But you have to admit, the food is prime." I say, hoping that throws anyone who might be listening off my trail, trying to sound more like a scared tribute rather than someone contemplating the unquestionable goodness of the Capitol. "It's getting chilly. We'd better both go in." I say. As we leave, I try to talk to her. "Your friend Gale, he's the one who took your sister away at the reaping?" I ask.

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"Not really. I hear the girls talk about him a lot. I thought he was your cousin or something. You favor each other." To be honest, I've always been jealous of Gale Hawthorne. Because he can talk to Katniss when I've spent eleven years trying to put together some sort of conversation with her, and because they're almost always seen with each other.

"No, we're not related." She says. I feel my jealousy increase, without my permission. I nod, trying not to let it show on my face. "Did he come say good-bye to you?" I ask.

"Yes," she answers, watching me. "So did your father. He brought me cookies."

This surprises me. I know my father had always liked Katniss and her sister, but I'm actually surprised that he went and saw her in the Justice Building. Even though this is news to me, I'm glad he did though. I almost want to tell her how her sister came to me in the Justice Building. But I decide not to.

"Really? Well, he likes you and your sister. I think he wishes he had a daughter instead of a house full of boys." I tell Katniss.

This seems to surprise her. She and her sister are talked about by my family every now and then. How well Katniss shoots her game, how sweet her sister is, how polite they both are, how strong Katniss is. I don't contribute too much to these conversations. I've always been worried that I might slip up and show a stronger feeling than what's expected for the person who my father buys game from.

"He knew your mother when they were kids." I tell her. My father had actually once wanted to marry her mother as he once told me.

"Oh yes. She grew up in town," We've reached her door. Katniss hands me back my jacket. "See you in the morning then."

"See you," I answer. I turn and walk back to my room.

My mind is buzzing with the story Katniss told me, and the strange mixture of feelings I felt while talking to her. When I finally fall asleep, my dreams are haunted by the Avox girl as she's dragged away into the hovercraft and silenced forever to be a servant for tributes who will soon die, and me trying to help Katniss while she only glares at me, still seeing me as an enemy.