Chapter 3

I was about to sit on the wooden chair Peetas' oldest brother had brought in when Rye blocked my way and pointed at the sofa

'Guests get the god seats.' He said then smiled at me. Mother, Mrs Mellark and I squeezed onto the sofa while Mr Mellark sat on the arm chair with Peeta's brothers on the wooden seats.

The room was plain but cosy, it had a fire which was a hole in the wall that linked to the bakery which I'm assuming they used to cook bread as well, judging by the fact there was a dozen rolls in there getting browner every time I glanced in their direction.

The show started with some music and a fancy intro of Caesar Flickerman in all his colourful glory talking to the previous victors in their interview, just like Katniss is about to have now.

This year he is Calla-lily white in the face, which stands out against his blue suit covered in light-bulbs. His hair and lips match. I think he was going for a night sky look. His head looked like a grinning moon, but I don't think this was intentional. He looks so young, even though this is about his 40th year of hosting the interviews, the Capitol people can afford to get wrinkles taken away, and fat removed from their bellies when they over eat. Not that that's a possibility in 12. His tacky jokes make us all laugh nervously, but as it is every year, he starts with the girls from district 1.

She has huge green eyes that look at Caesar with little emotion, as if she is above it all. Her hair is an amazing blonde and her body tall and has curves in the right places, from the look Rye and his brother her giving the screen. She doesn't say much, but when she does she has great comical timing. The buzzer goes off and the boy comes on. The girl from 2 then comes on, then the boy. As the boy comes on I feel scared he's going to jump out the screen and kill someone. All the other districts go by but I don't pay much attention, except for the district 10 boy. He won't last long, he is crippled and Caesar doesn't ask too many questions that require worded answers, unlike the girl from 5 and 1.

The girl from 11 goes on and as the camera follows her i can see a lot of myself. We have similar bone structure and even though she has beautiful dark skin, we look very similar. Her dress suits her but makes her look tiny and not at all deadly. Then the boy from her district comes on. He's huge and says nothing to Caesar, as if not looking at him will make him disappear. I hope Katniss doesn't bump into him in the arena. She'd be good as dead.

Then my sister comes on. Mother gasps and looks at me. Katniss' dress is beautiful. As she moves towards Caesar, her dress catches the light and makes her look like she's being engulfed in flames. No, she IS the flames.

'So Katniss, the capitol must be quite a change from district 12. Whats impressed you most since you got here?' Caesar asks her

She pauses and looks down at her hands. Then looks up at him and grins ' The lamb stew.'

Everyone laughs at this, because Katniss would obviously say food.

'The one with the dried plumbs in it?' He laughs 'Oh I eat it by the bucket full. It doesn't shoe does it?' he rubs his belly and looks into the camera.

'No!' we all say.

He then asks her about her costume and she says how she couldn't have asked for better. It doesn't seem like Katniss. She's acting like a bimbo. He then chats to her a bit, but I don't really listen. I'm trying to work out if this is her game plan. To act dumb and seem harmless and away with the faeries so she can kill before they blink twice at her. Before I noticed she was standing up and being applauded as she walked off, the camera following her every move.

Peeta stood up and walked towards Caesar in his suit that matched Katniss'. He looked handsome and healthy; I could practically hear a collective gasp from the girls in 12 who never noticed him before.

'So Peeta, you're a baker?'

'Yes I am, I mostly do the kneading and decorate the cakes.'

'Oh, Ladies a strong and sensitive one! What do you decorate the cakes with?'

'ah, mainly flowers and birds actually, sometimes if we have thick enough icing I'll do bigger flowers, like daffodils.'

'Oh how sweet! So whats the best thing since you came here?'

'much like Katniss, I think the food is the best. Especially the hot chocolate.'

'Do you get that a lot in 12?'

'No not really. Dad got Mum for her thirtyfit- twentyfith birthday'

The whole of Panem laughs.

'Oh Peeta, how old is she?'

'psh, twenty five like I said'

Peetas mum makes a choked sobbing sound.

'Okay son, whatever you say' and Caesar winks at him. ' What have you been up to in your spare time?

'Drawing mostly since I have the materials, and experimenting with those confusing but amazing showers.'

'Oh the ones with the blowdry setting? I love those!' says Caesar

'Yeah, I managed to accidently make myself small of roses when I wanted lemon. I did eventually find lemon, but tell me Caesar, do I still smell of roses?'

'Why let me see..' he starts sniffing Peeta like a dog 'hum I don't know one second….' Everyone starts laughing at Peetas' comical expressions as Caesar sniffs all over his body for roses.

'Nope I think you're all clear Peeta!' Says Caesar ' What do you think about the other tributes?'

He compares them to bread, 'Cato Thresh and the other Careers are like Rockcakes, hard and impossible to swallow.' He winks at them and Glimmer eyes him up seductively ' uh, Rue is like a finger roll, small and delicately made.' He compares a few others then finally comes to Katniss ' Katniss, shes like an average souproll, hard on the outside, but soft on the inside'

Everyone pauses for a moment

'Now Peeta young man, do you have a girlfriend back in twelve'

'agh uhum eee, no.' Peeta says and shakes his head unconvisingly.

'Handome young lad like you? There must be some special girl. Come on, whats her name?'

Peeta looks uncertain then after some encouraging cheers from the crowd shifts forward in his seat closer to Caesar.

'Well there is this one girl. I've had a cruch on her ever since I can remember. I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was even alive until the Reaping.'

The crowd made some sympathetic sounds and looks heartbroken or the camera

'She have another fellow?'

'I don't know, but a lot of guys like her.'

'So here's what you do, you win, you go home. She can't turn you down then eh?'

He Peeta sighs and looks down as he fiddles with the bottom of his jacket.

' I don't think it's going to work out. Winning….won't help in my case.' He says looking heartbreakingly sad.

'Why ever not?' asks Caesar, genuinely confused.

His leg bounces.

'Because….because…' he looks into the camera 'she came here with me.'

Thanks for reading, no copyright intended! So sorry I haven't posted in ages I've been so busy. Please read my Peetas POV!