Flower Born of Flame

Chapter 3

Delicious.

That was really the only thing Katniss could think of as she slowly pulled the fork from her mouth. As she did, she pursed her lips together as tightly as possible as so there was absolutely nothing left on her eating utensil. There had only been one time in her life where she had tasted cake before that moment, but even then it hadn't been nearly as heavenly moist and creamy as the one in front of her. And it had most definitely not been chocolate either.

It was the absolute best thing about her entire day. Considering that the day began with her sister's name being drawn out of the reaping ball, there wasn't a lot that would have cheered her up. But somehow this was doing just fine. The fancy, already half-eaten, brown pastry that sitting in front of her was light and fluffy, coated with an equally richer and smoother icing that tasted like velvet going down her throat.

As she was eating Katniss had to hold back a moan of delight.

She didn't want to draw the attention of her dining companions. Katniss was having such a good experience that she knew it would end the moment she was interrupted. And she didn't want that to happen. Indulging in the pastry almost let her forget that she wasn't at home, relatively safe with her family. Almost.

But Katniss wasn't home. No, instead she was in the fanciest place she'd ever seen, the dinning car on the train that was taking her to the Capitol. It was something that she didn't want to think about at that exact moment. Not while she was experiencing the best thing that had ever come in contact with her tongue.

But not thinking about it didn't detract from the fact of one important thing.

She hated this.

Katniss hated being there. She hated knowing that with each passing second she was only too closer to meeting her impending doom. Each time she felt the room around her moving she was reminded that this may have been her final chances at experiencing different things. When she looked out the window to see the world passing by, Katniss realized that she was that much closer to the Capitol.

The Capitol where she was probably going to have to kill one of her dining companions of that evening.

As Katniss quietly chewed she couldn't help but look around to the ones that were sitting with her at the table. Effie Trinket had seated herself besides Katniss, changed out of her green suit and into something that Katniss could only describe of as a casual dress.

It was Effie's form of casual anyway. Still donning her complementary pink wig, she had dimmed down the colors in her make-up for the evening. The bright magenta beaded dress had a skirt that looked too tight to walk in, and her very high-heels helped this matter. The neckline to the dress went down far enough that Effie was practically spilling out of it every time she leaned forward, but she didn't seem to even notice or care.

Admittedly, Katniss had changed too. After her arrival on the train, Effie had led Katniss to her own 'chambers', and before leaving Effie instructed her to change before she came back to retrieve Katniss for dinner. The chambers themselves were simply a set of three rooms; a bedroom, dressing room and bathroom. For the first several minutes of being inside, Katniss had to take the time to look around because the space was so overwhelming. The dressing room scared her with its automatically opening closets and drawers, that she didn't even attempt looking through all the clothes she had been given.

But not wanting to disobey, she made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. After trying to figure out how to operate the shower with all its various buttons and knobs, somehow she'd found both her hair and body clean, smelling of mint and had all the hair on her body, besides her eyebrows and head, removed while inside. Katniss had just been thrilled to have her very first shower, since back home she bathed in a small tub and if she wanted the water hot, she had to boil it herself. So while she was showering she took her time to enjoy herself.

But apparently she had taken longer than she thought because as soon as she got out of the shower and dried – by the automatic drier no less – Effie popped into her rooms without asking and was buzzing about Katniss taking so long.

Only able to cling to a towel for decency, Effie dragged her into the dressing room and began pressing buttons without care. More worried about her state of undress than anything, Katniss practically let Effie choose her all her clothes. The only thing Effie stopped to ask was if she preferred a particular color.

Green.

Thankfully Effie complied in dressing her in green.

Only Katniss didn't expect that shade of green. The dress was a light mint green, a cotton fabric speckled in tiny black spots all over it. Effie even took the opportunity to help Katniss put the dress on, seeing as she'd never worn anything like it before. The straps tied at the back of her neck, leaving her back and shoulders uncomfortably exposed. It also pushed out and accentuated her chest, the sweetheart neckline showing more cleavage than she realized she had.

Katniss had never been particularly well endowed because of all the years she had spent going hungry. Her body didn't have enough fat to spare on her breasts. One wouldn't be able to tell that by looking at her in that dress. The bodice fitted tightly around her waist, and the skirt took advantage of her skinniness by fanning out from that point making it look like she was curvier than she was. The only good things about the dress was that it came down to her knees, and wasn't see-through.

Although Katniss wanted to go barefooted, Effie wouldn't let her leave the room unless there was something on her feet. Katniss compromised with a pair of black slippers instead of Effie's suggestion of heels. She knew she'd never be able to walk in the heels. After that, Katniss was then half-led, half-dragged to the dinning room, Effie muttering something about them being late the whole way.

By the time they got to the table and Effie forced Katniss into her chair, there were already two others present.

Sitting across from Effie's spot was none other than Katniss's alleged mentor, the previous victor Haymitch Abernathy. Katniss was surprised to even see him sitting there. As soon as they got on the train he'd grumbled about taking a nap before disappearing, and Katniss had been certain that she wouldn't see him until they arrived at the Capitol. But there he was, even wearing a new, albeit a little grungy, set of clothes.

It looked like it was a suit, but it was missing a the tie and vest, and the first couple buttons at the top of his shirt weren't fastened. He had even shaved and put on a clean set of clothes. Haymitch didn't bother looking up when they arrived, too preoccupied with sharpening a hunting knife that looked completely out of place along side the fancy silverware.

Last but not least, sitting across from Katniss herself and next to Haymitch had been her fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark. He had been nothing but nice since their first greeting, and that hadn't changed throughout the small time they were apart. Nothing but smiles and friendly conversation. It was almost beginning to annoy Katniss.

How was she supposed to kill someone so polite?

The blond-haired boy had changed as well, wearing slacks and a button-up shirt. It was fancy for District 12's standards, but it was probably casual for Capitol. When the pair of females entered the room, Peeta in the very least had the decency to look up, locking eyes with Katniss with a polite smile as she sat down.

Katniss tried to return the gesture. She was attempting to be nice for a reason; the baker's son looked uncomfortable. He was leaning away from their mentor ever so slightly. Katniss had early on realized she didn't like Haymitch that much. Was Peeta as uncomfortable around Haymitch as she was? How long was Peeta sitting there alone with Haymitch while they waited for Katniss? How long had Peeta had to put up with him? Katniss almost had to be polite to Peeta for this reason alone.

But what contradicted that in Katniss's mind was fact that Peeta was someone that she may have to kill once they got into the arena. Did it really make sense to be polite to a future enemy? What was she supposed to say – "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to kill you now"? Even to her it didn't make sense.

But for some odd reason Katniss couldn't find it in herself to be rude.

So Katniss decided to smile back at him. Only when she returned the small gesture, Katniss couldn't help but notice how Peeta immediately snapped his bright blue eyes away from her gaze a second later. She saw redness form around his cheeks before he cleared his throat. Placing his elbows on the table and gathering his hands together in front of him, he more or less hid his face behind his hands as he turned to look away.

A blush?

Did she look odd?

Was the dress inappropriate?

As Katniss looked over herself, she didn't have time to ask or ponder over this because in the next moment Effie began to rave about how much nicer Katniss looked. Katniss hadn't really done that much, just bathed and changed her clothes, but Effie made it sound like a very big deal. The woman even poked at the males across the table for them to agree with her.

Haymitch made a noise that sounded like a mix between a grumble and cough after giving her a quick once-over, but that was it. That was as good as a yes from him. Peeta on the other hand smiled charmingly at Effie and agreed with her, but that was it. Her fellow tribute glanced in her direction but avoided looking her in the eye.

How odd. Peeta was perfectly fine looking at the pinked-haired Effie, with her bright lips and eyelids, but not the plain Katniss. Katniss briefly wondered why, but became too distracted to dwell on it as soon as her first course of food was presented.

After that, Katniss could only think about consuming the delicious and mouth-watering plates that were being placed before her. There was a creamy soup and a crisp salad. Then the main course, followed by smaller courses of fruit and cheese. Katniss did the best she could not to become involved in the conversation throughout the meal. The food was too good to care.

Besides, most of the dinner consisted of Effie rambling on about their schedule in the next few days.

Dominating the conversation, Effie only received willing responses from Peeta. Katniss noted how well he was able to speak so that it cheered up Effie. Nothing Peeta said made her frown. And Katniss knew not everything he was saying was perfectly true. Like when Effie pressed for details about District 12, he twisted things to sound better than they were. But the way Peeta described things to Effie made it believable. And it wasn't just for Effie's sake either. Had she not known the facts, Katniss would've believed him too. Peeta was just naturally able to have that affect on people.

Katniss was glad for his efforts to keep Effie in a good mood. Haymitch sure wasn't going to help. He didn't eat much, mostly picking at the dishes placed in front of him. Every now and then he'd retrieve a vile he stashed in his coat pocket and would pour from it a clear liquid into his glass. Katniss could smell it was alcohol. Every now and then when Effie prodded more, Haymitch would work up a grumble before going back to his food.

But that was it.

Not that Katniss was helping with Effie much either. She stayed as quiet as possible. Katniss was just enjoying her food too much. Towards the end of the meal she regretted wearing such a tight dress, her stomach needing the extra space to expand. Only all those thoughts disappeared as soon as she saw her dessert.

And that was the chocolate cake that she was taking her good time to finish. She didn't know the next time she'd have this again. The cake was okay, but she was more concerned about the chocolate. It was probably the best thing about the Capitol; they had chocolate. She didn't want to forget the taste of it, so she savored every last bite.

Even as she swallowed her last bite, Katniss made sure to spend a few extra seconds sucking the left-over residue on her fork. She didn't even care if Effie made a comment about it. Only after she'd done this, she was only too disappointed when she turned back to her plate to see it empty. She practically made a face, but restrained herself.

Well, she knew it could only last so long.

Katniss then was suddenly jolted from her thoughts when a half-eaten slice of the very same cake slid and collided with her own. The clinking of the fine china made her jump slightly. The hand attached to the plate then slid back to the other side of the table. Following the limb to its owner, Katniss was able to finally meet Peeta in the eye once again. And for a split second they looked at each other without expression. Then, Katniss blinked several times in confusion.

What was happening?

Why did he put his own serving in front of her?

He hadn't finished it, so why was he showing it to her?

All these questions went through her head over the course of several seconds. So before Katniss could open her mouth to ask them aloud, the blond haired boy merely smiled charmingly. "Go ahead," he said reassuringly. "I don't want the rest."

It then dawned on her. Peeta was giving it to her. Katniss felt a little stupid that the thought had never occurred to her. But with her history with food, could she really be blamed? At first Katniss wondered why he would do such a thing, but then she thought about it.

A baker's son. The same baker that had given her cookies before departing. Peeta had access to cake all the time. So it probably wasn't something special to him. Surely Peeta knew Katniss didn't share that luxury. Could that be why he was giving her his share?

Why was Katniss finding it almost impossible to dislike this boy?

Having locked eyes with him for the second time that night, Katniss realized she'd paused much too long. Peeta hadn't looked away from her yet. Oddly enough she didn't feel odd. Katniss merely gave the most genuine smile she could muster before she cleared her throat. "Thank you," she replied calmly.

Their held glance held for a few more seconds before Haymitch suddenly let out an exaggerated sigh and then cleared his throat loudly. Like it had snapped them back into reality, instantly Peeta looked away again. This time his blush couldn't be hidden as their mentor slapped him rather harshly on the shoulder, and his arms crashed forward onto the table with a clunk.

"What's the matter, eh? Not good enough for ya?" Haymitch croaked out harshly. They were the first real words he said all night.

Peeta regained his composure easily for a reply. "No, I just can't eat anymore," he brushed off like it was nothing. Katniss had moved the cake in front of her while he spoke, her fork pausing before she dug into it. Peeta did look a little green. The food really was richer than what they were both used to. Katniss had been ready to feel the same way before dessert arrived. "Besides I've had things like this before."

Effie had been quiet for too long. "Oh?" she chimed in cheerfully. "How is that?" Leave it to Effie to make such a simple question sound condescending. Was District 12 so poor that Effie couldn't fathom how Peeta could possibly have access to something like the dessert in question? Katniss knew that Effie probably meant nothing by it, but it still irritated her.

"Peeta's father is the town baker."

Three sets of eyes went landed on Katniss as she continued to stare down at her dish. Katniss realized the words came out before she had the chance to stop them. She had just wanted to set Effie in her place. As she sat there quietly, she realized that Effie probably was really that ignorant. Was it Effie's fault? Effie had probably never spent more than a few hours in District 12, and she'd only in the Justice Building at that. She had no idea what the citizen's lives were like. With this in mind, Katniss decided not to say anything else before she took a bite out of Peeta's – now her serving of cake.

Effie didn't seem to notice Katniss's tone. "Really?" Effie asked as brightly as ever. "How delightful! The town's baker – you mean the same man that gave you those cookies in your room?"

Katniss paused when she realized her chaperone was talking to her, and looked up at everyone at the table. All three of them were looking at her expectantly. Only, Katniss had just placed another fork-full of cake in her mouth when she'd been given the question. Without the ability to speak, she just nodded her head up and down briefly.

Effie seemed pleased with this answer, so she dropped the topic of sweets and started going off on another tangent.

But Effie wasn't the one that Katniss was watching afterward.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katniss could see as Peeta's brow wrinkled while she had been answering Effie. He was … surprised? It was like he didn't know about the gift his father gave to Katniss. Hadn't he known? His own father had come to visit Katniss, even offered to feed her family while she was away. Had Peeta really not known? Hadn't that been his strategy - to make Katniss feel he wasn't a threat?

Katniss then stopped eating. She was examining Peeta, but he wasn't looking at her. Slowly she let her arm drop until her fork was on the table. For the strangest reason she wasn't hungry anymore. Actually, she felt nauseous. But it wasn't because of the food.

It dawned on Katniss that Peeta wasn't a bad person. He was actually a very good person. He wasn't entertaining Effie or putting up with Haymitch for his own benefit; he was just doing it because he was kind. It had been the same reason why he gave her his cake. The same reason why all those years ago he'd burned the bread on purpose, just so that he could give it to her.

The uneasiness in Katniss's stomach increased. This had to get harder, didn't it? There was no way this was going to be easy. She had promised Prim that she'd win the Hunger Games. And winning the Games meant that she was going to be the last one standing in the arena. That meant that Peeta was going to have to die. Katniss herself might even have to kill him.

And here he was, making it impossible for her to do that.

In that moment, Katniss realized that she couldn't possibly kill Peeta. He was just too good. A purely good person. And he was so much better than even Katniss was then or could ever dream of becoming. And the world was already lacking heavily on good people.

How was she ever going to be able to bring herself to take that away?

(A/N: Hi there again. Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear responses from everyone. Since many of you were confused about a particular detail in the first two chapters, I wanted to clear things up a little bit. In the 1st two chapters, Katniss is in the arena during the 75th Hunger Games, not the 74th. So it's happening during the Quarter Quell. Also, she has not been there for 9 months ... more like a few days. This is all the details I can give to you without revealing too much of what is to come. (I'm not spoiling the surprise for all of you |-P) Anyway, thanks again and I hope to update again really soon.)