Alright, here is the third chapter of Peeta's Story. Hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Hunger Games.
Just as the anthem ends, we're guided into the Justice Building and placed in a room where I'm supposed to say goodbye to my loved ones. I look around my room. It's actually nice if it wasn't for the fact that this is the last time I'll be able to see my family. My parents come in first. My dad immediately pulls me into a hug. My mom just stands there with her arms crossed over her chest. When my dad releases me, he tells me.
"Look, son, I know you don't have the heart to kill anyone," that's true I don't want to kill anybody. "But please at least try to come home. I love you… remember that." I don't plan on coming home, but hearing this at least comforts my death sentence.
"Thank you dad, I love you too." I say. My eyes begin to get teary and I let one fall while I blink away the rest.
"Peeta," my mom tell me hesitantly," in the Capitol don't do anything foolish to disgrace your family." Typical, she can't just tell me that she cares about me. Not even if this is our last time seeing each other. "I have a feeling that this year District 12 might finally have a winner." I look at her with surprise. She didn't really tell me that did she. "She's a survivor, that one." I should take that as an insult, but I agree with her. Katniss is a survivor and I will try my best to make sure she wins. I look at my mom….really look at her as in look her right in her eye. I see sorrow and actual emotion. She quickly averts her glance to the door hoping that their time is up.
"I'll make sure the Kat's Rose will be fed," my dad tells me. Ever since my dad found out that I had a crush on Katniss we would talk in code about them. I remember the day he found out as if it was only eight years ago.
My brothers and I were walking home from school. We have a certain path to get back to the bakery that involves walking past the entrance to the Seam. Everyday, I watch Katniss walk home with Prim to their house in the Seam. So that day, I was watching them and walking at the same time. I didn't realize that Seth was talking to me and so when I looked at him I had walked straight into a wall. They were laughing the whole way home. My dad questioned what was so funny and they told him that I walked into a wall because I was preoccupied with something. Then they went upstairs to work on their homework. My dad sat me down to look at the red mark that appeared where I had hit myself.
"What happened? It's rare when you're lost in thought," he tells me. I wasn't sure if I should tell him especially with my mom in the next room, but I decided to anyway.
"I wasn't lost in thought. I was just watching my friend walk home," I admit to him. Katniss isn't my friend, but I don't think I can tell him the full truth.
"Which girl were you watching that caught you completely off guard or boy? I don't judge," he asks me raising his eyebrow. I'm the only one that he can humor with because everybody else takes it too seriously. Should I do it? I shouldn't do it. No, I should, he would understand.
"Katniss…." I say barely audible.
"What did you say I couldn't hear?"
"Katniss Everdeen." I say louder, but not too loud for anyone but my dad to hear. He sighs and looks at me for quite a while. I feel like I should walk away to my room and pretend like I didn't say anything.
"That actually…..explains a lot," he admits to me. "That's why you like to walk past the Seam on your to school and sometimes I see you stare at her whenever she walks past the bakery." So he has caught onto some of my habits. I nod. He smiles at me and walks back to his oven to get back to work.
My mom walks out immediately when she hears the knock on the door. Before my dad leaves, he turns around and tells me, "Remember, son, that you're your own person. You make your own decisions." then he walks out staring at the floor. My brothers then walk in.
"Congratulations," Brody tells me.
"Thanks."
"We're going to be here for you. Cheering you on," Seth adds giving my the hint of a sad smile. "I'm sorry for all the times I was an ass to you." Old school swearing. It's very popular lately. Old school swearing came before the Hunger Games and Dark Days, but it has caught on these days.
"Me too," Brody says to me giving a one armed hug.
"Thanks guys."
"You may not know it, but you can be a bad ass if you try," Seth tells me giving me a crooked smirk.
'I'll keep that in mind." With that said they walk out and my best friends Calum and Delly come in. They immediately hug me.
"How do you feel," she asks me after they release me.
"I'm fine."
"When you're there, Peeta, know that we're all here supporting you," Calum says to me. He gives me a quick one armed hug. "I gotta go back to my family. Good luck Peeta." he walks out leaving me and Delly alone. Delly also knows about my crush on Katniss.
"I'm worried that you might try something stupid in the Games, so tell me your plan right now." She always talks to me like I'm little brother even though I'm older than her by like four months.
"What do you mean?"
"As your best friend, I truly know that you don't plan on coming home and that you won't let anyone kill Katniss. So, what's your plan?"
"I don't know. I guess I could try to keep as many tributes away from her as possible." It's not really a plan or even a goal, just an idea. I don't have a plan and my goal is make sure Katniss comes home.
"Well….what if you have Haymitch help you. He is your mentor." she always tries to see the bright side to everything. I doubt Haymitch will be sober enough to give us any advice let alone help us with a plan.
"I doubt he'd help me." I pull her into a hug, but in the middle of our hug a Peacekeeper comes in and ushers her out. I sit down and the reality of never returning finally sets in. I'll probably be dead in a month. A part of me feels pride knowing that I'd be dieing to save someone else's life and probably her family as well and other families that really on trading with her for fresh game. So, in reality, I'd be saving multiple lives.
Once at the train station, I regret crying because the photographing me looking like a wimp and the other tributes probably would see me like a weakling. We have to stand in the middle of the doorway for a few minutes before we're let on the train. I look around the tribute train. It is even nicer than inside the Justice Building. I'm in complete awe looking all around me. I think the whole bedroom itself is bigger than the bakery and this is only on the train. I can't imagine what the Training Center will look like. I decide to take advantage of the warm bathroom and take a warm shower. At home, by the time it's my turn to take a shower the water is cold. After I shower, I put on a comfortable white shirt and some comfortable faded light blue pants. I hear Effie knock on my door telling me it's time for supper. I follow her to the Dining Car and take a seat. She leaves to call Katniss. I sit there in silence until Haymitch staggers through the door.
"Boy tell her I'm going to take a nap," he says a least that was what it sounded like to me. He walk through the other door and disappears. A little while later Effie shows up with a refreshed Katniss in a green top with a little gold bird pinned to it.
"Where's Haymitch?" asks Effie brightly.
"Last time I saw him, he said he was going to take a nap," I inform them.
"Well, it's been an exhausting day," she says. Is it just me or is she actually happy he isn't here with us. I would be too, but I need to talk to him about how I'm suppose to protect Katniss. I need to get him alone.
We eat our supper in different courses. One after the other. We all get thick carrot soup, green salad, lamb chops and mashed potatoes, cheese and fruit, and even a chocolate cake. Nobody speaks except for Effie, who keeps reminding us to save space because more is coming. I don't care what she says; this has to be the best food I've ever eaten. By the time we're finishing the main course Effie comments on our manners.
"At least, you two have decent manners," she tells us. "The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion."
I knew the pair last year. They were two kids from the Seam that from time to time I've seen eat food scraps from the floor that has been stepped on and everything. I don't even think they ever had hardly anything to eat in their lives. So, I don't blame them when they were given food and they didn't bother with table manners. If I were like them, I wouldn't either. But, my mom made us learn all sorts of manner and how to present ourselves in public. If we ever broke any of those presentation rules of hers, she would hit us with anything in arms reach.
I think what Effie said disturbed Katniss because now she's eating the rest of her meal with her fingers. It bothers Effie, I can tell. This is one of the reasons, why I love Katniss. If she doesn't like what you say or what you do, she lets you know one way or another. I've seen this type of attitude from watching her at school.
By the time, we're done I feel like I might explode or something. I also feel nauseous. I glance at Katniss, she looks like she's going to be sick. I think I am too. Effie then guides us to another compartment to watch the recap of the reapings. They show the reaping District by District. First, District 1 all the way until District 12. I watch the reapings go by and the faces of my competition. Some of the tributes, I'm a little a worried about, but others I don't think will last very long. I could be wrong of course. From District 11, I see a little girl, 12 years old like Prim, get reaped, but no one volunteers for her. I feel extremely bad for this girl even if I don't know her. I feel even worse realizing that I'm suppose to make sure she's dead along with all the other tributes for Katniss to go home. I don't think I can do this. I notice a few things, that I didn't realize happen at our reaping. I didn't know Haymitch fell off the stage or that people saluted Katniss.
"My hair looked awful because of Haymitch. Your mentor has a lot to learn about presentation. A lot about televised behavior." she sounds like my mother. Just the thought of Haymitch learning about presentation is funny to me. I laugh and they stare at me.
"He was drunk. He's drunk every year." I tell them. To my surprise Katniss smirks at Effie and adds that he's drunk everyday. Effie looks upset know.
"Yes. How odd you two find it amusing. You know your mentor is your lifeline to the world in these Games. The one who advises your, lines up your sponsors, and dictates the presentation of any gifts. Haymitch can well be the difference between your life and your death!" As if on cue, Haymitch staggers in and says something I don't catch and then vomits. It's really disgusting to watch; I feel my supper coming up. He then collapses in his own vomit. "So laugh away!" says Effie as she hops away around the mess and disappears behind the automatic door. Shit! She's right. I think it's time to get serious.
I hope you like. It felt like a long chapter to type , but it's worth it. Review please and may the odds be ever in your favor.
~ secretTHGluver ~