Hi there, I am here to present you with another chapter of Peeta's Story. Enjoy.
Portia leads me to an elevator that Effie and Katniss are about to step into. I follow them, but Portia doesn't accompany us. Effie presses a button labeled 12 and we shot up the elevator. Once we step off Effie is ecstatic about how she's been talking us up to everyone she knows.
"I've been very mysterious, though," she says squinting her eyes. "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."
What? Did she just say that? How can she talk about barbarism from the districts? The Capitol has more barbarism than the rest of the country. They send kids into and arena to fight to the death and she's telling everyone that good bet because of our table manners. I don't say anything because I know that she means to help us and she can't help how she was raised.
"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 says giving us an all teeth smile like she's the cleverest person in the world. We both respond enthusiastically to her cleverness. She has her information wrong. Coal doesn't turn to pearls. "Unfortunately, I can't seal the sponsor deals for you. Only Haymitch can do that," she says with a frown. "But don't worry, I'll get him to the table at gunpoint if necessary." I smirk at her because now I have to admire about her. Effie can be a bad ass all on her own. She leads us to our separate rooms. I walk into my room and in awe, again. The first thing I notice is all electronic stuff in the room. I walk into the bathroom and there is a large panel in the shower with hundreds of small buttons. They are all separated into categories. I decide that thing I should test is the shower. I undress and step in. I first scan the panel trying to figure out how turn the water on. The buttons are labeled with small text underneath them telling what it is. After what felt like three minutes, I find the right button. The shower turns on, but the steaming hot. I press the cold button and then I feel cold and hot water pouring over me. I start randomly pressing buttons and try to memorize their different actions. When I get frustrated with the panel after a half hour pressing. I ask to myself.
"How do I work this shit?" I step out on the mat and heaters start to blow-dry my body. Next to the shower there is some sort of box. I place my hand on it and electricity runs up my arm through to my scalp, drying my hair and letting it rest in straight waves on my head. I walk over to my bed and lay down. It feels like I'm laying in a bed of clouds. I hear knocking disturbing my peace and quiet. I open the door to find Cinna.
"Can I speak to you?" he asks. I nod my head and close the door behind me. I follow him to a stairway that leads to the roof. Once there, he turns around to face me. "Haymitch informed me of what you are planning to do. He said that you are planning to sacrifice yourself in the arena and take out as many tributes as you can so that Katniss can win."
"That is what I plan to do." I tell him. He turns away from me and looks over the city.
"Peeta, did you know that tributes are allowed up here?" I walk over and look over the edge. I feel a sudden urge to jump, but not for suicide.
"Wouldn't they be worried if a tribute tried to jump?" I ask.
"Stick your hand out." he says. I do and feel a sharp pain in my hand as if I'm getting electrocuted. I bring my hand in close to my chest. "They're not dumb asses." he says laughing quietly to himself. I start to wonder if this fashion genius is an undercover madman. "We have all agreed to try our best to help her." This comforts me, knowing that the whole team is going to try their best to make her win.
"Thank you." He looks back at the way we came in.
"Let's go back." he says. We walk back and see Portia waiting in the hallway.
"There you two are." she says relieved. She walks us over to where the dining room is, but leads us to balcony just outside the dining room. "So, how are you liking this place so far?" she asks me.
"The shower's a little confusing." I admit. They both laugh.
"There's a manual for that, if you want it." offers Cinna.
"No, thank you. I want to figure it out." I say declining his offer. He shrugs and then we hear footsteps behind us and we turn around to see Katniss and Effie. We all sit down at the table and Haymitch shows up shortly later. We get served a large plate of food and they offer all of us wine. I accept and so does Katniss, who sits to the left in front of me. For desert, we're served a cake that a red headed girl who looks about my age lights it.
"What makes it burn? Is it alcohol?" Katniss asks the girl. "That's the last thing I wa- oh! I know you!" She says looking up at the girl. The girl immediately shakes her head.
"Don't be ridiculous, Katniss. How could you possibly know an Avox?" Effie snaps at her. "The very thought." What's an Avox?
"What's an Avox?" Katniss echoes my thoughts.
"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 tell by the look on Katniss's face and the way she glances back at the girl and just stares at her plate that she does know this girl.
"No, I guess not, I just -" she stammers.
"Delly Cartwright. That's who it is. I kept thinking she looked familiar as well. Then I realized she's a dead ringer for Delly." She gives me a puzzled look and then raises her eyebrows figuring out what I'm doing.
"Of course, that's who I was thinking of. It must be the hair," she says.
"Something about the eyes, too." I add. I feel the tension relax.
"Oh, well. If that's all it is," Cinna says. "And yes, the cake has spirits, but all the alcohol has burned off. I ordered it specially in honor of your fiery debut." We eat the cake and then we're guided into the sitting room. We all sit on the couch and watch the opening ceremonies. When we appear on the screen, everyone, but me and Katniss, say "Ahh!"
"Whose idea was the hand holding?" asks Haymitch.
"Cinna's," answers Portia.
"Just the perfect touch of rebellion. Very nice." says Haymitch. I look over at Haymitch. He's smirking to himself. I avert my gaze to Katniss. She seems lost in deep thought. After it's the showing is over we all sit there in silence for a moment.
"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 turning his attention to me and Katniss. "Now go get some sleep while the grown-ups talk." Katniss and I stand up and walk down the hallways to our rooms. Although my room is a couple doors before Katniss's, I continue walking until we're in front of her door. I lean against the door frame turning her attention to me.
"So, Delly Cartwright. Imagine finding her lookalike here." I hope she knows what I mean. She doesn't respond, just stares down the hallway. I think she wants to talk where there's more privacy.
"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."
"Can we just go up?" she asks.
"Sure, come on." I tell her. She follows me up the stairs up to the roof. I hear her take a deep breathe. We walk over to the edge and she looks down.
"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.
"What'd he say?" she says looking up at me.
"You can't," I tell her. I hold out my hand like before and then when I feel the zap I pull it back. "Some kind of electric field throws you back on the roof."
"Always worried about our safety," she says. She looks around the area. "Do you think they're watching us now?" I look around too.
"Maybe," I admit. "Come see the garden." We walk over to the other side of the dome and stop in middle of the garden. I turn to her. She looks down at a blossom and examines it.
"We were hunting in the woods one day. Hidden, waiting for game," she whispers to me.
"You and your father?" I whisper back.
"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. Their clothes were tattered. They were running as if their lives depended on it," she says. Then, she stays quiet. "The hovercraft appeared out of nowhere. I mean, one moment the sky was empty and then 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 the girl 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."
"Did they see you?" I ask.
"I don't know. We were under a shelf of rock," she replies. She starts shivering.
"You're shivering," I tell her. She's looking down. I don't want her to get sick. So, I take off my jacket and wrap it around her. At first, I notice she takes a step back, but she accepts it anyway.
"They were from here?" I ask while buttoning the top button. She nods. "Where do you suppose they were going?"
"I don't know that. Or why they would leave here." I do. This place is so controlling. Even the districts.
"I'd leave here." I say loud enough to hear over the wind and chimes. I laugh. "I'd go home now if they let me. But you have to admit, the food's prime." I lied. Well it's not a really a lie. If I could I would…go back home with Katniss. At least, I'd know she'd be safe. "It's getting chilly. We better go in." We walk into the dome, where it's warm. we then start walking down the stairs. "Your friend Gale. He's the one who took your sister away at the reaping?"
"Yes. Do you know him?" No, and I really wouldn't want to. He gets to see you practically everyday. I think in my head. I guess I'm a bit jealous of him.
"Not really. I hear the girls talk about him a lot. I thought he was your cousin or something. You favor each other," I say. Even though it pains me to say that they favor each other, I want to know if she knows how other people see them.
"No, we're not related," she says. She didn't deny or agree to them favoring each other. I nod.
"Did he come to say good-bye to you?"
"Yes," she says pausing we've locked eyes now. "So, did your father. He brought me cookies." He did? Why would he bring her cookies and not me, his own son. I'm not being arrogant or anything. It just doesn't make sense. Then I realize he likes Katniss and Prim. I turn my gaze away from her and look ahead.
"Really? Well, he likes you and your sister. I think he wishes he had a daughter instead of a houseful of boys." I tell her. She looks ahead to where her door is. She takes off my jacket and hands it back to me.
"See you in the morning then."
"See you." I say and walk down the hall to my room. When I get there, I change clothes and crawl under the sheets and fall asleep just as my head hits the pillow.
Yay! I actually accomplished two chapters in one day. Anyway, review please. Tell me how you feel about how I'm writing Peeta's POV. I'm open minded about these things. Have a good rest of the day.
~ secretTHGluver ~