Part 9
We were walking down the stairs and back through the door. We had to go back to Haymitch so we knew what was going to happen. Why wouldn't he want us to stand out? Why wouldn't we want them to remember us? Why wouldn't he want us to have a score that stood out? I was so confused, but we were at the living room and Peeta turned around to face me. "You are going to have to apologize, as well as myself." He said. I was planning on doing that anyway but then he took me to the roof. "No problem." I said. And we turned the corner. Everyone was still at the dinner table, still eating. Effie and the stylists turned and looked at us. Haymitch seemed amused with his glass of red wine. Drunk again. Peeta was the first one to talk, "We have a problem. But first, we wanted to say sorry about our earlier behavior." Peeta looked at me and I looked at the rest of them. Haymitch had finally looked up from his wine and stared at me like he was just waiting for me to come back and apologize. The stylists seemed like it didn't matter to them, that we were right on our behavior. But Effie, oh boy! She was waiting for me to say it so she could rant on and on about manners and being polite. Effie was like that though, but sometimes she says the wrong things at the wrong time, or doesn't say anything when she should. "I am truly sorry about what I said, I hope you can forgive me." I guess I was sorry in some ways. I didn't like getting mad at people, and I usually just hold it in. Effie was about to say something about my manners, but Peeta cut her off. "Haymitch, I forgot to tell Prim that she wasn't supposed to be noticed. Not much anyway. And she is probably the talk of the whole game maker room. Well, why don't you let her tell you what happened." He looked at me, as well as everyone else. I didn't want to tell everyone what I did wrong. "Well," I started. I told them everything I had just told Peeta on the roof. Them laughing at me, where my arrows ended up at, how I got snobby with them, and how they reacted to everything. Everyone, except Cinna, were in the outmost shock. Even Haymitch who, even drunk, still seemed to understand everything that was going on. Why was everyone shocked about this? What did I do that was so wrong? "Uh, guys? Why is it so wrong that they will remember me?" Haymitch stood up and walked over to me. "Prim," He said "Most of the career tributes get the best score right? You do know who the careers are right?" Of course I do. The tributes from 1, 2, and 4. They train their whole life with weapons and survival so when they turn 18, they volunteer to bring pride to their district and their family. They are the best of the best, and even though tributes aren't supposed to train before the games, they do. The capitol likes the things they get from those districts the best, so they have always been the favorites. I nodded my head. "Well," Haymitch went on "Since they are well known the go after people together in the arena. Their training scores usually range between 7 and 9. The game makers don't give out very high scores. But when another tribute gets a higher score than a career, that's who they go after first. If you or Peeta get higher than a career, they are going to try to go after you two. If only one of you gets a higher score, they are still going to kill you both. If Peeta still wants to stay and protect you after what has happened." Peeta made a look at Haymitch, like he wanted to hit him right then and there. The careers are the most powerful, but has anyone ever done anything about them? "Uh, Haymitch? Has anyone ever tried to do better than the careers and actually try to fight them?" He thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "No, no one has ever had the guts to. Why?" I realized what I could do, to show the Capitol something they had never seen before. "Well, I think it's time someone did." We sat on the couch and chairs around the giant TV. Everyone sipping on some fruit drink, but biting on the straws. We were all nervous as we were just minutes away from seeing our training scores. I looked at everyone's anxious faces and thought about what I might have done. Though Mr. Tester is right, this would just be the first step of defying the Capitol. I wasn't sure what else to do, so I would just have to think about it in the arena, but not with Peeta. Nothing I said would be safe anymore. Not even on the roof. Then the screen turned on and a familiar booming voice hit the speakers. Ceaser Flickerman. He was the one who interviewed all the tributes every year. Even my mother can't remember a time when he hadn't been the announcer. He also hosted the tribute parade, everything while we were in the arena, and the interview for the Victor after the games. But tonight, he would reveal our training scores and I was starting to get nervous. Since we are district 12, we were last. And the boy's score was always first so I am dead last. The first district boy pulled 8. That's about right for a career. The tribute girl got a 7. I started to think if I got higher than them if they would still come after me when the giant Thresh is still playing. With such a bigger competitor, maybe they will focus on him before they do me. The 12 year old that got a higher score for being a snob. I looked up in time to see that the boy from 2 got a 9, but the girl tribute got a 6. I wonder what she did for that. It is low for a career. The rest of the tributes were around the 3,4, or 5, But then, the boy from 11 pulled a 7. For a regular tribute, that is amazing! The little girl, Rue, she only got a 4. Maybe when we get in the arena, we can team up. If Peeta and I both die, I want little Rue to win, considering she is my age. Then, on the screen, Peeta's face appeared. Everyone in the room got really quiet and leaned forward. "From District 12," Said Ceaser "Peeta Mellark, with a score of, 7" Everyone cheered! It was about in the middle so not many careers would focus on him, not right away. I looked at Peeta and said "Good job!" and I gave him a big, full hearted smile. He smiled back and gave me a hug, and said in my ear "No matter what you get, I'm still protecting you." And turned back to the screen, just in time for my face to appear. I never actually looked at myself in the mirror since I showered here. "And lastly, Primrose Everdeen, with a score of." He paused and made a face. Was that good or bad? "With a score of, 10." Everyone went silent. No one, not even the servants, were breathing. I got a higher score than all of the careers. All of the Tributes. I looked at Haymitch, who glanced at me-nothing mean or rude- and turned to Peeta. "You better do a good job protecting her, because she is the first person the careers are going after." Relevant