Chapter 3 – Compliments
"Are you all right?" Peeta asked, his arms still wrapped around her.
She pulled away, forcing him to let go. "I'm fine," she muttered, looking past his broad shoulders and directing her attention to Fulvia.
"Why is he here?" she hissed at the pink-skinned woman. "I thought we had a deal."
"Peeta is going to the Capitol to give you some baking lessons as part of the training you'll need for the show."
Katniss sat down on the couch across from Fulvia.
"Why do I need baking lessons?" While Katniss waited for Fulvia to answer, Peeta sat down next to her. Immediately she shifted to put more space between their bodies.
"Katniss, this show is all about you finding a husband. If you're going to be someone's wife, it would help if you had some domestic skills. I know you hunt but it's not a very feminine skill."
As soon as Fulvia mentioned the purpose of the show, Katniss grew warm. She was embarrassed that Fulvia was discussing it in front of Peeta. Like she needed a television show to help her find a husband because no one in District 12 wanted her.
She wondered what Peeta was thinking. How much had Fulvia told him about the show? Because other than her family and the little she had told Gale, no one was even supposed to be aware that she was involved. As far as Katniss knew the show had never even been advertised.
A waiter dressed in a white jacket and black pants entered the train car, carrying a tray. He set it on the dining table that was next to the window.
"Lunch is here," Fulvia said. "Let's move over to the table."
Peeta and Katniss followed Fulvia and sat down. Katniss chose to sit next to Peeta, rather than across, because she didn't want him staring at her while she ate. Cressida joined them, but Castor had disappeared. There was little conversation, as everyone focused on the food.
The meal arrived in courses. First they were served a thick carrot soup. It was followed by a green salad. The main course was lamb chops and mashed potatoes. Dessert included cheese, fruit, and chocolate cake.
Katniss had never seen that much food served at one time. She ate so much that by the end, when she was licking the last bit of chocolate frosting from her fork, she was queasy. She sneaked a peek at Peeta who had eaten even more than her. He too, looked a bit nauseous.
After the waiter had cleared the table, Fulvia directed them to another compartment of the train, which had several chairs and a sofa arranged around a large television.
"The first advertisement for the show will be airing soon," she announced.
Katniss sat in a chair, refusing to sit next to Peeta who had taken a seat on the sofa. A news program played on the television. It was a gossip show that had segments about the activities of Capitol celebrities that Katniss had never heard about. It ended with a short segment featuring Finnick Odair's new beach house in District 4.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Fulvia said excitedly when Finnick's face appeared on screen, "I may have nailed down Finnick to be the District 4 contestant for the show."
Katniss gulped. Finnick Odair would be one of the men wooing her? Finnick was something of a legend in Panem. Winner of the 65th Hunger Games, he was tall and athletic, with golden skin, bronze-colored hair, and sea green eyes. He was clearly one of the most sensuous people on the planet. But Katniss could honestly say he'd never been attractive to her. The thought that he would be plying his charms on her was kind of creepy.
It's a good thing Gale will be there, she thought, starting to feel nervous thinking about all the male attention she'd soon be getting.
Just then some loud music began to play on the television. Caesar Flickerman appeared sporting a midnight blue suit dotted with thousands of tiny electric bulbs that twinkled like stars. His hair was puffy blue, as well as his eyelids and lips.
"The big day has arrived," Caesar announced. "The start of our newest television show is underway. Just this morning, Katniss Everdeen of District 12 left her home to travel to the Capitol to be transformed into the star of The Match Game.
Katniss nearly jumped out of her chair as she watched a clip of herself appear on the screen. She was hugging Prim, and then her mother before entering the car. As the car drove off, she saw her mother and sister waving and falling into each other's arms before going back inside.
Immediately tears sprang to her eyes. She quickly blinked and wiped her hands across her face before they could fall down her cheeks. She's only been away from home a couple of hours now and already she was homesick. Nothing here reminded her of home.
Peeta coughed softly, causing Katniss to turn her head to glance at him. He gave her a sympathetic look, but she steeled her face to refuse his pity.
The picture on the screen returned to a headshot of Caesar who said that Katniss was traveling by train to the Capitol where she would spend the next several days preparing for the start of the show. The twelve male participants would arrive in the Capitol later in the week.
The screen shot widened to show a panel of people, all freakishly coiffed and made up in the Capitol fashion with tinted skin and tattoos and odd hair colors. They were sitting behind a long counter next to Caesar. He introduced them as Capitol beauty experts and asked each of them in turn what they thought of Katniss' appearance.
The first expert was a woman whose face had been surgically enhanced to look like a cat, with black and gold-stripped tattoos and whiskers implanted along the side of her flattened nose.
"The girl is too plain," she explained. "Her hair is dull, her eyes are squinty, her lips too thin. Her body has no shape. They will have their work cut out for them."
Katniss flinched as the freakish woman criticized her appearance. Her cheeks grew red. Did she need to listen to this?
"She's a fine one to talk." Katniss turned around to see Peeta muttering at the screen.
The next expert was a man with red skin, red hair, and red eyes. "Where did they get this girl?" he laughed. "If she's the best they can find in District 12, well that says it all."
Feeling utterly humiliated, Katniss wished she could disappear. She'd seen mean-spirited t.v. shows like this before, but she'd never thought she'd be the target of the insults.
Behind her, Peeta snorted at the man's critical remarks. "Where did they find this idiot?" he murmured.
Katniss glared at Fulvia. "I don't want to watch anymore of this."
A sympathetic look crossed Fulvia's face. "You realize that they do this first because it makes the show's stylist look so much better after you're made over. In just a few weeks all of Panem will be gushing over how beautiful you are."
Fulvia's words momentary brought comfort to Katniss, but then Cressida added, "once the show starts, every girl in Panem will want to be you. Every man in Panem will want to kiss you."
Feeling anxious, she stood up. "I'd like to rest now." She was tired; her full stomach was making her sleepy.
"Of course, that's a good idea." Fulvia gave her instructions on how to locate her sleeping quarters. Katniss started to leave the compartment when Peeta sprang to his feet.
"I'd like to rest too," he said. "Where do I go?"
"Just follow Katniss," Fulvia said. "Your room is just past hers."
"All right."
Katniss frowned. Why did Peeta have to follow her? She didn't want to talk to him.
Peeta didn't say anything as he walked behind her down the narrow corridor of the train to make their way to their compartments.
When she reached the door of her room and opened it, she gasped. Peeta, who had just walked past her, turned back to see what was the matter.
"Is anything wrong?" he called.
"No," she muttered, upset with herself for drawing his attention. "It's the room," she explained. "I didn't expect this."
Peeta had returned to stand behind her, looking at the room from over her shoulder.
Katniss had already thought the train was highly decorated with its fancy furnishings. But her sleeping quarters were so lavish that it surpassed the other rooms she'd already seen.
The room was finely decorated with a small built-in sofa and intricately carved table on one end, and a double-sized bed on the other. A brocade comforter that was embroidered with yellow flowers covered the bed. A tiny vanity table, complete with a mirror was next to the door.
"This is impressive," Peeta agreed.
He was standing so close behind her that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her ear as he spoke. A tiny shiver ran down her back and she stepped into the room to put space between them.
Instead of turning to leave, though, Peeta followed her into the room.
Kantiss turned to face him. "Isn't your room just past mine?" she questioned, in an attempt to dismiss him.
"It is. I wonder if it's as terrific as yours."
"Why don't you go and check it out," Katniss suggested, hoping he'd get the message that she didn't want him in her room.
"I will." Peeta paused for a moment and his face grew serious. "Katniss, don't listen to those t.v. commentators. They don't know what they're talking about. You're the prettiest girl in District 12. That's why you were picked to be on the show."
He quickly turned and exited the room, shutting the door behind him. Katniss stood looking at the closed door, her face growing pinker by the moment.
Why would Peeta say that to her? She knew she wasn't as homely as the commentators said, but she definitely wasn't the prettiest girl in the district. Peeta lived in town. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls with buxom figures surrounded him. How could he think a scrawny Seam girl with grey eyes and dark hair could even begin to compare?
Yawning, Katniss kicked off her shoes and lay down on the bed to rest. She'd hardly slept the past few nights due to nervousness. It seemed like she'd only been resting a few minutes when she heard someone knocking at the door.
She got up quickly, feeling a bit dizzy for a moment from the motion of the train, and then walked over to open it. It was Peeta.
"Dinner is ready. Everyone is waiting for you."
She nodded and then turned to slip on her shoes, which were lying next to the bed.
"Were you sleeping?" Peeta asked when she walked back to the door. "Your hair is.." His voice trailed off.
Katniss quickly glanced in the mirror above the vanity table. Her hair had been pinned up in a braid but strands of it had come out while she was sleeping and were sticking out all over her head. She quickly brushed her hands over it, trying to flatten it out. She walked to the door.
"Wait, there's still a bit," Peeta said, reaching out to tuck a loose strand around her ear.
Katniss took a sharp intake of air and glared at him. Why would he do that?
But Peeta didn't notice her agitation. He simply turned and led her down the corridor to the dining compartment.
Dinner was much the same as lunch. Katniss wasn't very hungry, but still she managed to eat a green salad, steak, and apple cobbler for dessert. No one spoke much, except Peeta who questioned the train's chef at length about his recipe for the cobbler when the older man visited the table.
Castor joined them for this meal. He didn't say why he'd missed lunch and no one asked him.
When the meal was over, Fulvia suggested they all visit the television room again. Katniss declined.
"I think I'll turn in early," she said. She stood up to go when Peeta replied that he wanted to turn in as well.
"It's been a long day," he said.
Katniss scowled. Now she'd have to walk back to her room with Peeta. Why was he doing this to her? She had to thank him for that damn bread right now.
She walked ahead of him down the corridor, and stopped in front of her door, effectively blocking him.
"I know what you're doing," she said. "And I don't like it one bit. Thank you for the bread Peeta. I'm sorry it took me seven years to tell you. I guess that was kind of rude of me."
Peeta looked puzzled for a moment. "You mean the bread from when we were kids?"
Katniss nodded, beginning to feel a bit flustered. Peeta barely remembered about the bread.
"Why?" she said aloud wondering why he had been staring at her for so many years, if it wasn't because he wanted a thank-you for the bread.
But Peeta misunderstood her question. "You were hungry. You were going though our garbage can looking for food."
"No," Katniss hissed, humiliated at the memory of her childhood self reduced to scrounging food from the garbage in order to feed her family. "Why did you stare at me so much? It started then, but it's gotten far worse. At school, at the bakery…you're always staring at me."
Katniss watched the flush run across Peeta's face until the ends of his ears grew pink. She'd never seen anything like it and she focused her eyes on the redness of his ears rather than the look of embarrassment in his blue eyes.
His voice sounded different when he answered, a bit lower and kind of muffled. "I already told you why Katniss. You're the prettiest girl in our district. I guess I have an eye for beauty."
She felt her cheeks grow warm at his compliment, even though she thought he was crazy to say those things to her. Was he trying to manipulate her in some way?
She turned away from him then to open the door to her compartment. "Good night," she muttered and hurried into her room, slamming the door and locking it before Peeta could follow her inside.
Why was she letting Peeta get her upset? He didn't mean anything to her. Dismissing him from her thoughts, she saw that someone had been in her room and laid out a fancy nightgown and some lacy underwear on the bed.
She grabbed it up and carried it into the small bathroom attached to her room. Quickly, she peeled off the orange dress Venia had given her to wear that morning and took a hot shower. It was her first shower ever. She thought it was like being in a summer rain, only warmer. She stayed until the water for a long time, washing her hair and skin thoroughly.
After she dressed for bed, she sat at the vanity table. She opened the center drawer and pulled out a comb. Slowly, she untangled her wet hair to braid it for bed. Suddenly she missed Prim so much. This was a task that each performed for the other after they washed their hair.
Would this be something Gale would ever do for her? She doubted it. She couldn't picture her best friend performing such a tender act. She guessed it wasn't a very manly thing to do.
But unbidden in her mind, she thought of someone who probably would do it – Peeta. She shook the though from her mind. What was wrong with her? A few compliments from him and she was getting unnerved. It had already been arranged. She was going to marry Gale.