Chapter 6 – Lessons

Bright sunlight filled the bedroom as Katniss studied the clothing hanging in her closet. Most of it was the same muted orange color that she'd been dressed in when she left District 12.

Tired of the color, she chose the only green-colored outfit she saw, a long shirt that came with a matching pair of pants in a slightly darker shade. She re-braided her hair, which had gotten messy while she slept, and then left the room in search of food.

Effie and Peeta were already at the dining table eating breakfast. There was a large platter filled with pancakes, a tray of sliced strawberries, a pitcher of golden brown syrup, and a pan filled with sausages.

"This is delicious Peeta," Effie said. She looked over at Katniss, who had taken a seat. "How sweet. The two of you match."

Katniss glanced over to see that Peeta was wearing a green shirt as well. She scowled.

"Well, I didn't have much choice of color," she complained. "It was either this or that awful orange again."

Peeta grinned. "Orange isn't awful. In fact that shade you had on the other day is my very favorite color of all."

Katniss frowned. Why were they dressing her in Peeta's favorite color? She had told Venia that her favorite color was green. If Peeta had shared his favorite color with Venia, as well, could she have mixed up their answers? That was the only thing that made any sense.

"Well, I don't hate orange," she backtracked. "But my favorite color is green."

"You don't have to apologize Katniss," Peeta said. "You look nice in every color."

Katniss' flushed, and immediately began to fill her plate. When it was full, Peeta grabbed the jug.

"I made some hot chocolate. Would you like some?"

She nodded, pleased that he had remembered how much she liked it.

While they were eating, Effie went over the day's schedule. "Peeta will give you a baking lesson this morning. This afternoon you and I will go over techniques on how to attract a man."

Katniss' eyes opened wide at Effie's words. She'd been swallowing hot chocolate at that very moment, when suddenly she began to choke as the liquid ran the wrong way down her throat. She set the cup down and grabbed at the cloth napkin on the table to cover her mouth as she coughed. Her eyes watered.

It took a minute or two for her to be able to breath normally.

"Are you all right?" Effie questioned.

"Yes," Katniss whispered, her voice hoarse from choking.

Effie continued speaking. "Cinna will meet with you later for a photo shoot."

Effie stood up. "Well, I have a lot to take care of this morning. She's all yours now Peeta." Effie left the dining area and headed out of the apartment.

Katniss hadn't looked at Peeta while Effie was speaking because she was so embarrassed by the woman's nonchalant description of the advice she would be imparting to her that afternoon. What would Peeta think?

But she argued to herself. What did it matter what he thought?

Fortunately, Peeta didn't mention Effie's comments. Instead he began to clear the table, carrying everything into the kitchen. Katniss stood up and helped. Peeta rinsed the dirty plates in the sink and then opened a metal cupboard and placed them inside.

"What is that?" Katniss asked curiously.

"It's a machine that washes the dishes. Fulvia showed it to me last night."

Once the leftovers were put away in the refrigerator and the dishwasher was turned on, Peeta faced Katniss. "I thought we could make some cheese buns. You like them, don't you?"

Katniss nodded. She loved the cheese buns from Mellark's Bakery. "How did you know?"

She'd never bought them before, but occasionally Mr. Mellark had put a couple of them in the bag when she'd sold him squirrels.

"I saw you enjoying one after a trade one day," he admitted.

She remembered that day. Mr. Mellark had given Katniss and Gale each a cheese bun, warm from the oven. They'd left the back door of the bakeshop and she had taken a small bite of the bun. She'd meant to save the rest for Prim, but it was so good, she couldn't stop herself. She ended up stuffing the entire bun into her mouth.

Gale had laughed at her, and she couldn't respond because her mouth was full. She'd turned away from Gale and noticed Peeta in the yard feeding the pig. He'd grinned at her, as well, which only had made her angrier. She'd stomped away quickly forcing Gale to rush to catch up to her.

"Oh," she muttered, embarrassed that Peeta remembered the incident.

She watched as he assembled the ingredients for the recipe on the counter. He had flour, yeast, butter, and a few different balls of cheese he'd pulled out of the refrigerator.

"They're fairly easy to make," he explained. "It's basically bread dough shaped into balls with cheese inside. When it's almost done baking, you sprinkle a bit more cheese on top, and then put it back into the oven to finish. When you take them out of the oven, brush them with a bit of butter."

He pointed to a large mixing bowl on the counter. He put some warm water in a cup and dropped a pinch of yeast into it. "Stir this until it dissolves," he told Katniss. She stepped forward and took the large wooden spoon he handed her.

Meanwhile he set to work cutting the white cheese into chunks. "You can fill it with any kind of cheese. We generally use cheese made from cow's milk at the bakery, but any kind will work."

Within a short time, the buns were in the oven cooking. Their conversation had been very business-like, but now as they sat waiting at the small table for the buns to cook, Katniss began to feel awkward. Unconsciously she played with the end of her braid.

Peeta had made a cup of tea for both of them, and while they sipped at it he began to talk about the different kinds of specialty breads that each district favored.

"You know a lot," Katniss said when he finished.

"Just about bread."

Katniss sniffed. The kitchen was starting to smell like the bakery. "Are the buns ready?" she asked.

Peeta set down his cup. "We need to sprinkle some cheese on the top," he said, as he stood up.

While the buns were cooling, Peeta showed Katniss how to make a piecrust. When she had finished mixing everything together, he told her it would have to chill for at least an hour. Then he pulled out some chilled dough.

"I made this earlier."

"This morning?"

"Before I made the pancakes," he explained, as he set it on the counter and handed her a rolling pin.

"Peeta why are you doing all this?" she asked.

"Because I'm supposed to be teaching you how to bake."

"No, why are you preparing all the meals? Don't they have chefs here in the Capitol?"

Peeta didn't say anything for a moment. He continued laying out the ingredients for the pie filling. "They do," he said. "But since I was staying here, I offered to cook the meals."

He sprinkled some flour on the counter and set the chilled dough down in the center of it. He handed Katniss a rolling pin.

She first pounded at the dough with her fist, and then slowly rolled the pin back and forth over the dough to flatten it. "Is this right?" she asked, looking up at him.

He nodded, and Katniss noticed a light dusting of flour on his cheek. Without thinking, she reached up to brush it away with the back of her hand. Peeta froze at her touch and Katniss immediately got flustered.

She lowered her head, focusing on the dough. "You're a good cook," she said, trying to draw attention away from her innocent action. "Who taught you?"

"My father."

Katniss was surprised. Cooking was considered women's work in the Seam. She never would have guessed that the baker was a good cook, as well.

She surveyed the tray of cheese buns that had cooled on the counter. "What are you doing with all of these? This is far more than we can possibly eat."

Peeta nodded. "Fulvia said to box up all the extra baked goods. She's going to bring them to her office for everyone there."

Katniss smiled faintly, doubting that Fulvia would be sharing the cheese buns with anyone.

Once the peach pie was in the oven, Peeta began preparing the food for lunch. Katniss sat at the table watching as Peeta cooked noodles, drained the water from the pot and set them aside. Next, he sautéed meat in one pan and steamed some vegetables in another. When everything was done, he combined all of it in a single pan and added a variety of spices.

The aroma of the meal scented the air, making Katniss' mouth water.

"Katniss, Peeta," Effie called. "Where are you?"

"In the kitchen," Peeta called.

"It smells lovely in here," Effie said, after entering the room. "Peeta, you're going to get me fat."

"Effie, you're nowhere near fat," Peeta said.

Effie smiled at his remark and then helped them carry the meal out to the dining table.

After they finished eating, Effie and Katniss sat while Peeta cleared away the leftover food.

"Let's get down to work," Effie said. "This afternoon we're going to talk about flirting. It's a key way to get a man's attention."

Peeta walked into the room to carry off the last of the dirty plates. He caught Katniss' eye and smiled, but she quickly turned away wondering if he had been paying attention to Effie's lesson. Effie didn't speak until he had left the room and closed the door behind him.

"First of all, you need to look people in the eye," Effie said. "Peeta just made eye contact with you and you looked away. You can't do that."

"But I'm not flirting with Peeta."

"Yes, but he's here and he's male. You can certainly practice on him."

Even though she wasn't interested in him in that way, Katniss didn't think it was right to use Peeta to practice flirting. He'd likely get the wrong impression.

Effie continued. "You have lovely hair, Katniss. Twirling a strand around your finger while you're chatting with a man is a sign that you're interested in him. Even better would be to touch him lightly on the hand, or arm, or cheek. That definitely indicates interest.

"You need to be friendly. Compliment him. Get his attention by showing off your talents."

As Effie went through her checklist, Katniss came to a sudden realization. Ever since she'd left District 12, Peeta Mellark had been flirting with her. A lot.

He was always trying to catch her eye. He'd touched her hair on the train, he'd squeezed her hand when they'd gone through the tunnel. He'd tried to hold her still when she'd woken from the nightmare. He'd been kind, complimenting her on many occasions, even telling her she was the prettiest girl in the district. He'd even volunteered to cook all the meals, showing off his talents in the kitchen ever since they'd arrived.

Why would Peeta flirt with her? He knew she was destined to marry one of the men who were on the show.

Was he using her to practice his flirting techniques? Did he plan to go back to District 12 and use his skills with some merchant girl? That thought irritated her. She felt used enough already – she was sacrificing her future to bring jobs to District 12.

Effie's time with her passed quickly enough. Peeta never left the kitchen, though, and Katniss began to wonder what he was doing in there.

Soon Cinna arrived with Venia and another man who carried a large camera and some lights on a pole. Venia was pulling a rolling rack filled with colorful outfits. She dragged it down the hallway to Katniss' bedroom.

Effie left the penthouse again, saying she had some appointments.

"How are you doing?" Cinna greeted Katniss.

"Fine," she muttered.

"Good then. We'll be doing a photo shoot this afternoon."

He directed Katniss to her bedroom where Venia put her in a pink dress that fell just above her knees. She unbraided Katniss' hair, curling the ends and leaving it to fall across her shoulders. Then she made her face up to look like a doll's, with pouty lips and liner to draw attention to her silver eyes.

"Where are the shoes?" Katniss asked, when she was completely dressed.

"You're supposed to be barefooted for the pictures," Venia said.

"Why?"

"It tells a story," she explained.

Katniss wondered what kind of story it told about a woman who could afford to dress nicely, but didn't have any shoes.

Cinna came into the room when her costume was complete. He frowned.

"Do I look alright?" Katniss asked him. "There aren't any shoes."

"You look exactly how they wanted you to look."

"Then why are you frowning?"

Cinna didn't answer her question. Instead he reached for her hand to lead her to the living area where the photographer had set up the lights.

"Sit back on the sofa," the photographer directed. "Kick your legs up to the side so we can see your bare feet." He handed her a book. "Open it, and pretend to be reading."

She followed his directions. When she opened the book, though it was filled with pictures, rather than words. Picture of men and women in various states of undress. Her eyes opened wide and her face grew warm. Immediately she slammed the book shut.

The loud slam of the closed book drew the attention of Cinna, who was standing nearby.

"Give me that book, Katniss."

She handed it to him. He looked at the title, and then growled at the photographer.

"This is completely inappropriate."

Cinna gave her an apologetic look.

"Hurry it up," he growled at the photographer.

The man gave Katniss a magazine instead. "Open this and pretend you're reading it."

Katniss took the magazine and opened it to the middle. It was a two-page spread depicting the latest Capitol fashions. Her mouth dropped open. The women looked so freakish she could hardly believe it.

"Freeze," the photographer called out as he circled her taking photos from many angles.

When he was finished, Cinna directed her back to the bedroom to change her clothes. Venia put her in a flowered dress and tied a frilly apron around her waist. She re-arranged Katniss' hair into a messy bun with curls hanging down along the sides of her face. Katniss remained barefoot. When she left her room, the photographer told her to go into the kitchen. He said he wanted to get some shots of her cooking.

Katniss pushed open the kitchen door and saw Peeta standing in front of the stove stirring something in a large pot. He must have spent the afternoon baking; the island was covered with trays of cooling cupcakes. It looked like he was operating a smaller version of Mellark's Bakery.

Peeta turned and she noticed his eyes grow big as he saw her. His sleeves were rolled up and he'd tucked a white dishtowel into the front of his pants to serve as an apron.

"He wants to take some photos in here," she said, her face turning pink in embarrassment, as the photographer and Cinna followed her in. She sat down at the table and Peeta turned off the heat on the stove's burners and stepped back, joining Katniss at the table.

When the photographer had the lights in place, he called Katniss to the stove and had her stir the stew Peeta had made. He directed her to stand on her toes and lift one of her legs up a bit to show off her bare feet, even telling her to point her toes. He took photos of her stirring the pot, and then photos of her licking the spoon with her tongue sticking out.

"Hey chef, I need you up here too," he called to Peeta, who had been watching from the table.

Peeta stood up and the photographer directed him to feed Katniss a spoonful of the stew that was on the stove.

The entire scene was so fake and so prolonged that Katniss wanted to cringe. "Smile," the photographer called out to her. "Stick out your tongue. Lick your lips. Make a pouty face." He snapped what seemed like a hundred photographs of her pretending to taste the stew that Peeta was spoon-feeding her.

Finally, they were done. Katniss' face was sore from faking a smile for so long. Peeta tried to catch her eye, but she quickly looked away. She was embarrassed and her muscles were aching from holding the awkward positions. She wanted to return to her room and get out of this ridiculous get-up.

"Am I done?" she asked Cinna.

He nodded.

"I'm going to change then."

Venia had already left when she arrived in her room. She locked her bedroom door, undressed, and took a long shower to wash off the make up and the disgusting feeling she'd experienced while being photographed.

It wasn't long after she dressed that Effie was knocking at her door, calling her for dinner.

Only Effie appeared to enjoy the meal. Peeta had a worried look on his face and picked at his food. He'd spent their other meals conversing with Effie, but tonight he seemed strangely silent.

Katniss picked at her dinner as well. She'd eaten more food in the past few days than she'd eaten in the previous two weeks at home. For the first time in a long time, she could truly say she wasn't hungry.

When they were finished, Peeta cleared the table while Effie asked Katniss about the photo session. Katniss frowned and gave minimal answers, but Effie didn't seem to notice.

After a while Peeta returned to the dining room.

"Guess, I'll turn in," Effie told the two of them. She winked at Katniss. "Remember what we talked about this afternoon."

A look of panic crossed Katniss' face. Was Effie going to leave her alone with Peeta so she could practice flirting?

As soon as Effie left the room, Katniss turned to Peeta. "It's been a long day. I think I'll.."

Peeta interrupted her. "Katniss, did you know there is a rooftop garden above us?"

Katniss shook her head.

"Cinna showed it to me before dinner. You can see the whole city from up there."

Katniss paused. Why did Peeta want her to go up to the roof with him? Was this another one of his flirting techniques?

She was ready to tell him `no,' but she noticed something in his eyes, like he wanted to tell her something. Why couldn't he tell her here? Why did they need to go up to the roof?

"All right," she agreed hesitantly. "How do we get up there?"

She followed him down the hallway, past all the bedrooms to a door at the very end.

"Just a minute, we need to prop it open or we'll be locked out." He hurried back into his room, which was across the hall from Kantiss', and came out carrying a small decorative statue of a bird. He opened the door for Katniss, and then following her inside the stairwell, he turned and set the statue on its side next to the doorframe.

At the top of the stairs was the roof, which was surrounded by a railing. Straight ahead was a flat area, but off to the right was a large garden with raised flowerbeds and potted trees. From the branches hung hundreds of wind chimes. They were tinkling loudly because of the breeze.

Katniss and Peeta walked over to the railing and looked down at the street, which was buzzing with people. Even though they were high above ground level, the noise of traffic could still be heard.

"What do you think of the Capitol?" Peeta asked.

"Well, I haven't seen very much, but it's certainly different than District 12."

"It is," Peeta agreed. He was quiet for a moment. "Would you like to see the garden?

"Okay."

She followed him over to the other side of the roof, joining him on a stone bench that sat in the garden's center pathway. The noise of the wind chimes was louder here. Peeta scooted close to her, leaned over and spoke loudly into her ear.

"There are cameras all over the penthouse," he said.

A puzzled look crossed her face, as she moved away from him. "What do you mean?"

He moved closer to her and put his mouth to her ear again. "Everything you do and say is being filmed."

She moved away from him. "They probably need some background footage for the show," she explained, wondering why he was acting so mysterious.

He moved closer to her, cupping his hand over his mouth. "No, they are recording everything that goes on in there and airing it live on television in the Capitol. When we made the cheese buns and the pie, when you worked with Effie this afternoon, the entire photo shoot – people watched it on television as it was happening. Cinna took me up here and told me about it after the photo shoot. That's why there's no television in the penthouse. They don't want you..well, either of us, to know about it."

She could feel her heart thumping in her chest. She was being spied on. Fulvia had never mentioned this at all. Katniss never would have agreed to this complete violation of her privacy.

She leaned into Peeta, cupping her hand around her mouth the same way he had. "Where are the cameras? Are they in the bedrooms?" Her voice grew panicked as she thought about people watching her change her clothes. Watching her shower. Remembering how everyone had laughed at her for refusing to strip down in front of them for her beauty makeover. "Are they in the bathrooms?"

Peeta shook his head. "I don't know. Cinna pointed one of them out to me in the kitchen. The camera is imbedded into the wall. There's one right above the stove."

She nodded, then shivered in the cool breeze and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are they watching us now?" If they were on television right now, she guessed it looked like she and Peeta were on the roof telling secrets, as they were huddled together speaking into each other's ears.

Peeta's face was glum. He put his hand against his face to block his lips "I don't know. Cinna said the noise of the wind chimes would drown out the sound. He wanted me to tell you, though. He wanted you to know."

She smiled tightly. She was thankful for one friend in the Capitol. "Do you think Effie knows?" she leaned in.

"I was wondering about that," Peeta said, continuing to block his lips. "I think she might. It seems like she's acting most of the time. She's too chirpy."

Katniss snorted. "I think that's her personality." She grew serious. "What are we going to do?" she mouthed.

Peeta shook his head. "I don't know," he whispered into her ear. "We should probably go back now."

He stood up and walked toward the stairs. Katniss followed him. When they got back to the hallway, Peeta picked up the bird statue and closed the door to the roof. He reached for her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Goodnight, Katniss," he said. "Don't worry. It will be all right."