Effie finds me just as the train is pulling up to the station.
"Peeta, Finally! I looked everywhere for you! What in Panem's name are you doing here?" she says in a high pitch that immediately wakes me up.
"Couldn't sleep" I shrug.
"Anyway, please get up and get dressed. Your ensemble for today is already in your room waiting for you" She instructs.
Rubbing my eyes, I look at her: today her hair is pink and so is her dress – if what she's wearing can even be called a dress.
"Quickly please! Today is a big, big day" She rushes me.
After nearly a month of training, interviews and the Huger Games, I'm finally returning home. I can't wait to see my family again, my father, my two brothers and yes, my mother too. Maybe me winning the games changes our relationship for the better, I mean if it were me I would probably think twice before witting a murderer…
Plus, I will have my own house, my family can move in with me and we can all start living much better and she can stop worrying about our social status.
I'm dressed and ready in a second and am by the door before it opens. Haymitch and Effie join me but my prep team has stayed in the Capitol. Tonight, a celebratory dinner will be held in the justice building, in honor of my victory. The mayor and his family as well as my family have been invited to attend and every single person in the district will be offered a meal. I won't get to see my family until tonight though. As soon as we leave this train I'll be rushed to the justice building where I will be interviewed and have a solemn lunch with the mayor and my mentor.
After the day is over I'll be escorted to my new home, photographs will be taken and another interview held. After that, both Effie and the reporters will board the train and return to the Capitol –I'll be finally free, I hope.
The door opens and I'm immediately blinded by the flashes of the reporters' cameras. I wave and smile while walking as fast as I possibly can to the waiting car.
In the justice building, I'm left alone with Haymitch waiting for the Mr. Undersea to arrive, he should have been here already though, something must have gone wrong.
"You're doing good kid. Keep it up, it's almost over" I smile and say "Yes, and then we'll be neighbors and you can teach me all about managing a house!" He mumbles something that sounds much like a curse word and takes off looking for the bar.
Apologizing for the fact that the state meeting he was at ran long, Mr. Undersea finally enters the room and shakes my hand.
"I'm so glad to see you coming home, young man. District 12 is honored to have such an honorable man win the games" I nod and thank him.
Not wanting to experience Effie's wrath due to schedule delays, we quickly grab a seat. As we try to eat the exaggerated amount of food that has been put in front of us, dozens of reporters come in at the time to take our picture. The conversation is fluent and uninteresting and I'm relieved when the lunch is over.
I'm then given 2 hours to rest and lead into a room with sofas a mirror and a waiting suit already prepped for me to wear tonight.
With nothing to do, I grow more and more nervous and invariably my thoughts go to her.
Katniss Everdeen, the girl I've been in love with for most of my life. Ever since that day when we were five and she sang the valley song at school, she never left my thoughts, not once. It's to her that I owe the fact that I'm alive now, thinking of her and how much I wanted to get back to her to get the chance of telling her how I feel… That's what kept me going.
I wonder if she will be here tonight, if she's mad at me for announcing to the whole country that I love her, to Caesar Flikerman, before even telling her personally. Yes, she's probably hating me for it, I wonder if she had to explain my actions to her boyfriend Gale. I bet he wants to punch me for pronouncing my love for his girlfriend on live television…
As much as I want to see her tonight I hope she doesn't come, because if she does the Capitol will make a lot of fuss about that, maybe they would even put her in a nice dress and have us meet to sell newspapers.
Oh no, I haven't thought of that yet, I hope they don't think of that… Oh, what have I done? I'm so stupid, so selfish I didn't even stop to think the impact that my words would have on Katniss' life.
I have to talk to her, I have to apologize…
I hope she doesn't come tonight, it's better this way, I'll talk to her when the cameras are gone. I need to keep her out of this as much as possible…
I got so distracted thinking of her, I barely noticed my two hours had run up, until a knock on the door brings me back to the present.
"Are you ready Mr. Mellark? It's time" Someone, a voice I don't recognize, says.
"Just a second please, be right out" I respond while putting up my pants and buttoning the shirt. The suit they chose for tonight is quite nice, dark blue with a white tie that makes me look good. I hope she could see me now, I'm almost a match for Gale in this.
I walk into the room where we had lunch and transformation is shocking: instead of the lonely enormous table and chairs, there are now plenty of mini tables and sofas around the room and long rectangular tables against the wall filled with food and drinks.
The room is already full when I enter, most are reporters and important people from 12. The mayor and his family, Cray – the head peacekeeper and a few of the "richest" people in the district. Well they're more the least poor families in 12 – That's more accurate.
Again, I'm initially blinded by the flashes of the photographers. After the 5-minute photo shoot, the mayor rewards us with a speech where he thanks everyone for coming and expresses, in the name of all citizens from 12, the happiness that is having another victor in the district.
I pay little to none attention to is speech as I'm scanning the room. I know most of the faces, all merchant faces, but I'm searching for one in particular, the one I would really like to see… and hug… But I can't find her, she probably couldn't or didn't want to come. Next, I search for my family and find it almost immediately, dressed in their best suits, my brothers and father stand near a wall at the end of the room.
As soon as our gazes meet my oldest brother throws a huge smile at me, which I happily return.
It's the first time I'm seeing them in a month and the first time since the one I thought it would be the last. They all look thinner and exhausted, I know it shouldn't have been easy to see me on that screen, to think they could see me die at any minute… I shiver just to think about it, I feel so bad for having to put them through all of that… But, at least they have me back, 23 other families, including one from 12 won't have theirs.
I've been so distracted in my thoughts I didn't even stopped to think about my district partner, who died in the arena. Oh, how hard it must be for her family, even worst because all district is celebrating my win and no one is paying attention to her death.
Nelly, a 15-year-old girl from the seam, I don't know anything else about her, I don't remember her from school, I don't know who her family is. But I should do something, I feel bad for her, I'm here and she's not. Maybe I can find her family and offer them something, a part of my winnings maybe, I don't know if that's allowed. I know that will in no way repay her family for her death, but I hope at least to comfort them and their stomachs.
Suddenly, I'm wondering if they are here tonight if the Capitol was as cruel as to make them come here and celebrate my winning, oh I hope not, I hope their cruelty doesn't go that far.
I so got distracted thinking of poor Nelly that didn't notice my mother isn't near my father or brothers, where is she, I wonder?
When the mayor stops talking, more pictures are taken and I'm finally set free, I walk up to my family. After the initial hugs and kisses and them saying how happy they are that I'm back, I still don't see my mother anywhere. I small part of me starts to panic, I'm afraid she's round here somewhere, alone and saying something that may put all of us in danger.
So, I quickly turn to my father and ask:
"Dad, where's mother?"
Hi Everyone!
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Catarina :)