The Hunger Games; Peeta

~Perfect Touch Of Rebellion~

The training centre is a massive building with a whole tower dedicated to housing the tributes from each district. Each district has an entire floor, and us being 12 we get the top one- probably the Capitol trying to make it as nice as possible before they shove us in an arena to kill each other.

The elevator we go up in is made of crystal, and plated with gold around the edges. Through it you can see each floor as you speed up it , and all of them look pretty much the same. It's so fast you can watch the people below you shrink and shrink and shrink until they aren't even there anymore.

Soon the elevator dings and the little screen at the top says 12, our little troupe of me, Katniss Haymitch and Effie step out two by two. Apparently Effie and Haymitch stay with us right until we enter the arena. I'm quite thankful for Effie's organisation skills to be honest. Without her we would be very lost very quickly.

Effie is running around on a high, because we are the first team that she's ever chaperoned that's had a good first impression throughout the opening ceremonies. She's frequently complimenting us and our costumes and the way we acted. She goes on about how "everyone in the Capitol" has been talking about us, and she's been trying to get us sponsors- which is going successful apparently.

"I've been awfully mysterious though" she says, a smile on her lips "Because, of course, Haymitch," she says that last word with a very visible annoyance. "Hasn't bothered to tell me your strategies, but I've done my best! I told everyone how hard you've struggled to overcome the barbarism of your district!"

Barbarism? Really? Have you seen what the Capitol are doing to kids every year, parading them round and enjoying watching them die? Oh my god.

"Obviously everyone had their...reservations...you being from the coal district, but I kept telling them, which was very clever of me, that when you put enough pressure on coal it turns into pearls!"

Coal does not turn into pearls. Pearls grow in shellfish under the sea. It doesn't turn to diamonds either, thats graphite- which we don't mine in 12.

"Sadly I can't seam the sponsor deals for you, only Haymitch can do that, Effie says grimly. "Oh but don't worry, I'll get him to the table at gunpoint if necessary."

Effies determination filled me with a momentary hope, hope that as a team we could actually get Katniss out alive. We had too.

The living quarters on the district 12 floor are bigger than almost any house in 12. There are so many automatic gadgets, and I'm pretty sure the shows has even more buttons than on the train- which seems ridiculous.

When you get out of them you get hit by warm gusts of air that instantly dry you, and some sort of machinery that styles your hair perfectly. When I look in the mirror my hair looks too neat, too artificial. And because I already don't feel like myself, I run my hands through it until it looks normal again. The wardrobes choose specific clothes for you, the windows zoom in and out of the city, and there's a tiny mouthpiece you can mutter the names of food into, and instantly receive it.

The wardrobe selects a jacket, a cream shirt and loose-fitting jeans for me to wear. I pull them on and sit  on the plush bed for a while. I stare at a piece of art on the wall, surrounded by a golden frame. It shows a meadow littered with dandelions and other flowers, reminding me all over again of twelve.

I curl up into a ball on my bed and let the tears come again. I sob and sob with my shoulders shaking for a pretty long time, and by the time I'm done I feel empty, but somewhat better. I decide to go out and find Haymitch and Effie, so I exit the room and walk into the elegant dining room. Effie sits there, accompanied by Cinna and Portia. They tell me Haymitch will be there soon.