The Hunger Games- Peeta's POV

3

Katniss and I are taken to Justice Building, a stuffy Capitol-based building used for housing the tributes. I have an hour to say goodbye to my family. If they come, that is.

Of course, they do show up. My brothers walk in first, their faces grave. They obviously didn't know what to say. I didn't either. I mean, I didn't expect them to volunteer for me or anything.. but did they really care? Next comes my mother, looking pale, but not quite upset. At least she has two other sons to do the chores for her. Last comes my father. He looks visibly upset and comes up to me instantly. I feel a wave of emotions and tears start to fall down my cheeks. We hug and talk it out.

"You're strong, Peeta. Use that to your advantage."

"Ally with all the strongest guys," Cain says.

"Maybe this year we'll finally have a winner," my mother says, looking deep in thought. "Try to help Katniss win..."

That hurts me. She thinks Katniss will win before I do. Of course, all she sees me is a weak mess up of a son. I still love her. I hug all of my family members and say goodbye, again starting to cry. I needed to keep it together. Right as I'm hugging my father, he tells me "be kind and courageous, and you'll win the attention of everyone." And with that, they all leave. I sit down on the couch and wait. Soon enough, Peacekeepers come to get me, and take us to the train. The car ride is strange and awkward. I don't try to wipe my face of emotions like Katniss. In fact, I don't even cover up that fact that I was crying. I'm not going to pretend I'm not a normal person for the cameras. This is a game they want me to play, and I refuse to change who I am for it.

We wait for a while in front of the train while they catch videos and pictures of Katniss and I. Once we're inside the train, it takes off right away. It's very different than what I'm used to, and I feel a bit dizzy. The train is so lavish on the inside I feel like an honored guest. That's how they want you to feel, I suppose. I have my own bedroom where we're allowed to shower and change for supper. I get ready quickly, but shower for a while, scrubbing off all the dirt and dust. I dress in something random they gave me and went back out, not wanting to wait there forever. I sit at the table, decorated with fancy dishes and silverware and cups. It'll still be a while before supper.

"Hey kid," I hear Haymitch say from somewhere behind me. I turn quickly and see Haymitch laying on a chair.

"Hey..." I reply warily. This guy isn't really the most trustworthy, to be honest. And his drinking problem is bad.

"Youre our mentor... so um, are we starting that tonight or...?" I pause and look at him expectantly.

"You know why kid?" Haymitch says, looking off into the distance, turning a page green color. "I'm just gonna skip strategies today... my head is... killing me and the motion sickness isn't helping. I'm just gonna take a nap... call me when dinner is... is here?" And with that, he walks off slowly, staggering every once and a while. I shake my head. That's our mentor? What a joke. No wonder District 12 always loses.

After a few more minutes, Katniss and Effie walk out. Katniss looks more alert and bright. Her hair is wet and she's wearing a dark green shirt and some pants.

"Where's Haymitch?" Effie asks, her tone light. I could hear the hope in her voice.

"Last I saw him, he said he was going to take a nap," I replied, with a straight face, but cringing internally back at the memory.

"Well, it's been an exhausting day," says Effie, sounding much more relieved than needed. I mean, he was a handful, but still. He should be doing his job. Effie and Katniss sit next to each other, across from me. We all sit silently as we waited for our food.

Our dinner consists of soup, salad, some sort of lamb, mashed potatoes, cheese and fruit, and a cake for dessert.

"Don't stuff yourself too much!" Effie reminds Katniss for the 13 millionth time. "There's plenty more for later!" Katniss looks so in awe by all the food, though, she should treat herself. I steady myself, eating at a calm pace and not getting only a little bit more portions than the other two, even though I could eat as much as they had combined.

"At least you two have decent manners," Effie says dramatically, trying to start up a conversation. "The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion." That made me laugh a little, but I remembered the kids from last year, and I somber up. They probably didn't eat very much, and now they were gone. Then again, Katniss didn't eat much either. She hunted, and that was good, but her family was always poor.

Katniss starts to use her hands to eat, to prove a point, it seems. I laugh, but don't join in. I try to add more food to my plate, but soon I'm feeling queasy and I have to stop eating. My stomach throbs and the speed and motion of the train makes it worse. Maybe Haymitch was right about going to take a nap. Katniss seems to be done too, and Effie had been done for a while, so we all got up. Effie showed us to another room where we were could watch all the other Reapings. In the first two districts, people volunteered as if they wanted to die. The others weren't as happy about it. There's one boy who's crippled. Another is a small girl, probably 12 years old. Lastly, we watch ourselves being reaped. I re-watch Katniss volunteering. From the camera's view I can see that Gale Hawthorne murmured something to Katniss before dragging Prim away. I felt my face flush in jealousy. It wasn't the first time I had wished I was him. I see myself, looking steady, as I had hoped, but pained. It was strange to see myself pale and afraid as others stayed quiet, whether for pity or just disgust, I didn't know. Katniss and I shook hands. The program cut to the anthem, and it was over.

"Your mentor has a lot to learn about presentation," Effie says suddenly, sounding disgusted. I think back to where he fell on stage and started to laugh.

"He was drunk," I say through chuckles. "He's drunk every year."

"Every day," Katniss jokes, smiling a bit. I smile too, watching her join in on the jokes. It's nice to find that even in the gravest situations, you can still find the good in them.

"Yes, how odd you two find it amusing," Effie says accusingly. "You know your mentor is your lifeline to the world in the Games. The one who advises you, lines up your sponsors, and dictates the presentation of any gifts. Haymitch can well be the difference between your life and your death!" She inhales sharply after he speech and straightens her wig. Just in time, Haymitch staggers in, even more drunk than before. "I miss supper?" He asks, his eyes glazed. Then he throws up everywhere. My stomach churns at the sight of it.

"So laugh away!" Effie says. She makes a little jump away from the vomit and leaves Katniss and I alone.

Even if she did ruin all the fun, Effie has a point. If I want District 12 to win for once, Haymitch is going to have to be sober enough to not vomit on the floor when we're strategizing. One thing's for sure, we need to fix him... and quickly.