Pretty As a Primrose (A Hunger Games Fanfiction)

Chapter 6

I look over at him and ask why, but Peeta just shrugs and looks down at his empty plate.

"I guess they seem different this year," he says. I've seen how brutal the careers could be. Even if they seem nice, they are not. I've watched them make others die slow, painful deaths, choke them to death, punch their skulls in. It's vicious and now Peeta wants a part in that. I guess he wasn't the sweet baker boy I thought he was.

"Then I want Rue as an ally." I say. Haymitch puts up one hand, the other holding onto his drink.

"Woah, woah. Who says either of you will make it through the first day?" He slurs. Effie shrieks and snatches the drink out of his hand.

"No more for you! I think you've had enough," She says. Haymitch reaches across the table to grab the drink from her. "Haymitch sit down now!" she yells. He drops back down uneasily into his chair and glares at Effie.

"You are supposed to be mentors to them! You're supposed to help them and give them advice, but all you've done is make things worse for them!" she yells, she has obviously had enough of him. He raises his eyebrows at her outburst.

"Oh yeah? And what have you done for them besides creep them out with your freakish looks?" he asks. Effie huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. Poor Effie, I think, having to be harassed by Haymitch every year. I shrink down into the chair, hoping I would disappear.

"We'll discuss this later Haymitch. You two head off to bed, wouldn't want to be late for training tomorrow" says Effie, turning to Peeta and I. She glares at Haymitch as I stand up and shuffle out of the room after Peeta. He stops and follows me into my room, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Well that was interesting," he says, a smile hinting his lips.

"Get out." I say firmly. I was upset, that he could abandon me for a group of ruthless killers. He furrows his brow and cocks his head to one side.

"I said go." I say, irritation creeping into my voice. He backs out of my room and shuts the door quietly behind him. I sit down on my bed and stare at the door, wondering if I should apologize. I decide against it, he deserves the silent treatment. I sigh and change into a nightgown and get into my bed for the night.

The next days of training fly by, endless hours of trying to learn as much as I can. I try avoiding Peeta, still upset that he even considered joining the careers, but I still see him at meals and have to sit with him for lunch at the training cafeteria. As we cut our training time short for lunch, Atala announces that instead of returning to training we will be having our individual sessions with the Gamemakers. I sit down at a table, not feeling up to eating the turkey sandwich on my plate. Peeta sits down across from me.

"Please don't be mad at me anymore," he says, staring at me with those blue eyes. I sigh and look down at my plate, avoiding his gaze.

"Why shouldn't I?" I say, still refusing to look up at him.

"Because I didn't think I would make you this mad. I won't join them then," he says. I nod, then look up at him.

"About time. Thank you." I say, partly smiling. Rue sit down next to me, a smile shining on her face. I wonder what makes her so happy, when soon enough we'll be in the arena.

"I know exactly what I'm going to show them! I just hop around in the ropes course. It's so much fun!" she exclaims.

"I've no idea what to show them," I say. I nibble on my sandwich, swallowing little bits of turkey nervously.

"You'll do just fine." Rue assures me. Atala has us line up outside the gym, waiting for our turn. The boy from district one disappears into the training center and comes back out a while later looking satisfied with himself. The girl, Glimmer, goes in next after her name is called. Soon, the districts pass and the girl from district 10 leaves. Peeta, Rue, Thresh, and I are left waiting outside the gym. The girl leaves, then Thresh goes in once his name is called. The door opens again and Thresh walks out again, not saying a word as he passes us. I haven't heard a word from him since the first day of training. Rue goes the through the door and it's just Peeta and I left, standing in silence, waiting for Rue to come back out.

"Make sure to...throw a weight." I tell him, finally breaking the odd silence.

"I will. You...do whatever you think you'll do best" he says, offering a smile. Rue walks back out and skips down the hall, waving at us. Peeta's name is called and he goes into the training gym, leaving me alone with only my thoughts to comfort me. I wondered if my mother and Katniss will be watching the showing of our training scores on the old TV. I'd bet they won't, they probably won't want to. Katniss maybe, she would be strong enough to bear through it, but my mother would be lost in her own world as she always was. I'm trying to imagine where my family is at right now, my sister probably disappearing into the woods with Gale and my mother is probably sitting in that wooden chair in the corner staring into space.

"Primrose Everdeen" calls a pleasant female voice. I walk towards the door, guessing Peeta must have left when I wasn't paying attention. I go through the door and find myself inside the same training center, but this time it's oddly empty. I walk in and find the gamemakers chatting over something, and not paying attention to me. I stop in front of their perch and look up at them.

"District 12. Primrose Everdeen" I say, hoping to draw their attention. The head gamemaker, a tall man with a unique beard, nods at me and I head to the bow and arrow station. I pick up the heavy silver bow, it threatens to spill from my hands onto the floor, but I hold onto it and and string an arrow. Now that I have the gamemakers' attention, I'm determined not to lose it. I pull back the arrow, letting it fly into a dummy. I missed the target but I hit the arm of the silhouetted dummy. I shoot another arrow, before deciding to move on. I would quickly lose their attention if I hadn't already.

I pick up a knife, sending it whizzing through the air into a dummy. I finish my private session with a few more knives thrown.

"Thank you Ms. Everdeen. You are dismissed" The head gamemaker says. I nod and quickly walk out of the room, taking the elevator back to the twelfth floor of the training center. Peeta is there, waiting anxiously for me to return.

"How did you do?" He asks. I shrug, because I know my score won't be much higher than a 4. Even that might be a little high. Haymitch raises his eyebrows at us, then bursts out in laughter for no apparent reason.

"Dinner's ready" Effie calls, her eyes flick over at Haymitch for a moment. She glares at him and takes Peeta and I by our wrists. We sit down for dinner at the table and Haymitch stumbles out.

"I'm here. Don't worry." He says, as if we were worried about him. I suppress a smile and poke at the mashed potatoes. I eat slowly, wondering if the gamemakers paid any attention to me at all. If they didn't, I would surely get a low score; but I am guaranteed a low score anyways.

"The scores are going to be broadcasted soon!" Effie squeals, then trots away. She sits down in front of the TV on the sofa and watches as the Hunger Games host Caesar Flickerman begins to read out the scores. Cinna and Portia join us as well to view our scores.

 The careers all get around a nine, the pair district 2 pull off a 10 though. The other scores end up being around a 5. That's probably around what I will get, considering I didn't have much to show them. Thresh recieves a 10, I guess he showed them his strength. Rue gets a 7, which doesn't surprise me. She probably showed the gamemakers how she shoots with her slingshot, or how she hops around in the ropes course that stretches across the ceiling of the training hall. Then Peeta's face is shown, with a score of 8. Now it will be my score.

"Primrose Everdeen, with a score of 8" Caesar reads. That cannot be right! I didn't even show them anything to deserve an 8. Now the gamemakers have turned me into someone who needs to be hunted down and killed. The careers will be searching for the little girl with the 8! I let out an agitated sigh, while everyone celebrates the scores.

"Aren't you happy?" Peeta asks me, the smile leaving his face. I give an unassuring nod, and he slumps down on the couch next to me.

"Only two days left." says Peeta. I wish he hadn't said that. All of my past problems could never mount to the one looming ahead, in less than two days we will be faced with life or death. I've seen people die before, but I've never been faced with a time where I have to try to kill someone.

Effie sends us to bed, telling us we will need our rest for tomorrow. Oh right, tomorrow is our interviews with Caesar Flickerman. I change out of my training uniform and dress in a simple nightgown, then get into the bed. I let my eyes close as I fall asleep.