We see Haymitch fall off the stage, and Effie just grunts in disgust "Your mentor has a lot to learn about presentation. A lot about televised behavior!" I reply with a laugh, Katniss is now staring at me with those grey eyes of hers
"He was drunk. He's drunk every year"
Katniss adds "He's drunk everyday!" Well it's true, now we're both quietly laughing, Effie just stares at me and Katniss with horror.
"Yes, I'm glad you two find it so amusing that your mentor is in such a drunken state, because he is your only lifeline in the arena" That shut us up! For the time being at least, it isn't easy to stop when it comes to Haymitch.
As if right on queue Haymitch stumbles in "I miss dinner?" he mumbles, we all nod, "Oh, too bad", he unexpectedly vomits all over the train's expensive carpet, then slips in his own puke,
"Well laugh away!" Effie than storms out of the room, as if we have some agreement me and Katniss half-lift half-drag Haymitch to his room, once I turn the shower on, "You can go back to your room" I say to Katniss, she nods, with obvious relief on her face,
"I can go get a Capitol assitant for you." she tells me, "No. I can handle it" She gives a curt nod and turns around, then walks away. I quickly throw Haymitch into his shower and I give him a quick scrub, with his under clothes still on, not naked! Put him into some fresh pajamas and tuck him into bed.
I walk back to my room, put on my own pajamas then head into bed, I dream about my family, but not our messed up family, a nice one, technically the same dad and two brothers but my mum is a lot nicer, but I realize the reason she's happier is because, I'm not there. Maybe it would be best if I didn't return, and Katniss won, she could bring the food and riches back to district twelve, and my family would be much happier.
No.
I don't care what my mother wants, I'm going to try to win whether she likes it or lot, why should I try to please her, when she has never even shown an ounce of kindness to me. She doesn't deserve to be thought of, and to even think about what she would want is crazy. I'm the one who got chosen, I am. She can think about whatever she likes, but for once it's about me, not her. I think I just thought of a Gameplan. Do what ever it takes to live, or even do whatever it takes to keep Katniss alive, with her family and all, she deserves to go back home. District 12 wil have a winner this year.
I wake up at 5am and can't seem to fall back to sleep, so I decide to explore the train. When I walk past Effie's room I hear some footsteps and realize she's woken up. I start to slowly walk away but she opens it before I'm out of eye shot.
"Peeta!" she exclaims, "What are you doing awake? You have a big, big day tomorrow, trust me, you need all the rest you can get!" I nod and go back to my room, my dreams are then haunted by nightmares. Nightmares about me killing that twelve year old, then Katniss killing me.
I know Katniss doesn't know me but,
Wait, she does know me, from that day when we were kids when-
No, she doesn't remember that, I do but that is because I've had a crush on her since I was 5yrs old, I payed any and all forms of attention to her whereas, to her, I was just a bakers son, who had a few friends, who she didn't know the name of. Whereas I knew everything about her. But not in a stalker way! I know all this stuff from my dad who was good friends with her mother. Well, was. Before she ran off with Katniss's dad.
At 7am Effie comes in screaming in my ear "Get up! It's gonna be a big big day!" For some reason this reminds me of a much nicer, and bubblier, version of my mother waking me up in the morning. Except, I've never slept in this late before, half an hour later than I usually do, but I'm still tired, probably because I didn't sleep as well. Probably only got 4-6 hours, a lot less than my usual 8.
I get in the shower and put some clean clothes on. I then make my way to the dining cart, I can hearing Effie screaming "Wake up!" at Katniss, I can't help but smile a little, I hear Katniss reply with a grunt. She hasn't said much since the reaping, and probably won't say much today either. Maybe she's going for that murderous and quiet type that a lot of the career tributes take up. Except, she doesn't look like a career, so for her it looks a little odd. So no one would take her seriously, whereas the guy, Thresh I think? From district eleven, he suits that role perfectly! Which would make him even scarier, is that even possible? Well, personally, I don't want to find out.
I reach the dining cart to find Haymitch, looking drunk like always. On the table, he is drinking from a bottle of wine I think, and next to him is some kind of black liquid, wait I recognise it, it's coffee, on some reapings my father would buy a bag, though I never really liked it, so I don't grab a cup for myself. One of the waiters brings me a cup of another type of brown liquid, but I don't recognise this. I take a sip, and the warmth immediately hits the back of my throat, and it tastes good. I gulp the whole thing down even though it's burning my throat, I immediately ask for another cup, I drink this one slightly slower and I dip chunks of bread into it.
Perfect, this is the best I've felt since the reaping.
"Hey" I stare up to find Katniss staring down at me, I can tell she's checking out my Hot Chocolate, well at least that's what the waiter called it.
"They call it Hot Chocolate, it's good!" I slide a cup over to her and once she has swallowed it I see her getting the warmth, the one I felt when I first drank it. She finishes the whole thing quicker than me!
We both then help ourselves to the breakfast platter being laid in front of us, we're both quietly eating and sipping our hot chocolates. Katniss finishes her meal and sits back, I can feel her staring at Haymitch and I.
What is she thinking? I wish I could understand what goes through her mind, it would make talking to her so much easier. Before this I thought I was good at reading peoples thoughts!
Katniss breaks the silence by asking Haymitch a question "So your supposed to give us advice." I breakaway from my food to listen in on this conversation, Haymitch replies in a matter of a few seconds,
"Here's some advice: stay alive!" He suddenly bursts out laughing, I pretend to laugh with him, Katniss stares at me with shock, I then say,
"Haha, that's very funny!" I swipe his glass so it crashes dramatically on the floor "Only not to us!". This infuriates Haymitch, he punches me in the jaw so hard I fall on the floor, as I get up I can see him reaching for his bottle, but katniss sticks a knife in between his fingers and the bottle, only centimetres from his fingertips. He sits back and squints at us.
"Well, what is this. Do I actually have some fighters this year?" Haymitch says.
I begin to scoop some ice from a bowl, when Haymitch stops me in my tracks,
"No, let the bruise show. The audience will think you mixed with another tribute before you have even entered the arena." This doesn't really take me by suprise but I reply anyway,
"Isn't that against the rules?"
"Only if you get caught!" Haymitch starts laughing again, he stops as he turns to Katniss,
"Can you hit anything with that knife besides the table?" Katniss replies by throwing the knife in between two panels on the wall. Wow she's good with a knife as well?
"Stand over there both of you." Haymitch starts prodding us and mumbling words to himself. I can't hear what he's saying, even if I could I wouldn't want to hear it anyway. Who knows what goes through
