After dinner, we go sit in the sitting room to watch the scores announced on television. First they show a photo of the tribute, the same one the show you in the arena, and then they flash the tribute's score below it, simple enough. The career tributes usually naturally get in the eight-to-ten range. most of the other tributes get in the five-to-seven range.
Cato from District two gets a ten along with Thresh, they are the highest scores... so far. I am thoroughly impressed when little Rue gets a seven, she must of done something good to get that score. Then the moment I've been dreading pops up, my score.
I see my photo pop up, where they get these photos I'm not sure. They never take a photo of you that I know of, and we are all in the same pose. Odd. And I see a flash of an eight.
An eight!
That is much better than I hoped for, I'm in the career range, someone obviously did pay attention then.
I silently throw my fist up in the air in triumph.
And then I see Katniss's beautiful face pop up and under it a score of eleven!
Eleven.
I'm so happy for her. I mean I'm really happy for her. But I can't help be afraid of the careers killing her first for it, the ones with the higher scores that aren't careers usually die first.
Effie lets out a little squeal, and everyone, including me, starts slapping her on the back, cheering and giving our congratulations. But I am still worried about her safety.
She acts like it hasn't sunk in yet, or they are playing some nasty little trick on her.
"There must be a mistake...How did that happen?" Katniss asks.
"I guess they liked your temper. They have got a show to put on. They need some players with some heat in the arena." Haymitch replies.
"Katniss, the girl on fire. Oh, wait until you see your interview dress!" Cinna exclaims.
"More flames?" Katniss guesses.
"I guess you could say that, yes." He replies with a smirk.
After Katniss and I, congratulate each other one more time, something which was a bit awkward if you ask me. We both head to our rooms, and for once I head to sleep as soon as my head touches the pillow. Must be from all the stress of today.
When I awaken early morning, I shower get dressed and I head to the dining room to find Haymitch already sitting there drinking coffee and a plate of eggs lays before him. On the right side of him I see Effie eagerly waiting for me/us. I sit down without grabbing anything to eat. I have an idea for mine and Katniss' strategy.
"Haymitch, I want to be coached separately to Katniss, I have a idea and I don't want her to know about it...yet." Haymitch just nods his head and smiles. Did he read my mind?
"Alright boy, I won't ask what it is since Katniss is coming down the corridor as we speak." I wait a couple of moments to see if he is correct, and there she is. He may be drunk half the time, but the Games improved his senses and stayed that way.
Katniss only looks at us with confusion for a second until she starts cramming her plate full with breakfast foods, I follow her lead. When we both sit down I exchange glances with Haymitch and Effie. This carries on until Katniss notices, take a big gulp of orange juice and says.
"It's alright guys, I can listen and eat at the same time."
We stay silent still, confusion dawns on Katniss' face and says.
"Seriously guys, what is the matter?"
"Peeta has asked to be coached separately from now on." Haymitch answers for me.
The emotion Katniss's face portrays. She surely hates me now, but she can't know about my game plan. It would ruin everything.
"Good," She says, "So what is the schedule?" She acts fine, but I can see differently in her eyes, this means she must have trusted me in the first place.
"You'll each have four hours with Effie for presentation and four hours with me for content. You will start with Effie, Katniss." Haymitch winks at me when Katniss looks at Effie, it is obvious he is eager to find out my game plan.
I can't blame him, I'm quite proud of it.
Katniss looks horrified that she will have to spend four hours with Effie, personally I'm not looking forward to it either.
When Haymitch leads me to the sitting room he cuts straight to the chase.
"Alright boy, this better be good."
"It is, I promise. Well, you may or may not have noticed...I love Katniss." Surprise fills Haymitch's face.
"How long have you loved her exactly?" He asks.
"Since the first day of school when I was five. My father wanted to marry her mother, but she ran of with Katniss' dad instead. And my father pointed her out to me saying "I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran of with a coal miner, because everytime he sang the birds would fall silent so they could listen" Later in music class she sang, and I was a goner, have been ever since. When she was eleven, she was starving since her father died and she was looking for scraps in our bin, so I burnt two loaves of bread and risked a beating to give them to her." Haymitch almost looked sorry at this, he reached out and touched my shoulder.
"I'm sorry you and Katniss got chosen together. I see what angle you want to play it. Something completely original. I can imagine it now 'the star-crossed lovers from District twelve' I think it could work. Good going boy!"
Haymitch kind? Woah. But I haven't finished. "One thing though, in the arena don't send anything to me, even I am dying. Give everything to Katniss. She is going to win, I'm gonna make sure of it, not matter what."
"You must really love her." I nod, "Alright boy. I'll do it, but you must, I repeat must, say you love her in the interviews. You want people to know about it, it'll surely get enough sponsors or Katniss to win." I nod again in thanks and we carry on about my angle for the interview.
Which is of course hopelessly in love. But I'm already there.
Me and Katniss switch places, on the way to Effie I pass Katniss, she looks awful, obviously annoyed with Effie. While I know I have a massive smile on my face, she looks hopeful now.
I walk into my room to find Effie already in there.
"Hello Peeta. I'm just going to teach you about smiling, posture and more smiling!" She shrieks.
The next four hours are tough, but bearable, by the end my cheeks hurt like crazy, I don't know how Effie does this all day.
Oh, that's right. She is a crazy person!
