The Boy With The Bread- By Peeta

Chapter 12 - The Girl who was On Fire

A very long chapter as promised! Thanks for checking it out, please comment x

An avox punches the button on the elevator and I shoot up to floor twelve. That went surprising well, considering I only chucked a weight or two. Although, half of them were too drunk to notice what was going on. Too much red wine. At one point, two of them started to do a merry dance...seriously! I tumble out at our floor and head to my quarters. I just sit for a while and think about the day. The window seat is growing on me, I like looking out on the Capitol below and wondering what is going on in their lives. Then my mind usually wanders to my home and to the bakery. Everything is deadly silent, except for the distant squark of a bird. I’d better make the most of it; there will never be any silence in the arena. After a while, I hear the faintest sob. It must be Katniss. It’s nearly tea time anyway, so I quietly slip out of my room and go down the corridor. I jump back into an alcove as I see Effie quietly knock on the door to Katniss’ room. “Time to eat. Meet us in the dining room in ten minutes.” She scuttles away into the dining room and I can still hear the sobs. 

I gently push open the door. She sits on the plush window seat, looking out at the night that is forming around us in this strange place. “Not now Peeta. Please, go.” Her head doesn’t even turn towards me. I walk over to her and sit down. “What happened today?” I ask.

“That’s it now.” she says, through her tears. “I’ve messed up on my one and only chance.”

“What? How?” I ask. What could she possibly have done?

“I... I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers. Well, behind them anyhow.” Oh my. She shot one of those sharp headed arrows at, through, the Gamemakers. This is the end of it for her, but thankfully I have a little tact. 

“Well hey, how bad could it have been? It’s an arrow! We really should be going Katniss. It’s time to eat.” She nods and gets up from her seat, throwing a shawl around her shoulders. 

I steer her into the dining room where Effie is waiting for us. Haymitch slumps into his chair, with his usual manner about him. “Hello you two. Everything okay?” I quickly nod. Effie smiles. “Alright. Let’s get down to business.” Haymitch says, leaning back and yawning. “What happened in there today? How d’cha do?” Katniss sinks down further into her chair, her usually rosy cheeks, white and her eyes red, and blotchy. I barely even recognise her. “What’s wrong pumpkin, had a bad day?’ says Effie sweetly. However, I give her an encouraging nod, and she takes a deep breath. “I fired an arrow at the Gamemakers.” Haymitch drops his wine glass and Effie nearly chokes on her salmon linguini. “Did I hear right? You threw an arrow at them.” Katniss nods and takes a deep breath. 

“Yes. Why yes I did. But not at them, at them, just through them. There was a pig roasting on a spit behind, and it had an apple in its mouth. They were’t paying any attention to me whatsoever- most of them were a bit tipsy. Too much red. So I just pulled on my bow and there we go, hit the apple in one.” 

Effie is disgusted at this remark. “So then what happened? What did they say to you?”

“Not much really, just looked at me, and then I walked.”

“As in, walk out?” says Effie angrily. Katniss nods. “Oh Katniss, what on Earth were you thinking?” she says angrily, her eyebrows twisting in fury. 

“Well, they weren’t exactly paying any attention to me, so what do you expect?” Katniss retorts.

“Dear, dear Katniss, whatever next?” replies Effie, tutting, whilst signaling to an avox to clean up the wine mess. “Well you never know with that lot!” says Haymitch. “It might turn out alright! Don’t worry ‘bout it!” He takes a big gulp of his wine and Effie looks at him disapprovingly. “Now, now Haymitch! Remember what you said!” She takes his glass from him and he grunts.