Peeta's Story

Chapter Eight

   I wake up early, unsure if it was because the sun or my nervousness. I dress in a simple t-shirt and pants and head to the dining room. Effie and Haymitch are already there, eager to start the day. I see the buffet of food and make myself a plate of bean stew, fruit, a roll, and some orange juice. I take a seat and start to eat. 

    "So, if you want to train separately for the interviews, nows the time to tell me," says Haymitch. I think about it for a second. What advantages do I have of training alone? I decide to ask him.

   "I'm trying to think about what I could accomplish by doing it alone, but I can't think of anything," I say in response. 

   "Do you have anything you want to talk about without Katniss?" I digest this information. I could tell them about my crush on Katniss. She might be angry with me, but it could get me some sponsors. They'll feel sympathy for me and want to help me out in the arena.

   "I could tell Panem that I have a crush on Katniss," I tell him. He doesn't know that I actually have a crush on her, but he doesn't need to know that. "They would feel sorry for us and possibly sponsor us." Haymitch takes this in, nodding his head in agreement. 

   "That could work, that could work," he says. 

   "Yes, that would be a splendid idea," Effie chimes in. She has a look of pleasure as she thinks of the idea.

   "Alright, so don't train together?" asks Haymitch.

   "No, definitely not," I say. 

   "That's settled then!" says Effie. "I will tell-" Just then Katniss walks in and notices us. She greets us and fills up a plate of food. She sits down and starts to eat. We just sit there and don't say anything. I take this moment to finish my food. Haymitch fiddles with his teacup and Effie fits her hair. Effie waits until Katniss finishes her food to tell her the news. Katniss looks up to find us all staring at her. I look away quickly, as soon as she meets my gaze, just like when I gave her the bread. 

   "Why are you all staring at me?" asks Katniss.

   "Well, Peeta has decided to train alone," says Haymitch. There's a quick flash of betrayal, I think, in her eyes, but it fades away as soon as it came. 

   "Okay, that's fine with me," she says cooly. She seems alright with the situation, and gets up to get another plate of food.

   "You will start with Effie and we'll switch after four hours," explains Haymitch to Katniss. "You're with me," he says to me. 

    I sit across from Haymitch at a table that looks like mahogany. He sits there for a minute, a fist resting on his chin, glaring at me. He seems to be thinking hard about something. He finally says something.

   "How how should we present you to the crowd?" he asks me. Before every Hunger Games, their is an interview the night before. The mentors think of a way to show their tributes to the audience. People tend to think of me as funny. I definitely couldn't pull off witty, or aloof, or tough. I know I look tough because of my size, but really I would rather work something out then resort to fighting. After a somewhat long discussion we decide on likable. I will tell jokes to warm up the crowd, and Caesar Flickerman will ask me questions. We will somehow bring up a potential girlfriend at home, and I will tell Panem of my crush on Katniss. I hope the audience takes the news the right way and some end up sponsoring us. I hope Katniss takes this the right way and realizes this could give us an advantage.

    After the four hours with Haymitch, I decide to eat some lunch before the session with Effie. As I'm eating a baked potato, some vegetables, and a roll, Katniss comes storming in the room with a long dress hiked up past her knees with an irritated look on her face. I hope my time with Effie isn't as horrible as it looks.

   Turns out, it isn't. I find Effie in my room with a sumptuous suit in her arms. She has me put it on and I get a good feel of what I will possibly be wearing. She has me practice talking in a polite and animated fashion, although I'm already pretty decent with my speech. At the end of the lesson, she seems proud to have a tribute that will actually cooperate with her. She leaves me to my own devices until dinner. I take off towards the dining room. But I don't see anyone but a drunk Haymitch. He notices me and waves me away.

   "No one else has shown up, so you can just go eat in your room," he says.

   I retire to my room and start to order food from the mouthpiece that instantly delivers food upon asking for it. I end up getting a creamy, savory soup with a sort of small waterfowl roasted with various spices. I also order a variety of different drinks to try. I fill myself until I feel like I'm going to burst. I shed the suit that I forgot I was still wearing and dress in some pajamas. I burrow deep under the covers and thought that maybe I heard some breaking of glass, or something, but dismiss it quickly. It's probably just Haymitch in a drunken rage. I fall into a sleep that is full of dreams. All I can hope for right now is that the interviews don't go wrong tomorrow.