Catching Fire (Peeta's P.O.V.)

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Peeta? Time to wake up now." Calls Effie.

I sit up and rub my eyes, back in reality. Last night I had an odd dream. I was back in the arena with Katniss again. In the cave. Unlike the other ones it wasn't like we had never escaped. Somehow we we're back in there though.

"Are you still mad at me?" She asked.

"Yes. A little." I admitted.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because you lied to me. You and Haymitch had a strategy and nobody told me about it."

"I just wanted to keep us alive." She said.

I looked away.

"Do you still love me?" She asked after a moment, "Like, for real. Not as part of the Games or for the cameras?"

I hesitated,

"Yes."

"Then why won't you forgive me?" She asked.

And I did forgive her. Back in the arena again. I forgave her. And she forgave me. And even though I didn't say it out loud, I forgave Haymitch too.

"Peeta!" Effie calls.

I climb out of bed and change into clothes and open the door. Effie directs me to my prepping room, where I find my prep team half awake leaning against the walls.

"We don't have much to do." Yawns Edan, pointing to a seat for me.

They comb through my hair and mess with my nails while jibber jabbering away about the days events.

Today we're stopping in 11. I know Katniss doesn't want to be here. She had an attachment to both of their tributes. Especially little Rue, who she had to watch die.

We laugh and gossip until lunch. I convince them that I'm pretty enough and hungry since I missed breakfast and they let me go to lunch. Katniss's team must have held her, because she comes late. We talk and she doesn't. We try to pull her into the conversation, but she just waves us off. The train suddenly stops and an attendant comes in and tells that part of the train is malfunctioning. This breaks Effie out of sanity. She goes on and on about how ruined we are, but how she'll fix it. Katniss's face gets redder and redder and redder and the she yells,

"No one cares Effie!"

Everyone looks at her. She looks to Haymitch, who she probably thinks will back her up since Effie's melo-dramatic speeches kill him. He doesn't say anything.

"Well, no one does!" She cries defensively and gets up and leaves the car.

The door slams behind her. Effie looks down at her hands on the table and doesn't say a word.

This is my chance. I can have some time to talk with her away from cameras.

 Haymitch starts to rise leaving the muffin that he's been picking at all morning to its lonesome self.

"No, I'll go." I say and rush out of the car after her before anyone can stop me.

I'm sure she got off the train so I find an exit door and walk down the tracks a little bit and find her sitting on a rock, she hears me though.

"I'm not in the mood for a lecture." She growls.

Okay, this may be harder than I thought.

"I'll keep it brief." I say, sitting next to her and positioning my artificial leg into a more comfortable position.