Into the Woods

Chapter Five

District 11 was the first stop on the tour, and it amazed me how different it was from home. Wide open fields full of food. High, electric fences heavily guarded. As I peered out my window from the train, I wondered where it all ended.

Our fashion teams came to meet us to get us ready for the night's dinner and speech. I had a hard time masking my dread, even though Effie told me scowling wasn't polite at lunch. My team spent a few hours on me, scraping and sanding my body until it was clean. Ripping every hair from its follicle. And fussing at me for not taking better care of myself.

"What have you been doing to yourself, Katniss?" They asked.

Cinna was the first person to make me smile. "If it isn't the most popular girl in the Capitol," he says with outstretched arms.

"They only like me because they don't know me," I reply in something between a growl and a scoff.

"Tut tut," he chides, "you can't believe that's true."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, Katniss. As much as I'd like to take all the credit, my amazing outfits aren't the only reason the country's taken with you. Your strength, your sacrifice, and your fashion sense..." This is when I finally break out my smile. "There she is."

"And she's in trouble," I tell him.

"You'll find a way to show your power, of that I have no doubt," and he reassuringly rubs my arms, "but in the meantime, let's get you ready for this celebration tonight. There are a lot of expectations."

Whatever the expectations were, I'm certain I disappointed. After I exploded at Peeta for not caring about the Capitol's tyranny, he attempted throughout the tour to prove that he did. This was especially disastrous in District 11 where he promised Thresh and Rue's families that he would share his winnings with them. The people of District 11 cheered and were promptly killed.

I spent the whole night crying. Peeta came in to talk to me. I wanted to yell at him. Tell him he was stupid. Did he not realize how cruel the Capitol really was? Did he not think how they would interpret his act? Not as one of compassion, but of rebellion? What was he thinking? We were already in so much danger! But he didn't know that. And when I looked at him, I knew exactly what he was thinking: he was thinking of impressing me. I wanted to blame him, but only to avoid my own guilty feelings. Peeta didn't know the extent of the Capitol's deception. He didn't know because I didn't tell him. I wanted to protect him from their evil because, despite all of Peeta's shortcomings, he was a sweet, kind boy who didn't need that worry in his life. I couldn't do much for Peeta, but I could protect him from this.

He sat next to me on my bed, and put his arms around me. I'm not sure if I am comforting him or he me, but he holds me why I cry and I think his arms are the only things keeping me from completely falling apart. When I finally stop crying, he gets up to leave.

"Don't go..." my voice shakes, "please." I'm ready to be alone, not yet, not when I can still hear the guns shots and screams.

He looks back, head cocked in confusion, but nods and comes back to my bed where I let him curl around me like a question mark and hold me, not caring that it's wrong.

When I woke up, Peeta was still lying next to me. I tried not to wake him, but his eyes shot open as I moved. "Sleep well?" I asked.

He nodded. "It's always a good night if I'm with you."

God, Peeta, I thought, don't try so hard. But he looked so happy, I didn't say anything.

We had a pleasant talk over breakfast. And I was surprised when Peeta wanted to talk about a plan for our next stops, "so the same thing doesn't happen again."