The Girl Who Sparked the Capitol - Book 2 - Peeta

Chapter 6

In that one slight motion, Alessia sees the end of hope, the beginning of the destruction of everything she holds dear in the world. She can't guess whatform her punishment will take, how wide the net will be cast, but when it is finished, there will most likely be nothing left. So you wouldthink that at this moment, Alessia would be in utter despair. Here's what's strange. The main thing she feels is a sense of relief. That she can give up thisgame. That the question of whether she can succeed in this venture has been answered, even if that answer is a resounding no. That ifdesperate times call for desperate measures, then she is free to act as desperately as she wishes.

Only not here, not quite yet. It's essential to get back to District 12, because the main part of any plan will include Katniss, Mrs.Everdeen and Prim,Gale and his family. And Peeta, if Alessia can get him to come with them. Alessia adds Haymitch to the list. These are the people she must take with her when she escapes into the wild. How she will convince them, where they will go in the dead of winter, what it will take to evade capture are unansweredquestions. But at least now she knows what she must do.

So instead of crumpling to the ground and weeping, Alessia finds herself standing up straighter and with more confidence than she has had in weeks. Her smile, while somewhat insane, is not forced. And when President Snow silences the audience and says, "What do you think about usthrowing them a wedding right here in the Capitol?" Alessia pulls off girl-almost-catatonic-with-joy without a hitch.

Caesar Flickerman asks if the president has a date in mind.

"Oh, before we set a date, we better clear it with Alessia's "family"," says the president. The audience gives a big laugh and the presidentputs his arm around Alessia. "Maybe if the whole country puts its mind to it, we can get you married before you're thirty."

"You'll probably have to pass a new law," Alessia says with a giggle.

"If that's what it takes," says the president with conspiratorial good humor.

Oh, the fun those two have together.

The party, held in the banquet room of President Snow's mansion, has no equal. The forty-foot ceiling has been transformed into thenight sky, and the stars look exactly as they do at home. Alessia supposes they look the same from the Capitol, but who would know? There'salways too much light from the city to see the stars here. About halfway between the floor and the ceiling, musicians float on what look likefluffy white clouds, but Alessia can't see what holds them aloft. Traditional dining tables have been replaced by innumerable stuffed sofas andchairs, some surrounding fireplaces, others beside fragrant flower gardens or ponds filled with exotic fish, so that people can eat and drinkand do whatever they please in the utmost comfort. There's a large tiled area in the center of the room that serves as everything from a dancefloor, to a stage for the performers who come and go, to another spot to mingle with the flamboyantly dressed guests.

But the real star of the evening is the food. Tables laden with delicacies line the walls. Everything you can think of, and things you havenever dreamed of, lie in wait. Whole roasted cows and pigs and goats still turning on spits. Huge platters of fowl stuffed with savory fruitsand nuts. Ocean creatures drizzled in sauces or begging to be dipped in spicy concoctions. Countless cheeses, breads, vegetables, sweets,waterfalls of wine, and streams of spirits that flicker with flames.

Alessia's appetite has returned with her' desire to fight back. After weeks of feeling too worried to eat, she's famished.

"I want to taste everything in the room," she tells Peeta.

Alessia can see him trying to read her expression, to figure out her transformation. Since he doesn't know that President Snow thinks she has failed, he can only assume that she thinks they have succeeded. Perhaps even that Alessia has some genuine happiness at their engagement. His eyesreflect his puzzlement but only briefly, because they're on camera. "Then you'd better pace yourself," he says.