The Hunger Games: Staying True. (Completed)

Chapter Seven; Let the Whole Country See. [Edited.]

I wake with a raging hangover. I've had them before, but never in my life like this. I sit up, groaning and hissing as I put my hand to my head as if that might help. It definitely doesn't.

Rolling out of bed, I soon find that my legs are weak and wobbly, and end up on my ass more than once on the way to the bathroom. In the end, I just crawl towards the toilet. Just in time too, because as soon as I throw the lid up I heave into it. I throw up nothing but liquid, and it is pure alcohol going by the burn it leaves in my throat.

By the time I'm done, I'm covered in snot and tears and saliva. After I've pulled the flush, I cross to the sink to splash my face with water. It doesn't help me look any better, but once I've scrubbed my teeth I feel a little less gross, at least.

I'll shower later, but right now I need some pain killers for my head. I'm only in underwear - Astrid must have stripped me out of the dress last night - so I pull on a fluffy robe, shove back my messy hair and stumble out of my room and down the corridor.

The dining room is empty but there is food spread out on a table, I'm not sure I can handle anything heavy, so I start with a piece of buttered toast. Even that makes my stomach wobbly, but I force another piece down. When I have, I order some pain killers through a comm in the wall. They arrive promptly on a silver platter, and I thank the Avox as I slump into a armchair and try my hardest to keep my toast down.

The Avox waits, staring at me, and I tell him I don't need anything else. He smiles and bows, and I thank him again before he leaves.

There isn't much to do now, except stare out the window, and I've seen the view of the city my whole life, it's boring now. So I switch on the TV in a vain hope that perhaps Coin will let the country watch something other than her propaganda.

I'm in luck; it's the coverage of the ball.

I'm really not shown all too often. The only time they cut away from our greetings to Coin is when I dip into my curtsy; they be sure not to show my face. While they show all the other tributes mingling with guests, they don't show me slumped at the bar. They do briefly show me clinking glasses with Haymitch though.

When the dances are being recorded, they focus heavily on my little altercation with Coal. It looks much more violent than it was; him grabbing me and me shoving him away. The commentators muse over this for ages, wondering what on Earth could have happened for the two of us to act so hatefully towards each other.

Lastly, I'm shown leaving on Peeta Mellark's arm. He's smiling and nodding as he leads me through the crowd, and though my eyes seem a bit glassy and my movements a bit wobbly, he moves in such a way that I don't seem blind drunk. Leaning towards me like we're talking, holding me like he's not actually carrying me.

The commentators rave about this too, especially since we pause to talk briefly to Katniss Everdeen. I watch for the first time - having no recollection of this at all - as she steps in front of Peeta and I, speaking too quietly for the cameras to pick up. She looks gorgeous with her hair unbound and in a crimson dress. Nothing like herself though.

She looks angry when Peeta carries me past her, and the commentators focus on this for a long time too.

They focus a lot on Peeta and Katniss, actually. When the cameras aren't on us tributes or Coin, then they're on them. They wonder if the couple will renew their wedding vows and have a proper wedding now that the Rebellion is over. I wonder why they're still keeping up the charade.

I'm still watching as the ball slowly starts to come to a close. This is long after I've gone home, but nothing much seems to be happening anyway. It's at that moment that the elevator gives a quiet ding, and I look over. I expect Birch or Astrid, maybe an Avox delivering dinner, but instead, when the doors slide open, I find Peeta Mellark standing there.