Peeta's Story- The Hunger Games

Chapter 6

I wake up to a loud chirping noise, and the sunlight is streaming from in between my curtains. It is so bright that it blinds me and I reluctantly push myself off the bed.

I recognize what the chirping noise is now- Effie's voice yelling at me to get up. "Up, up, up! Today's going to be a big day!" 

I can't help but surpress a groan as I press my pillow to my face. Unfortunately, this doesn't block out Effie's voice. Walking over to the dressers, I find an outfit to wear.

I decide that today, I will wear something outrageous just for the fun of it. I'm already starting to feel more like myself.  I pick out something that I'd never wear in real life- a striped purple turtleneck shirt, and pair it with sweatpants, then stride out the door. 

Inside the dining room, Katniss and Effie are already seated. I'm surprised to see Haymitch sitting at the table, with a bottle in his hands. I notice Katniss crinkling her nose as she looks at it.

"Morning!" I chirp, and all eyes turn to me. 

Effie's eyes open in excitement, as she gushes over what I'm wearing. "Oh my gosh, Peeta! I knew you'd always find your sense of style!"

I ignore what she says because I'm too busy studying Katniss's expression. She is laughing, smiling and carefree, as she stares at what I'm wearing. I strike a pose, as she cracks up even more while Effie claps and squeals in delight. It's been awhile since I've seen Katniss unguarded and laughing like she is now. 

I walk over to my seat, and everybody calms down. Katniss leans in with a smirk and says, "I hope you don't think that actually looks good on you!" 

I'm not entirely sure if she's joking or trying to insult me.

"Of course not! If I actually wore this in front of my mom, she'd disown me!" 

Katniss's eyes are twinkling as she laughs with me. Breakfast arrives, and she seems to gather herself. She turns around and looks back at me rather suspiciously. What did I do wrong? 

We begin eating in a rather uncomfortable silence, while Effie chats with someone on the phone, and Haymitch downs another glass of a foul-smelling liquid. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Katniss shovels food into her mouth, not looking the least bit embarrassed. That's one of the things I love the most about her- she's not scared to be herself. The other girls I know would probably be staring at the food in disgust right now, saying meaningless things like, "I'm so fat!" I'm just glad Katniss isn't as superficial as that.  S

he picks up a gold goblet and peers into it cautiously. She looks so funny, glaring at the cup. Then she prods it with her fork, frowning as a brown liquid solidifies on it.  I start laughing at her expression, and she glares at me.

"It's called hot chocolate," I snicker, "It's really good, too" 

She surveys me like she thinks I'm trying to poison her and I lose it again. She turns away haughtily and takes a little sip of the drink. She obviously likes it because she tips the goblet back and drinks the rest of it before going back to her food. 

"How do you know that was safe to drink?" I ask her jokingly. "With the looks you were giving me, I might have poisoned it!" 

"Shut up," she says, then slaps my arm lightly.

I spend most of my morning playing games with Katniss. As childish as it sounds, it's the best way we can entertain ourselves. She is still rather guarded with me at times, and sometimes I see a flicker of emotion cross her face, though I don't know why. I'd like to think it's because she actually has feelings for me, but I know that it is not very likely.  

We are playing a pointless card game similar to Blackjack as we tease each other about things long forgotten.  "Remember when you almost set the school on fire?" she jokes, and I groan.

I try to suppress unpleasant memories, and obviously, this is one of the said unpleasant memories.  "

It's better than when you threw worms at the teacher because you got mad!" I say. 

She slaps me on the arm. "Go away!" 

"You don't really mean it, do you?" I tease, and wink. "Everyone loves being with me." 

She blushes and huffs. "Ugh!"

She throws her cards down and says, "I gotta go," then leaves. 

I don't know if she's just bipolar or if I'm somehow irritating her. Why does she seem to have a problem with me? I sigh and get up from the sofa, stretching. My back aches from sitting in the same position all day. 

I wander outside, wondering how I'll spend the rest of my day. Then I remember- the locked room! I run down the hallway until I find the place I'm looking for- the office. I quickly grab a paperclip and stealthily sneak back to the forbidden room. Crouching down to face the lock, I unfold the paperclip and stick it in, jiggling slightly.  

I hear a door close nearby, and I jump in fright. No one seems to be around, so I resume picking the lock. After less than five minutes, I hear a click, and the door opens of its own accord. They really make it too easy for us to access this room. I walk in, expecting something scary or marvelous to pop out, but nothing seems different about this room.  It has a musty odor, and everything seems to be covered in dust. I look around and am startled by what I see. Weapons, hundreds of them. Knives, javelins, arrow, swords, any sharp pointy object you can think of. 

The door closes behind me and I stiffen, as a familiar voice says, "Well hello, Peeta." 

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