Peeta's Story- The Hunger Games

Chapter 15

"Unnf" I grunt as one of Portia's helpers tries to pull a knot out of my hair. He is the same one that prepared me for the opening ceremony, so I know he'll clean me up, but I can't help wondering if he's pulling my hair out.

"Open your eyes!" a chippy female voice say, and I look over to see Lourdes coming at me with a stick of kohl. Her bouncy purple curls still look the same, but now she has a butterfly tattooed across her eyes, making her look like she's wearing a shiny, silver mask.

I hesitantly scoot backwards in my chair. "No no no. No makeup! I just want my face clean."

She pouts as she puts the eyeliner down, but a delighted smile soon crosses her face. Uh oh, this can't be good... "If you don't want more makeup, then we'll have to make sure your face is extra clean." She picks up a puffy object and begins vigorously rubbing my cheeks. "More scrubbing!"

"Are you sure you don't want make up?" she asks. "I could make you look like you are on fire again!" She claps and squeals happily. "You know, it's the new fashion!"

"No, Lourdes," I sigh, even though what she said is true. The most chic boutiques in the Capitol now have clothes that resemble what Katniss and I wore. "I'd rather not look like I'd spontaneously combust any moment," I explain to her, and she pouts again.

I hear a knocking at my door followed by Effie's familiar voice. "Hurry up Peeta! Almost time for training."

I hop out of my seat gratefully. "Sorry, Lourdes, looks like there isn't time for you to maim me anymore!" She begins packing up the supplies and I say, "but seriously, thanks. And you too, Sal." I turn to the man with green hair who was doing my hair.

He nods in response, and I turn to the mirror. To my relief, I look a lot better than I did this morning. My hair has been smoothed down and sweeps to the side, and the bags under my eyes have disappeared. The wild, frenzied look hasn't disappeared from my eyes, but at least I look presentable. I wave goodbye to Lourdes and Sal as they leave and they smile at me. I called them to come help me get ready because I wanted to look good in front of the other tributes, and they did a good job. First impressions always matter, right?

It feels somewhat like the first day of school as I head out the door. My stomach is a jumble of nerves and food- not a good combination. I see Effie waiting impatiently by the elevator, tapping her foot and muttering. She sees me and sweeps over to hug me.

She checks her watch and frowns at it angrily. "Where is that girl? We need to be down in five minutes I swear-" She stops as she sees Katniss walking over to us.

"Oh, Katniss, dear," she gushes and I roll my eyes. "You do look quite lovely, but could you please try to be a bit faster next time?"

Katniss nods in response and I notice she is chewing her nails. Is she as nervous about this as I am? She seems to calm down a little and takes a few deep breaths. I know exactly how she feels because no matter how hard I try to relax, the jitters won't go away.

"Katniss!" Effie chides, "Don't bite your nails. It's not ladylike."

As we step into the elevator, Katniss leans in close to me and mutters, "What's her problem today?"

I merely shrug and go back to thinking about meeting the other tributes. I hope they aren't nice, so I won't feel bad about killing them, but I don't want them to be vicious or else they'll be hard to beat. My brain is such a mess right now, so I close my eyes and try to calm down during our ride downstairs.

When the elevator doors open, Katniss strides out confidently, then stops in surprise. My eyes widen as I take in the entire gymnasium. Rows and rows of weapons line the walls, reminding me of the forbidden room on the train. To my right, there are about five obstacle courses, each wrapped in its own little ecosystem bubble. A target range spans the entire length of the gym, while regular ellipticals and weights are grouped together right in front of me. In all the empty spaces, training booths are being set up, and I bite back a nervous gulp. These people really mean business.