Peeta's Story- The Hunger Games

Chapter 22

Yay! Happy November 3rd! Normally I save this til, the end, but I wanted to let you know to read the important announcements. Because they're important. And even if they aren't, it won't take more than a few seconds. Or minutes.

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Caesar smiles broadly at me, and I shake his hand in the firm grip my father taught me how to use. I beam at the audience, and all I see are flashing lights, taking my picture. I feel a smile stretch across my face as sink into the fluffy cushions of my chair. This fame all feels surreal to me, and for the first time, I wonder what it would be like to survive, to be the famous winner of the Games. I quickly push this thought out of my head as I remind myself that I vowed to save Katniss. I should stop being so selfish.

"So, Peeta," Caesar says, "The Capitol is so different from your home. What's the thing that you miss the most about it?"

Haymitch told me to be honest, so I say the first thing that pops out of my mind. "Baking with my father. He taught me so much and is the most loving father ever." Caesar looks sympathetic, and I add, "And I miss my mother, too," as an afterthought. Truthfully, there is so much more that I miss about District 12, but these are all things I cannot say. I miss the security of our tightly-knit community. I miss the flea market, where almost everything is sold illegally. And of course, I miss the naivety I had just a month before. Now, my mind is littered with bitter complaints against the Capitol.

"You're a baker's son," Caesar points out and I nod. "Tell us about your life before you were chosen."

I can say so much about my life as the son of a baker, but I doubt the audience can relate. They are all spoiled, used to having servants do their labor, so they don't want a touching anecdote. "Well it's just so hard, because there are so many different types of bread!" I say, pretending to be exasperated. "It's all made out of the same stuff," I say, rolling my eyes, and the audience lets out a chuckle. "Though now I'm glad I learned the differences because I can make some quite interesting parallels between the people I've met and bread." Caesar looks at me, intrigued and I continue. "For example, Haymitch is like a Honeyed Dinner Roll, best taken with wine." Haymitch is so going to get mad at me later, but he's the one that told me to make the audience laugh, right? And that's exactly what they're doing right now, hooting with laughter.

Caesar smiles good-naturedly and says, "What would I be? A crossaint, I bet. Nice, buttery, and fat." The audience cracks up again and I smile.

"No, you remind me more of a cake because you tend to leave an unforgettable impression." I sigh dramatically, "But me, I bet my father named me Peeta because he wanted me to be like pita bread, which, by the way, is delicious. He probably wanted to me to be 'multi-layered', so to speak, and a deep, understanding person, but unfortunately, the only characteristic of that particular bread that I got was the overall puffiness and flabbiness." I poke my stomach as the audience roars and claps. I take a furtive look over at Katniss, but she is still looking down at her dress, thinking intently.

"So what do you like about the Capitol?" Caesar asks me.

I realize that Haymitch's advice is worthless right now. If I tell everyone the truth- that I hate the Capitol- the Gamemakers will probably find a particularly cruel and gruesome way to kill me. Instead, I settle for saying, "What's not to like about it? The only thing I find rather insulting to my manliness is the showers. The shampoos all make me smell like roses! I took a bath and washed my hair yesterday, but I swear the scent is still on me."

Caesar leans over and sniffs my shoulder tentatively and I laugh. "Not that bad," he remarks. "I'm probably worse from the products my styling team smears on me."

"Doubt it," I say, and pretend to waft him. I shake my head in mock horror and say, "Oh dear! You reek of peaches!"

He covers his mouth with his hands, his eyes wide. "Well I beg your pardon!" he exclaims jokingly, "I personally think you smell less manly than I do!"