The Boy On Fire

IV

You wake up, still in bed with Peeta and you remember that it's reaping day.

"Wake up!"

A Peacekeeper shouts from the other side, opening the door and turning on the lights. Peeta slowly wakes up and rubs his eyes.

You and Peeta are dragged out of bed and into a dingy interrogation room. It's cold, dark, and you immediately notice the strong smell of sweat and coffee in the air. Sitting at a table behind a long desk is a woman; Effie Trinket. You recognize her immediately, as District 12s escort, and Peeta's eyes widen.

"Good morning to both of you," Effie says."You two have been selected as District 12s tributes for the Hunger Games this year as punishment for being out past curfew"

"Shortly the reaping ceremony will begin and you two will be presented to the district"

Your eyes widen in shock and Peeta's eyes are filled with worry as well as you hear the news. You stare at the floor before Peeta slowly stands up, looking at Effie with an expression of fear, and you follow suit.

You watch as Effie goes to pick something up from her desk, a small glass bowl full of slips of paper.

"As I'm sure both of you are aware, you were caught outside well past curfew. You broke the law and now the punishment must fit the crime."

She places the bowl down on the table in front of you.

"As you know we usually pick 2 tributes from this bowl. Well this year the slips will only be your names to make it seem authentic"

She says with pity in her eyes.

You and Peeta stare at the bowl, your hearts pounding against your chests. You can feel a trickle of sweat running down your forehead. You look at each other, your eyes wide, both scared and anxious. *So this is how you die.*

Your eyes follow Effie as she walks to the door of the interrogation room and presses a button, her expression of pity becoming even more intense. The door is soon opened and two armed Peacekeepers enter the room, motioning to you and Peeta to follow them.

You and Peeta follow the two Peacekeepers out into the crowd,  their eyes wide with concern. Effie walks up onto the stage and she takes a slip of paper out of her bowl in front of her. Then she proceeds to announce your names to the crowd. Your heart rate rises exponentially.

"We, the Peacekeepers... by tradition ...and with the glory... of the Capitol... present to you ...the male tributes... from District 12!"

You and Peeta are led away from the stage, the national anthem soon vanishes behind you. You're taken towards the bullet train, and you both get inside and are sat in two separate seats. Peeta looks over at you, and you both look at each other for a brief moment before you both look away again.

Your hearts are beating out of your chests, your eyes constantly on the window as you travel towards the Capitol.

Peeta and you both hear the door behind you open and you immediately turn to see Hamish, the mentor for District 12, and he looks quite drunk already.*

"Hello there, you lovebirds,"

he mumbles. You both stare at him, stunned by his words as a blush covers your face. A moment of silence is exchanged between the three of you as Peeta looks at you before looking away again.

"Come on guys, let's get some drinks!"

He says loudly, gesturing for both of you to follow him.

"Sir we can't drink we're only 16."

Peeta mumbles nervously

Hamish looks at the two of you for a moment, his expression one of anger.

"You're old enough to die in the Hunger Games,"

he snarls, his breath reeking of alcohol

"But too afraid to have a drink when it's your last moments to do so? Come on..."

He pulls out a flask filled with alcohol and passes it to the two of you, urging you to drink your share.

You both look at each other again. A moment of silence is shared again before you both decide to accept the offer to have a drink. You thank Hamish before taking a swig of the alcohol and handing the flask over to Peeta. Peeta takes a swig as well before he looks at you and smiles.

Hamish stares out of one of the windows at the passing view of the districts, a depressing frown on his face.

Some time passes and Peeta hands the flask back to Hamish. Your face is flushed with color, and your heart now going a mile a minute as the alcohol kicks in. You're feeling warm, comfortable, and happy; you've forgotten about everything except being with Peeta.

You notice that Peeta's cheeks are flushed with color as well, and his eyes are drooping slightly. You're both laughing at every small comment the other makes, the alcohol kicking in.

You look over at Peeta and notice that he's staring into your eyes lovingly. You blush and, without realizing it, you lean forward towards Peeta.

You two slowly inch closer and closer until you're just inches away from Peeta. You can see the drunkenness in both of your eyes and your heart is now bursting as you two stare into each other's eyes. You want this to be a moment that lasts forever, the two of you staring into each other's eyes, lost in each other's embrace and in the warmth that's spreading throughout your entire body.

Effie suddenly walks in, "Oh am I interrupting something?" she asks.

"No, it's nothing," You say jumping away from Peeta.

"Oh okay," she says with a confused look on her face, "well you two need to get some rest before your bug debut tomorrow."

Before Effie fully leaves, you notice that she gives you and Peeta a knowing look and smiles to herself. You blush to see that she's found out both of your secret love for one another. As she closes the door you look back at Peeta, who's blushing even harder than you as he turns away from you.

You're both tipsy and the alcohol's beginning to take its effect on both of you. The train's almost arrived in the Capitol and it's becoming late. Effie's advice is sound; it's best to get some rest before the events of tomorrow.

As you both lean in, about to kiss, you're startled as Hamish barges in. He looks around the room and his eyes fall on both you and Peeta, who are laying on the beds facing each other. He knows exactly what's about to happen, and he smiles before he points at the two of you.

"What do you think you're doing? The two of you have to be at the train station in the morning. Now get to bed!"

He exclaims.