Peeta: in the arena with Prim

Chapter 7

Cinna approaches me with the torch, and I immediately take a step away from him. He just chuckles.

"Peeta, calm down," Cinna tells me.

"How can I when you almost burned me to death?!" I ask him, taking another step back.

"It's not real fire," he explains. Prim and I just stare at him with confused looks on our faces. "They're just fabrics the Capitol has that I... modified. I made the flames appear myself. Let's just say, people won't forget you two. Not after this."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Prim asks, sounding nervous.

"I hope so," Cinna says as he puts the torch to Prim's back. She's suddenly surrounded by a blazing fire, and yet she just stays put. She must really trust him. But that's because she's so young and innocent. Since I'm a baker, I've gotten burns from the oven. And they do not feel good. Cinna turns his attention towards me now.

"Hold very still," Cinna informs me. I take a deep breath and do as I'm told. Suddenly, flames are overtaking my costume, but it doesn't burn my skin. I actually can't feel much at all, which is surprising.

"Okay you two," Cinna says as he helps us into our chariot. "Remember: make an impression. Present yourselves. Smile, wave, and be as charming as you can. Understand?" Prim and I nod our heads in response. Cinna and Portia go to find their seats, and I see District 1's chariot starting forward. Soon enough, our horses trudge slowly forward until we're facing the whole Capitol. The sudden movement catches me off guard, and I almost fall. I have to bobble to stay upright, and I see Prim doing the same. She's not as successful, though, because she almost completely falls. Right before she hits the bottom of our chariot, I grab her by the arm and catch her. She looks up at me and says something, but it's too loud to hear her.

"What?" I ask her.

"Thank you!" She yells, but I still have a hard time hearing her. I notice the crowd fanning over Prim and I, astounded by our outfits. Some of them crane their heads, trying to see small Prim. Without even thinking, I grab her waist and hoist her onto my shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Prim asks frantically.

"They love it Prim," I tell her. "Now they can see you fully." She looks out to the crowd. And sure enough, they've gone crazy for us. Many roses are thrown our way. I put on my brightest smile and wave. I get many waves in return, and people are even chanting my name. I look up to see Prim acting adorable, waving and blowing kisses to the crowd. This results in more roses and cheers. I've been too busy waving to the crowd to notice that all of the chariots are stopped in front of President Snow's large podium. I lift Prim down from my shoulders, and she giggles. I see other tributes giving us dirty, annoyed looks. I brush them off as I turn my attention to Snow.

"Greetings, tributes," President Snow says to us. "We welcome you. And we salute your bravery, courage, and sacrifice." And with that, we are taken back to where we had been before the parade started. I get out of the chariot, and then help Prim out. When I look at her, she meets my gaze. And I know we're both thinking the same thing: we should definitely have some sponsors now, thanks to Cinna and Portia.

"That was amazing," Cinna compliments as he, Portia, Effie, and Haymitch approach us.

"We're all anyone will be talking about!" Effie gushes to us.

"That was.... nice," Haymitch tells us in mocking tone.

"You don't have to be here," I snap. He smirks and I sigh. Of course he does, he's our mentor.

"Oh really? Well, do you actual-" He starts, but stops mid sentence. He's staring at something behind me. I follow Haymitch's gaze and find the male from District 2 is staring at me, a cynical smirk on his face. If looks could kill, I'd be on the ground, dead.

"Well," Effie says in her high-pitched voice, snapping me back into reality. "Lets go to our rooms and get cleaned up." We follow her to an elevator. Prim stares at it, tears forming in her eyes.

"Can I take the stairs?" Prim asks us in a hushed voice. Everyone stares at her, confused.

"Um.. sure. They're over to the left," Effie explains in a perplexed tone. "Make sure you go to floor 12." Prim nods and heads off to the stairs. I want to follow her, but Portia is already guiding me along with the rest of the group.

"So," Effie starts. "Since you're from district 12, you get the top floor." I can see her lips moving, but I zone out. I'm thinking of why Prim was so upset when I realize why she was. Her father died in a mining accident. And it was because of an elevator. I remember when Katniss wasn't at school for a few days, I got worried. My friends then started talking about the mining accident. I knew Katniss's father was a miner. I remember wanting to comfort her, to tell her it was okay. But I never did. I could never work up the courage to talk to her. I still can barely manage the butterflies I get in my stomach when I see her now.

When the elevator releases us, Effie takes us into our apartment in the Training Center. I can't help but gawk at the enormous size of the rooms, and how fancy everything is. Why don't they use some of this money to help the poor districts? I think to myself.

After the others go to their rooms to get cleaned up, I wander aimlessly around the rooms. I finally find an empty bedroom that I can use at the end of a long hallway. When I enter, I can see that the Capitol spares no expense for the tributes. At least they're treating us nicely before we go off to get brutally murdered. I have a king-sized bed with a navy blue comforter, much like the one I had on the train. I look and see that I have 3 windows that make up a side of the wall, revealing the whole Capitol. Since it's night, I pull the curtains closed, which are also a navy blue. I wander over to my dresser, which is white with small, golden designs as borders. I change into a dark blue, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants. They're a little tight against my skin for my liking, but I guess that's how the people here like them. Then, I go to the bathroom and wet my hands in the sink. I take my hands and run them through my hair, trying to get the gel product out of it. After awhile of this, I reach for a towel to dry my hair. But instead I am met with a panel of controls. I select the section labeled "bathroom," and select the towel option. Within a minute, a slender woman in all red appears in the doorway of the bathroom. She holds the towel out to me and I take it.

"Thank you," I tell her. Instead of a response, she nods her head and hurries out of the room. I peek my head out of my room and she's gone. I wonder why she didn't say anything I think to myself as I go to the dining room for dinner. Then I suddenly realize why she didn't respond to me; she's an Avox.