The Hunger Games: The Untold Story of Peeta Mellark PART ONE

chapter eight

I ride in a car for the first time, going from the Justice Building to the train station. Katniss and I sit in silence for the whole ride there, avoiding eye contact. Her expressionless face is still intact from the Reaping.

Once we arrive the whole proximity of the area is cluttered with hundreds of videographers and reporters pointing their cameras and microphones right in our faces. All at once they shout questions at us as the peacekeepers lead us to the train. I can’t make out what any of them are saying, since they’re all talking at the same time. I look up to see my face on a huge television screen that’s airing our arrival live for all of Panem to see. I look awful. My face is swollen from crying, I must look like such a pathetic weakling. Katniss on the other hand looks incredibly nonchalant about the whole situation. I can tell she’s just as scared as I am; she’s just better at hiding it. At this point I don’t even attempt to change my expression. So what! I’m scared! I think that I have a right to be considering the circumstances. If this sabotages any chance I have for sponsors, so be it. It’s not like I’d have many anyway.

            As soon as we enter the train, the doors close and it begins moving remarkably fast. Initially I am taken aback by the speed and almost lose my balance. I’ve seen a train before from the outside many times, but I’ve never actually been inside one. Although, I can’t imagine the ones in district twelve being remotely similar to this one. It’s astounding, making the lavishly decorated Justice building look like one of the dirty shacks in the Seam. Artfully crafted furniture, golden walls, and marble tiles. Incredible electrical devices that I had never even known existed. Each person get’s their own magnificent chamber with a bedroom, dressing room, and bathroom complete with both hot and cold water. I have one of the nicer houses in District Twelve but I still share a room with both my brothers and we couldn’t dream of the luxury of hot water, only a select few in district 12 could. Our house is made up of two floors. The first floor is the bakery and the second floor is where we all sleep and bathe. It has one bathroom that we all have to share and two bedrooms, one for my parents, and one for my brothers and me.

I walk into my chamber and the first thing I do is take my first ever shower. Like hot water, showers are very scarce in district twelve. It feels incredibly like hot rain pouring down on my head. I feel emasculated by my overwhelming stench of roses once I finish showering. The capital people are too frilly for my liking. I change into the first shirt and pants I encounter in my overly stocked wardrobe and I leave my chamber to find Effie Trinket outside my door, “Oh wonderful! You’re just in time for supper, go wait in the dining room while I go get Katniss.” I walk through the narrow corridor into a small room with an extravagantly decorated table complete with porcelain plates and silverware set on top of four placemats, which are positioned at each of the seats. I’m the first one to arrive; The last time I saw Haymitch was when we first arrived on the train. He went to go take a nap in his chamber, probably sleeping off his hangover. I wait for about five minutes when finally, Effie and Katniss arrive. I look up at Katniss; she’s wearing a green shirt that brings out the blue in her eyes. But quickly I try shake her from my head, loving her will lead to nothing but trouble.

I haven’t eaten all day, and if there is one thing to look forward to during this whole horrific experience, it is the capital food. Effie asks me where Haymitch is and seems relieved when I tell her that he is still napping. I feel sort of sorry for Effie in a way, for having to deal with Haymitch, I can hardly blame her for not wanting to be an escort for a district where the mentor she has to work with is constantly inebriated.

I was right to look forward to supper it was marvelous. There are a lot of things I despise about the capital, but they do have excellent food, although, it may be very poorly distributed. It seemed as if the courses were never ending, we had carrot soup, salad, lamb chops, mashed potatoes, cheese, fruit, and chocolate cake. It was delicious, even once I became full I couldn’t stop filling my mouth with more.