Lifeline {Peeta Mellark}

9

Mentor

I woke up and took a shower. Putting on a grey lace dress and black flats, when my hair dried I placed my in a hair french braid.

I heard a knock on the door and saw Effie walk in, "Come along Darling, it's going to start soon."

I smile and walk along with her beside me. We walk towards the stage. The mayor starts his speech, " Welcome to the 74 Reaping, may I introduce Effie Trinket." Effie giggles and walks to the center of the stage. "Welcome! Welcome, welcome." She smiles to everyone, "Happy Hunger Games. And may the odds be ever in your favor."

"Now, before we begin, We have a very special film brought to you all the way from the capitol." She points towards the big screen on the side.

The film that played every year started making me roll my eyes and glare at the screen. Waiting for it to be over I stood on the sideline. Unknown to the crowd.

Once the video was over Effie spoke,"Also before we begin we have a very special guest who is going to be one of this years mentor, Alice May." I walk to the center of the stage to see many scared looks on kids faces.

I stood back and aloud Effie to continue on, "Now the time has come for us to pick one courageous man and woman. For the honor of representing District 12 in the 74 annual hunger games. As usual Ladies first." She walked over to a bowl on the left and picked up a slit of paper.

Walking back over to the microphone she peels the name and speaks into the mic, "Primrose Everdeen."

I looked into the crowd and watched as girls back away from the young girl who I assume was Primrose. She walked into the and an older girl started to scream, "No. Prim! No!" The peacekeepers started to push her away. "I volunteer!" She pushes the peacekeepers away, "I volunteer as tribute!"

Effie starts to stammer and talks to the mayor while I watch the girl who I assumed was the older sister. She hugged the girl before she pushed her towards a boy who lifted her up and took her to her mother.

The peacekeepers brought her up onto the stage and Effie grabbed onto her. I smiled at the girl and gave her a nod. "What's your name" Effie asked,

"Katniss Everdeen." She replied,

"Well I bet my hat that was your sister."  Effie says,

"Yes." Katniss mumbles,

"Let's have a big hand for our very first volunteer. Katniss Everdeen." Effie says, everyone raise up three fingers.

"And now for the boys." Effie smiles and walks over to the bowl on the opposite side and grabs a slit.

Walking back to the mic she speaks, "Peeta Mellark."

I see a boy around my age walk onto the stage, we make eye contact before I look to the ground. "Well shake hands you two."

We walk back into the justice hall. I walk to the train.

I grab a snack off the table and eat it. Sitting down in a chair at the table I wait for the tributes to come on the train.

I watch as the tributes walk onto the train with scared look on their faces. They sit down on the chairs near a window.

The train starts and we are off to the capital, "200 miles per hour, and you can barely feel a thing." Effie starts, I tune her out as I walk over and sit in front of the two.

As Effie leaves to go find Haymitch the two 'courageous man and woman' sit in silence until the bo- I mean Peeta tries to spark up a conversation.

"Have you ever met him? Haymitch." Peeta asked Katniss, but got no response, "you know Katniss, he is our mentor. He did win this thing once."

"You know I'm here to right? I'm here to help you guys as well" I say, but got completely ignored.

"Look, you know, I understand you don't want to talk. But I just don't think there's anything wrong with getting a bit of help." He says to her, making her look a him for a second

Haymitch soon comes stumbling into the cart. Looking for ice for his drink.

He sits down next to me and Peeta straightening up. "So." He clears his throat, "When do we start?"

"Most of you aren't such a hurry." He said to Peeta,

They had a conversation then soon after Peeta tried to grabs his drink then Haymitch pushes him down into his seat with his foot.

"Haymitch. Get off the boy!" I yell at him, he gets up and walks to his room. Peeta soon followed after him, I look over at Katniss and smile, "You are a very brave girl Katniss. I'm sorry you have to be put through the Games."

Katniss stares at me, "Thank you. Alice," She paused for a second before hesitantly asking me a question,  "How could you do it? How could you kill and torture those kids?"

"I had to do whatever I could to be able to go home and the girl deserved it. She killed Alex. The boy I loved." I tell her, 

I started to stand up but when I was about to move my one leg I heard Katniss mumble under her breath, "That doesn't give you the right to murder a person." 

I quickly looked at the girl who sat in front of me, I bit my lip and put my hands into a fist. "Katniss. You don't know shit, you haven't been through the games just yet. Just you wait." 

I left the room so fast, barely noticing that tears were streaming down my cheeks.

Along the way I bump into a body making me fall to the ground. "Shit. I'm sorry." I look at to see Peeta holding a hand for me to take. Grabbing his hand he pulls me up. I feel sparks in our touch, pulling away I blush and walk to my room. I turn to look behind me and see Peeta staring at me. I walk into my room and close the door, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding in.

<Time Skip To Morning>

I walked into the dinning room to see Haymitch glaring at Katniss while telling her how to get sponsors, "When it was my Games my mentor told me to keep my true emotion in and to not look weak." I say making myself known to the group.

My eyes linger on Peeta before I sat across from him and grabbed an egg.

We arrived to the capital. While Peeta and Katniss went to the tributes centre, Haymitch, Effie and I went to the floor we were staying in.

"Damn. The fifth floor was never this cool." I say, making the pair chuckle.

Walking to my room I closed my eyes and waited to be woken up by Effie.

<Time Skip To The End Of Tribute Parade>

Walking up to Peeta and Katniss, Effie cheered, "Awh! We are all anybody going to be talking about."

"Great job you two, way to make people notice you." I tell them, I looked towards Peeta and looked him up and down.

"So brave." Haymitch says,

"Are you sure you should be near a open flame?" Katniss ask him,

"Fake flame? Are you sure you should" he was cut off when he caught the eye of the tribute from 1

We make our way to the 12th floor and eat dinner. I see Peeta walk past me, I turn around, "Hey Mellark!" I call out making him turn around,

"Yes?" He ask,

"Remember what I said about holding your emotion which means your pain in. Just remember that when your training tomorrow." I say and walk into my room.

Closing my eyes I slowly fall into a dreamless sleep.