Peeta Mellark was terrified. He kept looking back into the bakery in the hopes of being saved from this torture by someone. But the truth was, that all he could see was his mother's evil smirk right from where he was standing. All he could see was darkness and he took a deep breath as he went out trembling like a leaf.
Darkness was Peeta Mellark's worst fear. When he was five his mom had gotten mad at him and had locked him in the basement where he couldn't reach the light switch for hours. Ever since that day every time she got mad he would tremble thinking that she could lock him in the basement, in the darkness. He couldn't even close his eyes for long periods because he'd get scared. He sighed. He wondered constantly why his mom didn't like him like she liked Wheaton and Rye.
XOXO
Mrs. Mellark as everyone knew her in town had always been a strong and beautiful woman deeply in love of the baker's son. Her dream basically consisted of enamoring, him getting married, having kids and growing old. A happily ever after that her young self came to realize wouldn't happen that easy.
How sad is it that love isn't always reciprocated? She'd finally get to meet him just when he had proposed to his all life girlfriend who had turned him down to get married with a hunter. Heartbroken the baker's son had easily succumbed to her charms and after a year they had gotten married.
Being someone's second choice did not sit right to her. And so she became a bitter woman with just some happy days. As she got older her life took the course she'd imagined, she started having kids. White skinned, blond haired, blue eyed little boys. First came Wheaton, four years later came Rye and two years later and by what she liked to think as an accident Peeta. When she finally thought she was going to have a little girl, arrived the little excuse of a human being.
The little boy with his kind disposition reminded her so much of the younger baker's son and so she resented him. He had easily become his father's eyes. And so the perfect target of Mrs. Mellark hatred to hurt the baker's son for being second choice.
And so as she saw the little boy trembling more than walking into the dark alley all she could do was smile evilly and closed the door as he turned to watch her. He was getting what he deserved.
XOXO
As he walked into the alley with the trash bag on his little hand all he could do was thinking how much he hated darkness. The dark was the thing he hated the most. His mother knew. She didn't care it seemed since as soon as he looked at her again she closed the door.
On shaky legs Peeta started walking to the massive trashcans on the back part of the house. He was scared. His father had told him that the part of town where they lived was dangerous and that he had to be careful come night. He wouldn't have to worry soon anyway since they were moving to another house. And he was going to have his own room! He sighed. Maybe that house was going to be big enough and his mom would finally be happy about something. He could only hope. As he reached the trashcans he could see the outline of a person as small as it was standing on a crate and looking through the trash. He was scared.
"Hello?" he asked in a small voice as he started getting closer. He could only think about dropping the trash and getting out of there. The small figure turned to look at him and loosing footing fell from the crate. Peeta waited to see if it would stand up. When it didn't he ran forward
"I'm sorry. I am so so sorry. I did not mean to scare you. Are you okay?"He asked as he got closer and could properly see the small figure on the ground. It was just a small girl that didn't seem to be fine. She was pale and her skin was too tight he thought as her bones suck out shockingly. He knew the girl. She didn't know him. Katniss Everdeen. He had liked her ever since he was four and he saw her singing in a school assembly. He worried even more. "Are you okay?"He asked again as she finally opened her eyes.
"Fine" She said as she tried to sit up but couldn't. She was too weak. Nothing to eat for days in a row did that to people. But she could not think of her…all she had in mind was the little sister waiting home for her to return with food. Her eyes watered as she pictured her face at realizing there was no food for them again. Maybe she could brew some mint leaves or take some carrots from the neighbor's garden. Her eyes watered even more.
"You are not okay. What's wrong? Can I help you in any way?" He could see the girl's gray eyes watering and even if he was just a kid he could see the hungry eyes and the starvation signs in the girl. She was painfully thin. She needed food.
"Fine" she repeated not being able to voice anything else. "Wait here please!" he said and she watched him go back the way she assumed he had come. She tried to stand a couple more times but she decided against it. What did she have to lose? A lot she answered herself and tried to stand up again finally getting it and so she started to walk out of the alley.
"I told you to wait" he said holding her by the wrist and thrusting her a heavy paper bag. "Take it please! It will help!"
"Peeta! You excuse of a human being! Can't you do anything right?" She saw him turned his face back visibly paling.
"Hide!" he said as he started running back. From her hiding place she could see the woman yelling at the boy for not being fast enough, for taking forever, for eating too much at dinner, for being a useless creature among other stuff. Moms were not supposed to scold the way she was doing it with the boy. Or at least that's what she thought. She paled as she heard the next sentence.
"What did you do with the groceries that were on the counter stupid boy?" she could see him just shaking his head with fear in his eyes at the woman yelling at him. "Did you throw them too? Can't you answer me like if you had a brain? Idiot!" she said grabbing his wrist violently and hitting him with the broom she'd found close to the door. Katniss saw the woman hit him five times, because she counted, and then get into the door leaving the little boy on his knees in the floor.
"Are you okay?" she asked with a small voice while taking tentative steps in the boy's direction. When she reached him she heard his hard breathing, she could see his blue eyes shining in the night, on his cheek right under his right eye a red welt that was starting to swell.
"Fine" he repeated her earlier words. "You should leave now" he said looking to the door "before someone comes" and he started getting up on wobbly legs. The girl only nodded but stayed right where she was. She couldn't see much but the bright blue eyes and the red welt on his cheek. It really was very dark in the alley. He opened the door and smiled at her "It wasn't your fault okay?" he said finally and motioned for her to leave.
She took off running as fast as she could. She got home and took everything out of the paper bag. It was a week worth of groceries that rationed properly would last at least 3 weeks for her, her mom and little sister.
By the time she felt brave enough to go back to that alley it was too late. The family had moved out or that was what Gale had told her. She could only hope the boy was all right.
XOXO
The new house is beautiful and just like promised he has his own room. His father likes him very much and together they paint his room a shade of gray that resembles the girl's eyes.
His mom still doesn't like him.
XOXO
Peeta Mellark age twelve helps in the bakery all the time. Now that the family is opening up more bakeries and they have enough money his mom does not attend the bakery anymore. That is just wonderful. The bakery is now his own heaven and he loves it.
He sees a little blond girl every now and then watching the cakes like they are pieces of art. He secretly loves the little girl. He is the one that makes the cakes she is so fond of. One afternoon he sees the little girl standing outside looking at the cakes. He decides to invite her in and give her a cookie. He walks out and they start chatting, well it is more like she is chatting nonstop and he can only laugh and nod at the proper places. When he tells her that he is the one that makes the cakes she hugs him and congratulates him. He gives her the cookie and when she says it's time to go or her sister is going to get mad he invites her over any time she wants to.
As the little girl runs out of the bakery he sees her wave her little hand and when he looks to who it is, his jaw drops it's the one and only Katniss Everdeen. His face drops the moment he sees the tall, dark haired boy that's standing next to her. For the next couple of weeks Primrose keeps coming and they chat happily up till the moment she has to go join her sister who is always accompanied by the same boy. Peeta feels sad…his heart aches…it can only be broken.
XOXO
Katniss Everdeen age sixteen became a hunter to feed her family when she was eight. A little boy who had taken a beating in order to feed her had motivated her. If he was brave enough to feed her and receive the beating from that awful witch she could hunt to feed her Family. She always remembered him. He was an inspiration, but no one knew, no one will ever know. Her only regret has always been never being able to thank him for what he did.
Once in a while she would go to the market and sell with Gale, her best friend, whatever they had gotten. He struggled the same way she did in order to feed his family. That had made them friends, best friends.
She's never been really curious about what Prim does in the bakery every other day she spends there. She just knows that when the time arrives she's going to come out of there with her big smile and a cookie in her hand. She loves to spend time there, she just doesn't know why.
This is one of the rare days Gale is not with her and so when she arrives outside the bakery she feels really awkward standing outside with no one to wait with. The thing is that after ten minutes Prim is not coming out so Katniss as impatient as she is comes closer to the bakery and watches through the window pane. All she can see is two blonde heads sticking together hovering over something. When she gets closer she sees them both stand up with identical smiles on their faces. They could pass easily as brother and sister she notices. The boy has the same blonde color of hair Prim does and the same shining blue as eye color. Right on his right cheek he's got what seems to be red icing. And just like that the memory of a pair of blue eyes and red welt on the cheek strikes her. She wonders how the boy is doing and if he is okay. She probably is never going to see him again, she sighs.
Right in that moment both blonds turn their heads in the direction of the window and watch her standing there. Prim seems to excuse herself and kisses the boy on the cheek after wiping the red icing. He gives her two cookies and looks up waving as she exits the bakery. He smiles in Katniss' direction and all she can do is blush. She feels stupid. As soon as Prim exits she takes her hand and runs from there.
XOXO
Peeta Mellark age seventeen is tired. His mom won't stop yelling at him and his brother Rye who's on the back seat right behind his mother with his headphones on. That clever bastard! She keeps yelling about all sorts of things but after seventeen years of that he's learned to just nod in the right places and never to talk back. It is only for the best. Why had he forgotten his ipod home? He sighed.
His mom focused on him now sending him glances from once in a while, while driving. He just turns his head to the right side, as it is really easy being on the copilot's seat. His mom starts yelling at Rye who's gotten his headphones out and turns for a moment to look at him in her anger. His mom doesn't look if there's a car coming. Why should she? The light is green. But that split second where she turns her head to look at Rye is enough for her to keep the car going and not to notice the other car coming on the right side at a fast speed.
Peeta knows she didn't see it. "Mom!" he yells but when she turns and is about to yell at him her eyes turn panicked. It is too late.
The last thing Peeta sees is his mother's panicked stare and the blinding lights of the other car as everything turns into chaos. He hears the awful sound of glass breaking and metal twisting as he feels a terrible pain in the head and on his right side. Then everything goes black. He hates darkness.
XOXO
Maybe if his mother had been paying attention to the toad instead of focusing all her energy yelling at Peeta and him they would not be in a hospital right now waiting to hear whether his little brother would survive.
His mom feels guilty, that much is obvious…even if he had always thought his mom didn't have feelings for Peeta. His dad can't stop crying. Wheaton's expressionless face is still the same and he…he feels empty. His mother had asked him before going out to drive home but he had felt so tired that he told her to do it herself. If it would've been him driving this wouldn't have happened. He feels dizzy and groggy from the pain medicine the doctors gave him. He said he was okay but the pain was really unbearable on his left shoulder and chest where the seatbelt had embed itself on him and left a big red and purplish mark. He didn't want to sleep, not until he knows.
When he wakes up he is mad at himself for falling asleep. He starts asking what happened and Wheaton says that a nurse came out of the operation room and said he would live. When the doctor finally comes out he says that Peeta is okay but still delicate and he is to be taken to the ICU and he'll be fine. But when he hears the "but" coming from the doctor everything turns foggy like out of a dream. All he understands, and he doesn't know if it is because of the stupid medication or if he actually is stupid, is "too soon to know and blind".
His mom is stoic, his dad is crying harder and Wheaton is finally showing emotion, his face falling apart bit for bit like in disintegration. He is sure his face looks the same.
XOXO
Everything aches like crazy. He feels he can't breathe properly and when he tries to move he can't. He can't remember where he is. He doesn't even try to open his eyes, he is too tired.
This time he feels a bit better. He can hear his Dad's and brother's voices on the background. Of course his mother is not there. He still feels drained and he soon falls asleep without opening his eyes.
"What good is he going to be like that? He won't be able to work at the bakery; he won't be able to go to school. He turned a weight on our shoulders like this. What good is he?" demanded his mother. But he could only hear her voice.
"Mother shut up!" yelled Rye. "This was your fault! So stop saying that about my brother! Stop it!" he heard the gasps and then the door opening and closing.
"Dad? Rye?" his voice sounded like nothing but a hoarse whisper. His throat was dry from the lack of use. He tried opening his eyes but when he did he saw nothing. "Why is everything so dark?" he asked as he blinked a couple of times just to be sure he had opened his eyes.
It was Rye who answered. "The driver was drunk Peeta…mom didn't see it until you told her to…it was too late. It hit your side…you…your eyes…" his father started crying again. This could not be good.
He wasn't stupid just tired and he knew perfectly well what his brother was not saying…or more like trying to say. By any means it was going to be easy.
"Everything will be alright Peeta" Wheaton said. "We are going to fix this! I promise!" He knew his brother believed it. He knew it wasn't true.
"Rye, are your okay?" Peeta asked. To be honest he didn't really know how to feel…or what he was supposed to be feeling right now.
"I am ok Peeta" he said with a sad voice.
"So…I am…"
"Yes Peeta. You are blind".
