Bread

I stood up and looked down at my chalk drawing. A golden yellow cat, I couldn't quite catch the smugness in its eyes.

"This is so wonderful, Peeta. You're going to be an artist one day." Delly was always too kind. " It's a funny looking cat,though, did you make it up in your head?" Delly asked, getting on her feet, her golden hair fell in curls shimmering in the light of the setting sun. it reminded me of the cat I had doodled.

"Not really, I think I saw it near school," it tried to claw my face out when I tried to pet it.

"I think we should go home now," Delly said, "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, take care," I replied, Mom wouldn't be too happy if I got home late.

"Peeta, where have you been?" Mom looked angry, " Go pull out the bread from the oven, and then go help your father at the front of the shop."

My family's owns a bakery and we make bread, pastries, cakes, you name it. I guess I'm going to have to be a baker like my dad too one day. I don't mind that, I enjoy baking and Delly says she'd buy a million of my nut and raisin breads if she could.

Next day at school, we learned about the accidents that can occur while mining. Many of my classmates know too well about that. They've had loved ones either injured or killed in mining explosions. I never have to worry about that, my family is safe.

At lunch, I met up with Delly at our table. Ginny was talking about how she'd heard about the people in the Capitol. They had everything and Ginny wished she could be like them.

"The kids there don't have to eat this mush," she said pointing at her tray of drop biscuits and milk, "they eat the fancy stuff, like the bread Peeta's family make, and they have servants that do everything for them." She got lost in her fantasies and smiled to herself obviously imagining what it would be like to have someone at your every beck and call.

We learned early on that the Capitol was in charge and we were equivalent to the dirt on their shoes. The weekly lecture on the history of Panem made sure we remembered what we owed to the Capitol. We had to live our lives and mind our own business and not mess with the Capitol.

At home, mom told me to help out with the work. I went downstairs to the bakery, dad was there.

"Peeta," he beckoned me to the oven, " come help me out."

"Coming, dad," I answered.

"Did you put the garbage out today, Peeta?" mom asked, peering out at the trash bins.

"Yes."

"Little thieving rats! They're always at the bins!" mom screamed suddenly.

It was raining outside, icy and relentless. My mom went out the kitchen door and I followed her, and then I saw it. A brown-haired girl about my age, completely skeletal, sifting through our trash. What shocked me the most was the fact that I recognized her. I had seen her at school sometimes. When I was five, on the first day at school my father pointed her out and said, "see that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother but she ran off with a coal miner". He told me that was because when the miner sang all the birds in the woods would go silent and listen to him. Once when our teacher asked if any of us knew the valley song, Katniss raised her hand and when she got up on stage and began to sing everyone became silent. I knew then that she would always be too good for me.

"What do you think you're doing? Come on, don't linger about, move on. Or do you want me to call the Peacekeepers? You Seam brats are driving me crazy!" my mom started yelling at her.

She looked miserable and wounded as she replaced the lid of the bin. Mom went back inside and the girl disappeared behind the pen.

"Peeta come back inside!" mom bellowed, "we have a lot of work to do."

When I went back in, I grabbed two loaves of bread and I stuck them in the oven, and then ever so gently I dropped them in the fire.

"Peeta, you worthless boy! How could you be so careless?" mom had become frenzied. She looked like a raging bull waiting to charge at me. She grabbed the peel from my hand and then hit me with the end of it. I didn't actually feel anything but I could sense my cheek becoming red and swollen.

I walked out into the rain, my feet sloshing in the mud. The rain felt good against my wound.

"Feed it to the pig, you stupid creature! Why not? No one decent will buy burned bread!" I began to tear chunks of of the burned bread and throw them in the trough. The front bell rang and Mom disappeared. When I was sure she was out of sight, I threw the loaves of bread towards the old apple tree where the girl sat and hurried back inside before mom came back.

The next day was warm and pleasant. My face had swollen and everyone at school seemed concerned and by everyone I mean Delly. I told her that I had fallen down and landed face first, she didn't want to believe me. I told her not to worry but she was almost in tears.

I didn't look at the girl all day at school because I didn't have the courage to go talk to her. But, in the school yard, I saw her holding on to a little girl, who I guessed was her sister and I realized that she looked better. She turned towards me , our eyes met and I looked away. I would probably never the courage to talk to her.