hey what's up! I had started this a year back but I never found this site until recently. So this is only my second fan fic, but I hope everyone enjoys. I don't not own the characters they all belong to Suzanne Collins. Thanks for giving me a chance. I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think.

Chapter 1

I'm in the forest and I'm running but from what I don't know. All I know is something or someone is chasing me and I don't want to find out what happens if they catch me so I keep running. After running into what seems like at least a million tree limbs, tripping over a thousand roots, and swatting away a hundred spider web hoping there were none on them I finally decide that I must know what I'm running from. I try to listen to the noise behind me even though it is very hard to do when your heart is going a mile a minute, and you're making so much noise yourself. I'm not a hunter but I give my best estimate by how loud the leaves are crunching behind me that whatever is chasing me is a bit further behind possibly injured or just slower than me which is very unlikely cause I'm not a fast runner. I see a big tree coming up so I decide that I will hide behind the tree until my follower passes so maybe I can get a good idea of what I'm dealing with.

I wake up with something hard and sharp poking me in the back. I sit up and turn around to see what it was. I pick up the long slender pointy object. Oh it's just my pencil I must have fallen asleep drawing again I have been doing that a lot recently. Well now I'm up and I know I won't be going back to sleep because today is the worst day ever. Today is the day of the reaping.

I stretch before I have to get ready for work. Today is going to be a very busy day at the bakery. Everyone will be coming to get something to bring home so they can celebrate that there child survived another reaping, but for the families of the children that have been chosen they will have the shutters closed and doors locked so they can eat and morn for their child in peace. I get out of bed and pick up all the drawing material that fell on the floor last night. It's not much but it's something I can do in free time. I have the cardboard to draw on from boxes we get when there is a package or delivery for us. I have a couple of pencils that are not that sharp unless I use a knife to sharpen it, and a tightly rolled up piece of paper that I use for shading that I found rolling around one day. Things are very expensive around here, and no one has any money to pay for it. When you see something on the ground that could be useful in some way you better pick it up or someone else might, and you might not have another chance of finding it. I would go and look through the trash cans but if you get caught you can get in serious trouble. Though from what I have seen and heard the Peacekeepers here are very easygoing, but I'm not going to put it to the test.

I gather all my material together and go put it on my desk. I turn around and see that the sun is coming up through the trees. I walk over to my window, which is on the other side of my room, and look at the sun rise. I look at it in amazement because it's so…. beautiful. All those colors mixing together to make a work of art is so amazing. I hurry back to my desk to try and find the picture I did of the sun rise before. Finally I found it and went back to the window with it. As I look at my picture then to the sun rise I realize I could never capture the true beauty of it on my cardboard with just a pencil I would need actual colors not just black and white. That's a little hard to come by though so I will have to deal with what I got. I take one last look outside then I go put my picture back down on my desk. I put on my work cloths and walk over to the mirror. I brush my blond hair, tuck in my white shirt, put on my tan color apron which has Peeta Mellark in big black letters sown at the top, and then head down stairs to open shop. As I head down stairs I remember there was something I forgot to do, but I can't remember what it was so I push it aside and continue down stairs.

As I get down stairs I look around trying to find the light switch. I finally find it and flip it to where it's on. I look around there is a lot of work that has to be done. I wonder why my dad hasn't come down yet. I start the fire for the ovens, cleaning the countertops to where it will look presentable and clean for all the people who walk in the doors today. A half an hour later the fire is hot and ready for the bread. As I start kneading the dough I hear something moving around up stairs. I'm hoping it's my brothers or my dad because I really don't want to deal with my mom this early in the morning. Whoever it is they start heading down stairs. I didn't realize I was holding my breath until I let out a sigh of relief as my dad rounds the corner. He must haveheard me sigh because he is now looking at me with concern instead of shock. I smile at him, "Hey dad I hope I didn't wake you I was just trying to open up since today is going to be so busy."

He looks at me for a second then replies, "No Peeta, you didn't wake me I was already awake. I just heard something down here and was coming to see was it was." That explains the rolling pinin his hand. He follows my gaze to the rolling pin in his hand and puts it back with the other utensils. He looks back up at me "So what are you doing up this early usually I have to wake you up in the mornings. Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah I'm fine." He looks at me expecting an answer. "I fell asleep drawing again and my pencil poked me and woke me up. I didn't even try to go back to sleep with it being reaping day and all so I came down here thinking I could help and open up the shop."

"Yeah sure I could always use a hand." We stand there awkwardly for a second when my dad breaks the silence and says, "How about I do the bread while you start icing the cakes. You know like I do those will sell quickly for celebrating after everything's all said and done."

"Yeah sure" He knows I'm more relaxed and in my best mood when I do the cakes. Plus since I draw so much I'm the best artist here. I walk over to the cake table, get all my supplies together, I got my icing tube and was ready to start decorating the cake when…

"PEETA MELLARK GET UP HERE NOW!" Great my mother is up. That's when it hit me. I remember what I forgot to do this morning. I forgot to make my bed. I run upstairs and my mother is standing right in front of my doorway arms crossed and an angry expression on her face.

"Yes ma'am?" I reply even though I know exactly what she is going to say, but if I didn't ask I would get in more trouble.

"Is there something you forgot to do this morning?" she asked.

"I don't think so." I lied because if I told her the truth then once again I would get in more trouble for being a 'know it all' and 'if you knew then why didn't you go ahead and do it' so this is just easier than getting in trouble this early in the morning.

"Well why don't you look around your room and try to figure it out!" She moved out of my way so I could walk in my room. I look around my room until my eyes found the bed. I let out a silent "oh" loud enough for her to here but not too loud to make it obvious that I already knew.

She scoffed and shook her head "Yeah you forgot to make your bed!" She smacked me on the back of the head. "Hurry up and fix it then go down stairs and get to work!" She turned around and started walking down stairs shaking her head mumbling something that sounded like "kids why do they have to be so difficult." She rounded the corner and I let out a sigh of relief and pain because now my head hurts. I rubbed my head and went over to make my bed. When I get done I head down stairs. I hear someone talking to my dad but I can't tell who it is or what they are talking about. I thought it was my mother but the voice sound to deep and boyish to be my mother. When I walk around the corner I see a tall, pale, seam boy, with short brown hair, and it looks like he has grey eyes like all the other seam kids. He must have heard me come down stairs because he turns to look at me. Then I realize who he is he's one of Katniss'friends or from what I hear from my friends her boyfriend Gale.

So what did you think? Is this something I should continue or not? If you have any ideas or suggestions let me know. Thanks again for giving me a chance! ~JASMIN