Eeeeee this is my first Hunger Games fanfic. Hopefully you all like it. As usual, I don't own the Hunger Games.
The first day of school was a big event in a child's life. Nerves and fear gave Peeta butterflies in his stomach as he dressed himself for the big day. He just got done buttoning up his light blue shirt when his two older brothers barged into his room. His oldest brother Grant, who was in 4th grade, teased him mercilessly, "There are these really mean teachers that will spank you if you're bad with a huge paddle that has needles sticking out of it!" Grant was tall and lanky and towered over Peeta in a menacing way.
Peeta's blue eyes widened with terror as his 2nd oldest brother, Chip, who was in 2nd grade chimed in, "Yeah! And there are older kids who like to steal your lunch and push your face in the mud. It happened to this boy in my class. It could happen to you too." Chip snickered and ran his fingers through his pale hair as he saw his younger brother's horrified reaction. Chip's teeth glinted like fangs in the thin strips of sunlight peeking its way through the curtain and he didn't know what would be worse to deal with at school: bullies or his own two brothers.
Tears started flowing down his cheeks and his face became red and blotchy as his brothers described the horrors awaiting him at the school he was once so excited to attend. Chip smirked and Grant added on sinisterly, "And you have to take a test. If you fail it, you'll be kicked—," he was cut off by their mother screaming their names.
Peeta launched himself onto his bed and hid under the covers as his brothers scurried from the room. They knew what would happen if their mother had to call their names twice, but Peeta didn't care if his mother spanked him, he wasn't going to school. He wiped his tears and after a minute he felt the side of the bed cave down slightly.
"What's wrong, Peet?" he heard his fathers deep, but comforting, voice.
"I don't want to go to school, Daddy!" he cried, still not emerging from his blanket cocoon.
"Why not?"
"I'm scared. I don't want to get spanked with needles or my face pushed in mud. Please don't make me go," he whimpered, feeling his eyes well up with tears again at the daunting thought of school.
His father gently pulled the covers off of him, his hair sticking up all over the place, "Grant and Chip were just teasing you, son. School is very fun and your teachers will be nice and you'll make lots of new friends."
"A-Are you sure?" Peeta hiccupped. His father was rarely wrong.
"Yes I'm sure. I'm even going to take you to school this morning. I'll show you that there's nothing to be scared of," his father said kindly and pulled him into his arms, "So put your shoes on or we'll be late and then your mother will be mad at the both of us."
Peeta nodded and laced up his sneakers, being sure to double-knot them like Grant taught him, and met his father at the front door. Grant and Chip had left a bit before them so it was just him and his dad to walk the 10 minute trek to school.
As they approached, Peeta saw other children and their parents waiting outside for the teachers to come and retrieve their new students. His dad was right; there were lots of boys and girls his age to become friends with.
"Daddy, look! There are lots of kids. I'll have lots of friends!" he said excitedly, staring at his potential new friends.
"See that little girl?" his father asked. Peeta looked in the direction of his father's extended finger and saw who he was talking about. A pretty little girl wearing a red plaid dress with a white collar was sitting on the front stairs by herself. Her off-white socks fell around her ankles and her pair of Mary Janes were a little worn out and scuffed. Her chin rested in her hand and her elbow on her knee as she drew imaginary pictures with a stick on the step. Her lips were puffed out in a slight pout and even though this girl was his age, she had an almost superior look to her—as if she was bored or uninterested in the surrounding children. He also noticed her skin was darker than his and so was her long hair which was styled into two braids and thought she was very pretty.
His father continued somewhat sadly, "I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner."
Peeta's mouth opened. His father was his favorite person in the world! Even though he was only 5 years old, he knew his mother didn't even deserve his father. How could any lady not want to marry him, "A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner if she could've had you?"
A teacher finally came out to fetch the students. His father gave him a tight hug and said, "Because when he sings… even the birds stop to listen. Have a good day, son. I'll be here to pick you up when school is over."
The pretty girl with the braids sat two seats ahead of Peeta and he found out her name was Katniss. She didn't talk much, like a lot of the other girls in his class did, but when she did her voice reminded him of something happy like his dad's cupcakes or playing with a dog. Most of the day he stared out of the window and listened to the distracting birds' noisy crooning. He wasn't one for paying attention for long periods of time. The only time he could sit still was when he was watching his father decorate cakes and cookies at the bakery. The thought of the bakery made his stomach rumble and more than once he wondered when it'd be lunch time.
Their teacher, Miss Joni, addressed the class, "Okay, everyone, please put your pencils and notebooks away. It's time for Music Assembly. We're going to sing and dance and maybe even learn to play some instruments. Does anyone know the Valley Song?"
Katniss' hand immediately shot into the air and Peeta suddenly regained his focus.
"Well, come along then, dear," Miss Joni ushered her forward gently and patted the stool she was standing next to.
Katniss hesitantly made her way to the front of the classroom, ringing her hands together, and the teacher helped her onto the stool.
She cleared her throat and began, her pitch was perfect and the melody was infectious.
Down in the valley, the valley so low
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow
Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow;
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.
Roses love sunshine, violets love dew,
Angels in Heaven know I love you,
Know I love you, dear, know I love you,
Angels in Heaven know I love you.
Build me a castle, forty feet high;
So I can see her as she rides by,
As she rides by, dear, as she rides by,
So I can see her as she rides by.
Roses love sunshine, violets love dew,
Angels in Heaven know I love you,
Know I love you, dear, know I love you,
Angels in Heaven know I love you.
Peeta's mouth was hanging open again by the time she finished her song. He didn't want her to stop. His heart was racing, his stomach had butterflies again, and he noticed how the silence was deafening— every bird outside the windows fell silent and the class stared at her in amazement. He now knew how her mother picked a coal miner over a baker and he would listen to her sing for the rest of his life if he had a choice. Boys his age weren't supposed to like girls yet, but he was a goner and he knew it. He vowed to himself he was going to work up the courage to talk to her and become friends and make her his girlfriend. Then he would marry her.
I took the dialect between Peeta and his father straight from the book so no copyright infringement intended. I got the Valley Song lyrics from the hunger games wikia. I don't own that either ha. Please review and let me know what you think :)