Katniss

I begin my new job in a rusty, old shed, shovelling horse droppings. My mind is free to wonder, as my task doesn't require a whole lot of concentration, although the smell is awful. This may not be the fanciest or well paying job, but I need the money. Back home, my sister is sick from malnutrition and this is the only way I can earn money to get us enough to eat. Once I've received my first paycheque, I'll send it to my mother and sister.

Hopefully, I won't have to spend too long here, hopefully I'll have earned enough in a couple of months to be able to go back home with a considerable amount of money. A pang of longing runs through me. Home. What I wouldn't give to be there now. I have to remind myself that I have to do this for my sister, Prim, who is only twelve and who I love more than anyone else. Just the thought of her is enough motivation to keep me going, although my back aches and my head is pounding.

The sound of footsteps approaching distracts me from my shovelling. I look up to see my employer, Peeta Mellark. As far as I know, his parents own this farm and he is in charge of managing its staff. I stand and lean my shovel against the wall.

'Mr Mellark,' I say nervously, desperately hoping I'm not in trouble or something of the sort. He smiles, which I take as a good sign. 'Please, call me Peeta', he says warmly and I nod. 'Okay. Peeta.'

'There's no need to look so worried', he tells me, his blue eyes twinkling. 'I just wanted to introduce you to some of the other staff who work here.' He gestures to a couple of workers who are filling a wheelbarrow with rocks. They come over and stand next to him as he introduces them to me.

'This is Gale', he says pointing to the man furthest from him. 'He works mainly out in the fields, growing and harvesting the crops.' The man, Gale, scruntizes me for a moment and it occurs to me how similar we look. He has grey eyes and dark hair just as I do. We could be siblings. 'I'm Katniss', I say. 'I just started working here,' I add before realising that he probably knows already. He nods, regardless, but doesn't speak. 'Johanna', Peeta says next, gesturing to a woman with cropped brown hair and brown eyes. She nods, but like Gale, doesn't speak. 'She also works in the fields.'

'And lastly, Finnick and Madge', he announces. Finnick winks at me cheekily and ruffles his bronze coloured hair. The girl next to him, Madge, looks similar to Prim with her blonde hair, but older, of course. She says hello quietly without making eye contact. Peeta claps his hands together, smiling. 'Great. So now that we all know each other, let's get to work.' He says goodbye and heads off. I'm about to get back to my shovelling when I notice the group Peeta just introduced are staring at me.

'Do you like him?', Johanna asks with a grin, speaking for the first time. I nod my head. 'Yeah, he seems nice', I reply. I may have only just met him, but he was kind to me and he seems to treat his workers well. Johanna's grin widens. 'No, no, I mean do you like him.' I tilt my head in confusion and she huffs, frustrated. 'Never mind. We should let you continue your work'. She nods towards the shovel behind me. See you later!', she calls as the group of them return to filling the wheelbarrow with rocks.

I watch them for a moment before remembering I have work to do. Feeling resigned, I retrieve my shovel and resume my task. I notice with relief that the smell no longer bothers me although my palms are rubbed raw and covered with scratches. I continue shovelling until I hear the clanging of a bell in the distance. I drop my shovel with relief and exit the shed. Earlier today, Peeta had told me that the workers are provided with dormitories to sleep in and food to eat along with money in exchange for their labour. The clanging of the bell is the signal that it's time for supper.

As I make my way to the large warehouse that serves as a communal dining hall, my eyes survey the farm. From this angle, it's vastness is far more noticeable. The warehouse, dormitories and animal sheds are the only buildings besides two I'm not sure about. The rest of the space is occupied by endless fields for growing and harvesting crops. I imagine them full of workers farming the land, as at the moment, all the workers are heading into the warehouse where food is served, which I decide to call simply 'the warehouse'.

The warehouse is a way away from the shed I've been working in, but after a day of hard work, the walk is oddly relaxing. I watch the animals roaming the land freely, stopping only to eat a bunch of grass or take a drink of water. Peeta had told me that there are hundreds of animals living on this farm, but I can only count around twenty at the moment. Presumably they have been shepherded in for the evening or they are being hidden from my view by the buildings.

I'm surprised when I glance up to see the large warehouse in front of me, having reached it more quickly than I'd expected. I hesitate at the door, wondering if we're supposed to wait until we're told to enter or just go in. The other workers, however, are filing in, so I follow them.

On the inside, the warehouse is even bigger than it'd seemed from the outside. Three quarters of the room are occupied by long tables and plastic chairs, the other quarter being the area where food is served. I follow a group of workers into the line and grab a tray. When at last, I'm in the front of the queue, a short woman with curly blonde hair asks what I want to eat. I stare down at the trays of dishes to choose from: salads, stews, pastas and large pile of delicious-looking bread rolls. Everything looks so good that I'm tempted to ask for a bit of everything, but I resist, not wanting to get sick. Instead I opt for some stew and two rolls.

My eyes scan the room for any familiar faces and a spot an empty seat at the table where Finnick, Johanna, Gale and Madge are sitting with two others whose names I don't know. I walk up to their table slowly, wondering whether to sit with them or not. My decision is made for me when Finnick looks up from his conversation with Johanna and waves me over.

'Hey', I greet them, placing my tray down on the table. They all look up and Johanna introduces me to the other two on their table. 'This is Annie', she says, pointing towards a woman with dark hair and sea green eyes. 'And this is Delly.'

She gestures towards a woman with blue eyes and a heart shaped face on Annie's right. Delly leans over her tray and gives me a hug. I pull back, out of habit, and she releases me instantly. 'Sorry. I'm just so glad to finally meet you. I heard we had a new worker here and I was curious.'

I smile at her. 'It's fine. It's my first day working here actually, and I-'

'Wait, that's all you're eating?' Johanna interrupts, narrowing her eyes at the food I picked.

'Yes?' It comes out as a question although I hadn't meant for it to. 'Is that a problem?', I add spooning stew into my mouth.

She frowns slightly. 'Well, it's going to be a long day tomorrow. You're going to need enough energy to get through it..'

'This is fine', I insist. 'I didn't want to eat to much and get sick.' Johanna's frown deepens at my response. 'Get sick? Why would you get sick?'. Suddenly a wave of recognition hits her and her expression clears. 'Oh, right. What district are you-'

Delly shoots her a stern look and she falls silent, biting her lip.

'I'm from District 12', I reply, in answer to her unfinished question. 'And no, we never have enough food', I snap. An uncomfortable silence fills the air and I can't help but feel guilty. 'I'm sorry', I mutter, dropping my head into my hands. 'Its been a long day.'

'I understand', she says graciously. 'My first day here was awful too.'

I glance up at her, waiting for elaboration. 'I got locked in the shed with the cows', she admits after a brief pause. Finnick chuckles. Johanna glares at him before continuing. 'My first job was to feed the cows, only I didn't know how the lock worked and- well, you get the rest.' She drops her eyes to the table. 'I hated it though. It was pitch black and I couldn't see a thing. I was stuck there for hours until Mr Mellark heard me banging on the door.' The smile has disappeared of Finnick's face to be replaced with one of concern. He loops his arm around her neck comfortingly. 'I'm sorry, Johanna. That sounds awful.' says Annie, frowning.

'I'm fine', Johanna insists. 'I'm fine', she repeats, shoving Finnick's arm off her shoulder, although she's smiling now. 'It was a long time ago, anyway.'

'How long have you worked here?', I ask curiously, hoping to lighten the mood.

She considers. 'I started here when I was 22. I'm 24, so it's two years now', she concludes, nodding.

'T-two years?', I stutter, hoping I somehow misheard. 'But, how?'

She shrugs. 'I was originally planning to work here six months at the most, but things changed. Plus, Peeta's a great boss.' She grins.

'What's he like?', I ask the group. I'd met him, of course, but only briefly. They know him better than I do. 'Well, he's really kind', begins Delly. 'Yeah, he's a good guy', Gale adds. 'He's very helpful', pipes Madge. 'And he has the most beautiful eyes', finishes Annie, sighing. They turn to me. 'So, what do you think of him?', Gale asks. I shrug. 'He's seems nice, like I said before. He was really kind and he showed me around the farm. I like him'. I can feel my face getting hot.

Johanna smirks. 'Looks like someone's got a little crush!,' she stage whispers to the

group. 'What? No!', I say, caught off guard. 'I didn't mean it like that', I say firmly.

Johanna looks skeptical. 'Whatever you say'.

I ignore her and instead turn to Annie and Delly, at the far end of the table. 'What do you two do here?', I ask, having to lean over Finnick to see them. 'I work with the animals', Delly says cheerfully. 'And Annie here works in the office.'

'Cool'. I try to keep an interested expression on my face as they explain how their jobs work, but really I'm just mulling over what Johanna said. It's stupid. Of course I don't have a crush on Peeta. At least that's what I tell myself.