"Katniss! Your going to be late for hunting!" I hear my little sister scream. Ugh. I hate being late.
"Coming!" I yell back. Time to get ready for another terrible day. I get dressed quickly and run down the stairs into the kitchen. Prim looks up from the piece of dry toast that she's eating to frown at me.
"Weren't you going to go hunting with Gale? Why are you late?" she asks while picking at her toast. I sigh and look down. Things have been a little rocky between us.
Its sort of awkward to explain. Gale was upset because he saw the bakers son staring at me. I told him that he was seeing things. He knows that I've liked him for a while. It makes me mad when he gets me to think that he actually likes me. When I asked what his problem was he just shook his head and stormed away.
Our hunting trips have been awkward and silent. Its fine with me. He's the one with the problem. Not me. Especially now. Going through the woods. We have a pretty decent haul before we go to the Hob to trade.
Trading with him is even worse. Especially since the bakers son, Peeta, has been dealing with him since his father has been ill. I'm okay with it. I should be, I do like him.
I've liked him since I was young. Well, not young, but younger than I am now. It was right after my father died.
We hadn't eaten in days.
My mother didn't even care. She just sat there. Wasting away.
Every day I had to watched the skin around Prim's face tighten and see the way that her clothes seemed to grow larger on her each day.
I had been at the market, trying to sell Prim's old thread-bare baby clothes that no one even wanted.
I was wandering around, looking for food I could possibly bring home to Prim. Somehow I ended up in the Merchant section. A sweet smell drifted under my nose and I followed it until I was in front of the bakery.
I looked to the side where the garbage bins were.
Maybe, just maybe, there might be some old, edible bread. I walked as quickly as I could without attracting attention to myself.
I hopefully looked into the garbage can. My heart sank when I realized that they just emptied them.
I was about to leave when there was a bang. The bakers wife, also known as the witch, was yelling at me to leave before she called the peacekeepers. She went back inside the warm bakery and I slid to the ground.
Whats the point of even getting up again?
To go home and see Prim withering away to skin and bones?
To see myself go the same way?
I heard some shouting coming from the bakery and a loud bang. I jumped slightly and heard the door open.
The witch was probably coming back to shoo me off he property.
When I looked up the bakers son was standing a few feet in front of me. I will always remember what he said.
"Here. Take it. Take the bread," he pushed the slightly burnt, steaming hot loafs into my hands. I looked at them, amazed that they were even real.
"Why…?" I trailed off not know what to say exactly.
"Just take it. You need it. Okay?" he nodded at me and I nodded back.
"Thank you."
"Katniss?" Gale was snapping me out of my memory. I realized that we had made it into the Merchants section and were in front of the bakers back door. I blushed slightly when I realized I would get to see Peeta again. Gale noticed and his scowl intensified.
I knocked politely on the door. There was a few clanging noises and Peeta stumbled out of the door covered head to toe in flour. He blushes slightly when he realizes its us.
"Uh…h-hi," he says quietly. I want to say it back but Gale interrupts before I can.
"We have six squirrels, normal size. Two loafs of bread," he says firmly, standing closer to me. I back away slightly. Peeta nods his head and takes the squirrels. He's gone for a moment before he comes out with two hot loaves of bread. Gale takes them forcefully out of his hands and nods his head slightly.
"Bye Peeta," I say quietly. He smiles widely at me.
"See you at school," he replies.
We're in the same grade. Gales two years older and has already graduated. He's already been through his last reaping. He's safe. Recently Prim's been through her first. This year two Merchants went into the arena. They both died in the bloodbath. But, what can you expect from Merchants that have had a fairly easy life.
Gale ignores me for the rest of the walk home. I don't really care. Its his problem.
I ignore Prim and go up to my room to deal with my problems.
Could Peeta possibly like me back?
What is up with Gale?
Could Peeta possibly like me back?
How can I get Gale back into talking to me?
Could Peeta possibly like me back?
No matter what I think of Peeta keeps crawling into my mind. Whats up with this?