Chapter 1

"Peeta!" my daddy calls me, as I run quickly over the school yard; I see him look pass my shoulder, he had a look had never had before. I looked in his big blue eyes and saw them sparkle with love. I never ever saw when mommy was around, I new that this look was good though, daddy was happy He takes one of his burnt fingers and points to the prettiest girls in playground, she was little like me, with long hair that was darker the most burn bits of bread Michael ever pulled out of the ovens. She was the only one in a dress that made her stand out, the other girls wore blue, white and yellow but she wore a red plaid dress that ended at her knee.

"You see that little girl, I wanted to marry her mother, but she went off with a coal miner" my daddy looked a little sad, like he was looking in to another time, daydreaming, but I thought this over for a moment, why? My daddy was a nice man, he looked after everyone and he could make all types of food, and he didn't always look old and crumbled form all the times that he burnt his hands and face on the baking trays. I like baking with daddy, he says I have the gift, and one the bakery will be ALL mine, the whole thing!

"Why would she have a coal miner over you?" I asked, coal miners were always dirty, like they gave up and washing a few hundred years ago and there faces got looked more liney then other peoples.

"Because when he sings even the bird stop to listen" my daddy still looks cheerful as he walks over and ask for me to be put in the cooking class as I'll own the bakery, the teacher looks at me with a smile and says.

"Must be nice knowing what you're going to do when you're older" but I'm not listing, I'm thinking about her red dress and dark pigtails.

Her names was Katniss, I found that out, when the teacher asked for someone to sing the valley song. My daddy only sings silly little tunes about bakeries and cakes has he works, and none of them had valleys in them, but Katniss knew it, she put her hands highest in the air then even before the teacher told her too. She stood on her wooden chair and sang, in this voice that was strong and was clear and was perfect in the way the notes followed each other, I sat fixed on my chair and listened, when I looked out the open widow and noticed a little bird on the pain, looking up at her too, yet not singing a note so it wouldn't put her off and he wasn't the only one all the birds in the trees out side was quite listening to the girl with the voice, and I knew I had that look the look my dad had this morning.

Then she finished singing, the whole room clapped and cheered and the birds began to sing again once more, she looked over towards me and smiled, I couldn't help my face form copying her action, then she walk right past me to sit with a girl, with blonde hair, the smile was meant for her.

That was 11 years ago, I was lining up to be placed in a pen with the other 16 years in district 12,this day, reaping day was the only day he could every think of when the townies and the seem kids didn't try and hurt each other, I was never involved in the semi- gang warfare that usually kicked off after school each night but that didn't stop me taking a punch for little kid if they got mixed up in the action, that was the main problem with the merchants they would hit anyone, I really meant anyone.

I was 14 when i saw primrose Everdeen being pushed a round by a group of townies, I was outraged, three fourteen year olds who didn't know what hunger felt like, against a girl who was barley ten and was still to get over the starvation she suffered two years ago, I knew katniss hunted, everyone did but she was yet to get enough meat to maker her family full, to let them recover the layers of fat and health. She had been waiting for katniss, when the townies had found her. I looked for her sister quickly, there in the with her back to the window was katniss her plated and shiny, I had no time to wonder what to do, the biggest of the boys, the butchers son, Simon was about to pull the knock out, it was a banned move everywhere, it was a easy way to kill a man. I had felt a couple in my lifetime mostly the move would know you out but, with Simons muscle power, the way his wrist was angled, where he aimed to hit the little girl head, there was no doubt her would kill her.

Before I could have spoken I had pushed all 3 boys of the small and crying child, anger rose in side me, pain, I felt a left hook in the face, but they didn't get another one by the time I was fished, all 3 boys would need to see the doctor or ironically . I turned to prim nodded and walked away before katniss got out the door way to talk to me, I didn't want her to talk to me because I stopped her sister getting hurt, I wanted her to talk to me for being me, it appeared that she had seen most of the fighting. I herd prims cries and katniss gasping as I walked even quicker to my home, and waiting to get another beating for being home late.

Effie played the video and half the people in the district were whispering along to propaganda, I turned found katniss looking to gale whispering too.

"I just love that, happy hunger games and may the odds be ever in your favour "Effie was trilling in her capitol ascent, snapping Peeta out another daydream. "Ladies first"

She placed her hand in that hated ball, not her, not please don't be her, i closed his eyes with hoping my plea would hit heaven, It wasn't her, it was worse it was primrose. Don't do some thing stupid, please don't be stupid, but she did do something stupid, she volunteered meaning I would to. They went to the boys just as haymitch feel of the stage everyone looked at him, but I looked at her, she had one tear on her face she wiped away before anyone saw. Please be me please be me please be me please be me, I wisped to me self when I saw my father start the salute, Katniss didn't know it but she was special, everyone knew how she looked after her family, hunted better than her father, in fact katniss Everdeen had probable kept the seam alive with the meat she gets in the winter. Every member of district 12, townie and seam alike had eaten her kills; they had kept them going, the poorer via the soup lady in The Hob, The merchants via my kitchen table or the butcher. She kept us living.

"Peeta mellark"

As I walked I saw her gasp, muttering something, I saw "not him" and "the bread" and "not in my favour" the bread, my heart lifted at the memory.

The bread, I was thinking about the bread to, it was raining and cold outside; I had just taken a extra shift as I seen katniss walking into the market about hour ago and I plan to stay here baking until she came out then I would find away to feed her, protect her. My mother had told me this morning, that there was something going on with the Everdeen, there mother was frozen, so her friends told her and katniss was failing, with no money and no way to get food on the table. They were going to die, the thing was my mother didn't seem to care and muttered something about the mother going first.

"Better to rid the world of 3 more seems brats" that was my mother reply when I asked if they could help them, so I want to his father. I knew that he had loved katniss mother, he called it a shame. I called it veil, a man a baker no less, was letting the women he used to love die. I was only a boy, just 12 but made a vow, I took extra work hoping she would pass him and hoping, I'll have some bread. I wouldn't be my father to sit back and no doing anything, I would find away to get her some food. Take out a tessera if I have to; dump it on her doorstep in the middle of night. I wouldn't let her die, and now I had a chance, she walked right passed the bakery and fell in the mud and dirt I had to fight everything to stand with my hands in fire, burning two of the biggest loafs in the oven, Instead of going out there and picking her up holding her my arms, until she felt better look after her. Yelling and screaming, my mother found her in the bins. I didn't care about her looking in there she was dying and to be fair the bins where fair game, she was dying she doesn't really have a choice in the matter, she just need some food. Then my mother turned and saw my burnt bread I hoped and prayed that the noise for my beating wouldn't scare her off, I was looking out the window when the rolling pin hit my face, she sent me to the pigs, but the pigs would have to go hunger tonight, there was someone more important to keep going. I wanted to give it to her, walk in the rain and pass them over tell her that only the crust would be black, but my mother was looking at me as I tossed them with looking over. I felt horrible, she going to think I pitied her, but with my mother watching me I couldn't go over, I look out the window as she looks back at me, I see a smile on her faces as her runs. Never looking back again, by morning my eye was shining with pain so I kept it closed, I saw in the corridor but I didn't speck as I thought she would be embarrassed. I thought, she would think it was pity, hate me for helping her, but I saw her smile, slowly and gently, her face seemed to brighten, a day without hunger, looking at a dandelion, a hopeful look in her eye, she turned and looked write at me, I saw the light ball a connection, and the next day as I watch go home she turned and went to the woods.

Now I face my death with a warm heart, I must keep her alive, that my only thought, I'll do anything in that battle to look after the girl I love.