'This is it I'm doing it, I cant believe it ' I think to myself as I race down various hallways passing hordes of students. Eyes turn my way but I ignore them, I know that I must look stupid sprinting like this but this was too important. My nose is assaulted with the scent of hundreds of year's worth of burning coal as I exit school. I'm pulled out of my reverie as my feet stop dead in their tracks. I have reached my destination I'm here.
I can feel my chest getting tighter and my heart swelling as I meet eyes with the girl I love and have since I was five, when I first heard her sing. I remember that day vividly. It was my first day of school. My farther had walked me there; though we didn't talk much his presence was reassuring. When he finally spoke to me he had said, "You see that girl, over there" whilst pointing at a girl with olive skin and dark brown hair done in two delicate braids. "I was going to marry her mother but alas no, she married a man from the seam." He must have seen the look of anger and confusion on my face so he continued, "I don't blame her though because I have come realise to why she did; do you want to know why?"
"Yes" I reply wholeheartedly
"She married him because when he sang all the birds in the trees would stop to listen".
After that I said goodbye to him and went to join the rest of my class. They all looked as just nervous as I felt. I made a couple of new friends that day and joined up with some existing ones (like Delly a nice girl I had known forever) but one person stood out, the girl my father had pointed out that morning. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. After lunch the broad lady who had been showing us around to music class took us. I took a seat on the floor, along with my friends. The first thing the teacher asked us was if anyone knew the valley song. I did know it I was just to scared that I would be teased for it. As soon as the teacher had asked, the little girl with the olive skin and her hair two braids hand shot up as he proclaimed, "I do Miss".
"Wonderful! Would you like to sing it for everyone?" the teacher replied.
"Okay" the girl said nonchalantly, as she waked up to the front of the room.
As she started to sing, her voice cutting beautifully through the air, all the birds in the area stopped to listen. 'Just like her father' I thought to myself, recalling the words of my own father.
That was the day that I fell in love with the girl I later found out to be called Katniss Everdeen. That wasn't the last I saw of her though. Nearly every day at school from then on I would try and rack up the courage to talk to her. I would sometimes stare at her for whole lessons not even acknowledging the teacher. Sometimes I would go to sit with her at lunch but every time I would always get to nervous and go and sit with my 'friends'. But one day, whilst I was baking bread (as I do everyday) I heard my mother walk in from outside saying "Rotten Everdeen kid, rummaging through our trash".
'Katniss rummaging through our trash? What? I have to do something. I have to help her. I can't let her starve!' I think to myself. Smells of burnt bread fill the air as I take the bread I was baking and burn the sides of it so my mother will me make throw it out. Sure enough my mother smells the bread and rushes in to slap me on the cheek and shout at me saying that no one would ever by burnt bread and how it is a waste of produce and how I must get rid of it before it stinks up the bakery. I do as she tells me my cheek still throbbing from the slap she gave me. I walk outside towards the bins. When I arrive I find Katniss curled up against a tree near the bins. I toss the bread towards her and nod at her, she replies by looking in my eyes. She crawls to wards the bread and grabs it up like it's going to escape or disappear then she scurries of leaving me alone in the rain. The next day I arrive at school and walk over to my 'friends'. I chat with them like I would any other day until I feel a pair of eyes burning into the back of my head. I turn to find Katniss staring straight at me. She looks like she's going to approach me. My heart swells but then her gaze drops to the ground. My heart is filled with confusion and sadness. I see her drop to her knees and pick something I think is a flower her features lift as her expression changes to one filled with hope, it makes me smile. From that day on I find her staring at me looking like she wants to say something to me but she never does.
I realise I have been staring at her for a wile now, she holds my stare for a second longer before turning to her sister, a little blonde girl who couldn't look more different from her sister. She turns and starts walking away from me. I don't know why but I finally muster up the courage and shout out to her and her blonde counterpart, "Katniss, wait up!"
She turns around and I start running towards her. Her face is filled with confusion. Her sister is looking up at her expectedly as I approach them.
"Peeta? What do you want?" she asks.
'She knows my name, WOW! Oh my god! How does she know my name? Oh yeah I've been going to school with her since I was five.' I mentally face palm myself 'Well done genius!' I think to myself 'Wait what did she say? Yeah well that's a good question what do I want?'
"I was wondering it you two would like to come to the park with me since it my day of?" I manage to get out some how without stumbling
"Umm well its nice of you to offer but we better get going, come on prim" she replies coldly as she turns to walk of. I let her go, knowing that I have stuffed up my one chance to talk to Katniss. "Bye Peeta" Prim says as she turns to follow her sister.
"Bye Prim" I reply Hapicrently
I turn to walk home. I feel terrible. All I can think is that the only girl I have ever loved turned me down. 'AGHHH! WHY AHHHHHH' I think to myself, my pace picking up as I rush for the security of my home. I pass friends and acutance's alike on my way home. I smell bread, which only remind me of Katniss, as I arrive home. It's my day of so I know that I can at least have some time to my self. I rush up the stairs my feet pounding on the ground as I rush up to them to my room. I slam to door behind me and throw my self onto my bed burying my head in my pillow. I finally let the tears that have been longing to escape my eyes since she walked away free. I feel horrible. How could I let her just walk away the love of my life, I should of called her back and asked if I could walk her home or something but no I just let her go. 'ARRGHHH how could I be so stupid' I all most shout out.
I don't know how long I have been lying here but I know it has been a while since I have moved. The tears have almost run dry when I hear a knock at my door. I wipe the tears heatedly from my eyes and turn to open the door. I walk over to the window and look out, seeing that it is almost sunset I through on a jumper and open the door. My toes curl as I see my mother stood on the other side. She beckons me out as she says "Peeta I need you take over the shop for a bit 'cause your father has come down with something. Think you can do that?"
"Yeah, I guess" I reply not daring to even consider saying no.
"Great, I need you to sweep the floors make up a new batch of chesse buns and start on the cake for Mrs. Robinson, Okay?" she says in a condescending tone.
"Yes Mum" I reply. As I walk past her down the stairs to the shop I can hear rustling in the backroom. I pull on my apron and go to check what it is. I enter the backroom to find my brother Matza kneading some bread.
"Hey Mat" I say as I walk over to the broom in the corner of the room.
"Hey Lil Bro, Mum send you down to?" he replies looking up from his bread. I have always had a good relationship with Matza. Well a better one than I do with Markook.
"Yeah" I reply as I start the tedious job of sweeping the floor. I know its gonna take a while but that also means I will have time think over what happened to day. Did I say something wrong, was I to upfront, should I just asked to walk with her. Millions of things that I could of said or done fly around in my mind, some of them crazy some of the disturbing, as I sweep away making my way round the whole of the shop.
"Peeta! Come help me start this cake for Mrs. Robinson" I hear Mat shout from the back. I finish of my sweeping and make my way through the house to help him.
"I have already covered it in fondant I just need you to decorate it, okay?" he asks as enter the room.
"Yeah sure. What does Mrs. Robinson want on this cake anyway?" I ask unsure on what to do.
Mat walks over to the counter and picks up the order form.
"It says here that she wants it to be themed with spring flowers. Well good luck on that" he exclaims as he leaves me by my self in. I Start buy sketching out various flowers. Finally I decide on Camellias, Windflowers, Calla Lilies, Tulips and Primroses. Then I dye the icing the coulors I need for these flowers. After that I take my paintbrushes and vaguely paint out the shapes of the flowers on the cake in various sizes. Lastly I add the fine details to each and every one of the flowers. It takes a while but I enjoy it go into my own little world when I'm painting its just me, my paints, my brushes and the cake. No problems. No worries. No school. It's my favourite place to be.
I'm running through a patch of grass full of blossomed spring flowers. Their aroma's filling my lungs making my head feel light. I can hear birds chirping happily as I run. I don't know where I'm running to but I know it must be good because I can feel it in my heart.
I run for what feels like forever until I finally can see a tree in the distance. I suddenly know that's where I'm going. That's where I was headed all along. My feet start moving faster than ever determination carrying them. This is the perfect day I think to my self. The sun is up the sky is blue. It's beautiful. As I get closer to the tree I can see a figure lying in its welcoming shade. I run even faster than before some how. My heart swells as I see who it is under the tree. She has olive skin and soft gray eyes. Her hair is in an intricate braid. She seems familiar but I cant put my finger on it. As she sees me approaching she sits up. I'm so close to my goal now, so close. She opens her arms to me as I approach. I'm nearly there when I hear a loud crash that seems to have come out of nowhere.
I hear another loud bang. My eyes flutter open and are met with the sight of Markook banging a baking tray against the table. He laughs as I come to. I lift my head up and look around I'm in the backroom. 'Oh Crap. I must of fallen asleep after I finished the cake CRAP!' I scream in my head if mum finds out I slept down here she'll kill me.
"Don't tell Mum!" I shout to Mark as I get up to leave and get changed but he stops me.
"I wont tell Mum if you cover for me today" he says mischievously.
"Fine, whatever just don't tell Mum. Okay?" I reply, I agree only because I have nothing better to do today and because I don't want to be crucified by the wrath of an angry mum.
"Okay cool, see-yah later" he says whilst leaving. I hear the front door ring as Markook leaves and I head upstairs to shower and get ready for a day of work.
I walk down the stairs towards the front door and change the sign from 'Closed'
to 'Open'. I walk back around and take my seat behind the counter. After about an hour or so and only having three customers so far I come to the conclusion that today is a slow day for business. My thoughts turn to Katniss as I sit. Where she is, what she's doing and whom she's with. She's probably out in the woods with her Boyfriend (well at least I think he is) Gale Hawthorne hunting. The only reason I know that she hunts is because once a week she comes over to the bakery and trades a squirrel for some bread. I always make sure she gets a fair deal because the squirrel she trades us are perfect. Shot through the eye, gutted and skinned, perfect. I always worry about her. I know she has Hawthorne with her but still I do. I hear the bell of the front door ring and I am pulled out of my daydream right away because speak of the devil there she is.