Introduction

Thank you so much for taking the time to read the second book of Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games Trilogy. The whole idea of this book is to watch the same events that occurred in the book Catching Fire, but tell it from the point of view of another character in the book.

The character that I have decided to share from the point of view is from the baker's son, Peeta Mellark. This book dives into the pain of having your heart broken. It touches on how to survive the rejection from the woman that he has dreamt about all his life. That at the end he realizes what true love really is.

The whole series is about six books all written from the point of view from Peeta Mellark. It follows the three Suzanne Collins books and three after that takes into account what I believe is missing information from the ending of book three. Thank you and now without further delay.


Part One

"The Oath"

Chapter One

The sunsets have always been my favorite thing to watch. All the days that I would spend in the District, just watching the sunset, the colors and the way it just made me feel are memories that I couldn't forget even if I tried. It is something that, even now after all that has happened, no one can ruin. It does reminds me of the our little home in the Games. It feels like it was just yesterday that we were there watching the sunset. How the colors would dance on the cave ceiling, the different shades of red, and oranges, it still vividly engrained in my mind. In my dreams I can still remember the sounds of the water, how peaceful it felt in the very early mornings and the way the light would bounce off the walls of the cave as the day was just beginning. It was our little home away from the truth of the Games.

And now, the truth has become only a nightmare. It was all a lie. It was all a game to survive, a manipulation orchestrated by the one person I put my trust in.

I grab a pebble and just throw it, not caring where it will land.

I don't blame her; heck I probably would have done the same thing in her shoes. After all we all had to do what we had to do, to live, to survive.

The view from the roof of my house here in the Victor's village is my new roof top garden. It reminds me of the one in the Training Center. It was the one place where I was happy, in a place surrounded by death. This small little place in District Twelve is the place where I can clear my head, to just forget if only but a moment of where I am, and how I got here. It is a place where I don't have to think about her.

"Peeta, dinner is ready," my mother calls out.

I make my way down to the window on the second floor. Once inside I close the window and look outside. I look out and see Katniss's house with the lights on and with smoke in the chimney. I hope she is recovering better than I am.

It took us a couple of weeks after I got back from the Capitol to move all of our belongings to the new house in the Victor's village. I can still remember that day when I got to see my family again.

We had just step into the car when I let go of Katniss's hand. I couldn't look at her, because it would break my heart and cause me to remember that it was all a lie. We didn't speak along the ride and most of the time I just looked outside as the car moved towards the Justice Building. It seems like all a dream, everything has this haze to it.

The Mayor wanted to congratulate us in private so we made it the rear of the Justice Building away from the crowds.

"Wanted to say congratulations on your victory," he says. "You have made your District very proud of both of you."

"Thank you Mayor Undersee, all we did was just stay alive using whatever methods we had available." I say.

"Yes," Katniss chimes in.

"Well I know you two would like some privacy. So I will leave you to it." He says before leaving.

The door closes and I sit in a chair.

"Peeta, I -" Katniss starts to say.

"Please, let's not make it more difficult than it has to be. Can you respect that for me?" I cut her off.

She walks to the door opens and closes it.

The echo of the door close sounds like it is a final goodbye. We would have to get back together before the Victory Tour, but that is months away. I let out a deep sigh and go to the door. I see my Father is waiting for me downstairs with my mother and my brothers.

"Hey, Papa, you guys missed me?" I say with a smile.

"Come here, and give your father a hug," he says.

We hug and I breathe in the warm bread smell from his shirt. He is still covered in flour, but I don't care.

He lets go and my entire clothes is now littered with flour.

"Here you have something on your face," my father says, and removes a small patch of flour on my cheek.

"Um, what about all this?" I say pointing at my entire clothes.

We all laugh for a moment before he puts his arm around my shoulder.

"Come on lets go home." He says.

"Don't forget we have a new house that we have to move to?" I remind them.

He looks back at me. "Son, that is your house, we are fine in our house."

"Papa, I insist that you come and live with me."

Truth be told, I would rather have someone in the house with me, still can't get use to the quiet. Having difficulty sleeping when there is no one there.

"What about…you know?" He says.

"What?" I ask.

"You know the new little lady…we do watch the TV for time to time." He says.

"Well talk about that later, okay?" I ask, wanting him to think it over.

"Of course son, tonight we celebrate." He says patting my back.

That day we ate the best cake from our bakery and invited everyone for a piece. Well everyone who wanted to come. Although the District was happy to have us back, they act like we are going to lose it any moment and become like Haymitch, or worst.

The days that follow, everything slowed down to a relative normalcy. People would start to enter the bakery and say hi and ask me about the Games.

After much talk and much debate we all moved to the brand new house in the Victor's village. My mother for the first time was agreeing on something that I had suggested. I don't mind having her in my house, I still love her, strong willed woman that she is, no emotions but I still imagine her when I was five.

When it was said and done, we fit better in the new house. My father would sometimes sleep over the old house. He said it was to get a jump start on the next day, but I think that he would rather be in a place that he recognizes. I don't mind him staying where ever he wants. I start to take on more responsibility in the bakery and even get to open and close a couple of days out of the week.

This gives my father much needed rest from the day, although he doesn't know what to do with it. I just try to fill in the days, seeing how I don't have need for anything really. We have enough money to last, and I don't have to go to school or even to the mines. The days I am not in the bakery, I am walking around the District. I started to paint and sketch on my free time, which is most of the time.

Whenever I can't sleep, I would make my way to the roof of the house and just stare out to the moon. Sometimes I would just lay there and stare at the stars. It reminds me of the day that I was on the Cornucopia with her wrapped in my arms on the last day of the Games. Granted I was dying but still a good memory to remember.

My family lives in the middle of both Katniss's house and Haymitch's. Whenever I would venture out to the Square or to the Seam, I would wait until the sun was out. Once I wanted to get up early to see the sunrise, and as I was walking out, I saw her walking out of her house. At that time, I just wanted to forget and go back to the way things were, seeing her from afar. After a while though, I knew that it would be impossible to forget her.

"So are we ever going to talk about it?" My father asked me once a couple of weeks ago.

"Talk about what?" I ask, knowing full well what he was referring to.

"Well, how come I haven't met her yet?" He asks.

"You have, don't you remember she would come to the back door of the bakery to trade?" I tell him, being evasive.

"Peeta, don't be smart with me. Now, son, tell me what's wrong." He asks again.

"Oh, it's nothing; just things didn't work out as I had hope." I mumble, trying to be as vague as possible.

"Son, don't give up on her. I can tell from her eyes, that she cares for you. She may not have it all figured out, but the eyes don't lie." He says.

I pat him on the knee, tell him thanks for the talk and walk upstairs to fall asleep.

That night the nightmares was simply too much. Most of the time it was me in the arena, dying, but this time around it was different.

We were in the final struggle with Cato. He had held me choking me with his arm, when Katniss fired her arrow, this time hitting me in the chest. Surprised Cato drops me, and Katniss lets go of another arrow right in Cato's neck. As I lay there on the horn, bleeding from my calf and chest, my last moments are of her pulling out the arrow and letting the blood just drip to the ground.

I feel someone shaking me. "Son, wake up,"

I open my eyes, and for a moment I don't know where I am, and whether or not I am still in the arena.

"Son, son, it is ok, you are in District Twelve. The Hunger Games are over. You were having a nightmare." He shakes me.

"It was…a dream?" I say. "Was it all a dream?"

"No, the hunger games was real and but you are home now." He says.

I don't really sleep much, and when I do it isn't very long. I can only remember one time when I slept through the night and woke up the following day. It was the beginning of spring, and well things had finally gotten back to normal. Well as normal as it came be. Everyone had gone back to their routine. Baking bread in the morning and staying in the shop the whole day.

It was mid-day when I remember going into the back to get the newly fresh rolls of bread. I was just walking back when I hear the door chime. I walk out and see for the first time in months, Katniss with her little sister Prim.

"Hello," I politely greet her.

"Hello, Peeta." She says not trying to make eye contact.

"Katniss, I want that one." Little Primrose says to her tugging her shirt. She looks remarkably like her sister but a younger version and with blonde hair. She wears her hair in two braids and I just smile when I start to point out the displays.

"So you are Katniss's little sister? You know I know a lot about you. Your sister would tell me everything." I say to Primrose.

Her eyes open wide open and says

"Everything?"

"Well not everything, but I know about your cat and your goat." I truthfully say to her. "We have a lot in common your goat and I."

"Really?" She says.

"Now, Prim…may I call you Prim," I ask. She nods yes. "Which one would you want?"

"The pink one," she says.

"Ah! The pink one. Yes this one?" She nods. "This little cupcake is a special little cupcake; I made it as the sun was rising." handing it to her. "I think it has your name on it."

She giggles and begins to unwrap the wrapping.

I look up and see that Katniss eyes are close to an emotional response. I mouth the words, it is ok, I am ok, and she just looks out to the door.

"Prim, we have to get going. Mother is waiting for us at the house." She says to her sharply.

"Katniss, can I tell something to Peeta?" she asks. "But wait for me outside, I don't want you to hear."

It takes a couple of please for her, but Katniss finally agrees and walks outside.

I walk towards little Primrose.

"Okay, Prim, what do you want to tell me?" I ask her.

"Come closer, it is a secret." She says.

I lean in and place my ear to her mouth.

"Thank you for saving her." She says, and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

I look back at her, and see the same grey eyes, innocent and pure. I smile and tell her simply.

"She saved me."

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