"You see that, baby girl? That's how you shoot a squirrel. Why don't we head on over to the bakery and trade these for something sweet, hmm?" Daddy's eyes sparked as he grinned broadly at me.
"Really, Daddy? We can get something from Mr. Mellark's bakery? Can we get cupcakes? Or raison bread? No wait, let's get them all at once! Prim's been begging for something ever since you took us to look at the pretty cakes in display, remember?" I took Daddy's hand and the pair of us made our way back to the fence.
Daddy's laughter is deeper than the depths of the forest and it sent shivers down my spine, in a good way; a fatherly way. "Now, I'm not sure we have enough for all that. Besides, baby girl, you'll spoil your dinner. Mama wouldn't want that, would she?" he questioned.
"No, I suppose not. But I can't help it Daddy, it always smells divine when we pass by! Why can't we ever buy more than one sweet? It's not fair!" I knew it wasn't nice. I knew what Daddy would tell me, he always reminded Prim and I that "the one who asks for the most receives the least in return, and the one that gives the most receives the most in return." What that means, I haven't a clue. Just like I thought, that is exactly what Daddy told me and I replied the only way I knew how to:
"Prove it."
Daddy let out a huge sigh, one much too big for someone as happy and care-free as him, and he rubbed his brow wearily. "Someday, I'll show you baby girl, someday. Just not today, okay?" Before I could respond however, a vicious scream was released, followed by a damning slap. Both Daddy and I looked up with a start.
A little boy, no more than my age, stood on the doorstep of the bakery cupping his swollen cheek. I knew that boy with the swollen cheek! He goes to my school and he's been in my class since grade school! I never spoke with him muck, but his name…Peeta. Peeta Mellark. A much older woman, probably the Peeta's mother, continued to yell at Peeta who helplessly stood there trembling at every word. Just as the woman, a more appropriate title would be witch, was about smack the child once more, Daddy strode over to the her and grabbed her hand in a vice grip.
"Martha! How lovely to see you again. My baby girl and I would like to trade with Whyte. Is he here or shall we be on our way home?" Daddy threw Mrs. Mellark's hand down and beckoned me forward. I stepped up to Daddy and took his hand, hiding behind his back.
"Yes, how wonderful to see you too, especially on this fine morning. Whyte is inside, you may follow me." The witch put on a fake smile as Daddy let go of my hand and crouched down beside me, as if telling me a secret.
"Baby girl, I'm gonna do this one on my own. I want you to play with Peeta over there, alright?" I nodded eagerly. "That's my girl." He then followed Mrs. Mellark inside the bakery.
I did not know how to approach this boy. I had seen him gaze at me and our eyes would lock for a second, then he would turn away and blush as if nothing had happened. This strange behavior I had managed to ignore for the most part, but I couldn't seem to feel different around him. He wasn't like the other boys at school. He wasn't like the boys who teased me and called me names, but he wasn't like the Seam boys who told the mean ones to go away either. Peeta…Peeta just didn't fit.
"Why did she do that to your face?" I really wanted to know why that witch would want to hit a fairly nice boy like Peeta besides the fact that well…she was a witch.
"I-I dropped a cookie and it broke." Peeta lowered his head shamefully and held his cheek tighter.
"Would you like me to look at that? My mother's a healer, you know. I think I can fix it up a bit, or at least make the boo-boo hurt less." I was absolutely positive I could help Peeta. After all, by the swell of his cheek and the redness, I could tell he needed something fast or it would be awfully painful very soon.
"Could you, really?" Peeta's eyes widened and stared into my stormy gray orbs and I stared into his baby blue ones.
"Sure I can, or my mother could." Peeta removed his hand from his face and winced. Now that I took at better look at his cheek I started to have second thoughts.
Peeta said nothing else. He simply sat on the steps of the bakery and patted the spot next to him, indicating that he wanted me to sit next to him. I sat and he snuck his left hand into the pocket of his khakis pants.
"You have to close your eyes." he stated. The welt on his face was immediately forgotten.
"Why would I do that?" I was starting to have suspicious thoughts about Peeta Mellark now.
"Please?" Peeta seemed intent on getting his way.
"No. I can't. I'm already breaking the rule by taking to a stranger." But so was I.
"But your daddy told you to talk to me, I heard him." Peeta didn't back down.
"No." Neither did I.
"Pretty please?" Now he was practically begging.
"Nu-uh." I refused, staying strong.
"Pretty please with sprinkles on top?" He tilted his head to the side, trying to convince me, but utterly failing.
"What are sprinkles?" I needed to know what they were if I was going to close my eyes for them.
"I'll show you if you close your eyes." Now I had no choice but to accept. I slowly but surely closed my eyes and covered them with my hand for good measure, silently telling Peeta I wasn't peeking.
I could hear him wrestling with his pocket trying to get something. He's distracted, I thought as I opened my hand the slightest.
"Hey, you can't peek!" I giggled and bit my lip, closing my hand back up.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now." I uncovered my eyes and was marveled at the sight before me. A cookie was placed in the palm of his hand. It was broken into three pieces but Peeta put them back together somehow. The scent intoxicated me and I simply had to ask,
"Is this-" I didn't want to be rude so I stopped there.
"Yup. I was gonna give it to you at school, but since you're here, I might as well give it to you now." I gnawed at my bottom lip. I didn't know if I should take it or not.
"What's the matter?" A small frown appeared on Peeta's face, "I'm really sorry the cookie's crumbled, I-"
"No, it's not that." I cut him off, "I just-I don't think I can accept this. Sorry Peeta."
"How about you give me something in return if I give you this cookie? Could you take it then?" It sounded fair to me.
"Okay, what do you want for it?" What did he want for it?
"I-I want…can I-maybe…canIbeyourfriend?" I had no idea what Peeta had just said.
He took a deep breath and said very slowly, "Can. I. Be. Your. Friend?"
"That's what you want?" I thought Peeta was going loony, but then again, it didn't sound like a bad idea either.
"That's what I want." He seemed determined.
"For that cookie?" I was making sure my bargain included the cookie.
"For me." Now what is he talking about?
"Not for the cookie?" So the bargain doesn't include the cookie?
"You can have the cookie too." Yes!
"I'll take the cookie, but I would've agreed even without it, Peeta." I meant it with all my heart, my nine year old heart.
"Really?" He looked hopeful, too hopeful. Like he'd wanted this all along.
"Really." I smiled and ducked my head.
"Really, really?" I giggled again and nodded. We both burst into a giggling fit.
"Peeta!" I just remembered!
"What is it?" he looked confused, his eyebrows knitted together, lips puckered, and leaned forward.
"What about my sprinkles?" I asked him.
"Give me your cookie." He was going to give it back right? I reluctantly handed over my cookie and he pointed to these little ovals at the top. "These are sprinkles." His smile matched mine.
Just then my daddy came out of the bakery and we both stood up. Peeta dusted off his pants, whispered something in my dad's ear and waved at me. I waved back only half-heartedly. What was so secret that he couldn't say it out loud?
"Daddy, what did Peeta tell you in your ear?" I know my mother always tells me that "curiosity killed the cat" so I was safe. It would only kill our wretched cat, Buttercup.
"He said, thank you."
"Why?" What did Daddy do for Peeta?
"Katniss… the one who asks for the most receives the least in return, and the one that gives the most receives the most in return. You asked for cupcakes, sweets, and cakes and what did you get? A broken cookie. Peeta gave you that cookie and what did he get? He got the most precious thing in the world, your friendship. Do you understand now?"
What Daddy said scared me. It was true. It was actually true.
I thought about it for a while and I realized something,
"Daddy, you're wrong. I know Peeta gave me a cookie and got my friendship, but I asked for sweets and I got his friendship. So what you said doesn't really make sense."
"Baby girl, I will never, ever, in a million years be able to teach you anything because you're too damn smart for me. God help your teachers."