A/N: Thank you to DandelionOnFire(, I don't mind, , I understand you, 3.(about the characters) That's my intention, I have the HG and CF laying here so I can work with them, in MJ isn't much I can work with), CharmChaser(exactly my thoughts while writing this), immahappybear, elisemellark , IWouldKillForaCheeseBun(he,he, I'm happy at least you can be happy about my sickness;)), Hunger4Books, Personable(thank you so much, that would really help me. I know my English isn't perfect and I really want to improve it), Labramon and Amanda332czx(god thank you so much, I am so happy. And about Gale…if I said something now it wouldn't be interesting anymore) for reviewing.

I know I have this on every beginning author's note, but it's important for me to let you know how happy your reviews make me. And because I got 9 amazing reviews on the last chapter, I decided to update today!

And it's so crazy how many persons out there are reading this! I even know a new country name.
I'm so happy, I could burst! Thanks!

Sooo, to make me happy (and update) again, READ and REVIEW!

I don't own the Hunger Games!

Chapter 4:

It's Monday. Peeta wanted to talk to me today. And he has to, because I want to know when I will finally be able to pay him back.

But I haven't even seen him yet.

The problem is that I'm already on my way to Prim and I's willow. That means school has already finished. And I don't know what to make of it. I was so sure Peeta would talk to me.

I don't exactly know why this upsets me. It shouldn't. But I really want to thank him. And if I don't find him I cant even ask him when he has time. So what do I do?

I sigh. Nothing, I guess. I will just try to find him tomorrow and ask him.

Argh! Why do I even think about it so much? Am I really this obsessed with the idea of paying him back? Or…

No. I shake that thought from my head. I don't even need to think it. Let alone consider it. I may want to get to know him, but that doesn't necessarily mean I want to befriend him, does it?

No, it doesn't. I want to pay him back, to get my answers and then…what?
Go back to ignoring him? Somehow this doesn't seem right.

I shake my head. Now is not the time to think about that. I can do that when the time has come.

By the time the willow comes into my view, Prim is already there, waiting. She's talking to someone behind the tree, so I can't see the person.

When Prim sees me, she quits talking to the person. She comes up to me and hugs me. "Hey Katniss. What were you doing? We waited nearly ten minutes for you to show up!"

She gives me an accusing look.

We? Who is…? I'm just about to ask her this question when the person she was talking to steps from behind the tree. It's Peeta.

"Peeta!", I say.

He smiles. "Hey Katniss. I was looking for you all day, but I didn't find you. You weren't even in the cafeteria."

That's right. I had forgotten my book in a classroom and I went back to get it. But when I tried to get out of the room again the door was locked. Since there weren't any open windows and I didn't want to destroy one, I decided to wait.
When lunch was over, a teacher came to unlock the door and I went straight to my next period.

I tell Peeta the story and I can see he has to hide a smile. But he only says:

"Well, that would explain that. Er…well, I wanted to tell you I don't have to work the first Monday of the break. So, in one week, would you mind?"

One week. Monday. Gale won't be around then, he has to work. So I guess Monday sounds fine.

"Yes, that'd be okay. When?"

When we go there early, I suppose I could go hunting later. This way I don't have to feel to guilty about taking a day off and can still pay for my dept. Perfect.

Well, if Peeta is an early riser, that is.

"Um, I'd say I pick you up around…8.00am. Are you okay with that?", he looks at me with an uncertain expression.

8am. Well, that's not as early as I'd usually go, but I think it's okay.

"That's good, I suppose. I'll be up by then."

I shortly consider going hunting, but I don't think that's a good idea. I could get caught up and then I'll feel even more guilty.

I hate owing people.

He seems relieved. Why? Did he think I forgot? Did he think I wanted to brake my promise. I'd never do that. He should know me better than that.

Wait. No. No, he shouldn't. He shouldn't know me at all.

But our conversation in the bakery must have done something to me. Why do I feel like he knows me? Is it the fact that I made myself vulnerable by talking to him about the incident? Or is it something else?

I'm talking to myself again. Only in my head, but it's enough to drive me crazy.

"Good.", he says. "See you around."

He hugs Prim and smiles at me and, to my own surprise, I find myself smiling back. Not as brightly as he does, only a short raising of the corners of my mouth, but it's definitely a smile. And that's very much for me.

I swear I see his eyes light up just the slightest bit before he strolls away.

Prim is staring at me with an open mouth.

"What?", I ask defensively.

She needs a few seconds to realize I am talking to her and forming her answer.

"I'm sorry. But…you smiled at him! You never smile at anyone. Why…?", she trails off.

I blush a bit. That's true, I don't. And I certainly have no idea why I did. So, the only thing I say is:
"Can't I smile at him without you having to stare at me as if I've lost my mind?"

Now it's her turn to blush. I thought so. It's really easy to make her self-conscious. She says something, but when you find something to retort and she doesn't know what to answer she blushes.

"No.", she says. She has stopped blushing and is now eyeing me suspiciously. But she says not more about it.

We have started going home now.

She starts chattering about school and lets me tell her about the book thing again. Though I don't know why she'd find that so interesting. But since I do everything to make her happy, I tell her again.

After I've finished we are silent for a while, before she asks, out of the blue:

"What are you and Peeta doing? And why haven't you told me?"

I know perfectly well what she's talking about, but I don't want to answer her question. Because that would only lead to more questions and I still don't want to talk to her about the bread incident.
So I ask:
"What? What are you talking about?"

She rolls her eyes. She knows I know, I can tell from the look on her face. She knows me to well.

"Oh Katniss, you know what I mean. But since you chose to be stubborn, okay, I'll repeat it. What are you and Peeta going to do next Monday? And why didn't you tell me?"

I pretend to realize only now what she meant. What do I tell her though?

"Oh that…Well...",I trail off. I have to save that right now. I have to come up with something.

"Well?", she presses. Prim is usually not like me, but sometimes she is. I wish these times didn't exist. But Prim, like me, is curious. And she, unlike me, is more like other girls.

Prim does gossip, sometimes No, not gossip, that sounds to harsh. But she talks about other people. She's never hurting though, of course. She just knows about what's going on in town.

I'm only aware of yearly occasions like the New Year feast and the Reaping, but things like weddings, birthdays or even who is kissing who…I never know about that.
And I'm not really interested in it, either. There are more important things.

But Prim does know such things. She's not like those girls who go around gossiping all day, but she's not as oblivious to this sort of things as I am.

So of course, she wants to know about my life as well.

"I'm going to take him out into the woods. I forgot to tell you Saturday. I'm sorry. I guess I was just tired. So, it's not important.", I tell her in a rush, hoping she doesn't want to know more. But, being Prim she wants to know more.

"You are what? Since when do you take people out there?" She's obviously surprised.

"Why do you want to know? Do you mind?" I still don't want to tell her, but she is making it very difficult for me.

"No, of course not. He's so nice, I like Peeta. Why shouldn't I? Do you?"
What? Do I what? She can't possibly be asking me if I like Peeta, can she? Only one way to find out:

"What do you mean?" I ask, hoping she won't answer what I think she will.

She rolls her eyes. Again.

"You are either slow on the uptake today or you don't want to answer me. I think it's the latter. But you can tell me everything, you know? I can keep a secret."

I know that, of course. That I can trust her. And I don't trust many people. But that doesn't matter at the moment. This isn't about trust.
It's about understanding. Understanding what that bread meant to me. How much I still owe Peeta for it. And I don't think anyone could understand.

So the only other person on this world who knows about it is Peeta Mellark, the boy who gave me that bread. Who, in some way, does understand.

But could say all of this, but she would only understand half of it, so all I say is:
"I never doubted that. But you didn't answer my question. What do I?"

That's good to change the topic a bit again. I don't want to talk to Prim about trusting. I trust her. She trusts me. That's all there is to it between the two of us. And I have to say I'm thankful for that.

Prim is the only person on this world I'm certain I love. Sometimes, that is the only thing I'm certain of. What would I do without Prim? Without this knowledge?

I don't know the answer to that and I don't think I want to. But know is not the time to think about that anyway.

I'm still waiting for her answer.

"I wanted to know if you like him.", she says, sighing.

Ok, this was her question. And not okay, because that is a question I don't really want to answer. Not only not answer her.

I don't want to answer myself.

But considering Prim asked and is expecting an answer, I guess I have to ask myself that very question.
Do I like Peeta? I don't know.

Okay, a bit easier for me. Do I dislike Peeta? Well, the answer to this question is easy. No. No, I don't dislike him. How could I?

The few things I know about Peeta are that he is really kind, stubborn and that he has a weakness for beauty. And that he is inquisitive. Not in a bad way. He's just…eager for knowledge, I guess I could call it. Well, for someone I've only spoken to a few times, that's pretty much I know.

And those things aren't bad, either. I can't blame him for being stubborn. I'm stubborn myself. The other things about him can only be good. Though I don't understand the whole beauty thing.

How can he care for beauty if there are so many things he could care about. This really is a weakness.

A few seconds ago I thought I know him a bit. Now I think again. I don't know him. At all. I've already thought about this in the bakery. There's no use in thinking about it again.

But I don't have answers for his intentions, his motives, why he is the way he is. Come to think of it, I suppose that's the reason I want to get to know him.
I want to understand him. But because I don't, it's interesting for me to get to know him. Otherwise, no matter how much guilt I'd feel, I wouldn't do it.

Sure, I'd pay him back. But I'm not sure if I would take him out into the woods though. And I certainly wouldn't want to get to know him.

But all those things make it hard to figure him, his personality, out. So he is interesting. And I want to get my answers. Because I, too, am inquisitive. And curious about his answers.

But does that mean I like him? The answer is that I still don't know. So I answer Prim exactly that. That I don't know, I mean. Not all those other thoughts.

She nods understanding. "I know you don't like to let people in your life. And that's what you'd do by liking him. But Katniss?"

That's a question. I don't know why, but she seems to really want to have my full attention to what she's going to say next. "Yeah?"

She takes a deep breath. Now I'm really curious. "I think there's something you aren't telling me. About Peeta. Why did you smile at him? You never smile! At least not at someone you only knew for a few days."

Should I tell her? No. No, I shouldn't. But why not tell her the truth? That I don't want her to know?

I sigh and take a deep breath, like she did before. "Yeah. You're right. But…I don't want to talk about it. I don't want you to know."

When I see the look on her face, a bit hurt, I realize that sounded harsh. That's not what I wanted. That's why I hurry to add:

"I trust you and you know that. But what was with Peeta and me…you won't understand. And not because you're to young or something. I never talked about it to anyone but Peeta. So, it's no offense to you, it's just…I don't want anyone else to know, because no one would understand."

She locks our eyes. Sometimes when she does that, I think she tries to read my mind. That's what it's feeling like right now, too. Like she's trying to draw my thoughts from my mind. My secret.

Because that's what it is, really. A secret. Something I don't want anyone else to know. Usually, I don't hide anything from my family and Gale. Prim knows everything about me, just as I know everything about her.

But not that. Not what she can't, won't understand. And I know she understands I won't tell her. After all, she's a smart girl. And she knows I love her.

So she gives up, looks away and sighs.

"Ok. I won't make you tell me. But you know, you can tell me whenever you feel like it."

Never. But I don't say so. "I will." And to get the attention away from me I ask her something Gale asked me yesterday:

"By the way Prim, how come you know Peeta? Was Thursday the first day you met him?"

She smiles. "No. I've talked to him a few times before. I met him when my books fell to the ground and he helped me gathering them. Remember how he commented my picture?"

I don't think that is really meant as a question for me to answer. I nod, though. How could I forget?

"Well, that wasn't the first time he saw a picture of mine. Because among the books I dropped was a picture, too. A picture of a flower. Well, a primrose. He asked me if I had drawn it and told me how beautiful he thought it was. And he asked me if my name wasn't Primrose. I have no idea why he knew, but he did. So we talked about drawing a few times.
Anyway, this Thursday was the first day I saw him draw. And well, you know how the story continues.", she finishes.

So it was the way I assumed it was. She did indeed know him before. And I have a feeling those two have become friends very fast. They seem to have many things in common.

Not only the blond hair and the blue eyes they have, but their personalities, too. They both draw. They are both kind and friendly and no one can dislike them.
And something else. Something I noticed when I was with Peeta in the bakery.

It's their smile. A smile so far away from worries that you could think the world is a good place where all the people have to care about is that don't get bored.

But that's not true. And I know it. That's not reality and I live in reality. Where I have to worry about starving and being killed, where the only reason for my death is fate.

And because I want to stop thinking I say a see you later to Prim, grab my father's jacket and slip under the fence.

When I go hunting, I usually don't think. Usually I only feel the adrenalin pulsing through my veins, feel my muscles tense and relax when I use my bow. Usually I let reality go and concentrate on shooting.

But this time I think about next week. And that I'm going to take Peeta here.

That's it. Chapter 4!

I know this isn't the best chapter and it's short. I don't like it so much myself. But I didn't want to just jump from meeting to meeting because I think that's boring and…weird.

So I thought why not make a little sister talk? Well, I did it mainly because I thought I had to have a bit Prim. Since Katniss didn't have the after Games thing and the two of them obviously have a very close relationship.

But since I never really got Prim's character, other than the things Katniss said and I think she underestimates Prim, I decided to write a chapter with more Prim. So you know how I think about her.
And remember, Prim is thirteen and even though it's quite a while ago that I was thirteen, I don't think she's oblivious to the things going on around her. She isn't five and clueless.

Ugh, that was much, but I wanted to say that.

Next Chapter will be about Katniss taking Peeta out into the woods. I will have lots of fun writing it!

Make me happy and REVIEW! It really makes me write faster!