Thanks for the reviews! I know I said I am updating weekly but I decided to give you Chapter 2 early. I have lot of interesting things planned for this story but the next few chapters are more to show their friendship growing. I hope you still like them as well! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games or any of its characters.

Chapter 2

The school bell rings shrilly through my classroom, indicating that the school day is over. I quickly pack my things and make my way outside. It is not until I'm in the schoolyard that I realize that Prim is not here. The lower grades had off from school today. I begin my walk to the center of town. It is quite a long walk home since the school is on the opposite side of the district. As I walk, I notice how much I miss Prim's company. At age 7, she is a chatterbox and fills me in on the events of her day. My mind wanders to thinking about yesterday and Merrick, and his kindness. Prim was overjoyed to receive the bag of food from him. I didn't mention that it came from him. I knew my mother would have a heart attack if she knew where it really came from.

As I'm walking past the merchants' shops, I hear someone calling my name. I'm not really sure whom it could be since I have no friends. I look to my right and see Merrick running towards me from the candy shop with a small bag in his hand. I move to the side of the street and wait for him.

"Here." he says, handing me a caramel. I place it in my mouth and let it slowly dissolve.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him.

"Waiting for you. You said you get out of school at 3." I did say that but I never thought he would actually show up.

"Why do you have a backpack? Did you have school?" I ask him.

"No, it has stuff for us." he says.

"What kind of stuff?"

"You'll see." he says with a grin. We walk through the rest of town in silence. As we do, I look down and become aware of the fact that I am wearing the same clothes I wore yesterday. I feel myself become very self-conscious, pulling on my sweater as I wonder if he has noticed. So far he has failed to point it out.

"Is everything ok?" he asks. He must have seen me fidgeting.

"Everything is fine." I say, trying to act cool.

"Katniss if you don't want to hang out, it's fine." he tells me. His eyes tell a different story. They are silently hoping that it isn't the case.

"No Merrick, it wasn't that. I'm sorry if you thought that."

"What is it then?"

"Just me worrying about stupid stuff. Come on, let's go this way." I take him to a small area of woods inside the beginning of the Seam that is somewhat secluded. The last thing I need is for someone to see me hanging out with him.

"So what's in the bag?" I ask him again.

"I brought us a snack and some games to play." he says.

"I know the perfect place for that." I say with a smile. I take his hand and lead him to my favorite climbing tree. I start to climb and look down to see him still on the ground. "You coming?"

"Katniss, I've never climbed a tree before." he says nervously.

"I thought all boys knew how to climb trees." I remark as I hop down to the forest floor.

"Not in District 2."

I intertwine my hands and tell him to step on them so I can help him up. He looks at me skeptically but eventually does it. He stands on branch, clinging to the trunk as he waits for me. Within a matter of seconds I am beside him. I then guide him not too far up to a spot where there are two sturdy branches next to each other. I help him sit down, telling him to straddle the branch. I then go to mine, leaning against the base as I stretch out my legs.

"You're not afraid of falling?" he asks with a worried expression.

"I've been climbing trees for years. So what is for snack?"

"Sandwiches." he says pulling out two rectangular packages. He passes me mine before unwrapping his own. I never thought of a sandwich as a snack. Yesterday's snack was rather large too. At this rate, it was a wonder how he stayed so slim. As we eat, he asks me about my day and what my school is like. I ask him if he goes to school and he tells me he has a tutor that comes to his house daily. He says my school sounds much better. I finish eating when I am halfway done my sandwich, tucking away the rest of it for Prim.

"What games did you bring?" I ask curiously.

"Cards."

"I've never played cards before."

"Never?"

"Never." I repeat. "I'll come over there." I stand up and leap over to his branch.

"Katniss!" he shouts with panic before I land, perfectly balanced. "You scared me." he says as he places his hand over his chest, taking a few breaths to calm himself.

"You didn't think I could make it."

"Please, never do that again."

"Relax Merrick, I do it all the time." I say as I sit down on the branch, facing him. He still looks scared. "Ok, fine, I won't. So what game are we playing?"

"We could play War. That's an easy game." he says. I raise my eyebrow, wondering what exactly it entails. "Don't worry, it's not as violent as it sounds." He then explained the rules and we start to play. I'm surprised at how long the game lasts. It takes an hour before there is a winner, which is actually me.

"Should we play another game?" Merrick asks me as he shuffles the cards. I look to the sun and can tell that evening is starting to settle in.

"I should be getting home. My mother is probably worrying about me."

"Oh yeah, right." he says, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "I might need some help out of here." I help him down showing him branches to step on. When we get to the lowest branch, we jump off together, landing firmly on the ground. I walk him back to where the Seam meets the town.

"Can you make it back from here?"

"Yes, I know the way."

"Thanks for today." I say.

"Maybe we could do it again tomorrow?" Merrick suggests hopefully.

"Ok, but I need to take my sister home first. I'll meet you here around 4."

"Ok, see you tomorrow." he says with a smile before starting off down the path. Once he's out of sight, I begin my journey home. As soon as I have one foot in the door, Prim has her arms around my waist.

"Katniss where were you?" she asks with concern.

"I was taking a walk. Oh, I have something for you." I tell her as I reach into my coat pocket and hand her the half a sandwich. She thanks me with a hug before skipping to the kitchen table. When I ask her where mother is, she told me she's already asleep. The rest of the night, I spend with Prim, checking her homework, getting her ready for bed and reading her the only storybook we own. It has about twenty fairytales, which by now she has memorized by heart. She likes the ones with the princesses best. I let her choose and then read until I look down to find her fast asleep. I turn off the light and leave the room, not yet ready to fall asleep.

I go outside and walk to the meadow with a blanket under my arm. When I reach the empty space, I wrap the blanket around my body and lie in the grass, staring at the sky. The moon is nowhere in sight, leaving the stars bright and magnificent. As I take in their beauty, my mind wanders. I think about my new friend and how nice it feels to finally have someone that I talk to. Merrick and I aren't very good friends but maybe one day we could be.

I quickly remember that he won't be around forever. Eventually, he will have to go back to District 2, leaving me all alone. I try not to think about that. Besides, there are more important things to think about such as how to get food now that we're low on money. There is always the woods, but I am kind of scared to hunt there by myself. Every time I had been before, I was with my father. I knew he would keep me safe from anything that might be lurking there. Maybe one day, if I'm desperate enough, I will try to hunt there.

After lots of thinking, I stand up and make my way back to my house, with the blanket wrapped around me. The nights are starting to get cold. Once inside, I go to the bed I share with my sister and hold her close as I quickly drift off to sleep.

Chapter 3 will be up early next week. Don't forget to review ;)