Chapter Two

"After that, I watched you going home every day."

As the bright rays of sunshine make their way into the room, my brothers decide, once again, that now is the time to wake up. I cover my head with my pillow like yesterday but, unlike yesterday, mum's not here to get me up. I touch three fingers to my swollen cheek and flinch, hissing in pain at the pressure on the wound.

Mum's reaction to what I told her is still confusing me. I don't understand quite why she changed from such a loving mother to one who abuses for no apparent reason. I don't think I did anything that could have caused her to change so suddenly but she must have thought I did. The only thing I did was talk about Katniss.

Katniss.

When I realise that I'm going to see her again today, I allow the first smile to pass by my lips since I came home yesterday. I quickly slide out of my bed, making it to avoid another beating, and then grab the towel off my bed. I make my way into the bathroom without making contact with anyone else and then, after learning my lesson yesterday, I lock the door before throwing my towel to the floor.

Once undressed, I climb into the shower and begin washing myself under the cold water. At the sound of the door handle being rattled, I shout, "I'm in here."

"Waste of water," replies mum in a mutter.

I sigh as what I assume to be a drop of water but could be a tear rolls down my cheek, the cold soothing the stinging of the slap. For a minute, I allow the water to pour on my cheek and soothe the pain until I turn it off, not wanting to waste anymore whatever than I have been just by being alive.

I step out and grab my towel, wrapping it around myself as I leave the bathroom. I start walking down the corridor and duck under James' arm, so he catches me and pulls me back, saying, "You can't get away from it that easily."

"Go away, James," I groan, pushing him away as I make my way into my room, shutting the door behind myself.

I walk over to the small rail in the corner of my room, which is where my few outfits are kept, and look at them all. I've got to wear something old now. After a few minutes of staring, hoping that something nice will jump out at me, I grab my shorts from yesterday and the shirt with the least holes in it that I have. I throw them on quickly and then find my old green jumper too. Noticing that there are holes in the elbows, I just roll it up so they can't be seen until I find a blue one and change it.

After running a metal comb through my still damp hair, I make my way downstairs. When I see that no one's yet in the front of the bakery, I make my way into the kitchen to find my dad and, unfortunately now, my mum.

"Good morning," I mumble, addressing it to neither in particular as I lean against the wall.

"Good morning, son," answers dad. No surprise when I don't get an answer from mum.

"May I have breakfast?" I ask, well sure that the answer will be a no.

"We never have breakfast," points out mum, directing her speech to dad as if he was one who asked the question.

"Why do you want breakfast?" questions dad.

"Because I didn't have any dinner last night," I admit.

"That's because you didn't come down for it, you ungrateful little boy," snaps mum. "We wasted some your portion because no one ate it!"

"I didn't come down for it because no one told me," I reason.

"And no one told you because you want to marry the ugliest Seam rat that there is!" she screams.

"Shut up!" I shout without thinking. "She is neither ugly nor a rat! You are wrong about Katniss. She is the most beautiful and amazing and perfect girl ever and you're just jealous because you're nothing like her."

It takes three harsh smacks with a rolling pin on the same cheek as last night for me to realise what I said but I can't regret it. She deserved. She smacks me a fourth time and as she raises it to hit me the fifth time, I snatch the rolling pin from her hand and throw it across the room. Then, before she has time to react, I sprint out of the room and out of the house.

I only slow down when I'm three streets away and I'd be lost if I ran any further. Slowly, I begin to make my way to school, much early than intended. As I walk along the street, I gingerly raise my hand to my cheek. When I draw it away, I find it covered in blood. I curse and start retracing my footsteps until I reach the apothecary, hoping that it'll be open. Luckily it is and I push open the door, making my way over to the counter.

The lady there looks up and gasps at the sight of me. "My dear, what happened to you?"

"Erm..." I mutter, not sure if I want to know the consequences of snitching on my mum. "I tripped. I caught the rest of my body and only got barely noticeable grazes but I fell on my face."

She looks unconvinced by my explanation but doesn't question any further. "Do you have any money?"

I nod. "But it's not much." I draw out the money that was for my lunch: three silver coins. It's hardly enough to pay for an apple, a slice of bread and a piece of meat but maybe this woman will be lenient.

"I can't do much for that price, but I'll stop it bleeding then clean it up," she promises.

"Thank you," I whisper, unbelievably grateful.

She disappears behind the counter and then returns after a few minutes. She crouches down in front of me and rubs a cream on my cheek, which stings for the first couple of seconds, then soothes the pain. Soon, she grabs a wet piece of cloth and rubs it over my cheek to clean it.

"All done." She smiles as she throws the cloth into the bucket. She walks back around to the back of the counter and takes two of the coins for herself as she hands the third back to me. "I wouldn't want to take all of your lunch money now."

I smile as well and then repeat, "Thank you," before leaving the shop. I know I still have a long time before school starts but I may as well go there now, as there's nowhere else I can go.

I've soon reached it and a teaching assistant has noted my presence entering the school with a nod. I know we have music again first so I make my way into the hall and take Katniss' original seat from yesterday. I lean my injured cheek against the wall and sigh, not wanting to think about how much my life has changed in less than a day.

"You've taken my seat," warns the sweet voice of my love from the row behind me, who I didn't even notice come in.

"Hmmm?" I mumble, pretending to not have heard her.

"You heard me alright, mister," she complains, climbing over the chairs and standing in front of me with her arms crossed in front of her.

I quickly glance over her appearance today: her hair in the same style with the same grey jumper, but with a blue dress that matches my jumper instead. "Oh, hello Katniss. I didn't see you arrive," I say.

"Move," she answers.

"Why?" I question.

"That's my seat," she replies.

"I don't think that this seat is dedicated to Katniss Everdeen," I argue, being cut off from carrying on further by her hand over her mouth.

"Move," she repeats.

"Or what?" My answer comes out muffled.

"I'll sit on you," she promises.

"I'd like to see you try," I challenge.

"Fine." True to her word, she drops herself onto my lap and lays her legs over the next seat as she stares straight into my blue eyes and I'm looking back at her Seam grey eyes.

"I'm still not moving," I point out after a few minutes where we just stared at each other.

"Neither am I. I suppose I'll just have to stay on your lap forever then," she taunts, smirking slightly.

Katniss, you have no idea how much I'd like you to stay with me forever. "I could make you move," I admit.

She raises an eyebrow. "How?"

As soon as the word has left her lips, I begin to stand up and she screams quietly, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as I fall back onto the chair, laughing. However, she isn't laughing as she forces my face to look at the door and she looks at something on the side of my face.

It takes me a few minutes to realise what she's looking at and, when I do, I try to move my head back around but she gently catches me and keeps me in the same place. "Katniss," I groan. "Let go."

"What happened?" she asks, slowly moving her hands away so I can face her.

I turn my head back to face her gradually and see a look of true concern on her features. "I tripped," I lie again.

"Peeta, my mum works as a healer, I know that that's not for a fall," she tells me. "If you don't want anyone else to know, just tell me."

"Seriously, it doesn't matter," I complain.

"Tell me, Peeta Mellark, or I will make you," she argues.

"We have no intimacy in this classroom!" the voice of Miss Beale calls, her voice ringing through the room.

"Please, Peeta," Katniss pleads, her eyes staring deep into mine.

Her beautiful eyes and powerful persuasion finally convinces me to tell her until Miss Beale shouts, "Mr Mellark, let go of that poor girl. I have told you already that we do not allow relationships in here." But before I have the chance to let go of my hold around Katniss' small waist, to which she wasn't complaining about, Miss Beale has already appeared behind us and pulled us apart. "Sit back at the front, Miss Everdeen, and you can stay there, Mr Mellark."

Annoyed and desperate to argue but knowing I can't, I just stare at Katniss as she makes her way back to the front of the class. She sits heavily into the seat and crosses her arms over her chest as she pulls her legs onto the chair, glaring at everyone as they walk in. How I'd love to be one of those people she is glaring at, she has an amazing scowl.

As the lesson begins once everyone is seated, I instantly lose interest in the lesson, finding the back of the chair in front of me incredibly interesting because I've forced myself to look away from Katniss for a while. It is rather lucky that concentration is not a necessary component in music because, believe me, I have none today.

When the hour is finally up and we make our way to the proper classroom, I find my seat without even looking. I sit down quickly and then focus my gaze outside where much more exciting things are happening as Panem's history will hardly catch my attention when I'm older, even less so now.

However, I am soon snapped out of my thoughts when Miss Beale asks me a simple question, probably to catch me out for day dreaming. "Who was the winner of the last Quarter Quell and what was the twist?"

To her annoyance probably, I easily answer, "Haymitch Abernathy from this District, and there were twice as many tributes," correctly. It must be the simplest question she could ask at the moment now though, as he only won thirteen years ago and District Twelve never gets Victors. He also already known for his alcohol addiction.

She glares at me then asks what she must consider a harder one. "Why are there the Games in the first place?"

I roll my eyes as I know that everyone in the class should know this. "When the planet was too full, there were wars which split the countries. Power was finally gained here and a president took power, renaming here Panem. He split Panem further into thirteen Districts, the thirteenth being destroyed, and forced them to compete in the Hunger Games."

She shakes her head and frowns. "How do you know the answers to questions past your age's knowledge?"

"I'm not stupid," I reply, knowing as soon as the words leave my mouth that was the wrong thing to say. However, no one says anything until I hear a muffled laugh and I glance up to see Katniss covering her face with her arms. I smile and add, "I mean, I know all about numbers and letters from the bakery. And I know history because my brothers have already studied it."

Miss Beale sighs and, before she has the chance to speak again, the bell for our twenty minute lunch break has sounded and we all quickly leave the room. I follow everyone out, unsure why as I can't buy anything with the money I have left over from this morning.

I sit down quickly in a seat by a window and look out of it until I hear Katniss say, "I need to talk to you."

I look up and smile as she sits down opposite me. Once she's down, I glance out of the window again so that my cheek is hidden from her again and begin twiddling my thumbs as I don't say anything.

"You had lunch yesterday, where is it?" she asks suddenly, catching my hands and stopping them from moving.

"I bought it yesterday and I don't have enough money today," I explain.

"I don't have much money for lunch either, do you want to put our money together to buy something?" she suggests.

I shake my head, muttering, "I wouldn't want you to waste your money on me-"

"No, it would be a waste if I didn't buy something with you because that would mean that I had bought nothing with my money," she interrupts with a frown on her face. "So hand yours over."

I sigh, sliding my hand into a pocket in my shorts and removing the silver coin that I have left over. She reaches her hand to mine, letting it linger in place for a few seconds after she picks up the coin, before she walks away to the food stand. I watch her leave and rest my bad cheek on my hand so that it's covered in case someone else tries to see it.

After a few minutes, she returns and places a sugar coated biscuit on the table. As she sits down and smiles at me, she breaks it in half and questions, "Is this okay?"

I take the half she doesn't offer me, the smaller half, and return her smile before replying, "I can bring you one from the bakery tomorrow, if you'd prefer."

She laughs as she takes a bite into the crumbling biscuit, letting another smile pass over her lips because of the taste. I take a bite too as she bargains, "You only can if they're somewhat as good as this."

"They're better," I boast, taking another bite.

"How can they be?" she playfully gasps, speaking between mouthfuls. "This is the best biscuit I've ever eaten."

"I guess you haven't eaten many biscuits," I joke.

"You're right," she agrees, her playful tone gone.

I sigh and offer what's left of mine out to her. "Do you want to finish my bit then? I'm not really hungry and I get some food at home." Both bits are a lie but I can't see her go without food, I'll never be able to.

She shakes her head, pushing my hand back towards me. "You eat it."

I go to argue again but the bell rings, calling us back to lessons. She quickly walks away, finishing her biscuit as she walks and I have to do the same, my appetite disappearing now that I know she doesn't have enough food. I slip back into the classroom with all the other students, glancing over to see Katniss already seated and looking away from me. I sigh again as I find my seat and fall into it.

Once everyone, including Miss Beale, has re-entered the room, we are set our task for the final lesson, which is art once again. We are told to draw a representation of our parents' work, or something that relates to what they do. Finding this assignment easy, I have soon drawn the basic outline of three loaves of bread in a basket, in front of the sign for our bakery.

Then when I've completed my picture to a more complex level with colours and detail, I glance up at the clock and notice that we only have five minutes of the lessons left. I sigh in relief, not because I fancy going home anymore but because I can finally leave here, and then smile when we're dismissed slightly early from class so we can escape before everyone else leaves school too.

I walk out of the classroom quickly, after grabbing my bag, and follow my classmates away. When I step out into the courtyard, I notice Katniss looking around as if she's expecting someone so I walk to her side and ask, "Looking for someone?"

"Well, my dad was meant to be meeting me and he should have got here before the school day finished," she informs me.

"We're out early so he may here soon, there's no point worrying," I reassure her.

"Hmmm," she mutters, her grey eyes staring off into the distance.

"I can wait with you if you want?" I suggest.

"What about your dad?" she answers. "What if he's waiting for you."

"Don't worry, he's too busy at work today so I said I'd walk home myself," covering up by lying, knowing the real reason he won't be coming will be mum.

"Thanks then," she whispers, smiling.

I nod but don't say anything as we move off to the side so that we have a clear view if her dad were to arrive, but not so that we're in the way of everyone else who is coming out of school now.

After a few minutes, by which time no one has arrived, I glance to my side and see the look of true concern on Katniss' face. "Hey, don't worry," I say. "He'll be fine. I'm sure that there's a perfectly normal reason why he's not here."

She looks unconvinced. "But the mines are really dangerous. What if he's been hurt or-"

"Katniss," I cut off. "He. Is. Fine. I'll walk you home, if you want."

She laughs softly. "Why would you want to do that when you could go home yourself?"

I shrug. "Maybe your house is better than mine-"

"I highly doubt it," she scoffs. "I've been with my dad to the bakery and it looks really nice."

"Maybe I want to meet your parents then," I decide.

She laughs again. "Trying to get to know them for plans of the future?"

I laugh too, but don't say anything because she's hit the nail precisely on the head.

"But, yes please, will you walk me home?" she seems to plead.

"Of course," I agree without any persuading. "Would you like me to take you bag, ma'am?"

"If you so insist," she jokes, handing me her bag.

"Fine." I snatch her bag out of her hand and throw it over my shoulder with my own.

At first, she looks slightly shocked by my action until she sees the smile on my face and smiles as well, beginning to walk forward with a spring in her step. I follow her as she twirls around everything, gradually tightening the circle she begins around me.

"Katniss, stop!" I complain when she begins to make me feel dizzy.

As soon as the last word of my complaint has sounded, she suddenly stops in front of me, causing me to crash into her. She doesn't complain though as she catches my chin, staring deep into my eyes as she whispers, "I need to tell you something." I nod slowly, as her hand creeps to my cheek and I pull away at the sting from her touch, where she says, "I'm not giving up with earlier. You're going to tell me what happened to you."

I sigh and look away, walking in the direction of the Seam, hoping I'll be able to tell which her house is when I get there.

"Peeta!" she calls after me, running to catch up. She tries to walk in front of me again and catch my gaze, but I don't let her. "Tell me." I shake my head. "If you don't tell me, I'll tell Miss Beale that you've been in a fight."

"She wouldn't care and neither should you!" I finally snap. I know I should take my anger out on her but I can't really help it.

I look at her and she looks a little hurt but shakes it away when she sees the expression on my face. "I really do care, Peeta."

I sigh. "Don't hold anything against anyone," I begin.

She nods. "I wasn't planning on doing so."

"Then don't think anything of it if I tell you that it was my mum who hit me," I tell her quickly.

She looks shocked in the second that I glance at her, before I've left her behind as I carry on walking. She eventually catches up and reminds me, "I said I wouldn't judge so I'll just ask why she would hit you."

"That definitely doesn't matter," I probably answer too quickly. "Now, where to your house?"

"I'm not telling you until you tell me why your mum hit you," she bargains.

"You won't like the reason," I begin.

"Well, I already don't like the action," she points out.

"Believe me, you'll hate it even further," I sigh.

She rolls her eyes. "I doubt-"

"You," I mumble.

"Me?" she repeats.

"Mum doesn't like you," I explain. "So where's your house?"

"That's not important," she mutters. "Why doesn't she like me?"

I stop walking and drop our bags onto the floor by our feet. "I don't know, I haven't had the chance to talk to her in a civilised manner since I've discovered her hate."

This is her turn to sigh as she picks up her bag and gently kisses my sore cheek. "I probably shouldn't keep you away from home then."

"No," I disagree sharply. "I promised to walk you home and I intend to keep that promise."

She shakes her head and doesn't say anything as I pick up my bag and follow her home. The next time she speaks or even looks at me is when she turns to face me so that she can say, "This is my home, you can go now."

"I want to check that someone's at home for you, Katniss," I decide, following her inside as she pushes open the creaking door. As I step into the dark building, I have to rely on Katniss' small figure to guide me up the stairs to the lighted room and the top of the house.

When we step into that room, I look around, not taking long to see the small kitchen and the two beds, next to a cot, in which a baby girl with blonde hair lays. In the bed next to the cot is the man who I saw yesterday and know is Katniss' dad, then beside him is a frail blonde woman, who I guess must be Katniss' mum.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," I whisper, breaking the silent mood as I realise that I am probably now even later than too late.

Katniss nods and I walk away, heading down the stairs as I hear her throw her bag onto the second bed and walk over to cot, picking up her sleeping sister and saying softly, "Did you miss me, Prim?"

I hear a kind laugh that I assume comes from her father. "I'm sorry that I was not there to pick you up this afternoon, but it looked as if that young man was already there to do my job for me."

I pause, my hand hovering over the door handle as I wait for Katniss' reply, which comes after a few minutes. "Yes, well, I don't plan to talk to him again. Because I'm not sure if you noticed but he was all beaten up on one side of his face and it was technically my fault it happened."

I shake my head and silently shut the door behind myself, cursing how Katniss analysed the problem. That was definitely not how I intended her to see it. Well, originally, I didn't intend for her to see it at all. But when she did, that wasn't how I planned for it to go.

Today has not been a very successful day, and I realise that it's not anywhere near finished as I arrive at home.

Remembering what happened in my last two meetings with mum, I quietly attempt to slip upstairs without anyone noticing. I reach the top step without alerting anyone of my presence and I begin to relax as I go to place my foot down for the final step until I hear James shout, "Peeta's home."

I know that I am in so much trouble, so I throw my bag into my room and then stumble back down the stairs to the bakery, being met at the bottom by a red-faced, obviously fuming mum. She grabs me by the ear and pulls me to the back of the building and out of the public's view, but not away from James' prying eyes as he follows us.

I pull away from her tight grip and find out that's the wrong thing to do when I get a slap across the cheek at the same time as she screams, "And where were you?"

I don't answer straight away but there's no need for me to do so as James quickly snitches, "The same Seam girl that he was staring at yesterday."

"That brat!" shouts mum with another slap. "You know I told you to never go near her-"

"Oh, he went near her," James interrupts. "He walked her to her house just now, and he sat with her at lunch and shared his food, and she was sitting on his lap before school even started today."

With each accusation, I have received a beating with her hand first until she moves onto the rolling pin again, which makes my still sore cheek bleed, doing the same to the other when gets unsatisfied by the first. However, she does not stop when James has finished talking and I feel I am about to lose consciousness, so I cry, "Stop! Mum, stop it!" I cover my face with my arms and the blows just continue to rain down there, making them lose all feeling.

"You deserve it! It's your own fault for going against what I told you and going near that thing again! Why would you even want to, is what I want to know? A Seam kid: ugly, poor, ungrateful."

"Everything you are, but you're even worse!" This comment makes her kick me and beat me harder than she has been but I still try to get away as I feel the tears flooding down my face. However, as I stand up, my legs just collapse underneath me and I fall back into the corner so she finally leaves me, realising that there's nothing else she can do to hurt me.

She slams the rolling pin back down on the table as she walks away to finish whatever she started before I arrived. James just laughs as he leaves the back room, going back to his job at the counter. I'm just left in the corner, sobbing, bleeding, with nothing I can do about it.

I hope this is okay as I only briefly checked it through, but I wrote it so I thought I may as well upload it. Anyway, I hope you like this one too (I apologise for Katniss being a bit OOC but I don't imagine her talking to Peeta again...) and pleeeeeeease review to let me know what you think! Thank you for the last review :D