Hello my lovelies! I would like to thank TowerOfEnvelopes for my first review! I read it and it made my day! And what you suggested was my plan by the way! I have gotten better with my sickness (flu) and have been a little busy with school so haven't been able to be on. And I was planning on updating but I had to preform some songs I did in a play at my local bookstore to help raise funds, then yeaterday I had the most important audition I have ever had to do so without further wait I hope you enjoy chapter 5 of my story.

Suzanne Collins wrote THG I never couldv

Chapter 5: Deep in the Meadow

I am still half asleep when I hear Prim shuffle out of bed, I look around the room, wishing to be able to fall right back into the blissful sleep I was just in. I had the best dream, it was of my date with Peeta today. Wait, thats today! I jolt out of bed and scramble to the bathroom and take a cold bath and get dressed as quickly as I can. I hadn't realized that I wanted this as badly as I do until last night.

I scrambled into the house after Peeta kissed me on the porch, and ran to my room. Prim followed and asked me what he said. I told her that we just planned our date and then he said goodnight. She looked at me, pressing me to go on, but I wouldn't tell my little sister about my love life. Then I realized "Hey I have a love life, not that I want one. Well" I really needed to think by myself and the best place to do that was in the privacy of my mind.

I got into bed and began to think that out of the years that I had been friends with Peeta and Gale that I always chose Peeta over Gale. Like when we would pick partners when we used to play hide and seek I always grabbed Peeta's arm and ran to a hiding place. When we played with the little hackie-sack Gale's other made with Madge I would pick Peeta to be on my team. He was never good at that game. Then suddenly it came to me, I had always had a crush on Peeta, always but it took me until now to realize it. So as I drifted off I thought of Peeta and how stupid I was not to realize it sooner. But I realize it now and that will have to do. As soon as I am dressed and ready to take the day I put on my boots and my fathers old hunting jacket and go out. I promised Gale before he left that I would take care of his family and I have to keep that promise, even if he does hate me.

The woods are one of the best places to think, and as I hunt I really think about life, where I want to take mine. I can't take care of Prim and my mother forever, Prim will eventually grow up and get married and my mother will die of old age eventually, but what about me? I never wanted to get married because that usually leads to children that I know I can't protect with the Games. I know I don't want to end up like Haymitch, an old drunk who is slowly killing himself with white liquor.

When I finish hunting I have caught seven rabbits and 12 squirrels, I go to Gale's house and give Hazel four of the rabbits and five of the squirrels, when I get to the Hob I give Greasy Sae five squirrels for a bowl of soup and some yarn she had gotten earlier. Greasy Sae is a good friend, she makes the strangest stews and soups but is a genuinely good person. I finish my soup and go to trade my last two squirrels with Peeta.

I walk into the square and see three blonde boys walking towards the train station, it must be Peeta and his brothers going to pick up a shipment of bakery necessities. I go up to the bakery and look in the window and see Mrs. Mellark running the front counter, she is bad news. She always yells at Peeta when she sees him with me or Gale. She calls us Seam brats, I ignore her but Gale almost punched her once. She won't trade with me so I go around the back to where I know Mr. Mellark will be. He is Peeta's dad and is really nice, and always trades with me, I wonder if his wife knows he trades with a 'Seam brat'. I knock on the door when I see him through the window. He turns to look and sees me, and comes to open the door.

"Hello Katniss"

"Morning Mr. Mellark"

"I see a hunting bag, I am hoping you brought me a squirrel"

"Better! I caught two for you"

"You my dear, are the best" He takes the bag off of my shoulder and takes out the two squirrels I have left in the bag, he dosent touch the rabbits I caught for my family. He takes them and sets them on a cloth on the counter and wraps them up and sticks them on a shelf. He then goes over to the giant cooling rack and grabs four loaves of bread, wraps them up in a towel and hands them to me.

"Four? I don't think two measly squirrels get me four"

"You deserve much more then four, go on, Peeta won't be back for a while, but he told me that you ae going to meet him in the meadow later" I can't respond to that, but I know my face does by going form normal to bright red. He just chuckles.

"Dear, we have an order for a cake, you want to talk to them?" says a mockingly sweet voice. Mrs. Mellark.

"I am being summoned, thank you for the squirrels and enjoy the bread"

"I will" He smiles a genuine smile and shuts the door. I readjust my bag on my shoulder and head for home. When I get there I bring the rabbits into the kitchen and skin them. I clean up a little and look at the small clock we have on the table and see that I have three hours until I am supposed to meet Peeta in the meadow. What am I supposed to do for three hours?

I am shaking, why? I open my eyes to see Prim, she is shaking me. I must have fallen asleep.

"Prim, what time is it?"

"You have fifteen minutes to fix your braid and go meet Peeta"

"Thanks Prim" I get up and give her a hug, she is my little sister and it is in times like these that I am really grateful I have her. Then I run into the bathroom and re-braid my hair, then grab my fathers old hunting jacket and put on my boots and head for the meadow. I am running, realizing it isn't a good idea then I see him. He is sitting on a blanket in the grass, he has a basket next to him and a candle in front of him. He has on a white dress shirt and a pair of jeans, his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. As he sees me he begins to smile, and so do I.

"Hey Katniss, ready?"

"Have been Peeta" His smile grows at that, I guess that is revealing something I didn't mean to.

"Great! I brought us some sandwiches"

"Sandwiches?" I ask through my laughter.

"Exactly, I wanted it romantic but still casual," he says proudly.

"It's perfect" We eat our sandwiches while talking about this and that. The candle dies out and the wax dries, the sky begins to darken, and bird songs are slowly fading away when he asks the question.

"Katniss?"

"Yea?"

"Where is this going, I mean this is our first date but do you want a second one? Is that what you are looking for?" He has asked the question I don't know the answer to myself.

I read this book once, I found it in our house when I was little. My mother always had it on a table with all of her most beloved things. I decided to read some of it when she wasn't home. I flipped open to a random page and it said, "She was unsure of what she wanted, wether it was meant to be, so she knew the one way to find out. She leaned in close to him, looked him in the eye seeing all the love deep within them, and kissed him"

I decided to take the advice of that book. I pushed the candle over and leaned down in front of Peeta, I looked him straight in the eye and saw a deep love within them, it is staring at me like it has been waiting for me. I take one last look and hook my arms around his neck and pull him in for a kiss. It is a long and passionate kiss, nothing like the first one. It begins slow and sweet, he didn't see it coming, then a fire begins deep within my stomach and it wants more, so much more. I have heard this feeling described by one other person and I know the answer to his question. My father told me when I asked him what love was, he said, "It is

like a fire, it starts out small but with time and caring it grows into an inferno you can't live without, you'll feel it right in your gut" I pull away for a breath and see his face, he is panting and his hair is tousled from my hands running through it.

"Peeta, I want you"

"What?"

"I want you, I never want to leave you, I need you"

"You do?" he asks surprised.

"Yes, I want this to go on as long as it can, as long as you want it to"

"Really?" I nod my head.

"Well alright then," he says as he grabs my face and our lips meet once again. The walls I put up inside of me when I was little to protect myself from hurt and heartache are beginning to crumble.

And I am beginning to find that I want them to.