Chapter 1: A Failed Dream
According to the little history we get in school before Panem became what it's known today, students in the land known as America enjoyed "vacations" during the summer. A time to relax one would say. A time when the Hunger Games weren't a thing and we didn't have to worry about watching kids killing for entertainment. In our reality, we have a good two weeks after the end of the school year of "relaxation" before a lucky girl and boy get reaped and shipped off to the capitol. Two weeks go by pretty fast when you feel like your life can quite literally be on the line.
It's Reaping Day. I wake up early, as usual, despite not being in school anymore. There's a lot I need to do before I can leave the house, I wouldn't want to give my mom another reason to be mad at me today for "slacking off". I groggily get out of bed, taking a long stretch as I throw on a pair of sweats and a white tee, there's no need to dress nice yet, unless I want to show up covered in flour. I make my way downstairs, the smell of fresh baked bread already filling my nose. I wonder how long dad has been up for. A silent greeting is exchanged between us and I get to work prepping the dough. I find this quite relaxing. The warm, moist dough going in between my knuckles as I knead into it, brushing the egg wash onto the unbaked loaves, and seeing how much dough can rise is one of my favorites. My father excuses himself and disappears quietly. I know what this means. These early mornings aren't just for baking for my father, it's to be able to get fresh squirrels from a girl from the seam. My mother would throw hell if she knew about this, but that doesn't stop my father and his love for game. I love the game too, but not for the same reason. I take a break from the dough and cover it quickly, dusting myself off and trying to make myself look somewhat presentable and grab a tray of just cooled cookies out to the front.
I hide behind the doorway, peeking out ever so slightly. And there she is. Katniss Everdeen. The most beautiful girl I've ever laid my eyes on. Her long black hair is braided like always and falls perfectly over her left shoulder. Her cloudy grey eyes are locked onto my fathers, and her always serious face cracks and shows a tiny smile as they make their trade. Squirrel for a whole loaf of bread isn't a good trade on our end, but like I said, it's what my father loves and it's a win win in my books.
I finally get the courage to step out from the shadows and walk into the store front. Is this enough for me to actually be able to talk to her? My eyes are glued to the ground and I can't get myself to look at her. 'Dammit, Peeta,' I curse myself, 'get it together.' And I do, finally, but it's too late. By the time my eyes scan the front for her, she's already outside, walking off to the next store to make another trade. Better luck next time, I guess. I've never been able to actually talk to her, even though I'm so in love with her.
I get back to work and finish a little after 10:30. I have a bit of free time before all kids aged 13-18 have to gather at the square at 2:00 for the reaping. I take a quick shower, trying to get as much hot water as I can, which isn't easy with two older brothers, and dress in a white collared shirt and dark grey dress pants. I fix myself up in the mirror and head out the door.
I get to the basketball court, I already see a few of my friends already there, dressed in their finest clothes as well. Delly and Madge are the first to greet me as they're sitting on the benches, watching the boys play. "Hey Peeta!" Delly smiles at me, her bright blue eyes locking onto mine. We've been best friends ever since we started walking. She grabs onto my arm and pulls me to sit next to her. I don't mind hearing the girls talk, but really it's just Delly talking to herself, feeling pleased enough to keep going after hearing short "mhm's" and "wow's" from Madge. She's never been the talkative type, despite being the mayors daughter, which makes her apart of the popular group in the town kids. But she was the bridge between them and the poor kids from the Seam. Between them and Katniss Everdeen.
"That's such a beautiful dress!" Delly gushes, feeling one of the lace fabrics on Madge's dress. The quiet girl smiles, "I thought I'd put on one of my best just in case I get sent to the Capitol." Delly rolls her eyes and lets out a little laugh, "Oh come on, even you know how rare it is for us town kids to get picked off!" And as sick as it sounds, she's not wrong. Most of the kids reaped are from the seam because of the amount of tesserae they take. Each time they take is another slip with their name thrown in, on top of the slip that's thrown in everywhere as you grow up. Kids in the town don't have a struggle as bad as the Seam kids. Soon enough, Madge leaves Delly and I, and I can already feel her eyes back on me again. "Did you talk to her yet?" Delly asks me. I don't need to ask who she's talking about, and I don't really want to think about my failed attempt. I shake my head and she pats me on the shoulder before pulling me into a hug. "Maybe I should just give it up," I pull away from the hug. "There's no point in trying if I can't even say hi to her for crying out loud." Delly's hand is resting on my shoulder, her thumb rubbing my back softly. She's always been there for me, and it feels so easy to let things out to her. "There's so many other girls who would be so lucky to have you Peeta," She moves her hand from my shoulder to move my face to look at hers. So many other girls, but they aren't her. I'm too lost into the thought of my 100th failed attempt, I don't realize how close Delly has gotten to my face. I look at how her blonde curls frame her round face, her bright blue eyes staring into mine, and how perfectly pink her lips are. I don't realize her lips softly touching mine either. I close my eyes and kiss her back, just as soft before she breaks away quickly. My eyes open back up to her face and she's as red as a strawberry.
"I'm sorry- I-" Delly stutters, getting up just as quick as the kiss and quickly dusting her dress off. "I- I gotta... I'll see you later-" And with that she runs off. I touch my lips. Did I really just kiss my childhood best friend? It doesn't matter because I can't take any time to dwell on it, it's almost time for the reaping. I collect myself and dust myself off as well and make my way to the square, getting into the line for all of the 16 year olds in district 12. After getting herded into my designated spot, I quickly scan the crowd of people, in hopes of finding a certain someone. And there, right in the middle, I find her, her striking grey eyes glued to the stage; I can tell she wants to get this over with, we all do. I try to space out, as I usually do, because there's no need to hear the same speech over and over again and I start listening when it's the boys turn, just in the case that the odds aren't in my favor.
But this year, I can't space out. The name for the girls who was picked was Primrose Everdeen. The younger sister of the girl I love. Before the young, blonde girl can make it up to her stage, I see her, trying to push through the peacekeepers. "I volunteer!" I hear her scream out, "I volunteer for tribute!" And with that, she's brought into the stage, trying to stand tall. She never fails to amaze me. I quickly wipe the tear that started to shed from the love of the two sisters and quickly pull myself together. Now it's time to see if the odds are in my favor. Fingers crossed. A young boy, 14 years old gets called. Spruce Greenstone, from the seam. No one volunteers for him. And for a second, I feel so lucky, another year with no worries of the Hunger Games. But that feeling doesn't last long, it goes away as quick as it came, and I'm left feeling completely hopeless. My only chance to get her to notice me was this morning, and I fucked that up completely. The girl I love is getting sent off to die. And I watched her disappear from the stage.
Instead of joining my friends and celebrating another year of "freedom", I go home immediately and shut myself out from the world. I lift my bed and find one of my sketchbooks I keep hidden from my family, mainly from my mom. I pick up a pencil and quickly start sketching the memory from this morning, trying to capture every small detail I can as if I never want to forget it. And it's of her. Her smile as she receives the loaf of bread. Her and bread. 'It's like things came full circle..' I think to myself. To think this love started back when we were no older than the age of 11. It was a rainy mid-fall day, every day was filled with rain, but that day was the worst. And that's when I seen her. She looked so cold and sickly, like she had just given up, and I couldn't bear to see that. So what did I do? I burnt a perfect loaf of bread, knowing my mother would be upset about it and make me feed it to our pigs. A smack in the face was nothing if it meant I could help her out a little bit. And with that loaf, I threw it to her. That was the best thing I could do for her, the only thing I could do for her.
I stared down at the sketch of her, my tears staining the pages. Before I know it, I'm hearing my name get called from downstairs. It must be time to watch the mandatory showing of the reaping recap. I will have to be okay with seeing her on screen from now.