Stay with me till the end

II

I cried a little bit then bucked up and grabbed my bow. I shot a bird on my way there. I made my way to the dock and sat down on the edge with my legs hanging off.

"Hey," I heard behind me. I turned and looked at Peeta.

" Hello stranger," I said jumping up. " So why did you tell me to bring a bow and arrow?"

"I told you to bring it because I wanna learn how to hunt and I could teach you how to fish." He wondered," if you want."

"Sure."

"I can weave nets out of vines and make a fish trap."

"I can skin a deer."

"But you never catch deer." Gale said behind me making me jump.

"But I get more food than your snares do." I retorted. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Um?" Peeta wonders.

"Oh this is Gale, I hunt with him and we've been friends for as long as I can remember ." I said. He rolled his eyes. "Gale amscray." Gale stomped off scaring off any game that was lurking.

"Don't mind him he's just an irate kind of person." I tell Peeta to calm him.

"I can still hear you!" Gale shouts out.

"Don't care!" I shout back.

"Do y'all do this every day?" Peeta asks me.

"Pretty much, don't give much thought to him. He thinks he's my brother. Sometimes he acts like a jerk." I add. Peeta starts to scratch his wrists, I know from Prim and all her anxiety things that it isn't good. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"Oh nothing." He replies. I move the hand that's scratching the other and see a huge red mark. I give him a dead serious look and grab his other wrist and start to pull him.

I set my bow and arrow inside of the hollow tree and drag Peeta to my house.

I sit him down in a chair as he looks around my house. I grab gauze and some cleaner for the raw spots of skin. In the end I cover all of it with a bandage and try to ignore the fact it looked sloppy.

"Thanks." He whispers. I nod.

"I am no doctor." I tell him.

"Better than me." He adds.

"Look at my mom and look at me, then you'll see the fact that I didn't get the doctor gene." I mutter. "Oh um are you hungry?"

"A little." He says.

"Wanna go to the hob or I could make bird stew?" I ask.

"Whatever you want. I am tired of your squirrels though."

"Wait how do you know about the squirrels I sell to your dad?"

"Oh we always have it as a side or something in soup all the time. It's good but tiring."

"Oh I thought he always kept those for himself."

"Never." He adds.

"Any who I'll leave the squirrel for Prim and we can go to the hob. I know just where too."

"Whatever you want." Peeta said.

We walk to the hob and it's only now that I can enjoy the real beauty of the square when it's noon time. I walk straight into the hob while Peeta takes longer, I admire all the people inside and the terrible smell no one can bare but smells like home to me. I walk Peeta over to Greasy Sae's and sit at the barstool while I wait for her to pop up.

"Hey Sae what's the meat for today? Sae?" I ask.

" Part bird, part squirrel, and part rabbit. Soup or stew?"

"Uh do you care?" Peeta asks me. I shake my head no. "We're fine with whatever." Peeta says making Sae pop up from under the counter.

"Who are you?" She asks Peeta.

"He's a friend." I say. She nods suspiciously. She puts 2 bowls of stew on the counter and goes back under the counter. "Don't mind her, she's like my family and doesn't want me to get hurt." I whisper.

The stew tasted better then it has in a while. I cleaned my bowl and left her 1.75 in change and walked out. Peeta stumbles out and started to question why the heck anyone would ever go in there, I ignored him.

"Ugh I forgot I had to go pick up strawberries for the mayor." I playfully punched Peeta in the shoulder." Um see ya later?" I say and start to walk off.

"Always." I hear Peeta say.

Peeta's POV

I walked back to my house as people rushed by. The reaping was coming up and everyone needed fancy clothes. I'm 12 and my name is only going in once. My brothers have been doing it forever and have never gotten reaped. I know anything can happen but it's not likely. I try not to think of all the people that have to go in so many times just for food but I have unlimited food.

Unlimited stale bread, old cakes, and stale everything. The only meat we ever get is that squirrel Katniss can catch. If I'm lucky I can steal an egg or two then when mom and dad leave me and my brothers cook them. I love to frost cakes at the bakery. Frosting cakes and making art on food is just fun. Dad says I have a talent for it but I don't know because sometimes they turn out okay or perfect. 'Just more practice." Dad tells me. I can't help but wonder why so so many people are out, then it comes to me only this many people are out on the day before the reaping.

4 years later

"Mom where is my white shirt?" I yell.

"Hanging outside." She yells back. I walk outside and grab my shirt. I slip on my fanciest clothes and leave for the reaping. 20 minutes later the entire town is here and Effie Trinket calls names Haymitch is drunk and Effie is too happy.

"Of course ladies first. And the girl tribute is..." I stop listening and all I knew is that the name wasn't Katniss.

"They boy tribute is..." I don't listen again and don't care.

"They tributes from district 12 are Primrose Everdeen and Jack Will." Effie shouts. I take my left hand and press it to my lips and show my 3 fingers, soon enough everyone does the same. "Any volunteers?" Asks Effie, dead silence. I can only think of how Katniss is taking this. Right after we are dismissed I run over to her and hold her.

"It's okay Katniss. She'll win. She's a healer. An alliance will help her."