Hunger Games: Peeta Mellark

Prologue

Standing at the doorstep of the bakery, I get shoved by my mom. She pushes me out of the building into the pouring rain, screaming and shaking me like a ragdoll. She yells about how I 'did this', 'did that', and how I'm 'a disgrace to the family'. At least that's what I could understand over the sound of rain smacking against the ground. If I wasn't standing out in it, I'd think it's hailing.

Would it kill her to be an understanding mother for one day? Just one day. Then it hits me, like a baseball smacking me in the head after the pitcher threw it without warning, did she say 'family'? Like this is a family. If yelling at each other all day and having to raise yourself is 'family', then I don't want one.
Well, I do want a family, but one without my mom. My dad is too quiet to defend me or my brothers when we do something wrong. I don't think I actually did anything wrong though. Sure I made a mistake and burnt the bread, but did she have to get so worked up about it? Right. My mother has to get worked up about everything.

She smacks me on the head making my thoughts disappear and coming back into reality. I'd never be able to have a family of my own or have one where my mom isn't in it. Again, I was tuning her out and stuck in my thoughts. I start to listen again and try to make out what she's saying... or screaming.

"Knead the ribs," she says. What? We don't have any ribs and why would I need to knead them? "Feed the pigs" she repeats. That makes more sense.

She shoves the two loaves of bread that I accidentally burnt into my chest, nearly knocking me over, and slams the door in my face. Great way to end the day.

I walk out in the cold rain, if there were any parts of my clothes or hair that were dry from standing under the roof, it is wet now. The water soaks my hair, more than before, making it stick to my forehead. I feel the water drip in my face as I wipe my wet bangs out of my eyes. I was kind of glad to get out of the house and not have to deal with my mom yelling at me, even if it was in the pouring rain. I would rather be in the middle of a thunderstorm then have to see her again.

I knew I was lying to myself, about rather being in a thunderstorm and having a family without her, but was I? I know at the end of the day she's my mom, but she's a really horrible mom. I've had to basically raise myself with the help of my siblings since I was 5.

I rip one of the burnt loaves of bread in half and toss it out to the pigpen. The pigs all run to the bread, wrestling for it. I toss the second half. One of them has it in there mouth as the rest rip pieces off.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see movement by one of the trees and it catches my eye. I quickly move my head to see what it was, but it wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting an animal of some sort, a rodent, a rabbit, or a squirrel, seeking shelter from the thunder, but it was a girl.

Her hair is a dark brown in a braid, her clothes  are even more wet then mine.

She looks up at me startled, I guess she wasn't expecting someone to come outside in the rain, it's not every day you see someone come outside in the rain to feed pigs burnt bread. I recognize her from school. She sits across from the person that sits next to me. Why do I know that? I don't pay that close attention to anyone else.

Wait, why was she sitting out here in the cold rain? I know she has a house, with a sister and her mom. I've seen her walk home from school with her sister, and their mom greeting them at the door of their old shack.

She's clenching her stomach, as if she hasn't eaten in a while. I've seen everyone put their name in the bowl in exchange for food, or have I? If I recall, I hardly ever see her or her family talking with the peacekeepers, only sell cheese, or an animal.

She needs to eat. I glance back at the bakery to see if my mom is watching. I already know she isn't, should I really do this? Is this a bad idea?
No, it couldn't be, she hasn't eaten. This is the right thing to do. But the pigs are hungry too. No Peeta, she's a person with a family. I turn back toward her and toss the burnt bread. That will be a great meal. Soggy, burnt bread, yum.

Is there anything better I can give her? She looks up at me with grateful eyes. Yelling from inside the bakery interrupts me contemplating what else I can get for her. My mom is yelling again, telling me to hurry up. I turn and take one more glance at her, she's looking back at
me but I turn away before anything else happens.