Time Flies

1~Katniss: age five

I'm always the one to be picked on and teased.
People say it is weird that my hair is always in two braids, and that I like to wear red plaid dresses.
They don't like the way my nose is, or my hair color.
Sometimes, I can't help the things I'm judged for.
All the kids like to make fun of the color of my eyes the most. My eye color is an ugly grey. Whereas everyone who is a merchant has blue eyes. But I see other people with all different eye colors, why only push me around?

I sit on the swings by myself, not watching all the others play kickball. I stare at my shoes while I make myself swing up high. I swing higher than any kid on the playground, I like to think. It feels like I'm flying. A bird in the sky is my motivation to keep kicking my legs. Off in the distance, I see a blonde merchant boy also sitting alone across the playground. He must be new. It's only been a month into kindergarten. He will fit in just fine with the bullies, due to the fact he has the looks. I go back to thinking nothing of it and I giggle as my shoe almost flies off, but I save it.
I'm having fun all alone, I don't need friends to be happy, do I?
There are different kids running everywhere yet no one wants to be my friend. I'm okay with it. I have my baby sister Primrose to be my best friend. She has adorable spouts of blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She won't leave me for merchants when she gets big, because she loves me.

I continue swinging, and I begin to sing softly to myself, the valley song. I look up and my little heart drops to my tummy when I see merchant kids standing there.

"Look here! It's Cactus Neverclean." A boy with black hair days.

My daddy said to always be kind, and show it through words and actions.
So I smile at them through the insult.

"Looks like your on my swing, squirt."

A girl who is larger than me stops my high swinging by extending her arm out and jumping, grabbing my ankle. I nearly slip off, but remain holding on to the chains that keep the swing up.

My mother said to always be polite.

"Sorry ma'am, but the playground is for everyone to share." my small voice projects.

"I guess we're going to have to show this seam rat what happens when you don't listen."

The boy grabs me by the dress and pulls me off the swing, I slide face first into the wood chips. I hold my little arms over my face and brace myself for immediate death.

"Stop!" A voice yells.

A teacher? Please be a teacher!

My braids flip over my shoulder as I turn my head instantly. The blonde boy who is my height stomps over to the group of bullies.

"What did she do to you?" He squeaks at them.

"Stay out of this new kid. She's not like us, look at her."

I look the blonde boy in the face, and his eyes widen. It's like I put him in a trance for a second.

"What do you mean?" He then angrily says, with his little kid voice, identical to mine.

"Her hair. Her eyes. Her clothes..." They start naming things about me.

The blonde boy's eyes are piercing blue, which melt into mine. They sparkle brighter than any merchant.

They go on mostly about my grey eyes. What's so bad about grey eyes!

"Well none of you are perfect! Look at him! His eyes are more beautiful than all of yours!" I say, pointing to the blonde kid.

They all look at the boy's eyes and become confused on what to say.

"It's okay to be different. Picking on others isn't going to get you far. She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen!"

He then grabs under my arms and helps me up.

I dust my dress off and look up.
A kid goes at him, and he holds the bully back with just one hand.
The bully is knocked to the ground instantly, and the rest become scared. Is he really five? He has the strength of a first grader! A six year old!

"If any of you try to put a hand on her again, you'll have to deal with me."

They all scramble out of sight and run to the back of the playground.

I fall into the arms of someone after losing my balance.
I feel two hands on my shoulders, and the dizziness that I didn't know I had goes away.

"Are you okay?" he asks me.

I'm in too much shock to answer, but he patiently waits for a reply.

No one has ever been nice to me before, besides my family and the man down at the new bakery.

My eyes sink into his and I'm at a loss for words.

"Who are you?" I bring myself to ask.

"I'm Peeta. Peeta Mellark." He smiles the most innocent smile.
Mellark. That name rings a bell.

His hands finally release my shoulders when I wrap my small arms around him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you Peeta Mellark! I would have had broken bones!"

The whistle blows, signaling it's time for music class.

We silently walk together inside. Is it really possible that I might have a friend?

Peeta~
I continue my crazy first day by walking with the girl to music. We are seated in one big circle around the piano.

"Let's see children.. Who knows the valley song?"
I look around the circle and no one raises their hand. Am I the only one who knows it? If I raise my hand, then I'll have to sing it. Let's not do that.

I continue scanning the circle and I didn't realize that the lovely girl's hand shot straight up in the air.

"Katniss! Sweetheart, let's show the class how the song goes, shall we?"
The teacher pulls a stool next to the piano and stands her up on it.
Katniss. The name lingers in my mind.
That's a pretty name, fit for a pretty girl.

She starts to sing as Ms Edmunds plays the melody on the piano.
What's this feeling in the pit of my tummy? I don't understand.

I remember what my daddy told me this morning.
He pointed to her, and said that he was gunna marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner.
"A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner if she could've had you?" I asked him.

"Because when he sings... even the birds stop to listen."

Her angelic voice makes me rest my chin in my hand and stare, with my mouth hanging open.

What was once outside creating a series of overlapping melodies, the birds fall silent.

This was when I realized, that I fell for Katniss Everdeen. Hard.