The boy with the bread: The back story to Peeta Mellark

Chapter 3

There is no school today, but the miners still work. Peeta still woke up to the sound of workers walking the roads of the Seam. He didn't bother getting up early to bake and impress his mother, she wasn't going to appreciate it. Although, he heard his mother thanking his father for something. What did he do that made her use those words?

"Finally he did something useful!" Peeta hears her exclaim.

"Yes, he stayed up extra late with me to bake them." His father winks at him, when he walks into the room.

Finally Peeta asks his parents, "What going on?"

"I was just telling your, very happy mother that you made a big batch of cookies to sell to some peacekeepers. Or even trade at the hob! It will help us get some extra money." the baker says

Peeta's mother slowly walks up to him, "But don't think this lets you off the hook with that burnt loaf. So there's always room for improvement."

Thank you? he thinks.

The Baker comes awkwardly close to Peeta, but he can see why, "Here, chose wisely." His father hands him a neatly wrapped pack of cookies. Enough to sell for something good in return. Peeta immediately knows what to do with them.

"Thank you," he whispers back, really, really meaning it.

His father steps back just on time, when his mother re-enters the bakery, and says out loud, "Peeta why don't you go trade those cookies at The hob? Or even give some to the mayor, your old enough to go do these things on your own. Plus I'm short a few baking supplies."

"Um . . . yeah, sure." Peeta responds,

"Great idea!" His mother says, overly excited, "But don't you want one of your big brothers to take you? Last time I checked your afraid to walk into the Hob on your own . . ."

Immediately Peeta answers, "NO! I mean, I'm fine, I can go on my own, Mother. I don't need a babysitter anymore."

"Way to go, son!" his Father pats his back, with a look on his face that's saying, Go now, before she changes her mind! This makes him feel better then he ever felt before while in the same room as his Mother.

"Okay then, get on with it! Lets go people, chop chop! Someone needs to get started on the fresh batch . . ." She turns into the ingredients room to start baking. Peeta takes the cookies, and sneaks a few more on the counter, then races out the door.

So Peeta runs down the steps and out to the road, shocked that what just happened, happened. His mother was right, this was a little nerve racking for him to be going to the Hob on his own for the first time. Every time he went, it was with his mother, which happened once in a blue moon. So this was pretty new to him. He almost forgets the way, but then quickly remembers. While walking, Peeta notices the sky. The sun had just risen, which meant the colours are amazing. It's a mix of blue, orange grey, red, and many others that you can't particularly see. Peeta admires the colours for a long time, especially the orange. It's always been his favourite colour. Not bright neon orange, but calm, sunset orange.

The Hob wasn't too much of a walk. He got there in under 10 minutes, with the hopes that he could get something useful out of these plain cookies. Once he enters, it's loud and crowded. He walks up to a stand where an old women, called Greasy Sae stood, cooking something that could possibly be wild dog. She greeted him with a polite nod. Her teeth were dirty and old looking. She had a few missing, but still gave Peeta a heart warming smile. Once he handed her the packaged cookies, he could tell that she knew he was the bakers son.

"This is very generous of you," she says to him, with a kind voice that Peeta warms up to.

"Yes well, my father--I mean I made them and the baker told me to sell them. All of them to you."

"Here," she handed him a bunch of nick-knacks. Peeta noticed some cooking supplies, strings and probably wire, "take these, they should do well in that bakery of yours."

"Thank you, but it's not my bakery, it's my fathers."

"For now," Greasy Sae smiled once again, walked away and took the cookies with her. Peeta quickly smiled back and better examined the items she gave him. Peeta should trade with her more often, Greasy Sae gave him a good deal: A used, wooden whisk, some string, and a handful of leaves; which looked like mint. His father did mention that they needed some cooking supplies, so hopefully this will do.

On the way out, Peeta eye saw something familiar,--or someone. Katniss and her sister.

He wasn't sure what to do. His father gave him enough cookies to trade, but he did take a few extra, so his other choice would be the mayor, but who says he needs to do that? Maybe he will give some to Katniss. He quickly remembers that his father did mention that he could give some to her. But how would he do that? Can he just walk up to her and hand her a package of wrapped cookies and leave? No. He couldn't do that. Before he will back out of it, he decided to just give them to Prim when Katniss isn't looking. Prim knew him, he was also pretty sure that she knew how Peeta felt about Katniss. She may be young, but somehow she found out, and hopefully didn't say anything to Katniss. Once when he got a chance to give the cookies to her, his window of opportunity closed. Katniss came back and took Prim with her. Peeta stayed out of sight from them and just gave up with the whole thing.

The sun had completly risen and now the sky was clear blue, which almost never happens in District 12, so Peeta was grateful for it. Hes always enjoyed watching the sky move, and clouds change their form. He starts to walk down the road back home, forgetting about the rest of the cookies. He considers just eating them himself, and just say he traded all of them to Greasy Sae. So just to use up his time, he strolls down the other way -- turning right instead of left, the route that Katniss takes.

It's very calm, people doing their normal routine on a day like today, and old man gnawing at something, getting the last pieces of meat off the bone. Kids helping their mothers and fathers. It's not as busy as Peetas area, probably because its at the edge of the Seam. He reaches the point where he thinks its Katniss' house. Not more then a second later, Katniss walks out her little grey house and glances at him.  She probably left the Hob before Peeta did and went home quickly. Peeta just stands there, motionless, looking right at her. She looks away and runs in the other direction, into the woods.