When she was five, she gripped her father's hand as he lead her to school. She trembled as she entered the gigantic building filled with unfamiliar faces. Her father squeezed her hand and gave her a kindly smile.

"You will be just fine, little Katkin. You're going to make so many new friends. You'll love it here." She nodded bravely but inside, she continued to tremble.

A little boy with blonde curls and the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen was standing with his mother in the corner of the room. Their eyes met and he gave her a shy smile. His eyes lingered on her even after she looked away and continued talking to her daddy.

At lunch, the shy little boy opened his lunch bag to discover his father had snuck in two cookies. Smiling, he stuffed one into his mouth and closed his eyes at the sweet taste. After all, his daddy was the best baker in the world. Beside him, the little silver-eyed girl was finishing her sandwich and he stared at his remaining cookie. He turned to her and held it in his palm.

"Would you like a cookie?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she cocked her head, her two dark braids nearly smacked her in the face.

"Why," she asked in a low voice.

"It's yummy. My daddy makes yummy cookies."

"Your daddy makes cookies?"

"Yours doesn't?" She shook her head but stared at the sweet in his hand.

"Go on. Take it." She did so and stuffed it into her mouth. He gave her a grin, which she returned.

"I'm Peeta."

"Ka-nish," she said through her cookie. They gasped as a loud bell rang and their teacher hurried forward.

"Come on children, time to go back!" Peeta gathered his trash and threw it away but lost sight of the little silver-eyed girl.

Back in their classroom, they all sat around in a circle while their teacher talked about the history of Panem and lots of other boring stuff that Peeta didn't really care about. His attention was caught, however, when his teacher asked if anyone knew the Valley Song and a little hand shot straight up into the air.

"Katniss, stand up please," the teacher said kindly. The little silver-eyed girl stood and smoothed out her red dress. Peeta couldn't help but sit up straighter. The little girl cleared her throat and her eyes met his.

She was singing to him, he decided. Her voice was unlike anything he had ever heard before. He swore even the birds perched out on the sill had stopped to listen. Her voice was crystal clear and her eyes shone while she sang. Peeta sighed and clutched his knees to his chest, his face breaking into a broad smile. When she finished, he clapped the loudest of his classmates. She sat back in her spot, looking flushed but pleased.

His father was the one who picked him up from school and he gripped his son's hand as he lead him away from school.

"Did you have a good day son?"

"Uh huh. I saw the prettiest girl, daddy!"

"Ah my youngest son's already in love, eh," the kindly baker chuckled. "Tell me, who has captured your heart?"

"Katniss," he said, relishing the way her name felt on his tongue.

"Ah, the little Everdeen girl, eh?" Peeta didn't know her last name so he merely shrugged.

"With hair as black as a raven and eyes made of silver?"

"Yes! She's the one," Peeta said excitedly. His daddy smiled but shook his head.

"I should have known. Why are you so drawn to her, my boy?"

"When she sings, the birds stop singing," Peeta said wistfully. The baker chuckled softly.

"Ah so she's bewitched you with her voice, has she? You know I used to know her mother. We were almost together but then she chose the miner."

"Stead of you? How come?"

"Because my boy, it's just like your little songbird. When they sing, the birds stop to listen."

"She's so pretty, daddy," Peeta said with a smile as they neared the bakery. "I'm gonna marry her one day."

"Is that so? We'd better start training you on how to be a good husband then. You'll have to provide for her and care for her and love her."

"And bake for her," Peeta broke in happily. "I can do all that."

"And be honest with her," his father said in a serious tone. "Women need honesty. They need sensitive men who will be gentle but strong. You'll be tender with her but be ready to stand up for her if she ever needs."

"You'll teach me all the things to be a good husband," the little boy said eagerly. The baker ruffled his son's curls.

"I'll teach you everything I can, so when the time comes for you to ask your songbird to marry you, she can't refuse."

Peeta watched his songbird every day in school. Sometimes he would offer her the sweets he brought from home, which she eagerly accepted. She would even give him a kind smile in return.

They didn't speak but he knew certain things about her. She had a little sister named Primrose, whom Katniss adored. Katniss's father was a hunter, the best in the district, and it was said that Katniss would take after him. Her two braids became one long one and her eyes looked like they were made of starlight. Peeta had never seen such lovely eyes.

And then one day, the starlight vanished. There was an accident in town, his father said in a hushed voice. Lots of men had died. Katniss's father, the man who sang, was among them.

Katniss and Primrose disappeared from school and Peeta missed his songbird. When they returned, everything had changed.

Katniss never sang again. Her eyes didn't shine, her clothes became much too big, her cheeks became sunken in. Peeta watched her at lunch when she would open her bag, her face would fall, and she would pull out a tiny crust of bread. He started to sneak cookies and other small sweets into her locker and watched her to make sure she got them. The first time she opened her locker and found food, her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she looked around the hall. Peeta hid around the corner and continued to watch her. His eyes widened when she skipped over to her sister and presented her with the treat. The first time it happened, Peeta got upset. Why didn't she eat it herself?

As time went on, he discovered that she cared more about her sister than herself. Primrose meant everything to Katniss, so Peeta tried to sneak Katniss two treats rather than one. He hoped she would keep one for herself.

Sometimes she did. Sometimes she would break one in half and he watched with a smile as she enjoyed the little piece of cookie before giving the rest to Prim.

But cookies and sweets didn't fill the stomach with nutrients. Katniss's clothes hung off her frame and Peeta saw the bones in her hands. She was dying. And he couldn't do a thing to stop it.

Where was her mother, he thought angrily. Why wasn't she helping her daughters? But he didn't dare bring it up to anyone. His mother would not hesitate in having Katniss and Primrose carted off to the community home, he knew. She hated anyone from the Seam. And for some reason, her eyes flashed with rage whenever Katniss's or any of the Everdeens names were mentioned.

It was three months after the mining accident when Peeta was working in the back of the bakery. His mother was sweeping out front, his brothers cleaning the cabinets and his father working on a toasting cake for a Merchant bride. Peeta peered into the ovens to check on the bread on the rack and pulled up a stool to watch his father work. He smiled at the baker's intricate designs and hoped one day he would be that talented. His father noticed him watching and opened his mouth to speak when they heard his mother shriek.

"And stay away from here! The next time I see you going through our trash, I will call the Peacekeepers, do you hear me you little Seam brat?" Peeta hurried to the window and his heart raced as Katniss Everdeen stumbled into view. She collapsed against their apple tree and pulled her knees to her chest. The rain was coming down hard and it looked like she was freezing. The door burst open and his mother came in, grumbling about Seam trash. Peeta glanced back at the bread and bit his lip. He moved closer to the oven and leaned against it. Shaking it ever so slightly, he saw the two loaves tip off the rack and plunge into the fire.

"Oh no," he cried, throwing the oven open and grabbing a spatula to rescue the bread.

"You idiot!" He felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck and his hand flew to the spot he had been hit. He felt the pain in his knuckles as his mother brought the rolling pin down again.

"You are useless, Peeta Mellark! Useless! No one is going to buy burned bread! What are we going to do with you? Take it and feed it to the pigs! Now!" He nodded and frantically scooped up the bread into his apron. Only the edges were burned but the rest of the bread looked fine. He suppressed a smile and hurried past his mother but she followed him out back.

"You can't do one simple task, Peeta! One task! Don't let the bread burn! WHY do we put up with you!" She struck him across the cheek and he stumbled backwards.

"I'm sorry, Mom!"

"Sorry isn't going to give us more flour and nuts! After you get rid of this, you go straight to bed. No dinner for you tonight!" He tore off the burned end of the bread and tossed it into the pigpen. Finally his mother turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her. Peeta glanced out across the way, where Katniss was still huddled against the tree. Peeta stepped off the porch and looked over his shoulder to make sure his mother wasn't watching. He bit his lip when Katniss lifted her head and their eyes met. His heart sank at how defeated she looked. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, and he didn't know if it was rain water or tears that stained her cheeks. Still looking over his shoulder, he tossed the two loaves toward her. Not looking back, he hurried back onto the porch and yanked the door open. Finally he turned back to her and saw her watching him. He gave her a little nod before closing the door. She held the precious bread to her chest as she ran away from the bakery. Peeta sighed and leaned against the door. Maybe he had saved her, given her another day. Maybe now things would get better.

He went to bed that night with his stomach empty but his heart full of hope.

The next day, he saw her watching him at school. He wanted to speak to her but the bruises his mother had given him that morning were ugly and he was sure she would be embarrassed to be seen with him. Still, she watched him. Until she turned and away and he watched her pick a dandelion. She held it to her chest, as if it was precious to her, almost as precious as the bread. She gave him one last glance before she ran off to get her sister.

After that, things did get better. She started showing up at the bakery to trade squirrels and other small animals with his father. The baker would always give her a fresh loaf and told his wife that he had gotten the food from the butcher.

Life seemed to return to her eyes. Though they didn't shine as they once had, her cheeks were no longer sunken in and her hair was not dull and brittle. He noticed her hanging around another person from the Seam, who looked like he could be her cousin.

Katniss no longer smiled or laughed or sang. But she lived. And that was what was most important to Peeta at that time.

And the years went on and the shy little boy continued to watch his silver-eyed songbird from afar. He was a good student, always being pushed to do even better by his perfectionist mother, and he started helping at the bakery even more. His artistry led to beautiful cakes and intricate designs in the windows. He noticed Katniss would often bring her sister to see the beautiful cakes in the windows; he hid like a coward until the girls were gone. Every now and again, he swore Katniss was looking right at him. He pressed himself against the brick wall, dreaming of hearing her say his name.

He also discovered a love for painting, trying to find the right berries to mix for paints. At school, he made the wrestling team. This was something his mother bragged about; he quickly became the top wrestler, beating his older brother at the Junior Championship. He noticed, with a flutter in his heart, that Katniss was always in the front row at his matches.

At Peeta's first Reaping, he held his breath, pleading to the gods that Katniss would be spared. And each year she was. Every year that she was safe, he sank to his knees and lowered his forehead to the ground, whispering his thanks.

A week before his 16th birthday, everything changed. There was a knock at the door one night; his brother flipped the light on, grumbling how late it was. His father hurried to the door and he could hear clipped voices. His older brother suddenly appeared over his bed, looking frantic.

"Peeta, hide now!"

"What?" He yanked his younger brother from the bed and pushed him toward the closet.

"Get in there and stay put!"

"But-"

"That one! Grab him!" Blackness overtook Peeta and then, he remembered nothing.

Katniss rapped on the door and waited patiently. Gale shifted from side to side and shook his head.

"Catnip, let's go! They're not answering!"

"The baker always trades with us on Sundays." She lifted her hand to knock again but the door was yanked open and she smiled when she saw not the baker, but the eldest son.

"Um, hello. I'm Katniss Ever-"

"I know who you are," he hissed. "We can't trade with you today. Go away." And then he slammed the door shut. Katniss jumped, taken aback.

"That was strange."

"Can we get out of here now?"

"Did you see his face? He had a black eye and was covered in bruises."

"So what? Catnip, let's go!" She nodded and he took off down the lane. He was always uncomfortable in the Merchant side of town. She started to follow him but glanced upwards at what she was sure was Peeta's room. The curtains were drawn tightly; strange, she thought, because the windows were usually always open. I hope everything is alright, she thought to herself.

She didn't see him at school anymore. Rumors flew about the youngest Mellark boys. That they were sent to live with Mrs. Mellark's strange uncle, who was essentially a hermit and didn't associate with society. That they had gotten into a brawl and had killed each other. That they had fled into the woods at the fear of being Reaped. All of them rumors but one thing was certain; Ryen and Peeta Mellark were gone.

Katniss tried not to let them see her hands shaking as their whispers got louder. Two of the girls were saying their own mother had killed the boys.

"I mean, did you ever see the bruises on Peeta's face? I heard she beat him. I think she finally killed him and his brother tried to help. She killed him too." Katniss slammed her pencil down and turned to glare at the girls.

"You don't know what you're talking about," she hissed. "Peeta is alive!"

"Oh yeah? Then where is he?"

"I don't know but he's not dead. He can't be." She turned back around in her seat and stared at the blackboard. He can't be dead. He was the only kind one left, the one person who had saved her life…

She pushed her desk forward and grabbed the hall pass. She locked the bathroom door behind her and collapsed in the floor. She lowered her face to her hands and allowed the tears to come. She said a silent prayer to whoever might be listening for the boy with the bread.

"Let him be safe," she sobbed. She hadn't ever thanked him. She doubted he knew exactly what that bread had meant but it saved not only her life, but her mother's and Prim's too. It gave her the hope to go on, to never give up, no matter how hopeless things had gotten. Peeta had been Katniss's saving grace and she'd never gotten to thank him for that.

"Please. Let him be safe and come back to me one day."