Peeta, age 5: FIRST ngày OF SCHOOL:
There! There's that girl! That girl daddy pointed at. He was gonna marry her mommy. He đã đưa ý kiến the reason he didn't was because her dad had a voice so pretty, the birds stopped to listen. What does that mean? I sit down with my friends. They play tag with me. The big lady stood up.
"who knows the valley song?"
The girl sticks her hand in the air. She starts singing. Now I know what daddy meant.

Peeta: AGE 11
I focus. Uh, that hoa is a weird shape. Oh well, it's just icing. It all ends up in the same place anyway. The cake is almost done. I tried to make this cake look good, it's only the 5th one they let me decorate. Mom didn't trust me with the responsibility. Where'd she go, anyway? She was just standing over me a một phút ago...
I hear shouting. I know mom is yelling at somebody on our property, again. It happens several times a week. Seam kids rummage through our garbage for burnt bread. I run to the window. Even though I see this so often, I still have to make sure it isn't her who's starving.
Katniss.
I watch mom walk back inside, and I see a girl sitting under our tree. I feel a stone drop in my stomach and tears come to my eyes. Black hair, light brown skin and seam grey eyes. Katniss.
I had tried getting thực phẩm to the starving kids before, but I got beaten badly. So badly, I hiển thị up at school the tiếp theo ngày with a black eye hoặc a bruised bum. But I had to try again.
For Katniss.
I walk into the phòng bếp, nhà bếp where mom is inspecting my job on the cake. The bánh mỳ, bánh mì dad just finished baking feels warm in my hands. I don't hesitate before throwing it into the fire. The flames flare up, and I yank the bánh mỳ, bánh mì out before it gets to burnt. I turn to her.
"sorry, I-"
Her eyes get huge at the sight of the bread. She slaps me... Hard.
She pushes me outside and Katniss looks up at me. The fear in her eyes is unmistakeable. But they light up when the bánh mỳ, bánh mì lands in front of her, cooled bởi the rain.

Age 16: REAPING DAY
Oh no. Nononono. It's Katniss's sister. Gale-Katniss's boyfriend- yanks Prim from Katniss's legs and carries her off. She's volunteered as the tribute. I should of told her I tình yêu her BEFORE!!! I knew I should have!!! Now I'll never get the chance. She'll never know. How can Things get any worse?
"Peeta Mellark!"

END OF PART 1