I don't own any of The Hunger Games Series… Suzanne Collins does.

I come home in the pouring down rain with an empty game bag slung over my shoulder. All of the animals hid during the down pour and I wasn't lucky enough for my snares to catch anything. This was going to put my mother on edge, and possible push her over the edge enough to make her hit me. It wouldn't be anything new; I usually get hit at least once a day for something that isn't my fault. I am covered in bruises and scars all of the time. Mother never hits Prim though, that I'm thankful for. Prim doesn't deserve to get beaten and she doesn't because she reminds mother of a younger version of herself. She loves things that remind her of the life she had when she still lived in town with the wealthy.

I make my way up to the front porch, wring out my dripping hair, open the door and step inside. I take off my shoes and set them on a small floor mat, I also hang my jacket up on a hook. Then I walk into the kitchen where mother is cutting a loaf of bread and Prim is making tea. "Did you catch anything?" Prim asks with a smile. I shake my head, "Sorry Prim, all of the little animals were hiding from me today." "That's okay Katniss, we still have bread and cheese that I made from lady's milk. Plus I'm making tea." "Katniss make yourself useful and set the table." Mother says in her cold voice. I nod and start taking the glass plates from the cabinet. Mother loves these plates, they were a wedding gift from one of her town friends. I pick up one of the plates and start carrying it to the table when I trip over Buttercup, Prim's ugly evil cat, and drop the plate. It shatters on the floor. My ankle feels like it's strained from tripping over Buttercup but I crouch down and start cleaning up the mess. Mother isn't going to be happy, I think.

Then I hear her, "Can't you do anything right? You don't bring home food for us then you break one of my wedding gifts!" Then I stand up and she smacks me across the face, I fall again. She continues to kick me in my side and when she's done with that she picks me up by my hair and starts pulling me towards the door. "I want you to leave and come back. I can't even stand to look at you!" With that she opens the door and throws me outside. I fall off the porch and land in a puddle of mud. I get up and start running. I need to get away from her, I think. I run through the muddy, rocky streets of the Seam. Then I feel the Seam streets turn into sidewalk, I'm in the town. I keep running until I catch my foot on a section of the sidewalk and fall, bringing my face to the ground. Then everything goes black.