CHAPTER 1
"STUPID BOY!" he calls as another searing pain flashes across my face. I'm not sure when the next one will come. So I start to crawl away, but then he lashes down on my back. "DON'T YOU DARE MOVE! YOU ARE DESERVING OF THIS BEATING!" He rages. "WHY AM I DESERVING OF IT.? BECAUSE IT'S HUMAN NATURE TO BE HUNGRY?" I say the words before I'm even aware of what I'm actually saying, and I instantly regret it. He stares at me with wide, blood shot eyes and whispers, "What did you say?." He seems as if he's just witnessed a murder. "WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Before he can hit me again, I jump to my feet and run out of the house. "HAYMITCH!" he shouts after me "HAYMITCH, GET BACK HERE. IM NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET!" I run as fast as my feet can carry me. There is only one place I can think of. Only one place where I can be at peace and alone. Only one place I can go. The woods.
An hour later I'm sitting at my spot just beneath the fern where I keep my stash of small food, and my knife. On some days I hunt, other days I just sit and watch the world go by. The stream flowing, animals wandering. Just watching. I consider just sitting by today, but in the end I resolve to hunt. I stand up, climb up the tree to the point where my knife and satchel are stored, grab them both, and climb down. I look around, deciding which way to go. When I have decided I set off downstream. After about ten minutes walking, I hear a loud "crack" behind me. I turn to see a boy, no older than my sixteen years staring at me. I take out my knife defensively. "What ?" I say to him "You looking at something ?" He starts to walk forward slowly, "I'm not looking for a fight," he whispers. I see a bow slung over his left shoulder. Homemade obviously. But I could cut him down before he could even reach for it. "You have a name ?" He asks, still coming forward," Well my name is Byart. Byart Everdeen". He looks like he could use that bow with some skill. So I decide to go ahead and trust him. I might need a hunting partner anyways. "Well Byart," I say "My name is Haymitch Abernathy"