Katniss glanced over her shoulder for the tenth time in the last minute, making sure there was no one in sight. Though she wasn't breaking the law, she had no doubt Thread would love to catch her trailing along the side of the fence.

She wanted to find a spot that wasn't flowing with electricity, but she'd traversed the entire length of the fence only to be met with more buzzing.

More than a few times, she'd encountered peacekeepers and had to pretend as if she was doing something else. She was sure they were suspicious, but they were either sympathetic or knew the fence would do its job. Either way, they didn't stop her.

Giving up, Katniss made her way back to the street, prepared to head home. Once again, she'd be empty handed.

It had been days since they'd had any meat. Much of their diet had become tessarae bread, and Prim was losing weight before her eyes.

Her own stomach chose that moment to growl, and she covered it with a hand to stifle the sound.

Because she was on the road between Victor's Village and the Merchant's Quarter, she hadn't expected to see anyone. Only Haymitch used the road, and he had little reason to leave his house after his alcohol supply had been cut off with the burning of the Hob.

Apparently, though, the lack of alcohol had left him itching to involve himself in the lives of others.

Katniss paused when she saw the victor walking towards her. His gait was surprisingly steady, and he seemed remarkably alert, more so than she would have expected from him in either drunkenness or withdrawal.

"Checking out the fence?" he taunted. "You shouldn't bother, sweetheart. They've got us sealed up in here. You'd have a better chance of hitching a ride to the Capitol on one of the trains."

She kept walking, determined to ignore him and whatever wisdom he might try to bestow.

"I like you, kid," he said once she was one step past him.

It was enough to make Katniss turn around and look at him with a furrowed brow.

"I do," he continued. "You're more of a fighter than most. I admire that. That you managed as well as you did all those years is more than can be expected from most your age."

Katniss scoffed and turned her back on him.

"That doesn't matter anymore, does it?"

"It does. There are ways to survive that aren't hunting deer in the woods. Look how I did it."

He motioned at the house down the street that must have been the one he lived in. It looked just as neglected as each of the others. He gave a laugh at her reaction to it, earning himself a glare.

"I can give you food."

Katniss' eyes widened, but her disgust had them narrowing a second later.

"No. Why would I take food from you? Our family is fine. Whatever you want from me, I won't give it to you."

Haymitch shrugged.

"I'll give it to your mother then."

At Katniss' furious look, he smirked.

"Whatever you may think of me, I'm not a pushover."

"Why would you give us food?"

"Thread doesn't have enough authority to strip me of my paycheck, and he has even less to strip me of my savings. I buy my fair share of alcohol, the whole country knows that, but my habits don't put a dent in my income. I have more than enough sitting in that godforsaken house. Might as well do something with it."

"Why us?"

Katniss took a step closer, silently urging him to tell her the truth.

"Like I said, you interest me. That Hawthorne boy does too. You've both done a lot to survive, but surviving for you always meant putting food on the table, didn't it?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I can provide the food, but I know that won't take away your tenacity. If you don't need to try so hard to eat, then your attention can shift to...long term methods of survival."

Katniss took several frantic steps back.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, voice shaking.

"You and I both know that's a lie. I know the Hawthorne boy has said something to you. He pestered me for months, and I know he'd never keep you in the dark about his big ideas. You're the person he trusts most."

"No, I don't know anything."

She shook her head, taking several more steps away from Haymitch.

"My family won't take your food. We won't take anything from you. Leave us alone."

He didn't try to stop her as she hurried down the road towards town, refusing to look back.