DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES, I ONLY OWN THE PLOT.

My Mother sat on the filthy, green couch staring blankly at the television. I could tell she wasn't watching it by the way she was trying to hold back tears, but I didn't really care.

I have begun to hate my mother. Over the past few months she had begun drinking. She quit her job. She ignores me completely. She doesn't cook or clean. She forgets to take me to school most days. She refuses to pay the bills. She hits me if I talk too loud. We are running out of money, but she doesn't seem to care. She hasn't noticed that I have begun to steal food from the milk bar so I have at least something to eat or that I am being bullied at school. All she has done is sit on the couch and watch T.V.

After a few moments Mum stood up. This takes me by surprise, because she hasn't moved off the couch since last week.

"I am getting married." She said in a monotone. "He is a very nice man as far as I know, and he will also help us pay the bills."

I don't know whether I am happy or angry. Part of me is happy because it means we won't be running out of money. But the larger part of me is angry that she is betraying dad.

"Who is he?" I ask tentatively .

"Cray Stone. He is the head Policeman." She replies. I get the feeling that she is hiding something from me.

"Okay."

"He will be visiting tomorrow. Please be nice."

"Okay"

The next day there was a knock on the door. I opened the door and to my surprise there was a tall man, with grey hair and an unusually red face. He was wearing an elegant, expensive suit. He looked about eighty years old, nearly double Mum's age. He looked familiar.

"Hello."He said kindly. His smile looked genuine, but his eyes were cold. "Are you Katniss?" I nodded."Could you please get your Mum."

"Mum!" I yelled, "Cray is here."

My mum walked down the stairs in a floaty, beautiful blue dress. She had curled her blonde hair and applied some make-up. Although I would never admit it, she looked beautiful.

"You look beautiful." Cray said kissing Mum on the cheek. She flinched, as if she expected him to hit her.

"Thank you." She replied quietly. "Come into the lounge room, I'll introduce you to Katniss."

When I walked into the lounge room I noticed that Mum head cleaned up, there was no sign of broken beer bottles, or old urine stains from Buttercup who Mum had murdered last week. It's a start, I thought.

"Hi Katniss. I'm Cray. I am a police officer." He said the words slowly as if I couldn't understand them, as if she was a three year old.

"I know, Mum told me. I have seen you on T.V a few times anyway." I replied as politely as I could.

"Yes. I do go on the news a bit. Last time I was talking about child abuse after a guy had beaten his child to death. " He said in a bored tone.

After a little while of talking, Cray stood up and announced that he was taking Mum out for dinner. They left within a matter of seconds, leaving me alone in the dark, damp house.

The year after Cray and Mum got married. It wasn't much of a happy affair, by the sad look on Mum's face you might of thought it was a funeral.

I hid behind a tree the entire wedding. No one came looking for me and that was fine with me. I wanted to be alone. With one look back at the wedding I ran into the woods and climbed up a tree. When I reached the very top of the tree, I sat on a thick branch and buried my face in the sweet smelling pine leaves. I cried for hours.

One week later Cray moved in. I discovered he was a drunk, just like my mum. He began to yell at me whenever mum was out, drunk, asleep or hungover. I didn't really care. I just blocked him out and didn't listen to his insults and swear words, some of which I didn't know the meaning. Then he hit me. That was when I began to care. Everyday I would turn up at school with bruises on my jaw, arm or cheek. Sometimes I even had long burn marks along the side of my legs. No one asked why. No one really cared.

Cray's behaviour got even worse. He broke my arm and threatened to break my neck. He strangled me when he was especially drunk. He beat me unconscious several times.

Then my mum died, she hung herself the police had said. At her funeral I wasn't even sad. I was angry. Angry at her for marrying Cray. Angry at her for betraying dad. Angry at her for leaving me alone in this world. I hated her.

The day after her funeral Cray dragged me into his room, ignoring my pleas, pushed me onto his bed and lay down on top of me. Well, you know what happened next.

The next day at school I walked into class my head held high, refusing to show anyone I had broken. I fell asleep during Maths, and I began dreaming of Cray. His hands caressing my body... his lips on mine... his sneering eyes... my pleas for help. Everyone laughed when I woke up screaming. The teacher looked at me like I was a weirdo.

That night I had more nightmares. I woke up screaming again. Wiping the tears off my face I sat up and stared at the time. That's what I did all night. Watching the numbers on my digital clock change. Minute after minute. Hour after hour. I refused to fall asleep. Tick tock, tick tock.

A/N soooooo I hope you like this chapter. It's kinda random...but HOPEFULLY the story will get more exciting in chapter 3. Anyway can u guys please review my story. it will mean a lot to me :P Btw katniss is about 9-10 years old in chapter 1-2.