My father died in a mine explosion when I was only nine, forcing my mother to re-marry a drunken, abusive man in order to support herself and I. The single reason I haven't already given up on life, was my poor mother. Well, and Gale Hawthorne, but don't tell him I thought that, or he'd get a swelled head. AU (no Peeta or Prim), T for language and themes.

Straight ahead on the path we have before us

Day by day, soon the change will come

Don't you know we took a big step forward

Just lead the way and we pull the trigger

We've come a long way since that day

And we will never look back at the faded silhouette

We've come a long way since that day

And we will never look back, look back at the faded silhouette

My name is Katniss Everdeen and I might as well live in hell. It's just me, my mother, and my demon of a stepfather, Lucas. After my father died in a mine explosion a few years ago, my mother remarried Lucas to support herself and I. At first he was a seemingly genuine, nice guy. His act worked, until he showed his true colors as an abusive drunk. This is my story of outlasting and outliving the monster in my own home.

"Get out!" Lucas commands. "Get out before I smash you to bits, you whore!"

I scramble out of the house - better known as the Collapsing Shack in the back of the Seam - as fast as I can. I look back to see a bottle flying towards my head, and duck, flinching as it shatters against a rock in front of me. I jump back to avoid the shards, then resume my sprint to seclusion.

"Go on, run, you bitch!" I hear as I dash farther out of his reach, farther from the other beer bottles he would surely throw if I was any closer.

Slowing to a jog, I duck underneath the small hole in the supposedly electrical fence that encloses District 12. We're the farthest away from the Capitol, and the district they care the least about, so the fence is rarely on, maybe two hours a day.

Once inside the fence, I breathe a sigh of relief. For now, I am safe.

I pull my bow and quiver out from inside a hollow log and begin the long trek to the cottage by the lake.

"Catnip," calls a voice as I draw closer to the cabin. It's a voice that I know all too well.

Gale Hawthorne.

"Welcome to our humble abode." he says, gesturing to the cottage behind him. "May I take your bags, miss?" He grabs my bow and quiver and pulls them off of me, and motions for me to follow him inside.

Pouring some home-grown herbal tea into one of our old mugs, he says, "Here's some tea, Madame. And how was your day?"

"Before you're done being a gentleman, close the door, would you?"

"Don't avoid the question." But he relents, closing the door and motioning for me to get on with my story of the day.

"I stumbled down the stairs and into his rock collection," I sigh. Lucas has a collection of "priceless jewels," aka a group of cheaply bought, cheaply manufactured, colored coal.

"Ah, I see. He had a right to get mad," Gale jokes, with that twinkle in his eye that makes me blush for no reason.

"And then he chased me out of the house with the threat of bottles to my back. Just the usual."

"You need to do something about him."

"Do what, Gale? No one cares here. They'd just tell me to shove off and deal with him myself!"

"There's got to be someone who cares," he growls, "or I'll do something myself. I can't stand watching him order you around like that. I care too much about you to watch it. What about the crusty guy in the Village?"

"That's the problem with him. He's crusty."

"He must've had family sometime! Maybe he'll care!"

"Nobody ever does anymore."

"We should ask at least! Then we can know for sure if you have to give up hope. It's worth a shot."

"And what's he gonna do for me? How would he help, go to Cray? He's too drunk to care, and Darius is too young to do anything, and Purnia is a girl. Neither of them would be able to help me, and Cray doesn't want to unless I jump in bed with him."

Gale scoffs. "Like that will happen."

"Exactly my point! So how will I fix this?!"

"There's only two things I can think of, and the second is too dangerous unless you have no other options."

"Let me guess. You're going to make me go to Abernathy before you tell me the second choice."

He just nods, a smug look on his face.

Bang, bang, bang. Gale pounds on the door of our only resident Victor, Haymitch Abernathy. He won the fiftieth Games, the one with double the tributes. Maysilee Donner died in those Games. Rumor has it they were in love, not that I put much faith into those.

The door swings open, but there's nobody there. Maybe it was unlocked...?

"Hello?" Gale calls. He motions for me to get behind him. "I'm going first."

I roll my eyes at his protective antics but stay behind him anyways.

Gale steps over the threshold and immediately moves as if to double over. When I rush over to see if he's okay, he's holding his nose and gagging. Then the smell hits me and I repeat Gale's actions.

Imagine a skunk's smell mixed with a thousand tons of the nastiest thing you can think of. I would be surprised if it was worse than this.

There are liquor bottles everywhere, the shades are drawn, and what looks to be a body is on the couch. The dirt on the floor is easily two or three inches thick, and when I take a step the ground squelches. I would really rather not find out what that is.

Gale moves forward as inconspicuously as possible and taps the figure on the shoulder.

Suddenly he's in a headlock and the man from the couch is holding a knife to his neck.

"Don't touch her, you hear? Stay away from Mays-" The man is cut off by Gale swinging around and out of the headlock, rapidly backing away.

He shakes his head as if to dislodge memories. "What are you kids doing here?"

"Mr. Abernathy, I've got a problem." I say quickly, and explain my situation.

"And what makes you think I can help you?"

I shrug, gesturing to Gale. "Ask him. It was his idea."

"You're a Victor, sir, you could explain it to him in, well, in a language he understands." Gale mimes punching Lucas.

"I don't think he'd appreciate an attempt of assault from an out-of-shape old man," Haymitch mutters.

"I don't hear you saying no."

"Well, then no. Not gonna happen. The girl's right, he won't appreciate me stepping in, and he'll just come after her for stupider reasons. She needs to fight her own battles."

"C'mon, please, ju-"

"Gale, he said no. There's nothing we can do." I cut in. "Thanks for your time, Mr. Abernathy."

He just grunts and ushers us out, slamming the door behind us. We won't be welcome back.

"So, what's this plan of yours?"

Gale's an only child as well. His mother had a stillborn when he was a few years old. From what I've heard, the baby wouldn't stop crying, and it lived for maybe a half hour at most. They named him Rory. Pregnancies aren't exactly safe in District Twelve.

Then, when Gale was eleven, his father died in the same mine explosion as mine. Luckily for him and his mother, Gale was old enough and strong enough to work at the "restaurant" hauling things out back. He earned most of his income on the side, though, or should I say, the outside. He and I have been hunting partners ever since our dads weren't around.

So when he proposed the idea of running away, I was shocked at first (who wouldn't be?) but soon warmed up to it. He repeatedly told me that it would be dangerous. I understood that, but I needed to get away from Lucas. My mother was an empty shell, not that he dared abuse her. She was too broken after the mine explosion; combine that with the fact that she married the wrong guy and is partially the reason that I'm getting abused, she just crumbled. And I needed to get away from the reasons she crumbled. I was all for running away.

Of course it had crossed my mind in the past, but I never thought I would actually try it. There was never a good enough reason. Now, though, the odds are in my favor in the way that the Capitol doesn't want.

Gale, on the other hand, won't stop worrying about his mother. She didn't really fall apart like my mother did, but she was on the brink. He's worried that this will send her over the edge into the oblivion of madness. Maybe he's right. But he's too protective to let me escape on my own.

So the plan is set, then. We're leaving after the next Reaping day, in about two months, assuming one of us doesn't get reaped. I'm covering the arrows (because he can use a bow as well) and he's making sure the Peacekeepers don't try to track us, or report us to the Capitol.

Things are moving fast but that's the way I like it. I can't have time to dwell on the pain because then it will fester and grow. Moving fast keeps me away from the pain, and for that I am grateful.

"Katniss Everdeen!" calls the escort clearly, and all I can think is horror. I've been reaped.

But, wait... An older girl comes from behind me.

"I volunteer!" she shouts. She looks our escort in the eyes, and I can tell she has no will to live.

"Ah, District Twelve's first volunteer in many years. What's your name, darling?" I miss the rest because I'm sobbing. I came very close to death in those few seconds. I look over and see Gale shaking as well. That was too close for comfort.

Another name is called and it's not Gale. That's all that matters right now. We're getting away. We're safe.

Finally the mayor dismisses the crowd and I run to Gale. He embraces me and I let the tears flow. "Shh, you're alright. You're safe."

"Hey, move along," a gruff voice commands, and I pull my head up to see a Peacekeeper.

"Sorry, sir, we'll be out in a moment."

"Good."

Gale pulls me along, whispering reassurances in my ear. "Come on, Katniss, just a little farther," and we're around a corner, out of the Peacekeeper's sight. "Let's go, Kat, come on," and suddenly I snap out of it.

"I almost died, Gale!"

"No, you would've won. I know it."

"How can you tell? I can't sing, or act, or be nice-"

"But you can survive, and that's all that matters. Come on, we've got places to be." And with that I know that this Reaping has become a taboo between the two of us, that it won't be brought up again if we can help it.

I cross under the fence for the last time, and it's symbolical as well as physical: I'm crossing into a better part of my life, forever. I'm never going back.

Silhouette by Avicii.