Katniss was in trouble.

Ever since her father had died three years ago in one of the all too common mining accidents, they had struggled to make ends meet. The months immediately following his death have been the worst. Her mother had just shut down, becoming almost comatose. She barely ate, barely slept and wouldn’t leave the house. There already meagre income from her mother’s apothecary and healing slowed to a trickle Katniss sold the small surplus they had, then stopped completely.

Although just 11 at the time, Katniss had to grow up very quickly and take over. Prim was just 7 years old and didn’t understand what was happening. Why her father wasn’t coming home, why her mom never left her room, or why they didn’t have food.

While Prim was sent to school, Katniss would beg and borrow just to put enough food on the table. She was still a year away from entering the games, and the extra food rations from putting her name in more than required could have eased he problems. Her only solace was her ability to hunt. On a good day she might catch a rabbit or a couple of birds. She would sell what she could, using the money to by cheaper food that would last longer.

It took almost a year for her mother to eventually start or overcome her grief and start working again, but she was never the same. Some days she would slip back into a grief coma, but never for long enough to drive Katniss to the measures she was now considering.

That has been 3 years ago, a now at 14, she has already survived the drawing of names twice, both times putting her name in the lottery as many times as she dare. The next draw was still 4 months away, and her mother and Prim had both become sick in the winter cold. None of her mother’s remedies worked, and once again their income dried up, there food rations have ran out, and due to the cold, even her hunting was unsuccessful.

Katniss knew there was a way to get the medicine and food she needed. It was something she had never wanted to consider. Something she told herself wasn’t even an option ... but now she was out of options.

Everyone knew the overseer had certain, proclivities, for the young girls in his district. Particularly in the colder months, or following a mine collapse or pox, he would get the opportunity to indulge in his proclivities in exchange for extra food rations. Katniss and always felt pity for those girls who sold themselves just to avoid starving, and promised herself she would never end up like them. It wasn’t a promise she would be able to keep.

She waited until Prim and her mother had fallen into a fever sleep, and in the dim light of a winters evening she wrapped herself in a cloak, pulled her hood up and slipped out into the cold winters night. Katniss’s breath was visible in the chilled air as she hurried through the soot stained streets of district 12. She stuck to the narrow alleyways and back streets to make sure she wasn’t seen, and before long she was stood before the imposing door of the district overseer’s residence. Her heart pounded against her ribs, a drumbeat of desperation and fear. The weight of her mother’s and sisters illness and the emptiness of their pantry had driven her to this desperate measure.

How broken was Panem that a 14-year-old girl selling her body was her only chance of survival. That all it was. Survival.

She knocked softly, her knuckles barely making a sound against the sturdy wood, her eyes rapidly glancing around fearful of a resident or worse, a peacekeeper finding her. The door creaked open, revealing a sliver of warm, inviting light. The overseer, a man known for his cruel smile and even crueller eyes, stood in the doorway. His gaze travelled over Katniss, lingering on her slim figure and determined expression.

“Katniss Everdeen,” he drawled, a hint of amusement in his voice. “I was wondering when you’d come to me, I had hoped it would have been sooner considering your father’s death.”

Katniss swallowed hard, her throat dry. “I need help. My mother and sister are sick, and we have no food ... I ... I heard you... ‘help’ some girls,” she said, her voice giving out, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

The overseer’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped aside, beckoning her to enter. “Of course. I’m always willing to help the citizens of my district in their time of need.”

As Katniss stepped inside, the door closed behind her with a finality that made her stomach churn. The room was warm, but the atmosphere was thick with an unspoken promise. The overseer led her to a plush sofa, his hand resting on the small of her back, a gesture that was both possessive and threatening.

“I can provide you with food and medicine,” he said, his voice low and seductive. “But you know the cost, don’t you, Katniss?”

She nodded, her eyes fixed on the floor. “Yes, I know.”

He reached out, tilting her chin up so that she had to meet his gaze. “Good girl. Then let’s make a deal.”

His hand moved from her chin, trailing down her neck and parting her cloak, sending shivers down her spine. Katniss closed her eyes, steeling herself for what was to come. In that moment, she felt like a pawn in a much larger game, where the stakes were her dignity and the lives of those she loved.