Just a little AU Hayffie where Haymitch was imprisoned with Effie and they find away to comfort each other while they are there. I hope you enjoy reading the story! Please review!
Disclaimer: I am not Suzanne Collins
Haymitch was caught- whenever he went to meet Plutarch and Gale at the hovercraft to rescue the tributes from the arena, a few of the peacekeepers caught him before he can make it there. Plutarch watched as they hit him in the head and dragged him away. He didn't want to leave Haymitch, but they had to save Katniss.
Haymitch awoke with a pounding sensation in his head. He groaned and blinked his eyes open, squinting at his surroundings. He was in a cell with cement walls that reached almost to the ceiling. There was a door opposite to where he was sitting, but he was positive that it was locked. He sat there, wishing he knew of a way to get out, but he knew there was no use- there wasn't anything he could do.
A while later, a peacekeeper came in and dragged Haymitch out of the cell to be interrogated. Haymitch, of course, didn't say a word. Everyone knew that he knew almost everything about the rebellion though.
The peacekeepers locked him in his cell and brought in multiple jabberjays. First they started screaming in Katniss's voice, then Peeta's. It was hard to hear, painful even, but he was able to stay calm all the way through it. Then, the jabberjays started screaming in his mother's voice as well as his younger brother's. Haymitch covered his ears and started screaming himself to mask theirs.
When it stopped, Haymitch sighed in relief and thought it was over. Then he heard the jabberjays start screaming in Effie's voice. He screamed even louder, but nothing could drown out the screams that were full of pain and suffering. Haymitch curled up into a ball and started screaming Effie's name. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing tears out. After another hour of her screams, it stopped, and Haymitch opened his eyes. The peacekeepers came back into the room and freed the jabberjays.
"Do you have anything you want to tell us?" One asked.
Haymitch shook his head, not daring to speak.
"Ok, then. I guess you'll be seeing the jabberjays again tomorrow." A peacekeeper spoke as they left him alone again.
"Haymitch?" A voice floated over the cement wall.
Haymitch moved towards the voice, "Effie?"
Effie responded in a weak voice, "Yeah. It's me."
His eyes grew wide as Haymitch said, "I can't believe they took you."
"I'm alright. They haven't hurt me much." Effie said, "Just a couple of bumps and bruises."
"I'm so sorry," Haymitch said, blaming himself for not getting her out of the Capitol.
"I don't blame you." She said, "Listen, Haymitch, I heard the jabberjays a few minutes ago, and, just don't worry about me, ok?"
"How did they get those screams?" He asked, remembering the pain he heard in them.
"Like I said- a couple of bumps and bruises. They also used some jabberjays on me- screams from the 50th Quarter Quell." Effie said. Haymitch couldn't believe that she would be hurt by his screams. He was horrified, though he realized what the peacekeepers were doing- they were hurting her to get to him.
"I'm sorry." Haymitch said. Effie didn't respond, not really knowing what to say. He spoke again, "At least we have each other right now."
He could hear the smile in her voice, "Yeah. It's good to hear your voice." She added in her head, instead of your screams.
"Yours too." Haymitch said.
Later on that night, Haymitch heard Effie scream. He looked up at the ceiling, and realized something- those weren't jabberjays.
Haymitch pounded against the wall that separated him from Effie. He screamed her name as she screamed in pain. At least with the jabberjays, he knew that nothing was happening to her. But now, he knew that she was really hurting. By the time his hands were bleeding from hitting the wall so hard, the screaming stopped.
"E-Effie?" Haymitch called out quietly.
"Yeah, Haymitch, I'm here." She replied in a broken voice.
In that moment, Haymitch's heart broke, "What happened to you?" Effie didn't say anything and he caught on, "We don't have to talk about it. But are you going to be ok?"
"Yeah." She answered.
"Ok." Haymitch said. He didn't really know how to comfort someone, "If you, you know, need someone to talk to about it- I'm here."
"I know, thanks" She said, "But, I'm gonna try and get some sleep. Goodnight, Haymitch."
"Goodnight, Effie." Haymitch continued to stare at the wall that separated them, wishing it wasn't there- that he could hold her in his arms. He finally laid back against the hard floor and closed his eyes.
The next morning, peacekeepers crowded into Haymitch's cell. They injected a small amount of tracker jacker venom into his arm and released a single jabberjay into the room. The venom made Effie's jabberjay worse- twisting Haymitch's mind so that he was able to see Effie in front of him, shaking as sobs wracked her body. Her screams were ever more horrifying. Then in his warped mind, Haymitch saw his arena before his eyes. Everything, from the volcano to the meadow. Only this time, he heard Effie scream instead of Maysilee, and saw Effie's throat skewered by the pink bird's beak. All the time that the venom played with his mind, Haymitch kept quiet. He knew that screaming would not only hurt Effie to hear, but also would notify the peacekeepers that they were able to get to him that way. He bit his tongue until it bled, but he was able to keep silent.
After the peacekeepers left, Haymitch curled up in a ball and laid his head against the wall he hated the most. He breathed deeply, trying to forget what he just experienced.
"Haymitch?" Effie asked quietly.
"I'm here." He said shakily. He didn't want to talk about what happened so he changed the subject, "Are you still wearing your ridiculous wig?"
Effie's laughed rang out like bells in the silent cell, "No, I'm not. But I am still wearing a fluffy dress. But still, it's kind of weird not having on a wig."
Haymitch smiled as he thought of her, "I'm sure you look beautiful. What color is your hair?"
"Blonde." Effie answered, Haymitch could hear the change in her tone, so much lighter than it was a minute ago.
"I always pictured you with blonde hair," Haymitch agreed.
"And I always thought you never gave me a second thought." Effie said.
"Well I guess you were wrong." Haymitch told her.
"I guess I was," Effie agreed.
After that, Haymitch and Effie found a routine. Each morning, they would talk to each other about how they were feeling that day. Then, one of them would hear the other's screams. After the preliminary check to make sure the other was ok, they would go on talking about stupid little things, keeping the silence away.
Let me know if you'd want me to continue the story so that it goes through up until whenever the rebels save them.
