So Tumblr has decided to mess up with the 'read more' feature, meaning it's deleting everything under the cut when I make a post. I've set up this account so I can post my fics and simply link them from my Tumblr blog because I'm grumpy about it! Some of these, you may have read in the past because I've posted them on Tumblr but never on here! So yeah, here we go!
(If anyone has any prompts, feel free to send them to my Tumblr blog, which is euphemiafleurtrinket!)
Why was it always so cold?
It was a thought that had plagued Effie Trinket on many a sleepless night since her unceremonious relocation to District 13 three months ago.
The thin, woollen blanket provided in the welcome pack given on arrival offered little to no protection from what felt like the sub-zero temperatures. Despite this, she tugged the musty grey material up over her ears, so only her face was completely exposed.
The cold wasn't the only thing which kept her awake at night.
Effie was a soul who enjoyed light and the open and the freedom to move about wherever she pleaded. None of this, however, was available to her in District 13. Her claustrophobia was creeping in, exacerbated by the recent Capitol assault, which led to the entire population moving further into the depths of the district. She found herself laying awake most nights, staring up at the stone ceiling above her. In the darkness, her eyes could visualise cracks running through the stone, bits crumbling away here and there. She was terrified that, if she closed her eyes for even one second, the entire place would come crashing down on top of her.
After three hours suffering in the deathly cold that night, she sat up and swung her legs out of bed, slipping her feet into the plain grey flats she'd been provided with. She always kept them beside the bed, completely unwilling to walk barefoot due to the cold.
She decided to occupy herself in her sleepless state by tidying her compartment. Not that there are a lot of tidying to do. She had very few posessions to her name in 13. A few pieces of jewellery and one or two pairs of shoes. When Haymitch had hauled her onto that hovercraft, she basically had what she was wearing and whatever she was carrying in her handbag at the time. It was common for a Capitol woman to carry an extra pair of shoes in her bag, hence the second pair she now had placed beside the wall.
Using a scrap of grey material she had left over from customizing her uniform, she began to dust her desk and the small nightstand beside her bed. Haymitch had laughed the first time he'd seen her personalized uniform.
"There is no way I will be wearing something as drab as you," she'd chastised him after his comments that she looked 'even more ridiculous than usual'. She'd bribed Coin into giving her scissors and and a sewing kit, by threatening not to work with her if she didn't. Coin had given in straight away. Despite her Capitol background, Effie was valuable to the rebel cause. Her history in architecture meant she had quite the knowledge in Capitol buildings, something that would be invaluable when it came to planning attacks. Without Effie, they would have to send spies in to map out the buildings they planned to attack, which could result in an unnecessary loss of life to the rebels.
Effie spent hours fixing a shirt to make it into some sort of mini-dress she could wear with a belt around the middle. She took another shirt and stitched is to the back of the dress, effectively creating a cape-like feature. Using some offcuts and some creative stitching, she made herself a headscarf to hide her honey-blonde hair. She wasn't allowed to wear her wigs in District 13, and there was no way she was leaving her natural hair on show. She accessorized it with a pair of grey tights she had with her when she came to the district. She also added her peach-coloured high heels and a series of colourful bracelets. It wasn't very Effie, but she was making the best out of a bad situation.
Once she'd finished her tidying, she sat back down on the bed and glanced at her bedside clock. 4am.
She had to be in the control room by 6am. Not enough time for sleep. She pulled on her oversized shirt and slipped out of her room. The corridors were lit with dirty brown safety lighting, but it was enough for her to navigate her way around the place. Eventually, she found herself stood outside a large metal door. Everything about the door screamed that she shouldn't be there, but Effie had a terribly inquisitive side to her personality. Slowly she pushed open the door, squinting a little as the automatic lights clicked on and illuminated the room.
She found herself stood in what appeared to be the gun training room. Row upon row of various types of gun lay in front of her, with a shooting range to her left. Before she realised it, she'd moved over to one of the racks and was tracing the smooth metal of a small handgun with her fingertips.
Although Effie Trinket seemed prim and proper, a part of her wanted to train with the soldiers of 13. She picked up the gun and had carried it over to the shooting range, ready to aim when-
"Helps if you load it first, Trinket."
Effie spun around and frowned when she say Haymitch leaning lazily against the door frame.
"What do you want?" She grumbled. Of course he had to show up right now.
"Nothing, nothing," he said, with that stupid smirk he always had. "Just thought I'd give you some helpful pointers."
He moved over and took the gun from her hands, prompting an irritated glare from Effie.
"First off, your safety's on," he said, showing her how to switch it off before putting it back on while he loaded it. "Alright. You're good to go."
Effie went to take the gun back, but Haymitch held it out of her reach.
"Let me show you how it's done," He winked, moving back to the shooting range.
Effie watched as Haymitch stood sideways, twisting his upper body slightly so he could aim. He clicked off the safety, pulled the trigger and-
Hit the dead centre of the target.
Effie's mouth fell open.
"How did you-"
"Practice, Trinks," he winked, before pressing the gun back into her hand and leaving the room.