"Damn it!" Haymitch swore as he stormed out of Command, Effie in tow.
He loved the girl, he really did, but she had to stop disappearing. Coin had dispatched them to find her, considering they were the only ones she'd listen to.
"Haymitch, really. You know how she gets. I don't understand why Coin can't seems to comprehend she's a person, not a robot. And watch your language!"
He had been honest when he told her he liked her better without makeup, but that didn't mean he could tolerate her nagging.
"Princess, shut up," he said bluntly.
Ignoring her annoyed gasp, he continued leading them deeper into the compound. They were silent, each debating where Katniss could be hiding. She had several spots she usually reverted to scattered across the civilian living space. And she could be in any one of them. They knew that too well, and with a look decided to begin on the far side and work their way inward.
"Care to bet on where she is?" Haymitch asked conversationally as they walked.
"Haymitch! Betting is uncivilized and uncouth!" Effie replied. Silence resumed between them, the only sound their footsteps on the floor. "The water space."
"What?"
"I think she's in the water pipe space, near the infirmary," Effie repeated, a blush creeping up her cheeks.
He smirked as he looked at her.
"I thought betting was uncouth and uncivilized." She didn't respond and his smirk grew. "Behind the air vent near her compartment."
"She hasn't used that space since you forced me to crawl in and find her."
"You're smaller than me. Had to have someone who could fit. Besides, that's exactly why she'll go there. She'll think we forgot about it."
As it turned out, they were both wrong. Katniss wasn't in either place they cited, nor was she in any of her other usual hiding spots. A sense of panic had overtaken them. They didn't want to relay they couldn't find her and cause the whole district to search for her, but they were beginning to feel they had no choice.
"We're gonna have to tell Coin we couldn't find her," Haymitch fumed. "She'll have the whole damn base looking for her, and we know how that'll end."
"Yes, not well," Effie said. "Perhaps we're overlooking something. I suggest we go back to my compartment to rest and re-examine where she could be."
"Why your compartment?"
"Because it's closer to us and further from Coin, making it the perfect location."
He couldn't argue. He was dying to sit down and if he could do it as far from Coin as possible it would be great. So he followed her through the twisting tunnels until they reached her compartment. With a sigh of relief, she tugged on the handle and opened the door. Haymitch tried to step in behind her, but nearly ran her over when she stopped abruptly.
"What the hell, Princess?!" he demanded angrily, only to be shushed.
Effie raised her hand and pointed to her bed, which was partially blocked by her sewing machine. Then he saw what had made her stop so suddenly. Katniss was curled into a ball at the head of the bed, where the machine was. She appeared only half conscious, and it was obvious Effie hadn't wanted to startle her. She was wrapped in the blankets, hiding from the world. He wouldn't even have noticed her if she didn't occasionally twitch.
"Good job, Ef," Haymitch whispered. "Looks like your idea paid off."
"What do we do?" she asked, noting the obvious exhaustion in the girl's features.
They both knew the girl didn't get enough sleep and were reluctant to wake her. That Katniss hadn't tensed and gone on the defensive told them all they needed to know.
"We wake her up, get her calmed down, and take her to Coin."
"Haymitch!"
"Least, that was our job. But, I say we relay we found her, calm her down, and let her sleep. Give me some credit, Princess. I'm not that heartless."
It was true, he wasn't. For all he pushed Katniss to lead the war effort, he loved her and didn't want her to break. So, he quickly sent Coin a message via communicator, telling her they had retrieved Katniss but that she was in no shape to attend a meeting, deliberately leaving out their location. No need to have soldiers forcefully drag them to Command. Besides, he didn't want them to know her new location in case she chose to use it again.
Moving to Effie's side, he set about helping her move the sewing machine that he still wasn't sure how she got. Though small, it was heavy, and it took both of them to move it without making much noise.
"How did you even get this thing, Princess?" he huffed as they put it down.
"Prim got her cat, Katniss hunts, I got a sewing machine. That was my condition," she replied with a smirk.
"Didn't know you had it in you," he smirked back. "Come on, let's get the girl."
He allowed Effie to take the lead as he usually did, hanging back until he was sure Katniss wouldn't try to bolt. Effie perched lightly on the bed beside the girl, automatically tensing when Katniss woke completely.
"Katniss? Katniss, it's Effie." She watched as the fear faded from her gray eyes. She laid a hand on her shoulder carefully, watching as the tension left her frame. "That's it dear, you're all right." Haymitch shifted closer and Katniss tensed again. "No, no, shh. It's only Haymitch."
Katniss sighed, finally returning completely. She shifted closer to her former escort, allowing her mentor to sit on her other side. The bed was small, and they were squeezed together, but they felt safe.
"So, I guess you finally found me, huh?" Katniss said, an edge of exhaustion in her voice.
"Took a hell of a long time though," Haymitch answered. "Clever, sweetheart, choosing the one place we would never look."
"Haymitch, language!" Effie snapped.
"I didn't choose it because it was clever," the girl mumbled, ducking her head.
"Then why did you hide here?" Effie asked, beginning to run her fingers through Katniss' hair.
"I needed something safe and familiar after Eight." She lifted a portion of the sheets she remained wrapped in. "You know there's still a hint of perfume on these?" she asked.
"No, I didn't," Effie replied.
"So let me get this straight," Haymitch started, "you wanted familiarity and you chose Effie's compartment?"
"Haymitch, leave her alone," Effie said, gathering the girl close to her chest. She couldn't help but smile at her compliance, showing how far they'd come. "I don't mind her being here. Actually, I prefer it over pipes and vents."
It was silent for a few minutes, the only sounds muffled from the corridor.
"So, when do you take me back?" Katniss asked from her position against the older woman's chest.
"Back to where, dear?"
"Command. I know Coin wants me there."
"Taken care of, sweetheart," Haymitch replied, eyes closed and head leaned back.
"What do you mean?"
"Coin knows we found you but is unaware of your location. Told her you weren't fit for a meeting."
"Thank you," Katniss whispered, Effie's soothing motion lulling her to sleep.
Effie hummed in response, her own eyes beginning to close. The peace was shattered by the ringing of Haymitch's communicator. He swore, checked the message and stood up. The older woman watched curiously, waiting until his eyes met hers.
"Coin wants me in Command. I'm probably gonna get my ass chewed for you, sweetheart," he said, looking at Katniss. "You got this?" he asked Effie.
"Of course. Now go on before you make her angrier."
Still grumbling, Haymitch left the room. Effie maneuvered herself and Katniss so that they were lying down, pressed together in little bunk. She was almost asleep when Katniss' voice reached her ears.
"I hate her."
"Hate who, dear?" she asked, though she had a feeling she knew.
"Coin. I don't trust her. And I'm sick of this war. I wish somebody would just surrender so all this would be over."
"I understand, really I do. But if I've learned one thing through all this its that Snow must lose power. I admit I often miss my home and my wigs and other things, but this is necessary. He committed so many crimes, all of them inhumane. We must defeat Snow."
"But Effie," Katniss said, gripping the woman's shoulder so tightly she winced, "you haven't been there, haven't seen what I've seen. Sometimes I think we're doing more harm than good."
"I k ow it may seem that way," Effie said, pulling her closer. "But think of the end result. Freedom. No more Games, better living conditions. The possibilities are endless. Think of that when you doubt yourself."
Katniss contemplated her words for a few minutes. She knew the older woman was right. The war was bigger than her, bigger than all of them. And they had to win.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome," Effie said, tightening her grip.
Katniss and Peeta were her children, and since she was powerless to help one, she'd be damned if she let anything stop her from helping the other.
Effie's compartment quickly became one of Katniss' favorite spots. There were still the occasional times they'd find her behind a pipe or in a vent, but usually she was curled up somewhere in the former escort's quarters. They weren't sure how they managed to keep Coin in the dark, but they did and that was all that mattered. As punishment, Haymitch spent more time in Command and Effie was run ragged trying to keep u with Plutarch's demands. Katniss was pressured twice as hard to shoot propos, a strategy Coin thought would convince her to stop hiding.
Haymitch and Effie could have told her that wouldn't work. If anything, it had the opposite effect. Katniss disappeared more frequently, the propos going by the wayside. Most of her time was spent curled in Effie's bed, trying to escape what her life had become. They would find her there at the end of the day, sleeping or trying to regain a grip on reality. Coin didn't even send them to look for her anymore, preferring not to waste time.
Effie would collapse into bed beside her, too exhausted to undress. Haymitch would take a chair, pull it up beside the bed and be asleep in seconds. They allowed Katniss to stay, afraid Coin would hurt her. She would curl into Effie, asleep or awake, and the woman would wrap her arms around her and hum in contentment. It was an unspoken rule that she was welcome any time, and she took the offer.
Katniss spent more time with them than her mother and sister, feeling safer in Effie's arms under Haymitch's watch. She knew they would protect her and had been for some time. She wasn't stupid, she knew Coin had been roughed on them since she had started hiding again. She felt bad about it, but she couldn't bring herself to come out, not just yet. But she was almost ready, almost had her head in order.
For their part, the two adults supported Katniss and protected her. They understood the stress she was under, perhaps better than anyone in Thirteen. So they dealt with Coin and worked until they dropped, because they knew Katniss would come around eventually. She was their girl, they were her protectors. They were a team. They were a family.