Haymitch watches her as she says her goodbyes to Peeta and Katniss. Her makeup must be waterproof because the tears now rolling down her cheeks leave no traces except for the wet, glittering paths. But the glittering could easily be counted as part of her mask.
"I am truly sorry..." she sniffles, squeezing Katniss' hands.
Her whole world must be upside down, he muses. Her precious capitol, usually so intent on the appearance of pampering their victors. And now? Katniss and Peeta going back into the arena. It must be quite a blow. And yet he doesn't think it is the deception of her world that makes her crack. It breaks her heart to see the children walk to their deaths. Again.
She doesn't know what he knows, of course. She is aware something's going on, but she has no idea that people are working on rescuing as many victors as possible from the arena, even as they tell Katniss and Peeta farewell.
And Haymitch wonders.
They sit in the penthouse that evening, because they can't bear the sponors anymore. They have done enough that day and they can profit from Finnick's pool of sponsors too. So they sit and watch in awe as their Tributes try to get through the night. It is pure luck that Peeta even gets the chance to get through the night.
When the boy hit the force field, Haymitch thought it was over. He sat, disbelievingly, his head in his hands, only looking up when Claudius Templesmith pointed out that Finnick was doing first aid. He looked at the screen and then at Effie, who stood by his side, her cocktail glass shattered at her feet and her empty hand trembling, her face white as a ghost even through the makeup.
They remained in that position until Peeta was breathing again. Haymitch excused them to the sponsors and escorted her up to the penthouse.
He glances over at Effie, slumped on the sofa, her neck resting against the back of it and watching the screen with tired eyes. She isn't trembling anymore, she looks like all the power just poured out of her. Haymitch studies her closely, taking in her defeated posture, her creased dress and the slightly disheveled wig. There is a glass of water loosely grasped in her right hand – she refused his offer of something alcoholic to calm her down – and it is in danger of slipping.
"What did I miss?" he asks quietly when he finds her amidst all the sponsors, mentors and other escorts. She startles and barely manages to conceal the worry in her voice. He places his hand at the small of her back, hoping it will reassure her a bit. It doesn't.
"The remaining tribute from 6 is dead. They allied with Johanna, Wiress and Beetee. And they got bread. But I believe you know all that." she recounts without looking away from the screen, currently featuring Chaff walking through the humid forest.
"I just know about the bread because I helped send it." he bluffs, because he knows excactly what happened while he was with Plutarch Havensbee, sending the first message about when the rescue mission would launch to the tributes.
"Don't play dumb, Haymitch." she whispers harshly. She hates being left in the dark.
The trembling in her hands is back.
She watches horrified as Katniss tells Peeta she would see him at midnight. Everything about the situation screams 'trap!'. Goosebumps rise up from her spine and all over her body as she watches Katniss disappear into the forest with Johanna and the wire.
"We're leaving." he says quietly from the living room doorway.
She startles so badly she bangs her shin on the coffee table. He has a knack of startling her lately. He has become apt at sneaking around without her noticing. Or maybe he isn't even sneaking but it is her that's been lost lately and not noticing the world around her.
She is on her feet and her knees are shaking because this is it. What she has been equally longing for and dreading ever since she was sure something was going to happen.
She is scared beyond her wits, he can tell. But there is no time.
"We're leaving." he says again and takes two steps towards her. She just stands in the middle of the room and stares at him.
"But you can't leave now." she argues, grasping at straws. "They're about to try and defeat the others..."
She trails off because she knows it is futile. She stares at the floor and then her trembling hands find her face and cover it and she can't even cry because she is too scared. She looks like she is being left alone in the world and he can't bear it.
He covers the rest of the distance until he stands right before her shaking form. "Sweetheart, we're leaving. Come on. That includes you."
She drops her hands and stares at him in utter shock. "I thought..."
"What? You thought I would just leave you here? Do you really think I would've wasted time to come say goodbye if I was leaving without you?" he whispers, taking one of her hands. "I thought we were a team."
He turns to leave but she stands rooted to the spot. "Effie, we're out of time. Either you come with me now, or I have to make you come-"
He falls silent when she flings her arms around his neck. She is trembling from head to toe and he hugs her back quickly and then lets go, linking their fingers and dragging her towards the door that leads to the roof of the training centre.