Manners, Sweetheart

by Freebooter 4Ever

In uncertain times people cling to that which feels certain, even if those feelings are intangible, nebulous, and possibly lies. Mentor and Escort, both alone -one isolated in a decaying house, the other surrounded by duplicitous people- are forced to work together, thus begins a gradual descent into romance based on begrudging respect, suppressed lust, and an unexpected friendship

1. Prologue

Prologue

Little Effie never watches the middle of the games. She can't handle the bloodshed, and the fighting, and the disasters. She watches the beginning, devours all the interviews, and the pretty dresses, and the parade. And picks her favorite and closes her eyes until the end, when she cries if her favorite doesn't survive.

At age eleven Effie announces her intention to volunteer, and her dad looks at her with pitying eyes, as if she is slightly insane and tells her, "you can't pumpkin."

After the fiftieth hunger games, she recognizes the sole district twelve victor, having seen him once at the closing ceremony. His face, craggy and strong featured, and the dirty blonde hair he hides behind to cut off the rest of the world, these things stick in her mind. His name however, always escapes her. Her favorite that year is the little blonde girl, with hair as pale and fine as Effie's own: Maysilee. Effie watches all of her interviews and all of her training spots. Maysilee has the best outfits, poofy and golden as her hair, she looks like a princess. Effie wants Maysilee to become a princess, to live and be crowned on the golden throne. She even begs her father to take her with him to the Capitol for the closing ceremony. Her father may only be a mid-level employee, but his government job does have some perks.

Maysilee's death is the only death Effie ever watches during the hunger games. Her mother calls her into the living room to 'see the pretty pink birds' frisking around the blonde princess's head. The birds start to attack when Effie arrives in the room to watch. Her mother gasps and tries to pull her away, but her father separates them and sits Effie down, a hand on her shoulder, "she has to learn," he says. Though his voice sounds as if he wishes otherwise. Effie can't look away as the birds rip through her princess's skin and the screams slowly die down. Effie barely remembers the boy being there kneeling next to Maysilee and whispering unheard things.

She vows to herself she will never forgive the boy with the blue eyes and dirty hair for letting Maysilee die. And she never asks to volunteer for the Hunger Games ever again.