AN: Howdy doody dear readers. As you can see, I have once again started a new fic - I am trying my best to continue with my other ongoing fics but I'm still awaiting on inspiration. If there are any readers here who are following my Harry Potter fanfic, Perfecting the Golden Years, you may be in luck: I have been trying to work on it in the last couple of days, so keep an eye out and you may very well see an update soon (no complete guarantee but keep your fingers crossed).
Okay, so the last fic I uploaded was a Hunger Games one-shot centred around Haymitch and Effie. I enjoyed writing the characters immensely and have so decided to base another fanfic around them. This originally was going to be a one-shot also, however I have come to a bit of a standstill at the moment so I've decided to split it up instead. The idea for it came to me after I received an amazing book called The Writer's Block (which is in the shape of an actual block) for my birthday a few months ago. It includes lots of ideas, pictures and spark words to help out the struggling writer - it's amazing! So when I randomly opened it, I came across the spark word 'superstitious' and immediately thought of Effie. I think she's exactly the type of person who would without a doubt, believe in all sorts of superstitions and that's where Luck of the Draw comes in.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I own nothing, zilch, zero, nada.
Luck of the Draw
Part One
Today's the day, she thought. Today Effie Trinket was to become an escort in the mighty Hunger Games. She dreamt of this day from the tender age of seven. Her parents were well respected republicans of the Capitol and avid watchers of the Games, so naturally they pushed their young daughter to follow in their footsteps.
Seven was the age they placed little Effie in front of their grand television set to get a taste of what they called 'viewing pleasure'. Six was the usual age Capitol parents were encouraged to make their younglings tune in - 'teaching them at a ripe age' as the President would put it. Effie however had proven to be a...delicate child: she became queasy at the sight of blood on her grazed knee; she screamed if she witnessed an animal getting knocked over by a moving vehicle in the street; she even cried if a small creature such as a butterfly died – she was only young and only human after all. Nonetheless, the Capitol did not appreciate its citizens showing weakness (which included human emotions when it came to the Hunger Games) no matter how young they were. It was seen as a compulsory watching and the public had to enjoy it, otherwise it was seen as a conspiracy against the government.
Because of her 'condition', Effie's parents decided that it was better to wait until their daughter was more prepared to stomach what they called entertainment, however they could not wait forever - Snow had eyes in every nook, every cranny, every corner of not just the Capitol but the entirety of Panem. Mr and Mrs Trinket could not afford to wait longer than a year to cover for their daughter's obscenities. No matter how well respected they were, their lives depended on this one particular course of action; President Snow's laws were not ones to be messed with.
After much pleading with her parents to not be made to watch, she lost her ongoing battle and from the moment her eyes were set on the opening ceremony, she was brainwashed. Quickly becoming a fan, she realised what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She had to become involved in the Hunger Games, even if she died doing so. The main high school in the Capitol offered an extra two year curriculum after they had finished their main studies, to pursue different careers related to the Games. The pupils wanting to take said course, of course had to earn decent enough grades in the rest of their subjects and had to hold an extreme perseverance, independence, work ethic, personality and eagerness; Effie maintained all of these traits. She passed the exams, which allowed her to be accepted on the course, with flying colours, earning her a reputation as star pupil.
Her first choice of Games career was not escort but in fact stylist. She loved fashion in every sense of the word and always had to keep updated with the latest trends (and she of course could afford to do so because of her parents' reputations). However, even though she was, shall we say, obsessed with fashion and had excellent grades in all other manners of her schooling, there was something she was lacking when it came to herself actually designing. She did not know what it was that she lacked, she was star pupil for goodness sake, but according to her teachers she was not as artistically talented as a stylist should be. She thought this was highly ridiculous and wanted to tell her tutors as much but prevented herself from doing so, it was bad manners after all. They instead pointed her in the direction of the escorts. She wasn't particularly fond of the idea, still disappointed with the fact that she couldn't pursue her dream as a stylist. After a considerable amount of research on her part, she discovered she fitted the role more than she originally thought: she would valet two 'lucky' tributes to the Capitol (that was easy enough, right?) and introduce them to the fruits and pleasures of the main attraction in the whole of Panem; she would teach them how to act, behave and portray themselves – she would surely perfect this particular motion as she loved ordering people around and the sound of her own voice when she did so; she would show them off to the whole of the Capitol in public, not to mention the whole of Panem on national television where all its citizens would notice what a good job she had done – maybe she would be lucky enough to be presented with an award by President Snow because of it? It was her chance to become famous because of all her hard work, something she was born to be. These were the thoughts that spurred her on.
After once again earning a spot as one of the school's top students, graduating with top grades and passing a couple of weeks escort training without any qualms, Effie had finally arrived at exactly where she wanted to be – in front of her bathroom mirror, preparing herself for her first official day. She donned her brand new wig, styled in a bronze bob, while thinking about what the day would entail. She would be given a brief induction (not that she needed it, she knew the majority of the details like the back of her perfectly manicured hand) and more importantly, assigned to the district she would be working for, for the rest of her days as a Hunger Games escort (unless of course she got promoted). She hummed brightly as she straightened her wig and started to apply her make-up while pondering about which of the districts she would be assigned to. Eight of the twelve district escorts had reached the age of retirement, so the choice would be entirely pot luck. She hoped upon hope that she would be assigned to a Career district – they were the more civilised and betted on districts; she would find fame and (more) fortune quicker than she could say Panem if she were escort for either One, Two or Four. Smiling at her perfectly made-up reflection, Effie declared herself ready...until the unthinkable happened.
Effie was so overly occupied at making herself presentable that she became extremely startled when the phone rang suddenly, resulting in the most obvious of reactions – jumping. Her arms flailed in the air as the sound flooded her ears, knocking the mirror off the cabinet and sending it crashing to the tiled floor. She stared devastatingly as the glass seemed to smash in slow motion and the sounds of the shards scattering across the floor joined the demanding screams of the telephone. What should have been the happiest day of her life just turned into a living nightmare. She didn't like to admit it overly but Effie Trinket was extremely superstitious. It came with the territory she supposed: she was very prim and proper, she was very neat and she liked to keep things in order, therefore hating chaos. Above all else, she could be exceedingly paranoid, resulting in becoming a believer of superstition. She never walked underneath ladders, she made sure to miss all cracks in the pavement and even though she was was a cat lover, she stayed clear of all black ones.
Time seemed to stand still as she gazed at the mess in front of her. Seven years bad luck, she repeated in her mind, seven years bad luck. The phone's rings died away when it realised that no one was going to answer. This couldn't happen, not now. Her life had been carefully planned out, now it was going to fall apart in one foul swoop, exactly like her antique mirror. She continued to stare, dumbfounded, at the shattered mirror until her eyes caught sight of the gold watch on her wrist. As if waking from her trance, she hurriedly reached out for some toilet paper and bent down to pick up the pieces. She gathered the majority into a pile and swiped them into her hand with the toilet paper. A jagged end tore through the tissue and sliced into her finger, her rouged cheeks turning grey slightly. She held it under the cold tap, the wound stinging as the icy water flowed over it, all the while rummaging through the cabinet to find a plaster – she would have to remember to visit the pharmacy after her induction to purchase some healing ointment. Placing the plaster over the cut as best as possible, she straightened her wig once more and hastily picked up her bag, running out the front door. This had to be a coincidence.
AN: And so is the end of part one. Just to clarify, I am aware that there are loads of different theories that revolve around the superstition of black cats, both good and bad. Because I am writing Effie as extremely paranoid and a huge believer in superstition, I think that she is more inclined to believe the bad.
I hope you lovely readers enjoyed the first part and that you will all do me a huge favour by hitting the review button - I like reviews. The second part is already written but I am going to wait to see if I get at least a few reviews before updating, so go ahead people, you know you want to.
On another note, if you haven't read my previous Hunger Games fic, Embracing Possibilities, then by all means check it out. It is not related to this fic in any way, it would just mean a lot if more people would give it a looksie.
Thank you, lovely people - until the next time :).