All rights belong to S. Collins.
Haymitch
** Katniss **
I'm left with Haymitch in the rubble, wondering if Finnick's fate would've been one day mine. Why not? Snow could've gotten a really good price for the girl on fire.
"Is that what happened to you?" I ask Haymitch.
"No. My mother, younger brother and my girl, They were all dead two weeks after I was crowned victor. Because of that stunt I pulled with the force field," He answers. "Snow had no one to use against me."
"I'm surprised he didn't just kill you." I say.
"Oh, no. I was the example. The person to hold up to the young Finnick's and Johanna's and Cashmere's. Of what could happen to a victor who caused problems." Says Haymitch. "But he knew he had no leverage against me."
"Until Peeta and I came along." I say softly. I don't even get a shrug in return.
** Haymitch **
As I walk away from the rubble and sit down at the edge of the trees, it's not the forest that I see. In 23 years I've watched and been personally accountable for the death of 46 children. I remember each name, each face and that desperate look of despair and imminent death in each pair of eyes. They used to visit me each night until I found that if I drank enough alcohol I would simply pass out. Here in District 13 there is no alcohol and yet it is not those 46 children that I see, it's Chaff & Seeder, Wiress & Mags but most of all, Peeta. The boy who, twice, risked his life for the girl he loved and now has lost so much more.
I think back to the Reaping day more than a year ago. The day before, I was in the hob getting my daily supply of liquor and talking to Ripper who reminded me that I needed to be awake, sober and in the town square the next afternoon. I cringed at the thought of yet another year of watching two children die.
"I'll make sure he's there." I hear a rough voice behind me say quietly. Cray, the head Peace keeper of District 12. Old Cray was the only person I knew who could drink as much me. I nod and move on to get a bowl of soup from Greasy Sae.
A young girl is trading greens for paraffin with Greasy Sae and I wait until the girl moves on before setting my coins down on the counter, always including a little more to help out my friends in the Hob. Greasy Sae nods, the coins disappear quickly and a bowl of turkey rice soup is set before me. "That girl is a survivor, been trading here since her daddy died when she was 11 years old." She tells me. It takes me a few seconds to realize she's talking about the girl who just left. "Who is she?" I ask.
"Katniss Everdeen, daughter of Charlie Everdeen and Lillie Mindler." Greasy Sae replies.
I stop, with the spoon halfway up to my mouth. I do not need time to stop and remember who Charlie or Lillie are. Charlie's brother was the same age as me and died in the Hunger Games at the age of 13. Charlie was blown to bits in the mines at the age of 30. Sarah's name brings back memories of three beautiful blonde girls standing in the town square 24 years ago, crying and hugging each other as one of them, Maysilee Donner, had been chosen as a tribute. I set the spoon back down into the bowl on the counter.
Greasy Sae grips my hand tightly "I'm sorry Haymitch."
"Nothing to be sorry about." I say roughly. My appetite is gone so I shove away from the counter and head home with my brown bag clutched tightly under my arm.
Never have I been more aware of how alone I am, and how I have chosen this isolation. As I set on my front steps staring around the remaining 11 empty houses in the Victor's Village I wonder if there will ever be anyone else to fill these houses in my lifetime.
As the sun goes down and darkness descends I head into the house, turning on every light. I sit at the kitchen table drinking and staring out into the night wondering if I can make it through the night without any visitors. When I wake up the room is bright with sunlight and in the seat across from me is Maysilee Donner. My brain is fuzzy and heavy from the booze and I don't understand how she can possibly be here. She looks exactly the same as she did that long ago morning in the capitol getting ready to head down to the training center.
She smiles sadly at me "Look at you Haymitch. What have you done to yourself?"
My whole body begins trembling at the sound of her sweet, young voice. "Why are you here?"
I croak out.
"You know why I'm here." She replies
"You broke the alliance. I could've save you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I tell her, as tears steam down my face and I wipe my nose on my shirt.
Suddenly blood begins to run out of Maysilee's eyes and down her face. "You're a survivor
Haymitch. You have to save them." She reaches a hand out towards me.
I bolt to my feet, feeling the bile rise in the back of my throat as a hole suddenly appears in Maysilee's neck and begins bleeding down the front of her shirt. "I can't save them. I can't even save myself."
Quicker than I can react Maysilee stands and grabs my arm and blood runs down her hands onto my arm. "She's a survivor too. Remember that when you're in the Capitol. Save them."
There is blood everywhere and I begin retching and suddenly I'm back at the kitchen table, slumped over as the dawn begins to break. I jump up looking around wildly for Maysilee and the blood that soaked us both but only find my trash littered house. I've never dreamt of Maysilee before and suddenly I need air, I need to breathe and I run out the back door into the yard until I reach the old Maple tree and start vomiting and can't stop long after the soup and booze have come out. Eventually I pass out and this is where Old Cray finds me early in the afternoon on Reaping Day.
Cray gets me into the house and gives me a fresh unopened bottle. "Drink it slow, the Reaping is in 20 minutes."
I break open the seal and take a long slug. "You ever friends with someone who died in the arena Cray?" I ask.
This takes him by surprise and he takes a minute to think about it before answering "Yeah, when I was a kid, had a cousin that never came back. He shakes his head "Another lifetime ago."
Cray has never confided in me about where he came from or what happened in his previous life before the Peace Keepers. Before I can say anything he says roughly "Get yourself cleaned up, I'll go get your suit out of the closet upstairs."
I turn on the sink and lean over and let the water run over my head until I hear Cray come back down.
I dry off and dress quickly. We both turn at the sound of music beginning. Cray sighs "Let's go get this over with."
We're late and the crowds make it slow going until we get the edge of the Justice Building. The sun is blinding, it's hot as hell out and every so often I see the family of a fallen tribute looking haunted, or the glare from one of the citizens. The Mayor is talking and that twit Effie Trinket is sitting behind him. Cray takes the now empty bottle from my hand and pushes me towards the stairs leading up to the stage.
I stumble across the stage and sit down next to Effie who smells wonderful, like vanilla and some kind of flower. I lean closer to her to get a better smell when I lose my balance on the chair. Effie is staring at me horrified and I grab onto her to keep myself from falling over. She gasps and shoves me back into the chair "You're disgusting." She hisses. I'm prevented from replying as the Mayor has just introduced her.
Effie trots up to the microphone and begins warbling on about how wonderful the Capital is and How the Games are so exciting. Between the heat and the pounding in my head I think that I nod off for a few seconds because suddenly everything comes crashing into reality from the screams of someone in the audience.
"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute." A young female voice screams. I have never seen or heard of anyone in District 12 volunteering. As Effie and the Mayor quibble about protocol I glance around them to see who has volunteered for this suicidal trip.
My whole body breaks out in a cold sweat and I can feel my hands trembling. Effie is vibrating with excitement and squawking on about the spirit of the games. I place the girl just as she says her name into the microphone "Katniss Everdeen." The girl from the hob.
Effie beams "I bet my buttons that was your sister! Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute."
The wind whistles through the air as not a single person moves, much less applauds. As I look around, in the back of the crowd I see the merchants from the Hob all standing together and it begins with them and ends with every person in District 12 touching the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and then holds their hand in the air.
Suddenly I am standing and moving across the stage as I hear Greasy Sae and Maysilee's words ring in my brain "She's a survivor."
"Look at her! Look at this one!" I yell as I wrap an arm around her, as if somehow I can protect her from what's to come. "I like her. She's got spunk!" I yell "More than you!" I yell at the crowd and again I am moving forward towards the camera man at the front of the stage where I know this is being fed live through the Capital "More than you!" I point directly at the camera.
As I turn to look at the girl again it's not her I see, but a bloody Maysilee and I try to tell her that I can't save her but the booze, the heat and the lack of sleep are all creeping up and the last thing I remember is a sharp pain in my back.