Hello again! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I sure do enjoy writing it! Please read and review! All characters belong to Suzanne Collins, except for Eden (played by James Marsden).
"Haymitch, what does she mean?" Effie asked desperately. Haymitch sighed. "You have a big shot at going in there, princess." he said, while taking a swig from a bottle of liquor. Effie knew he wasn't really listening to her. She stood up from the couch. "You don't even seem to care." Her voice sounded raw. Hurt. She walked away, tears threatening to spill, before he could say anything. Out the door, away from the Victor's Village, to the meadow. Tears started to spill from her eyes as she sat down in the soft grass, her blue dress spread out around her. She looked at the colourful primroses Katniss had always talked about. She didn't want to believe it. The rebels had wanted to stop the Games, hadn't they? What was the point now? She could go in, her friends could go in, her family could go in.
"Effie!" She heard the voices of her victors. Effie quickly wiped her tears away, careful not to smudge her make up and sat up straight. Katniss and Peeta sat down on either side of her. "Are you alright? Peeta asked concerned. Effie smiled her fake smile, she was sure they noticed it. "I'm fine, children." she said. "I just came out here to think."
"Don't worry." Katniss' voice replaced Peeta's. "There are tons of names in there. The chance they pick you is very small." "I know." Effie sighed. "But my friends and family…" she fought hard against the tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks again. "Come on." Peeta said softly, and he stood up. "I think you could use a good night's sleep. The reaping's in three days. We should take the train to the Capitol tomorrow morning. We don't want to get behind schedule now, do we?" Effie nodded in agreement, grinned and took his outstretched hand.
Her dreams were different that night. No peacekeepers and no prison. The horrific images of her cell were replaced by flashes of people dying in the Games. Not just people. Her friends. Even the ones that were already dead. Cinna, and Portia for example. But there were more of them. 21 other people she didn't know. Effie heard cannon sounds as she saw them fall to the ground, struck by knives. She looked at her hands. Her jaw dropped as she saw her hands, covered in blood, one of them holding a knife. She did this. She had killed them. "No!" she screamed. Her eyes darted around the room. It was over. It wasn't real. She closed her eyes for a moment and placed a hand over her racing heart until it beat in it's usual pace. She lay down again. It was 3:44 am, she concluded when she looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was going to be a long day.
The next morning they took the first train to the Capitol. The journey would take almost a full day. Effie had called her brother, and had asked him if they could stay in his apartment the nights before the reaping. Her brother, Eden, was an ex-gamemaker. Dark brown hair, a beaming smile, and as punctual as his sister. Over all a perfect gentlemen, loved by everyone.
Effie was eerily quiet the whole way to the Capitol. She stayed in her room all day and only came out to eat. Haymitch knew she didn't want to go to that place. He knew she was scared. So was he. She came out of her bedroom in the evening when she had heard people cheering, roaring. She had put on a red, sophisticated dress, a light pink wig and makeup. She didn't really want to, but then again she had to. She didn't want her family to see her without her usual attire. It would scare them, even though her hair had grown back. Effie wasn't Effie without the look, was she?
She joined Peeta, Katniss and Haymitch at the windows of the train. She was met by their soft smiles, and people outside waving at her, shouting her name. She was a celebrity here, she knew. But in some way, it felt sick. She would get reaped and sent to her death if the odds weren't in her favour. But when the train door opened, she decided to just roll with it. What were the odds, anyway?