Back again with more disasters and tragedy!
Thank you so so so much to everyone who has favourited and particularly those who have reviewed, you genuinely make my day worthwhile.
I went back and corrected the repetition in last chapter, and have taken care to actually proof-read this one! My previous proof-reads have clearly not been that good so I took care with this chapter. Moving into the crux of the story, but still looooads more to come as this is just the beginning. Things starting to tie a little bit more together I hope.
So enjoy reading and please leave a comment, there will be more soon and a big surprise coming up in a couple of chapters!
Chapter 7
He knew she was serious. It wasn't a desperate plea, it had been thought out over a period of time and decided with earnest. He couldn't believe she would ask such a thing.
'No,' he whispered, turning away from her.
'Haymitch, I-'
'No, Effie,' he shouted, not caring who heard.
'I know it's a lot to ask,' she admitted, sitting up painfully and regretting her decision soon afterwards. Haymitch turned back to look at her, disgusted.
'A lot to...Effie you're asking me to kill you. How could you ask me to do that?'
'Because I'm not strong enough to do it myself,' she confessed, another of her darkest secrets falling before the man she used to hate.
'Why,' asked Haymitch, 'why would you want to die?'
'I don't want to die!' Effie squealed, tears running down her face. 'I am terrified, absolutely terrified, of dying. Even after going to hell and back, it still scares me more than anything else.'
'Then why?' Effie took a deep breath and tried to stay strong.
'I have to, because if I live more people will die for me and I can't bear that,' she reasoned.
'People have died before,' Haymitch pointed out, 'and they will die long after you've gone from this world. So why do you want to die?' He could sense that there was something deeper, something she was trying to escape from.
'I lied,' she told him. 'I lied because I wanted to hide from the truth. I said they would come and kill me, but that couldn't be further from the truth. If they find me, Haymitch...if they take me away...my life will become so unbearable that I think I'll go insane.'
'They won't find you,' Haymitch insisted, moving towards her, 'I won't let them.'
'But they will,' Effie persisted, 'they know where I am wherever I go; I wouldn't be surprised if I had a tracker on me.'
'I won't let you die, Effie, I can't let you die.'
'FINE,' she screamed, unable to hold it in any longer, 'don't help me. We'll go to District 13 and everything will be great, until one day I go out for a walk and I never come back. It won't take long for you to realise where I am, and then you will feel terrible. They'll lock me up, rape me and cut me until there's nothing left and they won't let me die until I'm old and battered. They'll rip out my tongue like they tried to the other night, and treat me like a pet or a slave or the whore that I am.'
He silenced her as he pressed her close to his chest, feeling her body moving rapidly as she sobbed hopelessly into his shirt. The grip she had on his jacket was so desperate that Haymitch wished that he could grant her what she wished for. He had sworn never to kill again after the Hunger Games, but she was so broken and so terrified of what she thought would happen to her that he couldn't deny that he hadn't thought about giving in to her.
Haymitch kissed the top of her head and held her close. He wished that he could save her from her hell, but no matter what he did she would only end up crying. He had wasted all of those years hating her, and now he couldn't let her go.
'I can't kill you,' he whispered gently when she had fallen silent. 'But I can make you a promise.' She looked up at him, eyes bright red and bloodshot.
'If they find you, even though we will do everything we can to stop them, then I won't let them take you.'
'You...you mean...'
'Yes,' he said, stroking her cheek gently, 'if they come for you, I'll kill you.'
Xxx
It was only a few hours into the morning when Katniss and Peeta dragged what little they had down the stairs. The hovercraft would land in the Meadow at four, in twenty eight minutes time, but it wasn't going to wait for them. If they weren't ready, then it would be gone and it was not coming back.
Haymitch was in the study with Effie, at her request trying to help her into some of the clothes they had recovered from the other house. He had his arm around her waist, lifting her into a red chiffon gown which looked more like evening wear than something you would escape in. She stifled a cry of pain as he pulled the dress over her bruised body.
'I'm sorry,' he said gruffly, 'but your clothes aren't exactly the easiest to handle.' He zipped the dress up over her ribs at the back, worried by how much they stuck out against what little flesh she had. She barely weighed a thing when he lifted her.
The dress was beautiful, even if several sizes too big against her weakened frame. The material almost reached to the ground and flowed like water when she moved. Haymitch helped her to navigate her dislocated shoulder into a long red waterfall cardigan, which though it didn't offer much warmth helped to cover up most of her body. He knew she was self conscious at the best of times, let alone in such a state physically, so he didn't complain.
'Shoes...' sighed Effie. 'I can't exactly wear my heels with a broken ankle, can I?'
'I'm afraid you're just going to have to go for it,' Haymitch told her. She didn't look pleased. The medicine Katniss gave her didn't seem to make a dent in her pain, but it allowed her to speak and act with conviction which meant more to her than true pain relief.
'Could you help me stand please, Haymitch?' He knew it took a lot for her to ask, and without much effort at all he swept her into his arms and helped her to stand on her own two feet; but it was not for long.
She tried to walk, but with her first step unaided she cried out and almost fell, before Haymitch caught her.
'I wouldn't do that again if I were you,' Haymitch warned her. She scowled.
'How useless am I,' Effie said, cursing herself, 'can't even stand up properly.' Haymitch sensed her genuine sadness at being so weak, and put her arm around his waist so that she could support herself on his shoulder.
'Try now.'
It was slow going, but she could just about manage to walk if she leaned heavily on Haymitch and she appreciated the gesture.
'Thank you,' whispered Effie.
They walked slowly into the front room where Katniss and Peeta were waiting with a few things packed in two bags.
'We only have fifteen minutes,' Katniss pointed out. Haymitch looked at Effie in way of an apology.
'May I?'
'If you must,' she replied, but he knew it was her way of giving him permission. He swept her from the ground in one easy movement, trying his hardest not to hurt her though a small groan still escaped her lips.
'Let's go.'
They arrived moments before the hovercraft landed in the meadow, a door opening to allow them access. Once inside, the hovercraft disembarked at once leaving no trace of its presence. Plutarch Heavensbee was there to greet them.
'Plutarch!' Peeta smiled, going up to him at once, 'I thought you were in the Capitol?'
'I was,' he agreed, 'but I was on business in thirteen when I heard you were coming and thought I would be part of the welcoming committee. Katniss, Haymitch, nice to see you again and...Oh dear, Miss Trinket?'
Haymitch looked down at Effie whose breathing was a little too fast and noticed that her eyes were closing and her body trembling.
'Where can I put her?' Haymitch asked with a sense of urgency. Plutarch led them to an on-board bedroom, designed for long flights, with a single bed to lie her down. Her chiffon skirts spilled over the sides, giving the appearance of rivers of blood. Her chest heaved in short sharp breaths, her skin as white as pure Dover chalk.
'Is there a medic?' Plutarch looked at him and shook his head, a hint of regret in his eyes.
'WHY NOT?' screamed Haymitch, causing even the impossibly calm Plutarch to jump at his words.
'You only said that she was in a bad way,' Plutarch reminded him, 'we thought that she wouldn't need a medic just to get back to the district.'
'How long?' Peeta asked. Plutarch swallowed.
'An hour.'
Haymitch ran his fingers through his greasy hair, looking down at Effie who was too weak to respond.
'If she dies,' he hissed, 'I will kill you with my bear hands.' Plutarch didn't take kindly to threats, and would have said something if he hadn't seen the fear in Haymitch's eyes as he spoke. He was just scared, scared of losing her, and he couldn't reprimand him for that.
'Understood,' he replied calmly.
Haymitch bent down and stroked Effie's soft red hair. He hadn't let her bring a wig, telling her that it would only weigh her down when her neck was fragile, but she hadn't been happy. He didn't understand why, her hair was beautiful. Beautiful like her.
She's burning,' Haymitch stated as he felt her forehead, 'is there any ice on this godforsaken thing?' Plutarch disappeared, returning with a cloth and a small bowl of ice cubes. Katniss placed a few cubes in the cloth and tied it together, giving it to Haymitch who placed it gently on her head, moving it across her face to cool her down.
'What did you give her before we left, Katniss?' Haymitch asked her, not quite accusingly but treading a dangerous line.
'I...I don't know exactly, but I think that it is just a herbal remedy. There's nothing in there that could do this.'
'She was fine before, if a little pale, but I don't know what could be causing this,' Haymitch thought aloud in desperation.
From nowhere, Effie gasped and the room turned its attention to her.
'Effie?' Haymitch was at her side in seconds, crouching down so that their eyes met as she opened hers.
'Who...who is it,' she groaned.
'It's me, Effie, it's Haymitch,' he said, wondering why she couldn't quite recognise him.
'Where are we?'
'We're in the hovercraft, on our way to District 13 remember?'
'Why is it so dark,' whispered Effie, her eyes threatening to close as she suddenly became very tired.
'It...it's not dark,' Haymitch stuttered, not sure how to react as her confusion escalated. 'Effie...Effie don't close your eyes, talk to me.' She turned to look at him, her eyes searching.
'So cold,' she whispered, her body trembling, 'it's so cold.' With that her eyes closed and she slipped into unconsciousness.
'Damn it,' cursed Haymitch. How could she be cold? Her skin was slick with sweat, her muscles in spasm; he had no clue what to do. Katniss had an idea.
'Pulse, Haymitch, check her pulse,' she instructed him. Struggling at first to find it, Haymitch took Effie's wrist gently in his own and searched for the soft thud of her blood.
'Describe it to me,' Katniss told him.
'It's weak,' he explained, 'I can barely feel it but it's fast. I don't know how to say it exactly but it seems too fast.'
'Thank you, Haymitch, that's very helpful.'
'What is it, Katniss?' Peeta asked her.
'We need to check her dressings,' explained Katniss, trying to fend off the guilt at her incompetence, 'I think she might have an infection.'
'Surely an infection couldn't do this,' Haymitch said. Katniss nodded quickly, sensing that their time was being quickly wasted.
'If it gets into her bloodstream it can.'
They checked the cuts on her face and shoulders to find only the red raw skin of normal healing, but the wounds on Effie's thighs told a different story. The skin around each laceration was bright red and swollen, hot to the touch though Katniss stopped herself from doing so after Effie woke up screaming in pain when her fingers came into contact with the swelling. There was pus oozing from the open wounds as well as blood, and what Katniss feared was confirmed.
She had no choice but to cover up the infected wounds. Katniss knew a bit about infection from her mother's work, but how exactly to cure such an advanced stage was beyond her.
'Her leg wounds are badly infected,' Katniss told them. 'With her breathing, pulse, fever and confusion my best guess would be sepsis.' She was relieved that at least this was something she knew; many of those who survived the mine explosions and were cared for by her mother had lived only long enough to die slowly from infection.
'Blood poisoning,' Peeta recognised. He had suffered from a milder version during the 74th Hunger Games, but they found medicine by the time he needed it. Now, they had nothing.
'How bad is it?' Haymitch asked. Katniss shook her head.
'I don't know exactly, but if she doesn't know where she is then she may have gone into shock. If we can't get her to medics...'
'No,' Haymitch whispered, shaking his head. He knelt by Effie's side and took her limp hand in his.
'How long until we land?' Peeta dared to ask.
'Even if we speed up it will be another twenty minutes,' Plutarch sighed regretfully.
'Just hang on princess,' Haymitch whispered into her ear, 'I'll get you there.'
They were coming in to land when chaos ensued.
'Katniss,' Haymitch said very slowly.
'Yes?'
'She's not breathing.'
Katniss watched Effie's chest for a moment and saw that Haymitch was right; it wasn't moving. She searched for a pulse, but found nothing and began to panic. As Finnick had done for Peeta in the Quarter Quell, Katniss breathed air into Effie's lungs and pumped her lifeless chest. Haymitch couldn't bear it.
'NO,' he shouted, standing up and backing away as he watched the colour drain from Effie's cheeks, her lips tinged blue, 'THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!' Peeta tried to calm him, but he was hysterical. He had seen people dying before, but not so close and not someone he cared about.
They landed. Medics ran in with a stretcher to take her away after Plutarch called ahead, one taking over from Katniss to keep her alive. The last thing Haymitch saw was the end of her chiffon dress flowing behind her as she disappeared.
Xxx
Haymitch paced outside the hospital doors for what seemed like hours, refusing to sit by Katniss and Peeta who could only watch him. Their hands were intertwined as they held onto each other for comfort. After the past few days, this just seemed like one more travesty added to the growing pile.
A doctor came out after more than an hour.
'She's alive,' he started. It wasn't the most encouraging beginning. 'We had to operate to remove the damaged tissue, give her two blood transfusions and antibiotics, but she's going to be all right.'
'Thank God,' Haymitch whispered, mostly to himself. 'Can we see her?'
'Yes' the doctor confirmed. 'She will be weak, and on strong morphling for at least a few days, but she is over the worst of it. I'll come with you; I need to talk to her myself.'
Walking through the hospital ward, Haymitch couldn't look at any of the other patients. He had only one thing on his mind.
'Effie,' he gasped when he saw her. He was relieved to see that she looked much better, though still with skin so pale she almost disappeared into the white sheets. She was awake, and turned her head to meet his gaze.
'Now Effie,' the doctor said to her, 'we're going to keep you in for a few days on morphling, but it's mostly just a precaution. Your broken bones are still healing, but that shouldn't take long to fix. We also managed to remove most of the scar tissue from the old injuries on your arms and chest.'
Effie looked down at her arms, barely believing they were her own as the skin was flawless once again. She lifted the neck of her hospital gown and almost cried with relief; she was no longer branded with that terrible word.
'Th-thank you, 'she whispered in disbelief. The doctor smiled.
'The only things we couldn't repair were the marks on your face and shoulders. Some sort of chemical in the cuts means that nothing can be done to cover them, I am afraid.'
'Do you have a mirror?' Effie asked him quietly.
'I don't know if you should-'
'Please?' He couldn't deny her simple request, though was sure that she wouldn't like what she saw.
Holding the small compact mirror to her face, Effie's eyes were transfixed. She hadn't been able to see them until then, and they were almost worse than the scars across her chest. They were a reminder, that she was marked territory, and one which she could never be rid of. The marks were an ugly red, forming a twisting swirling pattern down the side of her face like flowered vines. They reached from her forehead down her neck to the top of her shoulder, where they would always be seen. They mocked her with what used to be Capitol fashion, and her image blurred as she realised the mirror was shaking in her hand.
Effie put the mirror down and closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears back. She was better, healing, almost free of the pain they had put her through, but they couldn't let her forget it.
'Effie?' Haymitch stood by Effie's side and took one of her hands. 'It's okay, they aren't that bad.' She opened her glassy eyes, brimming with tears, and looked at him.
'Yes they are,' she whispered.
'Effie,' Katniss said, unable to stay silent any longer, 'I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I should have been more careful, I should have checked if they were infected...'
'It's not your fault, Katniss,' Effie assured her gently. 'It doesn't matter anyway, I'm fine now and I know that you did more than enough for me; I would be dead without you. Thank you, Katniss.' Offering a feeble smile, Katniss went over to Effie and gave her a light but assuring hug which she graciously accepted.
Xxx
Katniss adapted back to life in District 13 surprisingly quickly. It was still much the same as it had been during the war, though without the military training and severe rationing, as it had become a secondary government stronghold of sorts with a small population and many important offices. She had been placed in one of the apartments in the old part of the compound with Peeta, similar to the one she had lived in with her Mother and Prim, and later Johanna.
She watched the anniversary celebrations on television, which went without a hitch, though were very limited in their extravagance. Effie had been surprised at first that nothing bad had happened, but had decided it may have been too risky to launch an attack when they were at risk of exposure. Katniss thought that it might have been because she and Peeta had been the real targets.
Haymitch had, at first, been very displeased with their situation as the no alcohol rule still stood strong. When Effie had been in danger, he had run on adrenalin alone, but now that they were settling in to the District he craved his usual source of happiness. Without a place to drink, he spent most of his time either sulking or visiting Effie in hospital, or later her accommodation when she was released. Katniss was relieved that she was looking better, almost her old self again, but still tainted by vulnerability. She thought that it made Effie even more likeable. She didn't have to pretend quite as much anymore.
Plutarch, as an apology for his handling of the hovercraft situation, had ordered a case of Capitol clothes and accessories for Effie who despised the grey uniforms or the hospital wear which were her only other choices of clothing after her chiffon gown was destroyed. It was a little shallow of her, but no-one would deny her something which made her feel a bit better after the horror she was trying to leave behind.
It was two weeks after the anniversary when Haymitch knocked on Effie's door, invited in by her call. He came to her house many times, but he had never caught her curled up on top of her bed with a book in hand. Usually she was staring out of the small window, or bustling around cleaning to hide the fact that she had been crying again.
'What's that?' he asked, going to make himself a cup of tea in the kitchen.
'An old classic,' she explained, finishing the last page. 'I can't remember the last time I read a book. It's so easy to get lost in the pages, into another world much better than this one.' Haymitch looked around her kitchen for the sugar, which she only kept for him, and noticed that despite the food she had delivered in favour of going down to the dining hall her cupboards were bare.
'Effie,' he said in a lightly scolding tone.
'What?' she asked, looking genuinely confused. It was easier to see her expressions now that she used very little makeup, though she would never go without it completely. It was no longer an act of vanity, but one of vulnerability as she went silent if she saw anyone looking at the red marks across her face.
'Have you been eating?'
'Of course,' she answered, though her eyes were betraying her again.
'Effie, you can't stop eating again,' Haymitch warned her. In hospital she had refused to eat a thing, forcing the doctors to keep her in and give her intravenous nutrients.
'I know,' she sighed, putting her book down and tucking her legs up closer to her body, 'but I don't feel like eating half of the time. It's not as if I want to make myself any more ill.'
Effie looked down into her lap, her eyes glazing over as she tried not to drift off. It was her natural defence mechanism, to block the rest of the world out and lose herself, but she found herself using it just to get away. Haymitch noticed and walked over to her, using a gentle finger to lift her chin so their eyes could meet.
'It will be all right, you know,' he assured her. 'It's been weeks and no-one has even come close to District 13.'
'I know,' she sighed, 'but you can't blame me for thinking that they still might.' Haymitch perched on the edge of the bed and put an arm around her.
'I wouldn't blame you for anything.' She gave a small chuckle.
'A month ago you would never have said anything like that to me,' Effie reminded him.
'True,' he admitted, 'but I'm not going to kick you when you're down. Besides, I quite like the wigless Effie Trinket!' He admired her flaming red hair, natural hair, knowing that it was a sign of the real Effie. She only ever wore wigs if she left the room, which was a start at least.
'Was I that bad before?' she asked him directly.
'No,' Haymitch said honestly, 'but I was mostly too drunk to care who you really were. I saw the Capitol clothes and wig and judged you from the start, which doesn't make me the best of people.'
'But you made up for it,' Effie whispered, nestling her head against his chest as she felt her eyes begin to close, 'you kept me safe.' He kept her close, waiting until her breathing slowed to know that she was asleep.
'I'll always keep you safe.'
Xxx
'And where are you off to?' Haymitch asked surprisingly brightly as he saw Katniss and Peeta walking towards the edge of District 13
'We're going out for a walk,' Katniss answered, 'and a bit of hunting practice. I don't mind this place but it can be a bit...stifling at times. Effie's?' Haymitch nodded.
'I'll see you later,' he called as they walked past him.
Letting himself in after knocking, Haymitch found Effie fiddling over a lavender wig topped with a bow which she was trying to manhandle over her feisty red hair.
'Want some help?'
'Please,' Effie accepted, so unused to handling them after almost a month of only wearing them on occasion. 'It used to take me half a second.'
'I don't know why you still insist on wearing these things,' Haymitch said, holding the wig as Effie stuffed the rest of her hair into a bundle and clipped it in place.
'You know why,' she muttered, guiding his hands so that he placed it perfectly straight on her head. He did. It wasn't just because she was used to wearing them, but they hid some of the scars on her cheek and distracted from the faint red lines still apparent after layer and layers of foundation. He sighed.
'People don't care, you know,' he told her for what had to be the one hundredth time. 'It's not just what you look like that matters.'
'Yes,' she huffed, frustrated, 'but they're ugly. And they remind everyone that I'm nothing more than a victim, which I would rather people forget about.'
'You aren't just a victim,' Haymitch assured her, 'you are strong and brave and still fighting when so many others would give up.'
'Perhaps,' whispered Effie, pushing the subject aside as she finished with her dark red lipstick. She turned to him. 'How do I look?'
Stunning. To face the world, Effie had decided to wear the most dazzling shade of indigo Haymitch had ever seen. Her pencil skirt cut off just above her knees, shaped to her thin figure, and a ruffled white blouse had been tucked into it. Her tailored jacket was cropped so that it didn't quite reach the top of her high skirt, with three quarter length sleeves and bright silver buttons. The pearls hanging around her neck shone like her eyes. Though she teetered a little in her shoes which made her tower almost to his height, Haymitch thought she was radiating beauty and confidence, which he knew meant a lot to her.
'You'll knock 'em dead,' he confirmed with a grin and she smiled brightly back at him.
The meeting that morning was between Effie and the heads of the District 13 army. Effie had agreed to tell them everything that she knew, and they would on behalf of the Capitol start searching for those trying to bring down the government. Other smaller incidences within the districts had caught the military's attention; they knew now that Effie was not just paranoid or haunted, but that she had some information of critical importance.
Coming to the last room in the hallway, room 24, Effie told Haymitch that she wanted to go in alone.
'I have to,' she explained, 'to show them that I can.' He understood what she meant.
'Effie?'
'Yes, Haymitch?'
Suddenly he didn't know what to say. Seeing her so striking had caught him off-guard and though there were things he wanted to tell her, he knew this was the wrong time to do so.
'I'll see you later, won't I?' Effie nodded.
'Of course.' She turned and went into the room, leaving Haymitch to wonder if he had mucked up what could have been a golden opportunity.
Xxx
Effie had been sitting for almost ten minutes when the first person walked in through the door. He was one of the lower military commanders, one she didn't know by name but had seen around. He was followed by about four others of lower rank than him.
'Good morning, Effie,' he said pleasantly, 'I am Commander Hartman.'
'Nice to meet you,' she replied with a winning smile. She watched as he closed the door behind them, and her brow furrowed.
'Is Plutarch not going to be joining us? Or the Head of Command?'
'Not just yet,' he explained ,'they were caught up with an incident in District 2 and asked me to apologise on their behalf. They are going to try and come along a little later.'
'Oh,' smiled Effie, 'okay then. Where do you want to start?'
'What exactly did the people you say threatened you ask you to do?' She noted that he was on the verge of accusing her of lying, but she let it go.
'They asked me to give them government information,' Effie answered.
'What kind of information, specifically?'
'Locations of the government's defence systems, the main power lines and the combinations for the nuclear weapons; that sort of thing,' she remembered. The way Commander Hartman's piercing blue eyes were bearing into her made her feel uncomfortable.
'How did you know these things in the first place?' he asked.
'I didn't,' she admitted, 'but they knew that I worked with the President and often filed her papers so could have access to any of the government's records.'
'And did you give them the information they wanted?'
'I gave them false documents and co-ordinates, knowing that by the time that they found out what I had told them was useless I would be able to get away.'
'You feared for your life?' Effie wanted to shout at him. Yes of course he feared for her life; had he not heard that she arrived in the district with a man pumping her chest to keep her alive? Trying to keep her manners together, she took a deep breath.
'Yes,' she replied simply.
'What made you think that you were in any danger from these people?'
Another ridiculous question, and her temper was wearing thin. This seemed more like an inquisition into her private affairs than she was doing to help the commanders.
'Well, I knew one of them from when I was imprisoned by the Capitol during the rebellion. I knew what he was capable of doing, and when he first approached me in my apartment he warned me what the consequences of disobeying him would be.'
'Did he hurt you, that night?' Hartman pressed, sounding almost eager to hear about her pain.
'Y-yes,' Effie stuttered, being forced to remember what he had done.
'What did he do?'
'Is this really necessary?' Effie burst out, tears threatening to surface and ruin her makeup.
'Yes, Miss Trinket, I am afraid that it is.
'He...he broke my wrist,' she mumbled.
'Anything else?' How did he know there was something else? He couldn't possibly know.
'No,' she replied, trying to conceal her lies.
'I think that you are lying to us, Miss Trinket,' Hartman warned her.
'Well I don't understand,' she shouted. 'I am supposed to be telling you about these people and all you want to know is how they hurt me. Can't I just tell you what they told me? What they needed things for, the dates they mentioned, things like that?'
'We will get to that,' Hartman assured her slowly.
'No,' Effie said finally, standing up in defiance. 'Plutarch can come and talk to me about this himself if he wants any more, but I am not going to discuss this any further without him or Haymitch present.' Hartman chuckled, a cold and cruel sound which seemed out of place for a man of defence and safekeeping.
'Oh Effie, I underestimated you,' he hissed. 'Still strong despite everything that has happened to you. But more than that you still have some dignity left, some warped sense of pride even though everybody knows what you are.'
'I...I don't...' she stuttered. She couldn't understand what was happening. Effie started to back away, one step at a time, but Hartman stood too and the four silent men were still standing as though poised to take action.
'Yes, dignified enough not to admit that he pressed his lips against your own and took you to your bed screaming to show you who was in control.'
Effie lost all of the colour in her face at once. She could hear nothing but the pounding of her heart against her ribs.
'I'm n-not going to l-listen to this,' she trembled, heading for the door and finding the cool brass knob would not turn in her hands. She let out a small moan as her nightmares came true and tears fell down her face. She had been happy again, for the first time in months. Still scared, yes, but happy. Why now?
'Did you really think that we would let you go?'
Xxx
Haymitch walked along the corridor and bumped into Plutarch, who seemed to have lost something.
'I thought you were in the meeting with Effie?'
'Well I would be,' he explained, 'if Effie had come to the meeting. Have you seen her?' Haymitch felt his heart stop beating in his chest.
'Yes, I just took her to the meeting room ten, maybe fifteen minutes ago.'
'I just came from room 6 and she wasn't there.'
'Room 6?' Haymitch repeated. Plutarch nodded. 'I took her to room 24.'
'But the meeting was scheduled for room 6,' insisted Plutarch, 'there must have been some mistake.'
'Someone came to Effie's room yesterday and told her that it was definitely in conference room 24,' growled Haymitch.
Even several corridors away from the dreaded room 24, Haymitch heard an ear-splitting scream. He knew that tone anywhere, and she was screaming his name at the top of her lungs. At the same time, a loud bang knocked Haymitch to his feet. The sound was followed by another, and then another; bombs raining down on an unprepared district.
The lights went out and Haymitch's mind began to slip into a foggy abyss, but through the cannon-like boom of the ground shaking he could still hear her, fading away, screaming for him to help her.
And for a few paragraphs it had been going so well... Sorry Effie. Sorry Haymitch. Sorry Suzanne. Sorry to all of those who are thinking oh no, what more could possibly go wrong (a lot!)
Should be updating very soon and thanks for reading!
