OwlLover 250, Thank you SO very much for such an amazing complement. Thank you McMich and BananaLlama6 for keeping me updated on your thoughts. I really LOVE reading the reviews and comments. It makes me feel so great that other people enjoy my writing as much as I love to write.
I only allow myself a few hours of sleep before I am up with my new plan. The first thing I do is track down Ripper, the old, one armed lady who makes her living by selling white liquor. I explain to her that I need her support in not selling anything to Katniss or Haymitch. I explain that we all need to get in our best shape so that District 12 has another winner and so we all have a chance to make it. She is not willing at first, so I not only threaten to turn her in to the Peacekeepers, but I also hand her a bag full of money, enough to keep her from having to make white liquor for a year and still be able survive.
"I really need Katniss to survive this," I say, passing the bag to her. She looks at me with gray eyes, so similar to Katniss's and nods. I know she has a soft spot for Katniss, just about everyone who used to sell at the Hob does.
"Okay, boy. I will not sell to them or anyone who might pass it along to them," she promises. I nod, hand her a package of little cookies that I normally bring her and begin the walk home. Now comes the hard part. I have to convince Katniss and Haymitch to start training. I finally get to Haymitch's house and decide I might as well start. I walk in, not bothering to knock or ring the bell. I find Haymitch back in his normal stop at the kitchen table. I pry the knife out of his hand, the bottle out of the other and shove him until he wakes up. He fusses for a few minutes and then just sits back. I put some coffee on to boil and head up stairs. There will be hell to pay after I do this. I hunt around all of his hiding spots, a few spots I have found myself and gather all the white liquor bottles. I put them in a box and go into the bathroom. I hear someone come in downstairs, but I don't stop my mission. I pour every last nit of liquor down the drain.
I go down stairs. I see that Katniss is sitting at the table with Haymitch, sipping on some broth in a bowl. I am glad she is here to hear what I did. Time for them both to get serious. I sit the box full of bottles down and say, "There, it's done."
"What's done?" Katniss asks, while Haymitch is still trying to focus on anything around him. I take a breath, this will sober him up.
"I've poured all the liquor down the drain," I say. Haymitch jumps like he has been shocked and starts rummaging through the box.
"You what?"
"I tossed the lot," I answer.
"He'll just buy more," Katniss says, unfazed. Ha, I got them both there.
"No, he won't. I tracked down Ripper this morning and told her I'd turn her in the second she sold to either of you." I see Katniss getting angry. "I paid her off, too, for good measure, butI don't think she's eager to be back in the Peacekeeper's custody."
Haymitch takes a swipe at me with the knife I left on the table, but I easily dodge it.
"What business is it of yours what he does?" Katniss asks, her anger clear on her face. I can get angry too, which is something this must have forgot.
"It's completely my business," I say. "However it falls out, two of us are going to be in the arena again with the other as mentor. We can't afford any drunkards on this team. Especially not you, Katniss."
"What?" she sputters, clearly unaware I know what happened last night and mad that I decided to bring it up. "Last night's the only time I've ever even been drunk."
"Yeah and look at the shape you're in," I spit back at her. She turns to Haymitch and says, "Don't worry, I'll get you more liquor."
"Then I'll turn you both in," I say. She is just not getting it. "Let you sober up in the stocks."
Finally Haymitch seems to come to his senses. "What's the point to this?" he asks.
"The point is that two of us are coming home from the Capitol. One mentor and one victor," I begin. You two, I want to add. "Effie's sending me recordings of all the living victors. We're going to watch their Games and learn everything we can about how they fight. We're going to put on weight and get strong. We're going to start acting like Careers. And one of us is going to be victor again whether you two like it or not!" I turn my back on them and walk out the door, letting it slam behind me. I am amazed that they are not thinking ahead. Two of us are going to have to fight again, two of us might die and one of us will be there to mentor us, to be our only link to the things that could save our lives.
I spend the next few days trying to convince them both that we need to do this. That we need to try to get healthy, learn and relearn to defend ourselves. It takes a few days of my constant badgering, but eventually they give in and start working with me.
We begin a routine. Mornings are for working our bodies. We start out easy, stretching our muscles, running small distances, doing simple lifting exercises. The afternoon we sit aside to learn to fight. We throw knives and try our luck at hand to hand combat. Katniss works with us to teach us to climb trees, something I really do not like to do, but I do it. Haymitch fills us in on everything he can remember about different victors. At night we watch the recaps of all the games with the living victors. I take notes relentlessly, trying to do everything I can to make it easier in the arena.
Haymitch stays sober, not that he has much of a choice, but his body wants to reject the new, healthier regimen. At first, he has trouble throwing or holding on to anything because of the tremble in his hands, he gets very tired after a very short run, but is pretty strong. Eventually he does get better at everything, but not like Katniss and I. Our bodies are loving the new routine. Mrs. Everdeen has us on a special diet to help us put on weight, which is something we all need very badly. Prim helps us by teaching us how to treat our muscles after a hard day of exercise. We get help from the most unlikely places. Madge, the mayor's daughter, sneaks her father's newspapers to us. This helps us not only keep up with Capitol news, but keeps us in the know about how the odds stand in our favor.
One of the most uncomfortable of help comes from Gale. He comes on his only day, Sunday, off to teach us all he can about snares and trapping. It is very uncomfortable at first, but I, at least, begin to relax in his presence. I know that we have our differences, all of which are about Katniss and who we think would be better for her, but we are both able to sit them aside since we both have a common, unspoken goal, keeping Katniss alive.
Before we know it the day of the reaping is upon us. That day is crazy hot and everyone packed into the square is pouring sweat. No one can help but notice all the guns pointed at the crowd, as if we were to revolt at any moment. Katniss stands by herself in a small area roped off to the left of where Haymitch and I stand in a similar area. The reaping itself is extremely short. Of course, Effie is there and pulls the single slip of paper out of the girl's reaping bowl. Then she reaches into the boy's bowl and I cannot help but hope that it is Haymitch's name on the paper she picks. I know he promised to not take my place, but I have a feeling Katniss has a similar request, as in, saving me. You can never really tell which person he is really going to agree with. Effie pulls Haymitch's name and I immediately volunteer to take his place. I think see Haymitch and Katniss give each other an unhappy look, but I know what needs to be done, I have to be in there to protect her, Haymitch needs to be on the outside to help her.
We turn and going to the Justice Building. Now we get to say goodbye to our loved ones. This time is will be easier, last time I was so afraid of what lay before me, this time I know exactly what I want to tell my family. I want them to know why I am giving my life up. But I never get the chance to because Thread is waiting for us and takes us straight to the train because of a 'new procedure'. As soon as we are on the train we begin to move. I look out the window and watch my District shrink away, hopefully for the last time. I can tell Katniss is having a harder time with not saying good bye. Of course, she has so much love for her family. I love my family too, but I was able to let them go back before the first games and I never really built the bridge with them in the year I have been home. Looking back, I think it was better that I didn't get closer to them now.
"We'll write letters, Katniss," I say to her back. "It will be better, anyway. Give them a piece of us to hold on to. Haymitch will deliver them for us if…..they need to be delivered." She doesn't turn, she just nods and walks off. I know she is going to her room to say her goodbyes in her mind. She will never write those letters. She is just not good a expressing her feelings. I decide that I need a moment to myself as well.
Once I am in my room I sit on the bed and pull out a few sheets of paper and begin writing my letters. The first one is to my father. I tell him how I loved growing up as the baker's son and that I appreciated all the work he put in to keep us alive. I tell him to pass along my love to my mother and brothers and give them my thanks for keeping things interesting in my life. Truthfully, I will not write to them because I never really grew close to my brothers and my mother never showed love for any of us. I always felt that, in her mind, we were just there to help out with the work once we were old enough. I end the letter telling my father that I really am in love with Katniss and my plan is for her to get out alive, at the cost of my own life. I request that he keep an eye on the Everdeen's and help them if there is anything they may need help with.
Next, I write to Haymitch. I tell him about how I am really glad to have been on this journey with him and that I am really glad he is willing to help Katniss live. I ask him to try to stay sober enough to keep her on track throughout the rest of her life and to keep Hazelle employed after these games are over as well. I finish by telling him that I this, dying for Kantiss to live, is what I need to do and is the best thing I can ever do with my life.
The person I surprise myself with wanting to write is Gale. I keep it very short, but I let him know that I truly love Kantiss with everything I am. I tell him that when she gets home from these games to not rest until she lets him take care of her emotionally. I tell him the trick to getting her back after nightmares is to hand her hands and call her name in a soft voice. At the end I just plead with him to keep her safe and love her for both of us.
The last letter I write is for Katniss. I explain my choice to her, why I am allowing myself to die to keep her alive, that this is what I want to do. I remind her that her mother, sister and Gale all need her to be alive and well. I tell her that I need her to be alive, at home, taking care of them and Haymitch. I ask her to remember that happiest days of my life where spend with her in our little cave in the Games, when I had everything I wanted under the craziest of circumstances. I beg her to take any pain or betrayal she feels of when she thinks of me and use it to love her family. I request that, even though I know she thinks really does not want to, she marry Gale and love him as much as I love her. 'You never know,' I write, my hand shaking and tears falling, 'You might find that one day you want to make him a father and become the amazing mother I know you can be.' I sign it with all the love I can express on paper and fold it away with the others. I know she will be so angry if I succeed that she might just rip the letter up, but it makes me feel a bit better that I am able to write this last letter to her.
I put each letter in an envelope and tuck them all in a larger envelope that I address to Haymitch. I take a few moments to clean myself up, trying to hide the fact that I have been crying. By the time Effie knocks on the door to call me to dinner I am able to put on a small smile and walk out of the door. Dinner is very quiet, no one is wanting to talk very much. In fact only Effie and I try small talk, but only a few times and without much success to get the others to join in.
"I love your new hair, Effie," I say, trying again to start some kind of conversation. Of all the hair I have seen on Effie, this one is definitely the one I like best. A nice golden color.
"Thank you," she says, smiling. "I had it done to match Katniss's pin. I was thinking we might get you a golden ankle band and maybe find Haymitch a gold bracelet or something so we could all look like a team." I nod. That is a really nice idea.
"I think that's a great idea," I offer. "How about it, Haymitch?" I ask him.
"Yeah, whatever," is all I get as a reply. I noticed that Effie had her own wine taken away from the table after she realized that Haymitch is not drinking. I know it is hard for him, but we need his head on straight now that he is our mentor again.
"Maybe we could get you a wig, too," Katniss jokes at Haymitch and he shoots her a look that could kill a lesser person. We all finish our dessert in silence.
"Shall we watch the recap of the reapings?" Effis asks. We all agree and as everyone gets settled in front of the television I go to my room and get the notebook that has all the information on all the living victors. Finally we can narrow down our competition. There are seventy-five victors in all, only fifty-nine of us still survive. As we watch the reaping's I star the pages of the victors we will face in arena. Haymitch stays quiet and Effie makes hushed reactions and sometimes comments as the victors come forward. Katniss is watching with interest and seems to be sizing up our opponents. The only reaping that sticks in my mind is the one in District 4. When the female victor is called, it is a striking young woman who seems a bit unstable, but she is quickly replaced by an old woman. She must be in her eighties and she walks with a cane. I am amazed that she is willing to give up what is left of her life to save the woman. We watch ourselves and I confirm the look I thought I saw between Katniss and Haymitch.
Haymitch is gone as soon as the television grows dark and Effie follows soon after. I just sit there, ripping out the pages of people who were not picked. Only Katniss and I sit in the car. "Why don't you get some sleep?" I ask her.
"What are you going to do?" she asks.
"Just review my notes awhile. Get a clear picture of what we're up against. But I'll go over it with you in the morning. Go to bed, Katniss," I say. I really want to do this alone. She walks on out and I hope that she is able to get some good sleep without nightmares. I sit and go over all my notes off all the victors. I find that I am straining to remember certain ones in their games so I decided to rewatch some of the games until I fell tired enough to go to bed.
A few hours later, while I am watch a Victor named Brutus during his games, I look up to see Katniss. Of course she couldn't sleep. I get up and turn off the film. "Couldn't sleep?" I ask her.
Not for long," she answers, pulling her robe around as if she is trying to protect herself from the dream.
"Want to talk about it?" I ask. She shakes her head and I hold my arms out to her. We've left the people we love back in District 12 and I am going to try to make the last days I have with her count. I haven't really touched her in any kind of affectionate way since we came home from our Victor's Tour. I know she picked Gale over me, but right now it is just me and her and she I know she needs this contact as much as I do.
She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls herself close. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her even closer, burying my face in her hair. I take a chance and kiss her neck, knowing that at any moment she will pull back. But she doesn't and we stay in our embrace, she accepts my kisses along her neck and jaw, until a Capitol attendant arrives with a tray. I see a jug with steaming liquid and two mugs.
"I brought an extra mug," he says, sitting the tray onto the table.
"Thanks," Katniss says, she must have ordered something.
"And I added a touch of honey to the milk. For sweetness. And just a pinch of spice," he adds. He stands there for a moment, almost like he needs or wants to say something else. But he just shakes his head and leaves the room.
"What's with him?" Kantiss asks, confused.
"I think he feels bad for us," I answer. We are the star-crossed lovers from District 12, never catching a break, it seems.
"Right," Katniss says, pouring each of us a mug of milk.
"I mean it. I don't think the people in the Capitol are going to be happy about our going back in," I say seriously. "Or the other victors. They get attached to their champions."
"I'm guessing they'll get over it once the blood starts flowing," Katniss says briskly. She right. The Capitol might love the victors, but they love the games more. "So, you're watching all the tapes again?" she asks.
"Not really," I answer. "Just sort of skipping around to see people's different fighting techniques."
"Who's next?"
"You pick." I offer the box to her. She looks around in the box and holds up a tape. The tape says it is year fifty. The name of the victor? Haymitch Abernathy.
"We never watched this one," she says. I shake my head.
"No. I knew Haymitch didn't want to. The same way we didn't want to relive our own Games. And since we're all on the same team, I didn't think it mattered much," I explain.
"Is the person who won twenty-five in here?" she asks.
"I don't think so. Whoever it was must be dead by now, and Effie only sent me the victors we might have to face." I take the tape from her. I know Haymitch would not want us to watch it, but I have always been curious at how he won, especially after I learned it was the year that twice as many tribute were chosen. "Why? You think we ought to watch it?"
She shrugs. "It's the only Quell we have. We might pick up something valuable about how they work," she says. I can tell she is also wondering how these games were won. "We don't have to tell Haymitch we saw it."
"Okay," I agree, still feeling like we shouldn't, but I put the tape in anyway and settle into the couch. I am surprised when Katniss curls up next to me like she did when we did our final interviews after the first Games, but I do not comment on it.
The tapes begins with President Snow, looking much like he does now, even though it was twenty five years ago, reads the card telling the districts of Panem that they are going to give twice the number of children for the Games. Next are the reapings, where we watch four kids from each district get chosen. All these kids who are going to die in the arena. When we finally reach our district I really just want to stop watching. A colorful lady, who is in the spot that I am used to Effie being, calls out the first name. "Maysilee Donner." Katniss starts and says, "Oh! She was my mother's friend." When they find her in the crowd she is hugging two other girls. One looks like Prim.
"I think that's your mother hugging her," I say. I can see why my father was after her, she is beautiful. She continues to hold the hand of another girl, who looks like Katniss's friend Madge. Right when I realize who it is Katniss whispers, "Madge."
"That's her mother. She and Maysilee were twins or something," I explain, remembering my father talking about it sometime in the past. "My dad mentioned it once," I explain.
We grow quite as they draw another girls name and the two boys, Haymitch's called the very last. A young Haymitch is shocking. He looked strong and had a dangerous look in his gray eyes.
"Oh, Peeta,"Katniss says. "You don't think he killed Maysilee, do you?"
"With forty-eight players? I'd say the odds are against it," I saw. I really do not see Haymitch killing someone from his own district, but then again, the Games have made people do crazy things.
We watch the chariot rides, District 12 dressed in the coal miners outfits. The interviews go by with out much incident, until we reach Haymitch's. Caesar Flickerman is there, looking like he does now, but with deep green lips, hair and eyes.
"So, Haymitch, what do you think of the games having one hundred percent more competitors than usual?" he asks.
"I don't see that it makes much difference," Haymitch says, shrugging. "They'll still be one hundred percent as stupid as usual, so I figure my odds will be roughly the same." We watch the audience as it laughs and I am amazed. How arrogant to think that way.
"He didn't have to reach far for that, did he?" Katniss says, clearly thinking along the same lines as me.
Next is the morning of the Games. The arena is beautiful. The Cornucopia is sitting in the middle of a meadow, surrounded by flowers in patches. The sky is a perfect blue, something I still cannot get right when I paint. When the shot is shown from above you can see that the meadow is huge, one side has woods, and the other side has a mountain with snow.
When the gong sounds most of the players are still taking in the beauty of the arena. Haymitch is at the Cornucopia in a flash, weapons chosen, a nice backpack full of supplies, and is almost to the woods before some of the others even step off their plates.
Eighteen children die at the mouth of the Cornucopia. Others dies off pretty quickly, because we soon learn that almost everything, the fruit, the flowers, even the water is poison. The tributes must collect rain water to drink and can only eat the food from the Cornucopia. Then you add in the ten Careers that are trekking the mountain looking for more victims.
Maysilee leaves the Cornucopia with just a small backpack, but does well anyway. In her pack she finds darts and a blowgun, which is turns into a great weapon once she starts dipping the darts in the poison that is all around her. Haymitch finds out that some little gold squirrels like meat and attack in packs and the pretty butterfly he ignores have some nasty stings. But he keeps going, keeping a good distance between himself and the mountain.
After four days the mountain suddenly becomes a volcano. In the lava another twelve are killed, including many of the Career pack. This forces everyone into the woods since the meadow has no way of concealing anything. This leaves thirteen children left. I find myself trying to remember that all but Haymitch are now dead, but it doesn't stop me from flinching a the violent and tragic deaths of them all.
Haymitch is finally forced back into the woods, were he encounters three of the Careers. He pulls his knife and is able to kill two of them before he is caught by the third. He is so fast it is amazing that he is the same person that we know now. He is just about to get his throat slash by that Career when suddenly a dart kills the Career. Maysilee steps towards Haymitch and says, "We'd live longer with the two of us."
"Guess you just proved that," Haymitch answers. "Allies?" Maysilee just nods. Just like any other pairing, they do better with the two of them. The get more rain water, they get to rest more, share food and fight as a team. Haymitch insists that they must keep moving. Finally Maysilee asks him the question that is in my mind as well. "Why?" And she stops until he answers.
"Because it has to end somewhere, right? The arena can't go on forever," Haymitch says.
"What do you expect to find?" she asks.
"I don't know, but maybe there's something we can use." Finally they are able to get through a huge hedge with a blowtorch and find themselves on a dry, flat earth that only leads to a cliff. Over the edge are jagged rocks.
"That's all there is, Haymitch. Let's go back," Maysilee suggests.
"No. I'm staying here," Haymitch answers.
"Alright," Maysilee says. "There's only five of us left. May as well say good-bye now, anyway. I don't want it to come down t you and me."
"Okay," Haymitch agrees. She walks away and that is the end of the alliance. Haymitch keeps going along the edge of the cliff as if he is looking for something. A pebble is kicked off the side and as Haymtich sits down for a moment we all see the pebble shoot right back up. Haymitch get a curious look on his face. He throws a rock and watches as it comes back up as well, right into his hand. Haymitch laughs and seconds later we here Maysilee scream. Haymitch jumps up and runs toward her scream. He arrives just in time to watch the last of some crazy pink birds finish attacking her, one stabbing her in the neck, and he sits and holds her hand as she dies, all of us knowing he is too late to save her.
Two other tribute die that day, leaving just Haymitch and a big girl from District 1. The final battle is bloody and each of them give the other fatal wounds. Haymtich is disarmed and he staggers into the woods. She follows, carrying a lethal looking ax. Haymitch makes it to his cliff, all the while trying to hold in the cut on his stomach. The Career throws the ax and he is just able to go flat on the ground so it is thrown off the cliff. The girl just stands there looking from Haymitch and back to the cliff. She is bleeding from her eye and you can tell that now she is just hoping Haymitch will die before she does. Then, just like we all knew it would, the ax flies back up and lodges itself in the girls head.
I turn the tape off and we both just sit there for a few moments. Finally I say, "That force field at the bottom of the cliff, it was like the one on the roof of the Training Center. The one that throws you back if you try to jump off and commit suicide. Haymitch found a way to turn it into a weapon."
"No just against the other tributes, but the Capitol, too," Katniss says. I look at her, confused. "You know they didn't expect that to happen. It wasn't meant to be part of the arena. They never planned on anyone using it as a weapon. It made them look stupid that he figured it out. I bet they had a good time trying to spin that one. Bet that's why I don't remember seeing it on television. It's almost as bad as us and the berries!" she explains. I see. Maybe that is why Haymitch does not have any family left. Did the Capitol kill off his family accidents like they threaten to do to Katniss's? Katniss begins laughing, like really laughing hard. I think that she must be under some extreme stress to keep laughing like that in the face of what we have before us. I shake my head a bit.
"Almost, but not quite," we hear from behind us. I start and see Haymitch standing behind us. I wonder how long he has been standing back there. I think he might be mad that we watched his tape, but he just smiles and take a swig from the wine bottle he is holding. I take a deep breath. I guess I should have known he would start drinking again. He did pretty well helping Katniss out during the last games and he wasn't sober. I guess I shouldn't worry too much, as long as he doesn't get out of hand again.