Chapter 11 :
It was her first crowning party ever and Effie wasn't enjoying it all that much.
The crowning in itself had been pleasant if stiffing hot – at some point, Haymitch had confiscated her feathers fan because she kept accidentally hitting him with it – she had been looking forward to the exclusive party that always took place afterwards. Everything was sea-themed, as a tribute to the poor teenage boy who looked positively lost in the flood of admirers. Until she had actually seen him at the crowning, Effie had secretly held a grudge in the safety of her own mind because he was neither Stella nor Sage but that disappeared quickly when she saw the efforts he was making to keep on smiling.
"He's good, isn't he?" Hayden whispered, following her line of sight. He handed her a glass of iced something – the cocktail was blue of course, like mostly everything else that evening – she was only too grateful to accept. He was her official "date" for the evening but he was still acting somehow frosty ever since she had asked Haymitch to step in for interviews. If he noticed her momentary hesitation, he didn't let on, continuing his observations. "He's lost for now but wait a week and he will be as cocky as some of the other victors. I can see my brother in him, you know. I bet you what you want that he will have women hanging from his arms in no time."
"He's fourteen." she protested, taking a sip of the cocktail to collect herself.
As sick as it was, she had seen more than one person looking at the boy with open interest regardless of his age. It made her want to throw up. She hoped Mags would keep an eye on him but given the way the old woman was watching him like a hawk, Effie sensed it wouldn't be a problem.
"Exactly." Hayden chuckled. "At fourteen, all I could think about was May Frain's breasts."
"Who's May Frain?" she asked, amused.
"A girl who used to be in my class." he shrugged with an impish grin. "Red hair. Very, very pretty. I was quite in love with her."
"And?" she pressed, curious about the rest of the story.
"And she didn't even know I existed until I was Reaped. She was nicer after that." he explained. "We… went out a few times until it got serious. I wanted to ask her to marry me, you know."
"Really?" Her eyebrows shot up. That was pretty serious. Effie was a bit envious. She had never felt like that for anyone in her whole life. She had had her share of long relationships but never one that made her want to settle or commit more than leaving a toothbrush at her boyfriend's place. It disappointed her mother, of course, and left her to endure long hours of "what did I do wrong with you? Why can't you be more like your sister?" but she refused to marry for money or fame. Effie was determined to get her own money and her own fame and not live through the success of a rich husband. "What happened?"
"What always happens." Hayden snorted bitterly. "Haymitch slept with her."
For some reason, that shocked her.
"How… vile!" she stuttered, unable to imagine how heartless Haymitch would have to be to do something like that when his brother had so obviously been in love.
"To be fair, she was quite the Gold Digger." he replied. "She married the grocer. Good business, you know?"
"Still." she insisted. "Is he in a habit of doing that?"
"You saw him, no?" He nodded to his brother who was on the dance floor, making his date twirl. The woman wasn't Celesta Vane and Effie had been wondering what had happened ever since he had showed up with the stranger on his arm instead of the old actress. She was wearing an expensive blue dress, a see-green wig and she looked more interested in Finnick than in Haymitch which hadn't prevented her from dragging Twelve's victor to dance. Haymitch looked downright uncomfortable.
Effie couldn't tell who the woman was and she knew the face of everyone in the famous circles.
"He can't stop himself." Hayden went on, a touch of disgust in his voice. "He's a pig."
You don't tell Hayden about the appointments. Let him think I'm a pig, you get it?
Haymitch's words echoed in her mind for several seconds until she chased them away, dismissing the sudden idea as ridiculous. Preposterous, even.
"Are you ever going to ask me to dance?" she asked Hayden.
His grin was boyish when he lead her to the dance floor, her hand safely clasped in his. They drew gazes and whispered comments but Effie didn't mind. Hayden was handsome and she was beautiful, people tended to stare at beauty.
"About the other day…" he said, after almost a minute of swaying to the light music. "I'm sorry if I reacted badly. I know you're only trying to do the best for Twelve and I'm grateful for that. We never had an escort I can actually work with, you know? When they weren't fooling around with Haymitch, they were more busy getting a manicure than helping me."
"Well, I promise I will get my manicure before the Games." she joked. He laughed and she felt lighter. Being at odds with him hadn't settled right with her. "I apologize if I offended you. You are very good at mentoring, Hayden, but I do think public appearances are more Haymitch's area. Now if we could bring him on board…"
"That will happen when pigs learn to fly." he warned her. "You've worked miracles with him already. He actually tried this year."
"I haven't quite given up on him." She flashed him a grin. "I am a stubborn person."
"So is he." he snorted. "Be careful not to get swept in, though. You said it, my brother knows how to play games. I don't want you to get hurt in the process."
"I am quite a player too, you know." she laughed. "Don't dismiss me yet. I will get him to work for Twelve eventually."
Hayden's face was cautious as he made her twirl under his arm. "Not quite what I mean, Effie."
She chose not to ponder that thought further, forcing herself to enjoy the party. Hayden followed her like a second shadow and once she got two or three drinks into him, he started to relax and have fun. They laughed, they danced, she introduced him to her friends and, all in all, they had a delightful evening. They didn't manage to get close enough to Finnick Odair to form an opinion on him but neither of them particularly tried either, the crowd around him was already too thick and the boy looked like a deer trapped in headlights.
When they stumbled back in the penthouse, dawn was trickling through the windows and they were completely smashed – or, at least, Effie was. Hayden tripped in the corridor leading to the bedrooms and bumped right into her, causing them to dissolve into mad laughter. How she ended up with her back against the wall and him pressed against her, she didn't know. Giggles and chuckles slowly died as their breaths mingled.
He wanted to kiss her, she read it in his grey eyes.
If he had been anyone else, she would have let him. She had had one night-stands with friends before and it had never caused any problems but she instinctively knew someone like Hayden wouldn't regard it in the same vein. She also knew the situation was problematic enough without adding complications.
And, perhaps, a little voice at the back of her mind whispered, it wasn't the right pair of grey eyes.
The awkwardness sobered her up in time to avert her face when he leaned in.
"No." she said very firmly. "We have a professional relationship. We can be friends but not anything else. I don't sleep with people I work with."
"What if I fire you?" he joked but there was a hint of seriousness in there and it made her frown.
"Not even then." she offered calmly. "We're friends."
He accepted it with resignation and a touch of regrets but he shrugged it off. "Can't blame me for trying."
"No." she grinned. "I can't."
He laughed and she hoped he would still feel like laughing about it the next day. She hated when that kind of situation turned awkward.
He either forgot everything about it due to a very pronounced hangover or he chose to pretend it never happened because the following day, there was no talk whatsoever about it. It suited Effie just fine, she went along with the charade.
When time came for him to go back to Twelve, she went to the train station with him. The sight of the coffins they were loading on the train made her stomach churn. She wanted to go over to them, lay a hand on the gleaming wood maybe, say goodbye… She could only stand there and stare until they were gone.
"Let their parents know if there is anything I can do to help…" she whispered.
"I will." he promised. He shuffled on his feet like a shy child. "Look, I want to say thank you… You were truly great and…"
"As nice as it is to hear, you don't need to keep saying it, you know." she replied gently. "I am happy to work with you. Twelve isn't the most glorious District to escort, true, but it was a pleasure to get to know you, Hayden, I truly mean it."
"I don't have a lot of friends." he winced.
She found that hard to believe. He was a nice man, a good-looking one too… Yet he had to perpetually live in his brother's shadow and that couldn't be easy when said brother was such an ass.
"Well, you have me now." she stated. Following an impulse, she hugged him – still making sure to keep it friendly. "I will see you next year."
"Yes." he grinned. "Don't let Haymitch chase you away. Are you still staying at the penthouse? You don't have to do that now that the Games are over. He's not your responsibility anymore."
"He's Twelve's victor, I'm Twelve's escort." she sighed. "He's very much my responsibility. Unfortunately."
"It's good to know people love me." a voice mocked, coming out of nowhere.
She jumped, clutching her heart in fright. "Haymitch!"
The senior victor rolled his eyes.
"You wouldn't survive two minutes in an arena." he spat, before turning to Hayden. "You say hello to Mama, yeah?"
"She will want to know when you're coming back." Hayden replied, slightly reproachful. "You didn't have your fill yet?"
"Don't start a fight when you're leaving, baby brother." Haymitch chided him. "You never know…"
Hayden didn't look repentant. "I know Mama will worry."
"That's all she ever does." Haymitch sighed and, for a second, Effie was sure Hayden was about to pick a fight over the issue regardless of his brother's wishes but, in the end, he simply outstretched a hand.
"Don't stay too long." Hayden said just as Haymitch was clasping his hand. Instead of shaking it, he pulled his brother into a bear hug and ruffled his hair despite Hayden's shrieks of protest.
It was the first time Effie had ever seen them so close. It figured they were acting like proper brothers just when they were about to be separated, she thought.
Hayden finally boarded the train with a last mock glare for Haymitch and a smile for her. She waved at him until the train left the station, then she turned to her only remaining victor on hand.
"I'm surprised to see you here." she remarked.
"He's my baby brother." he replied as if it was explanation enough.
Somehow, it was.
Choosing to remain in the penthouse as long as Haymitch would stay in the Capitol was calculated on Effie's part, she hoped to finally manage to use him to get sponsors – or, at the very least, contacts. Her schemes were void though because she could as well have lived there alone for all she saw him.
Two weeks after the crowning ceremony, their paths had crossed four times in the penthouse itself and five times at various parties. He came and went at odd hours, left empty bottles in the living-room and, despite everything she had to say about it, made the front page of magazines more than once because of his one night-stands with famous women.
She had come to expect the penthouse to be empty.
It was the reason why, that night, she was so shocked to find herself face to face with the truth about those special appointments of his.
I know I hear you screaming in the distance : next to no Haymitch. So, good news : next week will change everything and there will definitely be more Haymitch after that ;)
I know it can be seen as frustrating but I really wanted a chance to introduce Hayden through a – *cough* virgin *cough* – gaze and Effie was the ideal way to do that since she didn't know either brothers before.
So next week get ready for Effie to find out the truth and let the long story truly begin =)
I hope you like it and please let me know!