Hello everybody! This might be the last chapter posted for a little while...brief hiatus because of ACT and MME testing! Extreme crap, but if I fail then I fail at life, and so these tests prettyyyyy much make-or-break the rest of my life...So I'll see you all at the end!
Haymitch has been despondent for three days. Hayden hasn't shown up again, and whoever took him left no clues as to who they might be. Mrs. Abernathy hasn't left the house. I've been cooking and cleaning for the two of them, and doing any grocery shopping. The men of Twelve were all very helpful, but Cal privately told me that nobody thought Hayden would show up. After three days, it's almost hopeless.
"Good morning Mitchie! You want eggs?" He stumbles into the kitchen and flops onto a stool at the counter.
"Yeah, if you don't mind...thanks, princess." He gets up and gives me a quick squeeze around the shoulders. I stand tall and kiss his cheek.
"You need a shave!" He flashes me a quick smile and goes into the refrigerator, handing me the egg carton on his way back to his chair. "Thank you!" It's kind of exhausting, trying to stay positive for everyone. I notice the faint scent of stale whiskey on Haymitch's shirt when he walks by, but I keep quiet. He's just lost his brother after all.
"Here ya go!" I hand him a plate piled with eggs and a slice of bread. He thanks me and digs in. I sit across from him.
"Did you eat already? I'll make you something if you want..." Haymitch starts to rise but I push him back down.
"You eat, and then get yourself cleaned up! We're meeting everyone at the bakery in an hour and a half. That includes you."
"Okay, okay, sheesh! I'll be ready before ya know it, sweetheart!" He quickly polishes off the remaining eggs and I have to drag him up to the shower. He protests that he's clean, and he doesn't need a shower. I get in his face and tell him that he stinks like the alley behind a bar, and if he doesn't shower then there will be severe consequences. Eventually however, I coax his clothes off and get him under the water.
"Can you manage to wash yourself, or do I have to do that for you too?" I call through the door.
"I'm not sure...why don't you come in here and help me?" I giggle and shove my head inside to tell him to act like a man, when he grabs me and pulls me under the spray with him.
"I am acting like a man!" Soon we are both clothing free and I end up getting cleaner too.
We're the last ones to the bakery, and we're met with much complaining when we finally arrive. Jack tells Mitchie that if he can't manage to control himself that there might have to be an intervention. Mitchie tells Jack where he can put his intervention, and I see that interacting with people has brought Haymitch somewhat out of his funk.
"We couldn't wait for you all any longer, so we already had bread..." Hazelle seems ashamed of their action, but I laugh and explain that we ate before. Mr. Mellark eventually tell us that we need to leave because there's a crowd of Peacekeepers waiting for our table.
In the square, there's a man playing the fiddle and his wife has a tamborine. A lilting melody plays and Jack tosses a coin into their jar. He then grabs Ree and they dance toward the gallows.
"May I have this dance?" Haymitch asks, and I smile at his formal tone. He spins me around and then he spins himself, making me laugh. We attempt a fancy Capitol dance and fail, but manage to move in a tight circle without stepping on one another. I free myself and spin away from him. The music stops and the square goes silent, but I don't notice. I only notice when Haymitch stops laughing, and I quit spinning to see what's going on.
An arm wraps itself around my waist and a sharp pain pierces my stomach. I see Haymitch's face collapse into fear and anger. I fall.
Sorry for the shortness and cliff hanger. I might be able to get another chapter up tomorrow before testing starts, but I'm not sure.
NOTICE: Next chapter will not be in Allie's PoV, nor will any chapters after that. We're getting close to the end, but I'm planning on a few chapters after to sum everything up. Thanks for reading! :)
Also, I found this song that makes me think of Allie and Haymitch! It's called "Do You Remember" by Jack Johnson. LISTEN TO IT!
