Disclaimer: I am not Collins.

Chapter 14

"Is this your token?" Katniss asked Peeta.

Haymitch sat straighter and focused his gaze on the pendant hanging around Peeta's chain. He frowned and turned towards Effie.

"How did he get that chain? I didn't notice it before."

"I gave it to him."

"With a mockingjay engraved on it?"

"Yes. He wanted to something to match Katniss' token."

"So, the pendant you gave him just happened to have a mockingjay engraved on it?" he questioned Effie.

Effie flushed and stammered out an answer, "Well, no. It... It belonged to me; my father gave it to me. I took it to a shop to get it engraved and gave it to Peeta."

Haymitch's eyes narrowed and he hissed at Effie, "That was stupid. I told you what that symbol meant and you went to a shop to get it engraved? What were you thinking?"

"They won't suspect anything, Haymitch. I told you gold is all the rage this season and people will just think I'm keeping up with the latest fashion."

"You better damn well hope that's all they think. Because if the shopkeeper recognises that chain around Peeta's necklace and links it back to you, you are in trouble."

Effie grew worried and began to gnaw on her lower lip. At the same time, Haymitch downed the last of his liquor and stood up.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To find the mentor for District 4. Now, give me the sponsor list," he held out his hand for her clipboard. She tore a piece of paper and handed it to him, pressing the clipboard close to her chest. Haymitch raised an eyebrow at her reluctance to part with it.

Haymitch studied the list she gave to him as he walked out, mumbling quietly to himself. "Find more sponsors, Eff," he instructed before he left, closing the door firmly behind him.

XxX

When the anthem played over the sound system, as if by silent agreement, everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and focused their eyes on the screen. The sponsors were anxious to know if they had placed their bets on the wrong tributes and sponsored the wrong district. The mentors, Effie could tell, were on edge as they waited for the faces of the victims to be shown, fearful and scared to know which of their friends had been mercilessly killed in the bloodbath.

Eight dead on the first day, she thought sadly. While the number of dead was considerably lesser than the bloodbath of the previous years, in retrospect, it was different this year because these people were Victors. They were famous in the Capitol at one point or the other and they were worshipped by the Capitol citizens. People knew them.

"Oh, a sponsor gift!" Effie heard someone coo. She turned around to face the large main screen hung at the Games Headquarters.

A silver parachute floated steadily and dropped from the sky, landing neatly before Katniss and her group of allies. Like everyone else, Effie was anxious to know what was in that silver parachute. Had Haymitch sent them food?

When Peeta untied the cord binding the parachute and retrieved a small metal object. Effie frowned and truth be told, it was the most anti-climactic feeling Effie had felt for a long time. She had no idea what that was or how it functioned. Walking into the viewing room, she sat beside Haymitch.

"What's that thing?"

"A spile. You insert it into a tree and water will flow out from it," Haymitch explained patiently to her.

"Ingenious, but, they don't look like they know what to do with it."

"Katniss will figure it out," he handed the piece of paper listing down the names of sponsors for the Tributes of District 12 back to her. Effie nodded her thanks and smoothed the creases out as best as she could before clipping it back to her clipboard.

"That spile was from us or District 4?" she asked.

"Both. We split the cost of it."

XxX

As night fell, the sponsors, the mentors and the escorts for the various Districts began to leave the Headquarters. Some of the mentors chose to stay, Haymitch included. Seeing Haymitch so focused and determined, Effie decided to stay and keep him company, even if he never asked for it.

He was pouring himself a steady flow of liquor since the past half an hour, his eyes never leaving the screen. Effie was sitting on the sofa, her legs curled beneath her having gotten rid of her heels earlier, and her hands pillowing her head that was resting on the armrest.

"Why don't you go home and get some sleep?" Haymitch asked.

"No, I'll stay here with you. I don't want to miss anything," she said, her eyes blinking sleepily.

"Go to sleep then. I'll wake you up if anything happens," he said.

"Promise?"

"Yeah and, sweetheart?"

"Hmmm?"

"Take off that wig, it looks extremely uncomfortable," Haymitch watched her over the brim of his glass.

Effie gave a soft laugh and shook her head, "No." It had become a game for Haymitch to see if there was anything he could say that would make Effie take off her wig, but his efforts so far were without success.

Just as she was about to close her eyes, the sudden sound of the bell tolling caused her to sit up straight. "I counted twelve," she heard Finnick said to Katniss before there was a blinding flash of lightning and a thunder storm began to kick up.

She turned to look at Haymitch the same time his head swivelled towards her. "Guess we have to watch and see," he said. Effie leaned back against the sofa, no longer sleepy but extremely curious about the arena instead. She had a nagging feeling that the bell represented something significant.

After he was satisfied that Katniss and her allies were in no apparent danger from the thunderstorm, Haymitch left the viewing room muttering under his breath about needing to use the washroom. Effie was too tired to question him and soon, the fatigue took over and she began to drift in and out of consciousness. Even so, she was in a state where she was still vaguely aware of what was going on in the arena.

By the time Haymitch came back, the storm had stopped and the rain began to pour, unleashing a torrent of water on the tributes. Effie glanced at the clock and noted the time. 1.10 am.

"Took quite a while at the washroom, eh?" she teased him. He didn't smile. His jaw was clenched painfully and he looked like he was debating with himself.

"What's the matter, Haymitch?" He frowned and puckered his lips in concentration before settling down beside Effie and took her hand in his.

Effie looked down at their intertwined hands, mesmerised by the sight of her small delicate hands in his large calloused ones before she dragged her eyes back to study his face.

"Eff, I just got news. Portia has been taken by the Peacekeepers, too. She was taken this afternoon when she left Headquarters to return to her house." Effie gasped; her eyes wide with shock.

Haymitch continued; the grip on her hand tightened. "Cinna is dead."

Effie whimpered, feeling herself going numb. She could feel the blood roaring in her ears, her heart thudding painfully in her chest and her breath began to hitch. She felt tears falling slowly down her cheeks, smearing her make-up.

She tried pulling her hand away from Haymitch but he held fast to it. "Effie, Effie," he called out her name softly.

She shook her head, "No, no. Oh God, Portia. Cinna can't be..." she hiccupped. "There must be a mistake. Who told you, Haymitch? Who told you?" her voice sounded hysterical.

Haymitch did the only thing he could think of at that moment. He gathered her in his arms, her face pressed against the crook of his neck as her tears fell hot and fast, soaking his shirt. Effie felt him rubbing her back soothingly and heard him whisper in her ear a name she had not been expecting, "Plutarch Heavensbee. He's with us."

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A/N: Bear with me for say two more chapters? We're getting there, to when Effie gets taken.