Chapter 25. Stress

Katniss slowly sat down in the District 12 living quarters in between Gale and Madge, quietly as if thinking hard. Haymitch stood slightly off to the side against a wall, but close enough to give his imput as well as listen to the conversation.

Katniss cleared her throat. "So. Alliances."

Gale looked up almost instantly and towards her. "Big shocker, but I want Sage."

"I know and I've accepted the fact that it's going to happen regardless. However, Peeta and I have-"

Madge suddenly spoke up quietly. "I have someone I want too."

Peeta blinked and looked down at Madge. "Madge?"

"I want the mother. Rye. From District 9."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Absolutely not."

"To be honest, her and Sage are probably the two you guys should avoid most," Peeta sighed. "You two are going to get too attached."

Madge sighed and shook her head. "She has children. Four of them. You can't expect..."

Katniss cut her off. "Exactly. She's selfish. She brought four children into this world. You shouldn't make alliances with people like that."

"You shouldn't make alliances with people you'll grow attached to," Peeta added, trying to make Katniss's statement seem a little less harsh. "Only one person can live."

Katniss merely snorted and crossed her arms. Madge lowered her eyes slightly and shrugged. "I guess... I just wanted to help her."

She looked up and locked eyes with Peeta. "Please stop trying to dance around this. I'm going to die, Peeta. There's not even a question. If I can help someone else live a bit longer, that's good enough for me."

"Madge, stop it. You're not even trying!"

"Even if I tried my hardest, it wouldn't make a difference."

"You don't know how things will go in there!" Peeta stood up and looked at her, a fire in his eyes now. "Everything I've tried to do and tell you to do, you've just blown off! I'm trying to help you! Now you're going to start worrying about yourself and you're going to put up a fight! Unless you really want to die that badly, then I might as well just give up now!"

Madge shrunk back, frightened at Peeta's outburst. She just lowered her eyes and didn't say anything. Katniss shot him a look. "Peeta."

"I can't keep doing this if she's not going to even try, Katniss!"

She stood up, narrowing her eyes. "She's scared! You can't yell at her like that!"

"She's given up! Everybody's scared going in, but they still try! And if she keeps this up, she's going to be ill-prepared!"

Katniss pressed her lips together before sitting back down between Madge and Gale. She took Madge's hand carefully. "She's scared and I would be too. She has no skills like the majority of the Tributes do. But, Madge, if you'll let me, we'll take these upcoming months and I'll teach you how to use a bow. And then maybe you'll feel more confident."

Madge nodded slowly, not looking up at either of them.

"She used to fence," Peeta started, looking to Katniss. "She took fencing, she knows how to throw darts, and she can play piano. She already has two weapons she could expand upon and good hand-eye cordination from playing piano."

Madge looked up at Peeta, eyes slightly wet, amazed he had actually paid attention to her.

Katniss patted Madge's leg gently. "Then you already have skills in both close contact and distance. We'll expand on them. Swords and, since there's rarely anything dart-related, a bow since that has to do with aim as well. And we'll all be fine. And we'll all stop yelling." She looked at Peeta meaningfully. Peeta just sat back down without another word and looked away from everybody. He was beyond frustrated with the situation but tried to stay calm.

Katniss cleared her throat. "Good. Now. Alliances. I'm going to advise you both not to get mixed up with either Sage nor Rye. You're not going to listen, but I wanted to put it out there. Also- Peeta and I talked with both Willow and Amur from District 4 and they're interested in alliances."

"That's a career District. Can we really trust them?" Gale finally spoke up, ignoring the part about Sage.

Haymitch spoke up quietly. "Finnick and Annie are good people. They can be trusted."

Katniss nodded slightly. "Despite Finnick being a bit of a creep, they seem trustworthy. Willow is a bit stand off-ish, but she's smart and good with knives. Amur has size on his side and he's extremely nice. They both admitted being impressed by Peeta and I and wanting to help."

Gale nodded. "Sounds good to me. Any others?"

"District 3. We haven't spoke to them yet, but if you guys noticed the girl..."

"The one who threw the discus at the Gamemakers?" Gale blinked. When Katniss nodded, he continued. "You don't think that would mean she's too reckless?"

She frowned. "I shot an arrow at the Gamemakers. Does that make me reckless?"

"A little," Peeta spoke up with a small laugh.

She made a slight face at him and crossed her arms. "No. It means she's spirited."

"You haven't even talked to her yet?" Gale spoke up again. "How do we even know she'll want to help?"

She looked at him blankly. "She threw a discus at the Gamemakers. That's an act of bravery as well as one of rebellion. Why else would she have done it?"

"I don't know, but it seemed so out of the blue when she did it. I mean, she didn't yell at them or fight with them or anything. She just threw a discus up and then went to pick it up when it came back."

"... maybe she's just crazy." She shrugged. "I guess we'll see when we speak with her. But until then, both Tributes from District 3 are under consideration."

Peeta nodded before looking up at Haymitch. "Do you know the mentors from there?"

Haymitch nodded, looking up at the group. "Wiress and Beetee. They're friends as well. A little... strange, but smart."

"Strange?" Peeta asked, his mind going back to Annie.

"They're..." Haymitch searched for the right words. "Wiress is... shy. She'll start sentences, and Beetee will have to finish them. They're nice, but I would speak to Beetee instead of Wiress."

"I think he's the one who's mentoring the girl, anyways," Peeta nodded.

"Anybody else then? Or is that everyone invited to the party?" Gale joked as he stood up, stretching.

Katniss rolled her eyes and looked up at him. "That's all."

"Amur, Willow, and District 3 girl... I guess tomorrow I'll have to pay attention to them," he sighed before slowly looking over towards Haymitch. He stared, as if he wanted to ask a question, but shook his head a little instead.

Haymitch paused and blinked at Gale. "What?"

"She seemed more freaked out when we picked us up from training."

Haymitch looked at Gale for a moment before nodding. "I know."

"Any reason for that?"

Peeta blinked up at the two of them, curiously. Since they all watched the tapes on the Quarter Quell, it seemed like Haymitch and Gale did nothing but butt heads. It was odd seeing them talk without glaring so randomly and about Effie, none the less. Haymitch shrugged. "I found her before... I think the Peacekeepers are following her around. One threatened to fire her."

"Fire Effie?" Peeta joined in, but Gale ignored him. His eyes were focused fully on Haymitch, like he was trying to gauge what exactly happened just by reading the man.

"You better stay close to her."

Haymitch's eyes didn't leave Gale's face. He smirked slightly. "I intend to."

Regardless of the fact Katniss wanted everybody to meet to discuss the other tributes, Effie was too freaked out to want to even leave her room. She knew the Peacekeepers were staring her down, but what she couldn't figure out was why. She had done the best she could as an escort so why would they threaten to fire her? She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly on her bed, not even bothering to take her shoes off as the well mannered Effie would normally do.

Haymitch left Madge, Katniss, and Peeta in the living quarters and walked to Effie's room, concerned for her. Remembering his manners, he knocked instead of barging in. Regardless, Effie still jumped and stared down the door. She remained silent, uncertain who was there, and hoped they would leave if she made it seem like she wasn't there.

Haymitch paused and set his palm against her door. He cleared his throat and knocked softly again. "Eff?"

Effie paused before scrambling to her feet. Cautiously, she walked to the door and started to unlock it. "Y-yes?"

"I was just... concerned. Can I come in?"

With a click, the door unlocked and opened slightly. Effie opened it just enough to peek outside, making sure it was really him, before opening it the rest of the way. She looked a mess, her wig lopsided and clothing wrinkled from laying in bed in them. Silently, she looked up at him. He gave her a strained smile and reached out to straighten her wig a little. "Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?"she murmured as her eyes cast down. Slowly, she abandoned the door and walked back towards her bed, leaving it open for him to come in. "They've been doing this to me."

Haymitch slowly followed her inside and shut the door quietly behind him. "You always look good, Effie. Is this the first day this has happened?"

She nodded but hid her face in her hands as she sat down. "Y-yes, but... it makes more sense now. All the schedule changes and cancellations..."

Haymitch paused for a brief moment before walking over and sitting next to her. "You don't know that's the reason."

"Everything that's happened so far with the Games has been a disadvantage to the Tributes, why wouldn't they target me too!" she cried, shaking. "Them threatening to replace me was just proof! They're trying to get rid of me!"

He paused again before rubbing her back gently. "Effie, this is what they want. They want you to get flustered, so that the District 12 Tributes will lose the best escort available."

"I'm scared." She spoke in a whisper so low, it was hard for Haymitch to hear. "I know what they can do... D-do you think this is because of...?"

He looked down at her. "Because of what?"

She shook her head suddenly as she shook even harder. She was finding it harder and harder to speak as the symptoms of an oncoming anxiety attack threatened to wash over her. Haymitch chewed on his bottom lip before taking her face in his hands, forcing her face to look up at his. "Effie. Focus on me, okay? You're alright. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. If they try, they'll have to go through me."

Effie's reddened eyes met with Haymitch's as she still continued to shake. Slowly, she put her quivering hands on top of his in an attempt to calm herself, but her mind continued to race.

Haymitch watched Effie for a moment before pressing his lips against her forehead. "You're okay, Effie. Focus on your job and what you do best and know that I'm looking out for you."

Effie's face suddenly turned red as she pulled her head back slightly. She moved one of her hands from on top of Haymitch's and placed it on her forehead before looking up at him. "... I'm sorry," she finally managed to talk as she shivered less. "I'm... being so paranoid..."

"No, you're not." He dropped his hands from her face and set them on her shoulders. "But I don't want you to worry about anything. You have enough on your plate."

"Do you think they're going to come after me?"

He looked down at her and, for one of the first times in his life, felt a strong desire to lie. "No... no, you'll be okay."

Effie, never being good at reading people, let out a relieved sigh before forcing herself to smile slightly. "T-thanks, Haymitch."

He forced a smile back at her, scratching the back of his neck. "Anytime, Eff."

She dropped her head down, the smile still on her face but the redness starting to return. "I-I'm... glad you agreed to come to the Capitol with us..."

He smiled at the top of her head and shrugged. "I am too. Even if the kids are rude and I look like a fool, at least I... have you." He mumbled the ending and looked away. Effie looked up at him again, her smile a lot less forced. She reached down, brushing some of the wrinkles out of her jacket and pants before pulling out her trusty calendar book and pen from her pocket.

"I guess I should be getting back to work then."

He looked at her and smiled slightly, standing up and running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, you should."

She fixed her wig a little more before standing up beside him. She went to walk towards the door, but stopped herself. He went to follow her out but stopped, looking at her. "What?"

Effie pressed her lips together, contemplating something. Finally, she turned back to him. Standing on her toes, she gripped the collar of his dark purple shirt to pull herself up taller and she pressed her lips against his unexpectedly. Haymitch didn't hesitate. He kissed her back immediately, wrapping his arms around her tightly and pressing her back against the door.