See you all again on Saturday (May 12) ...

Effie would have made a plate for him - another not unusual act. She knew his favorites - and she knew what would at least soak up some of the alcohol in his system. It'd make him sick - but then, that's always the price he seemed to pay. She would have done this - but the train came to an unexpected stop.

She went into a panic.

Schedule, she thought. The schedule!

"Eat more than a damned muffin, Haymitch!" Effie snapped under her breath when she started going through her clipboard. "Right … okay. A delay. We need to figure out how this will impact the rest of the tour. Everything is scheduled down to the minute." And she went on - speaking rather rapidly until suddenly, she was cut off by Katniss.

"No one cares, Effie!"

Everyone stared at Katniss - even Haymitch, who had given up on his muffin.

"Well no one does!"

With that, she left the dining cart. Peeta followed her.

Effie quickly blinked away tears and went on with what she was saying. She felt Haymitch pat her knee under the table and felt a little calmer.

"You should go after her," she said after a pause in her list of things to do.

"Peeta's got it. They need to have a talk anyway."

"Then eat your muffin."

Katniss' outburst wasn't really what had bothered Effie. It was still the fact that Katniss didn't know how much Effie was on her side - how much she wished to say that - and just how much she hated the Capitol too. Even when Katniss came and apologized sincerely, Effie still had to put on her act. Choosing her words careful, concocting the usual sound of the Capitol's Effie Trinket.

Watching the crops pass the window, the crops of District Eleven, Effie finally found a moment of quiet from the morning. With more people on the train, they were hard to find. And with a tight schedule, she was always in at the center.

"The little girl who Katniss sat with," Effie said when she knew Haymitch was standing near her. "She was from District Eleven."

Haymitch was beside her now - rather amused at Effie's face that was almost pressed against the glass, taking in the sight outside that she was rarely able to see.

"Peeta's written down what he's saying. I've read it," Haymitch's voice was clearly lowered. "It'll be fine."

Effie knew he would have kissed her if they weren't in a walkway were people were passing every so often. She knew the closer they got to the Capitol, the further away they would have to stay in that respect.

"Go into Effie mode now," Haymitch said as the train got slower.

Effie had to laugh - even when she was just his Effie, she knew how to follow a timetable. Pushing past him so she would brush against him just right, Effie went to start rounding up the troops.

"District Eleven is really beautiful," Effie said when she, Haymitch, Cinna, and Portia filed into a viewing room where they would be able to clearly watch Katniss and Peeta speak to the crowd. "Just the right time of year, it seems."

"Not chilly?" Haymitch asked.

Effie shook her head - though a chill did run through her when his hand grazed across her back.

They were showing footage of the Games now - focusing mostly on their Tributes, then on Katniss and the little girl's short alliance. For a moment, Effie felt as though she was back in the penthouse, reliving the moments, but when the screen cut away and Peeta had started to speak, the small panic in her went away.

He was reading from the cards. She could tell.

But he added something.

"It can in no way replace your losses, but as a token of our thanks we'd like for each of the tributes' families from District Eleven to receive one month of our winnings every year for the duration of their lives."

Effie heard Haymitch curse under his breath behind her.

She turned. "It's not that bad," she whispered. "It could be worse."

"How?"

Haymitch shouldn't have asked that question for a moment later, Effie turned back to the screen hearing Katniss' voice.

"Wait! Wait, please." There was a pause. "I want to give my thanks to the tributes of District Eleven. I only ever spoke to Thresh one time. Just long enough for him to spare my life. I didn't know him, but I always repected him. For his power. For his refusal to play the Games of anyone's terms but his own. The Careers wanted him to team up with them from the beginning, but he wouldn't do it. I respect him for that." There was another pause. "But I feel as if I did know Rue, and she'll always be with me. Everything beautiful brings her to mind. I see her in the yellow flowers that grow in the Meadow by my house. I see her in the mockingjays that sing in the tress. But most of all, I see her in my sister, Prim." She sounded ready to cry. "Thank you for your children. And thank you all for the bread."

Effie could hear her heart beating in her chest the room had gone so quiet. Even Haymitch was silent - and she had expected him to go into a tirade.

But no - they were all too stunned.

The lone whistle of a citizen echoed through the room.

And when the crowd pressed the three middle fingers of their left hands to together and raised them in the air - the room immediately tensed.

The Mayor was speaking now - hurriedly. Katniss was being led off stage but she turned.

The screen went static just as a shallow 'pop' was heard.

"Gunshot," Haymitch said. "That was a fucking gunshot!" He had instinctively on hearing the sound grabbed Effie and pushed her far from the door - away from the windows - behind him.

"Ridiculous! In front of -"

"It isn't fucking ridiculous, stay behind me!"

"If they're going to shoot us -"

Effie was interrupted. The doors opened and Katniss and Peeta appeared. Without thinking, Effie left Haymitch and moved towards them.

"What happened?" she asked as if she didn't know. "We lost the feed just after Katniss's beautiful speech, and Haymitch said he thought he heard a gun fire, and I said it was ridiculous, but who knows? There are lunatics everywhere!" She realized halfway through speaking that she had to watch her tongue. She hated herself for adding the bit about the 'lunatics' but who knew who was listening.

"Nothing happened, Effie," Peeta said evenly. "An old truck backfired."

But then, two more shots rang out.

Effie felt herself being tugged back by Cinna - Haymitch grabbed the two kids and said, "Both of you. With me."

Just before he left the doorway, their eyes met. Haymitch gave Effie a quick nod - meant more for Cinna, probably who coaxed her away.

"Come on," he said once Haymitch had left. "We have to worry about the dinner."

"Is there even going to be one?" Effie asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Yes. We have to ride this out. It will be okay."

But everything in his voice made it sound like everyone would not be okay. And Effie wished Haymitch hadn't left.

"What should I do?"

"Be ridiculous," said Cinna. "Distract them."

Effie looked at him strangely. Was he being serious?

"Just … say something stupid. Like comment on the architecture. I don't know. Think of something. Get them to smile. Act like the Effie they know. You're the least threatening person to them right now - they'll laugh at you, if you let them."

Effie's eyes flickered to Portia, who had been listening. "He's right," Portia said. "Make them laugh."