Chapter 12
Haymitch didn't know what to do.
He was looking at Effie, studying her, her every move, waiting for a sign, something, anything, telling him what to do.
Just one tiny little clue of whether she remembered the previous night or not.
But she was her usual bubbly Escort self, chatting with Peeta, rebuking Katniss, buttering her second toast and sipping from her mug of coffee. Only the bags under her eyes not entirely covered by the heavy layer of makeup betrayed her short and uncomfortable night.
For now, he was covered by his role of old grumpy hangovered man, but she would soon noticed something was odd with him. It wasn't like him to walk on eggshells, especially around her. He is more the kind of man to put his foot in his mouth rather than beating around the bush…
He needed to find something to make her talk.
When the children finally left fro training and they were alone together, he tried something.
"Hey, sweetheart," he winced at the word, he couldn't help it, afraid it would trigger a reaction from her. But it didn't and she simply turned to him with her usual smile.
"Yes, Haymitch?" she emphasized his name to show her annoyance at the petname, but it wasn't new. He relaxed a little.
"You wouldn't know where my watch is by any chance?"
"Your watch? No. Why would I? You should be more careful of your things Haymitch, I am not your mother!" She had sat down on the couch to check on her iPad and register the offers they won during the night hunt.
"I don't know, I assumed that you had brought me back here and put me to bed. As usual..." He tried. That would force her to talk.
And he was right, her cheeks went red in a flash, her fingers stilled in the air above the tablet and her eyes widened. She cleared her throat.
"I hum… I did not bring you back last night no."
"Oh yeah? Who did then? I don't remember coming back by myself." He shrugged, scrutinizing every twitch in her face.
"I... I don't know." She was crimson now, even with the makeup on, and she kept clearing her throat every three seconds.
"Oh… Okay…" he shrugged. "How did you get back by the way?" He was maybe pushing it a little, but he needed to know.
"I… I don't…" she stopped and sighed dramatically "I don't remember alright? I was too drunk. The only thing I remember is joining you and your friends and next thing I was in my bed and it was seven this morning! Are you happy? Come on, make fun of me Haymitch you're dying to I can see! Enjoy it, it won't happen again!" She was mad and that's why he knew it was the truth. He chuckled of relief.
"I won't make fun of you sweetheart. I'm the pot here." He coiled her nape with his hand on his way to his room, a little gesture he had never done before and they both froze, he took his hand back. "I uh.. I will go look if I can find my watch somewhere." And he flew to his room and shut the door.
She didn't remember.
She didn't remember.
God, he had rarely been so relived in his life.
One problem remained though. He remembered.
Fuck he remembered so well... And he wasn't sure he wanted to forget.
He remembered taking her out of the club before she pass out, sitting her on a bench hoping that fresh air would do her good, giving her a bottle of water to sober her up a little.
He remembered dragging her, leaning with all her weight on his side, back to the Center and into the elevator.
And hell he remembered her, watching him in the eyes for half the ride, with a depth he was too drunk to try decipher, and saying "We worked well tonight Haymitch, we are a good team together don't you think?." and leaning in toward him slowly. He hadn't stopped her, maybe he should have, but he had been to drunk to think and too intoxicated in her smell -alcohol vanilla and fruits -, to step back. Instead he had leaned in too and let her capture his lips in a heated kiss. He had responded eagerly, dazed by her smell, her taste and softness of her lips on his.
He couldn't forget that. Ever.
That kiss had been enough to make him half hard and that had been the thing that had brought him back to reality.
He had broke the kiss and taken her to bed. He hadn't found the strength to take her clothes off so he had simply taken her shoes off and lied her in her bed, careful not to enjoy too much the feeling of her soft skin under his palms.
Once back in his room, he had taken care of his not so little problem before succumbing to the best sleep he had had in a long time.
Shit…
Just thinking again about it and he was...
No, no, no… She was his Escort… They might have reached a certain sort of friendship along the years, but they certainly weren't friends with that kind of benefits. He couldn't afford to think about her this way... He passed his hands on his face a few times.
She didn't remember, perfect. He would forget too. It couldn't be that hard. He had forgotten a lot of other women along the years after all.
xxx
They had the afternoon free of training. They were supposed to use it to prepare their interviews.
Effie had taken Katniss in her room with Cinna to 'make a proper lady out of her', and he had ended alone with Haymitch.
They had quickly ran away from the Penthouse and from the shrill screams of Effie to take refuge outside, in a quiet clearing by the lake.
And here he was now… trapped.
"Listen boy..." Haymitch was clearly embarrassed, but he was mortified. "You can make something out of that. You both can. If you play the card of the star-crossed lovers, you'll get a rain of support, and support, here, is money, and money means life. Everybody enjoys a good Romeo and Juliet story."
"I wouldn't mind that if… If it wasn't real. I don't want to use my feelings for her like that. It's… it's not right."
"It's not bad if it can save your lives Peeta." He was growing annoyed by his repeated refusals, he had curled his hands into fists but he was keeping his voice low because people were passing by, not that far from them.
"Our lives? There will only be one to get out of here Haymitch and..." He was cut by the sound of someone shouting, or rather singing, not far from them. Haymitch had turned his gaze toward the noise – that was coming closer now. His eyes had gone wide and his eyebrows had reached his receding hairline. He turned around to see the source of this extreme astonishment.
It was a small woman, between twenty-five and thirty years old. She was thin, her hair was black, clearly dyed, long on her shoulders with short bangs on her forehead. She was wearing black slacks with classic Dr Martens and a long khaki leather raincoat. She had a beer bottle in one hand and was waving the other in the air in rhythm with the song coming out of her black coated lips.
He had to admit she was a sight.
The weird thing was that he couldn't understand what she was singing. It wasn't in English, of that he was sure. But, if the face he was making was to be trusted, Haymitch did.
Il suffira d'une étincelle
d'un mot d'amour
pour...
Allumer le feu!
Allumer le feu!
She had reached them now and was fixing Haymitch who was still speechless. Well, her sunglasses were fixed on Haymitch at least. Peeta was sure that there was a mad glint in the eyes behind them.
He came back to his senses and cleared his throat.
"Camille! What a surprise! What are you doing here?" His tone was flat and ironically cheerful.
"Come on Haymitch, I know that deep down you're happy to see me!" She bumped his arm with her shoulder. She was so small her head barely past his shoulders. And yet she was everything but intimidated. "Jo called me, of course. I had to see this with me own eyes!" She was so enthusiastic it grazed hysteria.
"See what?" He must have known her well because he wasn't socked at all by her behavior, but he seemed… wary of her, like if he wasn't sure she could be trusted. He was keeping Peeta behind him in a protective stance.
"Your girl on fire of course! She's all everybody is talking about!" Then she finally turned her face toward Peeta, like if she hadn't noticed him until then. "And the baker's boy too, naturally." She added with a smirk outstretching a hand for him to shake. "Oh, where are my manners, if my mother were there… I am Camille, 66th Victor, District Seven, delighted to meet you!" She never departed her almost feral smirk while she spoke or when he shook her hand. He felt ill-at-ease under her hidden gaze, like if he was being… evaluated.
"I'm… happy to meet you too..."
Her smirk changed again when she looked behind his shoulders and she lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
"Well, speaking of the wolf… I'll leave you then. See you soon I hope." She briefly turned her head to his mentor "Haymitch." He nodded back and she walked away a little less cheerfully but humming her song again.
Peeta turned to see her retreat and saw what had made her go. Katniss, Cinna and Effie were coming their way. They were only a few feet away and they could hear their encounter.
"Cinna," she nodded at him who nodded back smiling, then nodded at Katniss with a smirk and then greeted Effie with a pointed and insistent "Euphemia!". Peeta wasn't sure but she even might have curtsey a little while passing beside her. Effie didn't answer her, she just watched with wide incredulous eyes and gaped. She nearly tripped on a root watching the woman dancing while walking away.
They both stayed frozen until the other arrived, Haymitch had his eyebrows furrowed and a thoughtful look.
"What was that?" Katniss asked when she reached them.
"Camille, former Seven mentor, work for the Organization in Canada now. Half French, half crazy." Haymitch answered, but Peeta wasn't really listening anymore.
'Your girl on fire' and 'the baker's boy', those words echoed in his head. The girl on fire. Only her. She was the event here, she was important. She was the one who attracted the Sponsors and the eyes. Not him. Never him. He was used to it. At least this time he could be useful.
They all wanted her to win. He did too. And he could help her to. He decided to accept Haymitch's plan, little did he care if it embarrassed her after all. As long as it could save her life… That was the only thing he desired.
Haymitch, Cinna and Katniss were talking together but Effie was strangely silent. Her eyes were bright and her eyes staring at nothing.
"Are you ok Effie?" It wasn't like her to be silent, especially on a subject like the big Games show.
"Oh yes I am perfectly fine! I was just lost in my train of thoughts." She answered with a smile and took back her part in the conversation.
They talked for a while there before going back to the Penthouse for dinner. Afterwards, they lingered in the living room, Effie making most of the small talk.
"She seemed crazy." Katniss said out of blue after staying silent all along.
"Who dear?"
"That woman at the lake."
Effie's face closed and Haymitch took the lead of this part of the conversation.
"She is… A little. We all are…"
"She is something" Peeta said remembering the tiny hurricane coming toward them. Haymitch chuckled, Katniss raised an eyebrow at him and Effie mouth curled in a smile both polite and fond.
"Yeah… And damn dangerous too, very clever. Too bad she's been in Finnick's shadow..." he added thoughtfully.
"How did she win?" Katniss asked. She was more and more eager to find new strategies lately Peeta had noticed.
"It's late, we should all go to bed now." Effie said wincing but it fell in deaf hears, they all remained in their seats, eyes glued to Haymitch.
"She hid most of the time, collecting things to make traps. She never killed for free. Once out of self-defense, once for food and once for a thread. Very thin and resistant. Invisible. The last night she was the last with the Career pack. She chose a nice spot in the forest, in a little clearing and tied the thread to the trees all around it. She sat in the middle, lighted a fire and waited. They ran to her, all four of them." he paused, taking a sip of his glass. "Decapitated. By the thread. Clean, quick. She didn't even look. Not a single glance. She kept toasting her piece of bread in the fire and ate it waiting for the Rescuing team." He laughed at the memory. Katniss made an impressed face
and Effie was squirming in her armchair, uncomfortable.
"There Haymitch, enough graphic details for tonight thank you. It's time for bed now."
"So, yeah, she might have been a little crazy to begin with." He continued, ignoring her.
"Well, if you don't want to go I will. Goodnight." She said standing up, her eyes bright and her jaw clenched. She was vexed and upset and Peeta took pity on her, even if her reaction seemed a little over the top.
"I'm going too. Haymitch, can I talk too you for a second?" He nodded in direction of his room prompting him to follow. Haymitch nodded and got with difficulties to his feet.
"Well I guess I'll go too…" Katniss stood and headed straight to her room.
"I'll do it." He simply said on the threshold of his door. "But… Find a good way to bring up the subject during the interview. I don't want it to be too humiliating for her." Haymitch nodded with a knowing smile, patted his shoulder and left.
He closed his door and collapsed on his bed.
'The girl on fire and the baker's boy' …
xxxxx
So!
A mysterious character, a troubled Haymitch, an upset Effie, a determined Katniss and a defeated Peeta… Tell me all your thoughts about that!
xxx
It'll just need a spark
and a love note
to
Light the fire!
Light the fire!
This song is "Allumer le feu" by Johnny Hallyday and I never thought I could put it in a Hayffie fic and yet I did!^^