I'm so sorry for the late update. I was going to update last week but we moved and I got so busy, not to mention that I didn't have internet for some time. Anyways, this is going to be the last chapter of part 1. I'm going to take a 2-week hiatus to edit the chapters in part 1 and to plan out part 2. It might take longer than that but don't worry, I'll back eventually ;). Hope you enjoy this story and leave a review if you can.
The sound of tapping was the only thing Heather could hear as Haymitch lightly drummed his fingers. The noise he made caused her to become more anxious but she didn't dare open her mouth. She was afraid of snapping at him which would result in a rift between them, and that was the last thing she needed. So she kept her mouth shut and kept tugging down on her skirt.
By now, Katniss and Peeta must've arrived at the Training Centre. She looked up in the sky and spotted the hovercraft floating over the tall building. The loud beating of her heart indicated how despaired Heather was to see them again. Especially Katniss. After her stunt, Heather wouldn't be surprised if the girl suddenly dies from an unknown cause during their trip to the Capitol. Snow played that dirty when his authority was questioned.
Finally, after a long anticipation, their car reached the Training Centre. As soon as the car was parked in front of the building, Heather didn't hesitate in exiting it and headed towards the building's entrance. A second later, Haymitch joined her side again.
Her distress breaks free as she walks as fast as she could in those damn heels. For a moment, Heather considered breaking off her heels and running to where her tributes were being kept but quickly dismissed it. After what seems like hours, which were really minutes, they reach the elevator and it isn't long before they're on the roof.
There, they run into Effie who they haven't seen in almost three weeks. However, Heather paid the woman no mind and looked towards the hovercraft. Right now, they were taking Peeta down. He was unconscious but he seemed to be alright.
Heather craned her head to try and catch a glimpse of Katniss. Her eyes immediately spotted the dark-haired girl and widened when they saw her hurling herself against the glass wilding. Katniss's mouth was opened wide as she presumably shrieked. Then, someone who Heather couldn't make out jabbed the young girl with a needle from behind.
Heather's knees wobbled as she squatted down. A sob escaped her mouth and tears began to form in her eyes. Peeta was alive. Katniss was alive. They were both going to be alright, mentally and physically. She was going to make sure of it.
A warm hand pressed into her back. Haymitch helped her stand up straight. He gently pulled her into his chest and let her cry freely, ignoring the fact that she was wetting his shirt with her tears and snot. He shot a warning looking to Effie, who was about to say something. Thankfully, the bubbly woman got the message and kept quiet.
Eventually, her sobs ceased. Heather pressed her hands against his chest and pulled away. She rubbed her wet eyes with the hwite sleeve of her shirt. "Am fine, I'm fine," she mumbled quietly.
Having already predicted her breakdown, Haymitch handed her a handkerchief. She thanked him in a low voice and took it to blow her nose. After doing so, Heather glanced at Effie. The anger and annoyance she held for the woman were long gone.
"It's good to see you again, Effie," Heather said with a gentle smile. "Sorry you had to see me like this."
"That's alright, dear," Effie gave her a sad look. "I understand where you're coming from."
Heather nodded serenely. She looked up at Haymitch, "Can we go to the Victor Tower? I don't want to stay here."
The Victor Tower, obvious to its name, was a building exclusively made for victors. It was where victors stayed when they were visiting the Capitol. Heather would stay there whenever she was summoned. It was slightly better than the Training Centre as it offered more privacy, something that wasn't easy to find in the Capitol for District citizens.
"Of course," Haymitch told her. "But let's talk to the doctors first before we leave."
"Okay," Heather turned to Effie. "We'll see you later, Effie."
The woman waved, "Bye."
Heather and Haymitch made their way towards the 12th floor where they decided to stay until the evening. Heather quickly went to the bathroom to wash her face. She glanced up at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her cheeks were restored back to their white youthful glow now that the dry tears on them were washed away. Her lips were slightly chapped, nothing that was noticeable.
Heather shook her head and turned away from the mirror. There was no reason for her to be worrying about her appearance at the moment.
After eating lunch, Haymitch and Heather spend the rest of the day cuddling in a room. They didn't speak of the rebellion or Katniss and Peeta. After all, there was no guarantee that someone might hear them.
Finally, an hour before sunset, Haymitch and Heather were finally allowed to talk to the doctors regarding their tributes' treatments. The hospital Peeta and Katniss were in was on an underground floor even lower than the gym.
When they reached their destination, an Avox met them in the lounge and took them to where a group of doctors were waiting for them. Heather's heart skipped a bit in fear when she spotted Dr. Julius Gaul in there. She quickly hardened her face and wiped it of any emotion. She was not going to let a person like them take her courage.
At their entrance, the doctors continued to stare at them until they sat down. It was one of the reasons Heather generally preferred doctors to Capitol citizens, they were mostly indifferent when it came to politics and Panem's lifestyle. Of course, there were some exceptions, such as Julius Gaul.
The doctor in the middle, who Heather assumed was the head doctors, greeted them. "Good evening, Ms. Mildbreeze, Mr. Abernathy. I hope you are doing well."
"Yes, thank you," Heather said, resisting a wince. She didn't like being referred to as 'Ms. Mildbreeze". Not that she had anything against her surname but the only person to refer to her as 'Ms. Mildbreeze' was Snow.
"How are our tributes?" Haymitch asked, straight to the point. "How is Peeta's leg and how many days do they need to rest?"
"Katniss is fine. She just needs rest and to eat appropriately in order to gain weight again," the female doctor on the left explained.
"As for Peeta, we unfortunately couldn't save his leg. We had to amputate his leg due to the blood loss," the other male doctor on the right explained.
Her shoulders slumped. She should've guessed that this would happen. But she overestimated the Capitol's medical knowledge. If they could create wolf mutations with genes from dead humans into them, then surely they could save a mere leg. "From the knee down?" Heather guessed.
"Yes."
This time, it was Julius who answered. Heather didn't look at him and just nodded her head silently. "Have you told him that you cut his leg?"
"No."
"Is it alright if I do that?" Heather requested. After spending 18 days in a hellhole, it was better if Peeta was met with a familiar face rather than a total stranger to tell him he lost his leg.
"Of course, we'll call you over when he wakes up," the head doctor said. He turned to Haymitch. "As for how many days they need to rest, we're still unsure about that. We'll update you in a day or two."
Haymitch frowned, not satisfied with this answer but he didn't argue. It wasn't long before they said their farewells to the doctors and were on their way to the elevator before Julius caught up to them.
"Heather!" he called out for her.
Heather turned to him. Mentally fighting the fear that wanted to paralyze her. She knew what he wanted before he requested to speak with her privately. Before she returned to Haymitch all shaken and hollow. She could make out the anger in his eyes as she told him about her situation. But really, she could see the sadness and helplessness behind the anger and rage. She knew that he hated this as much as she did or maybe even more.
It was a horrible thing to watch the person you love go through much suffering and not be able to do anything.
The next morning, Heather woke up in a compromising position. Julius' arm was around her, her naked chest was firmly pressed to his. Heather stayed still and watched him, making sure that he was to stay asleep. She slowly removed his arm from around her and quietly made her way to the bathroom.
In the shower, Heather scrubbed herself until her skin turned red. She always felt dirty after going through these ordeals. She wanted nothing to do with these men and women who took advantage of her. Not their names, not their scents, not anything.
Julius had some clothes that he bought for her. He said that they reminded him of her so that's why he purchased them. Personally, Heather didn't want to wear them but it was better than wearing her clothes from yesterday.
Heather went to collect her scattered clothes from the floor. When she neared the bed to take her bra, a hand suddenly grabbed her arm. She held back a gasp and looked up at Julius' brown eyes.
"You're leaving without saying goodbye?"
Heather stayed quiet, contemplating her response. Unlike the other men, Julius demanded her to always be truthful with him and not put an act so she was free to say whatever she wanted without any repercussions. Of course, she still had to be careful with her words.
"Why? There is no other reason for me to stay," Heather said. She went to turn away but Julius pulled her in to sit on the bed. Before she could comprehend what just happened, he wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close to his chest. He pushed her hair to the other side and inhaled her scent. A slight shiver of ear went down her spine.
"I thought we could spend the day together," he said.
"To do what? I could think of fifteen things I could do that are better than staying here," Heather kept her face forwards, not daring to look at him.
"Is that so?" He asked, almost tauntingly.
"Yes."
"Then I suppose it can't be helped," he let go of her.
Heather got up shortly, not in a hasty manner. As much as she hated him, she couldn't show him her fear of him. She clutched onto her clothes and headed to exit the room.
"Til' later my love," Julius called out for her. She didn't bother to respond.
Julius had it in his mind that he loved her but that was far from the truth. He didn't love, he loved the idea of her. He saw her as an object. The only reason he told her not to put up an act with her is because he believed that he was special and he could deal with the real Heather. If only he knew that Heather's sweet and kin personality wasn't 100% true.
When she arrived at the tower, Heather didn't immediately go to the 12th floor, which was dedicated for District 12 victor. Instead, she hit the 4th button. Heather needed Finnick.
In his apartment, Heather caught sight of him sitting on the couch. At the elevator's ping that announced her entrance, Finnick stood up to greet her. Unable to hold herself any longer, Heather ran and threw herself at him. She didn't cry and kept holding tightly onto him.
It wasn't long before he hugged her back. Rubbing his hand soothingly on her back. "Who was it this time?"
"Julius," she mumbled out his name.
She heard him take a sharp intake of breath. "It must've been hard."
"It was."
They stayed in this position for some time. When it came to these sorts of issues, Finnick was her go to person. He was the one who warned her about Snow's offer when Haymitch was too afraid to do that. He was the one who was there after she'd done it with the twins. He was there whenever she needed them. And she had no doubt that he depended on her in the same way.
No offence to Cashmere and Haymitch, she still cared about. Haymitch was the love of her life and Cashmere was one of her closest friends. However, she'd already imprinted on Finnick and she couldn't imagine talking about these topics beside him.
Some time later, Heather found herself sitting beside Finnick on the couch. "When do you leave?" Heather asked. The obvious answer was after the victor banquet but because this hunger games took longer than usual, Heather had a feelings that Finnick might be leaving earlier
"The day after tomorrow," he told her.
"Who is it this time?"
"Dana."
Heather cringed, which made Finnick laugh out loud. "Yea, my same exact reaction."
"I hope for your sack that you don't go insane," Heather said. Dana was a vicious pompous woman. She was beyond obnoxious and Heather couldn't stand in her presence for 10 minutes without wishing to stab herself with a dagger.
"Yeah, me too," Finnick agreed. After a while, he said something, "You know what this reminds me of?"
"What?" Heather looked up at him.
"When Katniss decorated Rue's body with flowers," Heather's eyes widened at his answer. "Those flowers brought the Rue's humanity, something that should've been known from the start. Katniss showed the Captiol that Rue was human like them," Finnick glanced down with her, his eyes teary, "That we're all humans like them."
"Oh, Finn," Heather went to give him a hug.
She heard him let out a sob, "I just want this to be over."
Heather held him tightly. "And it will be, I promise you. I'll make sure of it."
She let him cry on her shoulder. She hadn't seen him this vulnerable since his twin sister, Marina, died from childbirth. But thinking about it, this was to be expected. After all, Finnick was covering up all his wounds with jokes and his charms. It was about time his wall had cracked.
Afterwards during lunchtime, Heather said goodbye to Finnick and headed for her floor. Heather entered her district's apartement, she looked around for Haymitch. The apartments in the Victor Towers each had two floors so when she couldn't find him on this floor, she went upstairs.
"Haymitch," she called out for him. A few seconds later, he came out of one of the rooms. His face immediately lit up, the love he had for her clear in his eyes.
He walked up to her and placed a fleeting gentle kiss on her forehead. He didn't ask her anything about last night or why she was late. He never did. Heather always wondered if it was because he didn't know what to ask or because he knew better than to. Whatever which one it was, Heather knew that he was worried about her.
Holding hands, they went down the stairs. Having nothing else to think about, Heather suddenly felt the hunger in her stomach. "Can you make some food?"
Haymitch glanced down at her, "Of course."
Not many people knew that Haymitch was actually an expert in the kitchen. Heather was one of the three lucky people who knew, the other two being Luke and Chaff. It should've been obvious since he had to take care of his mother and little brother so it made sense that he knew how to cook.
As she watched Haymitch work in the kitchen, Heather felt the urge to talk to him about the subject they've been avoiding ever since Katniss and Peeta made it out alive. "What do you think Snow is going to do?" Heather finally asked.
Haymitch paused for a moment before going back to do his work, "I don't know, its too early to tell."
Heather nodded her head. "What Katniss did-"
"Was reckless," Haymitch cut her off.
"But also smart. I mean, it worked," Heather argued.
"At what cost?!" He snapped at her. Heather didn't flinch and stood her ground, glaring at him. It worked as Haymitch's face softened a bit. "Sorry."
Heather nodded, not trusting herself to speak. After a moment, she spoke again, "How do you think this will affect the Rebellion?"
Haymitch stayed quiet, thinking over his response. "I think that the Rebellion might happen much sooner than later."
"She inspired the people," Heather pieced out Haymitch's reason for this prediction.
"Yeah, she did," he muttered under his breath. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"Uh-huh," she nodded, crossing her arms on the cold counter table and placing her head on top. As much as reckless this sounded, they couldn't act without laying out a plan. And until they see Snow's reaction to this and develop a deep knowledge of the situation, there was no plan.
"Oh, I forgot to tell," Haymitch said as he laid down the dishes in front of her. "The doctors called you earlier. Peeta's awake."
Heather's jaw dropped open, "What? Why couldn't you tell me earlier?"
"Because of this," he gestured towards her shocked face with a spoon. "You need to sort yourself out before you get to see him. He just got out of a killing game, the last thing he needs is a hysterical woman telling him that he lost his leg. Besides, you're not going anywhere with that empty stomach.
"Hmph," Heather explained. She knew that the man was right but the stubborn part of her refused to comply with his words. In the end though, she had to admit that he was right and she began to quickly eat the food on her plate. Haymitch watched her devour the food in a hast. He didn't comment on her unusual behavior and just let her be but he did keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't choke on the bits of food.
Heather stood outside Peeta's door. She took a deep breath and mentally reviewed what she was going to do once she came face-to-face with Peeta. She thanked the woman who guided her to Peeta's door. Heather caught a glimpse of Peeta through the transparent glass on the door. He was laying on the bed and Heather couldn't see him so she couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep. Either way, she stepped in the room quietly so as to not startle him.
This was the moment she has been waiting yet she was hesitating. She was afraid that this was all a dream and not real. Even though her mind nagged at her that this wasn't true and that this was actually happening. However her heart refused to believe that as it was afraid of getting hurt once again.
Heather exhaled softly as she gathered every ounce of courage she could muster and proceeded to walk to where he laid. Her steps were light and eventually, she reached the bed. Heather looked over the boy's face and noticed his closed eyes.
Her chest tightened as a wave of emotion over here. Peeta was here. He was in front of her. And he was breathing, he was alive!
But he had lost his leg and it was up to Heather to tell him about this. Hesitantly, Heather reached out her hand and pushed his bangs away from his face. She chuckled as she realized how similar Peeta looked as Luke as they both needed a haircut.
Then, without any warnings, Peeta opened his eyes. Shocked, Heather immediately pulled her hand away. He blinked a few times, squinting at the light. Then, he glanced up at her. His eyes widened as he didn't expect to see her here.
"H-heather," he called out her name.
Heather stayed in shock for a few seconds until her mind was able to comprehend that Peeta was now awake. Peeta took a moment to look around the room. It was bare of any other furniture beside the bed he laid on, the medical machines surrounding him, and a chair beside his bedside. The walls were pale green and the room was clearly sterile.
Slowly, as he sat up, Heather broke off her silence. Her hand reached out for his cheek and she gently stroked it. With teary eyes, Heather instantly leaned him and hugged him.
"Oh, Peeta," Heather cried. "I'm so sorry."
Puzzled, Peeta hesitantly hugged the woman back. He didn't know what she was apologizing for. However, from the sounds of her crying, he could tell that Heather was desperately happy that he came out from the arena. His mood fell as it returned to his darker thoughts.
Earlier, when he told Katniss to shoot him, he didn't say it just because he didn't want her to die. He said it because he knew that Katniss would be missed more than he would. She was the one Haymitch and Heather favoured. She was the one with the family that truly cared about her and close friends… like Gale. He knew that the only people who'd miss him were his dad and Miche, but they'd even move on.
But now with Heather crying in his shoulder. Apologizing for all the things he'd suffered through, for all the things that she didn't have control over, he realized that he was wrong.
Finally, Heather stopped crying. She pulled away from him and wiped her tears. She noticed the wet splotch on his shoulder and winced. "Sorry for acting this way."
"Ah, it's fine," he paused. "Are you okay?"
Heather blinked, not expecting the question. Here he was, weak and battered yet he was asking about her well-being. A soft smile came into her face. "I'm alright."
Peeta nodded, looking down at his lap. Then, a sudden question that he wished he'd thought of sooner came to him. "How is Katniss?''
"She's alright. She's just tired and needs plenty of rest."
"You saw her?" Peeta stared at her intensely. His desperation to see Katniss particularly oozing off of him.
"No, but that's what the doctors told me," Heather felt sad at seeing him frown.
"Can I see her?"
"I don't know, I'd have to ask," Heather told him. Then she suddenly remembered the prime reason she came to visit him. "Peeta, I have something to tell you."
"Hm? What is it?" Peeta asked curiously. Heather inhaled deeply then took Peeta's hand in hers. She stared into his eyes with sadness and pity. Instantly, Peeta's mind began to theorize why Heather was giving him this look. He knew that it wasn't about Katniss. Heather had just told him that he was fine. So then why did she like this. He suddenly realized why when he looked down at his leg. "It's about my leg, isn't it?"
Heather didn't even bother to act surprised. "They had to cut it off. You lost too much blood," she told him quietly.
Peeta nodded, his face void of any emotion. Heather watched him closely for any sudden late reaction. However, there weren't any.
"I can still feel it there," Peeta said after a while.
Heather pushed his bangs away from his face as she explained, "It's because your brain still thinks that it's there. The nerves in your leg are acting as if it's there."
"Nice to know that things are still confusing," Peeta said as he unconsciously leaned into her touch. His past frequent physical interactions with Katniss sparked up his muscle memory.
"Don't worry, I'll be right here to help you," Heather assured him.
"Thanks."
Shortly, an avox entered with a bed tray of food for Peeta. After setting it up, the Avox retreated in silence from the room. Peeta looked at the plates of food in hunger. He looked at Heather, as if to ask her permission to eat. In response, Heather unwrapped the eating utensils out of the napkin. She gave them to him and placed the napkin on his nap.
"You should eat, and don't forget to take your medicine afterwards," Heather told him as she got up from the chair.
"You're leaving?" He looked disappointed.
"I'll be back tomorrow," Heather kissed him on the forehead. "Besides, after taking your medicine, you'll probably go back to sleep."
The next day, true to her work, Heather returned. This time with more information regarding Peeta's amputated leg. She had spent last night reading up on cases similar to Peeta's. She even considered calling up on Eero, a victor from District 7, who had also had his leg amputated.
When she entered the room, Peeta was staring at his leg. She frowned, "Is something wrong?"
"Huh," Peeta looked up at her, having not noticed her earlier. "Oh, hi Heather."
"Did you feel something from your leg?"
He shrugged, "Yeah, sometimes."
"And are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Then what's the problem?" Heather took a seat in the chair beside his bedside.
Peeta sighed, still not looking up from his leg. "I still haven't looked at it," he told her.
Heather didn't say anything in case he was about to add onto his words. When he didn't, she said, "Is it because you're scared?"
He shook his head, "No- I don't know."
"Then why not?"
"I guess it's because," Peeta racked his brain for a reasonable explanation, "I'm scared of change. I mean, all that pain I had to go through in the arena, I thought that it would be all gone when I won. I thought that I would be able to go back to living normally."
Heather gave him a sad smile as she listened to him. She had the same mindset when she won her games. "Peeta, things aren't gonna be the same. They'll never be the same. And I'm sorry for that and I'm sorry for what's about to come. I don't know whether they'll get better for you but I promise that you'll get used to them."
Peeta nodded, not saying anything. Heather took it as a hit that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Quickly, she changed the subject. "About Katniss, I asked if you're allowed to see her and basically, they plan to reunite you two in front of cameras. I'm sorry."
He frowned but a sad smile covered his face, "That's alright. I should've expected that. Thanks for telling me though."
Heather felt grateful for the boy's understanding and calm nature. Still, she knew that he was bottling all his dark thoughts and emotions inside of him. This might sound hypocritical coming from her, but she experiences first-hand how things get if one kept what they're feeling to themselves.
"Peeta, you know you can tell me anything, right? I promise that I'll listen to everything you, even if it sounds dump and doesn't make sense," Heather vowed.
Peeta gave her an odd look, his cheeks slightly blushing. "Th-thank you," he'd never had someone say this to him.
"Of course," Heather smiled. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you. Who are you going to live with when we go back?"
Heather had been wondering about that when she was reading upon amputation the other day. She needed to educated the person staying with Peeta on what to expect and how to take care of him.
Peeta blinked, "I haven't thought that."
"Well, now that you're thinking about it, who do you want to live with?"
Heather patiently waited for Peeta to think this over. After a few minutes, he sighed, "Promise to not judge me?"
"Of course not."
"I don't think I want to live with my family. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love them but I don't want to-to." Peeta struggled with words to explain his feelings.
"Peeta," Heather placed her hand on his arm. "You're not going to leave alone. Had you not lost your leg then its fine but you did and you need someone to take care of you until you get used to living without your leg."
Peeta narrowed his eyes, "I can take care of myself."
Heather merely cocked her eyebrow. "Oh, really? Her voice was dripping sarcasm. "Can you stand up?"
He blushed, "No, but-"
"Can you walk?" Heather continued to ask. That shut him up. "Look, Peeta, it's going to take a long time for you to get used to living without your leg. And until you're able to walk and stand without any help then you need someone to be there for you. I'm telling you now that it's going to be a long difficult road before you achieve that. It's going to take at least 3 weeks for the swelling in your leg to go down before we're able to get a permanent prosthetic leg for you."
"So I have to have someone live with me?"
"Yes," Heather told him. However, seeing the sad look on his face made her slightly regret how harsh she was with him. She began to go over Peeta's family members in her mind. His father and Miche were the best options but Mr. Mellark had to work in the bakery and Miche's wife, Katie, was insensitive to certain things. Rye and his mother were out of the option. A brilliant idea came to her mind.
"Say, Peeta," she mused. "Why don't you live with me?"
"What?" He turned to her, surprised.
"You're clearly uncomfortable with living with your family," Heather said. "Plus, Luke would love the company."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Peeta looked at her worriedly.
"Of course not," her eyes twinkled at him. With him under her roof, she'd be able to keep her eye on him. "In fact, i'd love it if you do. Take your time and think about it."
"O-okay," he still looked hesitant about the idea as he stuttered. "Thank you, Heather."
"You're welcome, Peeta."
Days went by as Katniss and Peeta recovered. When Peeta got fitted for his temporary prosthetic, Heather was there to support as he re-learned how to stand and walk. By now, he could stand by himself but he still needed a cane to walk. He still didn't give her an answer to her offer but Heather didn't let that bother her and continued to be patient.
The morning of the day Katniss and Peeta were going to be reunited, Heather was the first to wake up. It was unusual because it was normally Haymitch who would wake up first. Thinking about it, it was why the task of making breakfast usually fell upon him. After showering and changing into a shift dress, Heather found Haymitch still sleeping in the bed.
With a smile full of adoration, Heather walked to the bed. She got on the bed and straddled his waist. She laid down on top of him and began to pepper kisses along his neck and collarbone. When he didn't stir, Heather whispered in his ear, "Haymitch, come on, wake up. We're going to be late."
He twitched slightly but his eyes still remained close. Heather waited a bit for him to wake up. Haymitch was light sleeper and sensitive to noises so she knew that it was a matter of time before he'd open his eyes. And true to that, Haymitch woke up to a pair of cyan eyes looking at him with patience. He lazily smiled, something that he'd always do at the sight of his beloved.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," she giggled.
"What time is it?" He asked as he slowly sat up. With their height difference, Heather's head reached his neck as they sat across from each other with her in his lap.
"I think it's eight something, I'll have to check," Heather reached out her hand to smooth out his messy hair. "You need to wash your hair."
"Is it that greasy?"
"Uh, a bit," Heather kissed his check and slid off of him. "I'm gonna go make breakfast."
An hour later, Heather and Haymitch were waiting in a large room to meet Katniss. They'd already saw Peeta before he'd go with Portia to get ready. At the moment, they were with Effie and Cinna. Heather impatiently tapped her foot on the ground as she waited for Katniss to appear. Meanwhile, Effie, Cinna, and Haymitch were all engaged in a conversation about Katniss.
"Peeta!" a voice suddenly called out.
Katniss' voice.
"Katniss?!" Heather said her name loudly.
And then there she was. immediately without any hesitation Katniss launched herself at Heather. They held tightly onto each other and halfway through, tears started to stream down both of their faces. After hugging the others, Katniss looked around with desperation written on her face. It was clearly that she was looking for Peeta.
"Where's Portia? Is she with Peeta? He is all right, isn't he? I mean, he's alive?" she blurted out.
"He's fine. Only they want to do your reunion live on air at the ceremony," Haymitch said.
"Oh. That's all," she calmed down. "I guess I'd want to see that myself."
"Why don't you go with Cinna? He has to get you ready," Heather told her gently.
Katniss hesitantly nodded but she looked to be alright going with Cinna. They were quite closer than an average victor and their side when they left and then tan to Haymitch, well then I guess I'll be going to get ready to.
" Are you going to that salon your prep team opened?" Effie asked enthusiastically
"Yes." Heather felt a bit skeptical answering her question
"Can I come with you?"
"Of course, you don't need to ask."
"Marvellous," Effie exclaimed. Then in a blink of an eye, she had her arm wrapped up around Heather's. Heather barely had time to wave goodbye at Haymitch before the woman tagged her along.
At the salon, Heather tried to deafen the voices of her prep team and Effie as they talked about where they've been during the events of the games and their feelings. They'd try to include her in their conversation but Heather would answer in mediocre sentences that made them hard to add onto.
Zedoary stayed for a short while as he had to do a last minute errand for his husband. He congratulated Heather for her tribute win and wished her luck. The dress designed for her was deep red, made from velvet, off-shoulders dress, and it fell centimetres down her knees.
Her hair was put up in a messy braid bun and was decorated with white flowers on the sides. Her make-up consisted of red lipstick and grey eyeshadow coated with gold glitter. She wore jewelry that included a pearl necklace and earrings and a golden bracelet. Her high heels were white and stood 4 inches tall.
By the time they got ready, they hurried over to the training center and barely made it on time. Heather wanted to talk to Haymitch before the show started but there was not much time for her to do so. He was going to tell Katniss the consequences of her actions and the danger she's in because of them. She wanted to tell him to be gentle with her and not to be harsh like she expected him to. Instead she made it over to the side where Peeta was standing.
"Hey handsome," Heather greeted him.
Peeta turned to her and smiled. He took a moment to evaluate heroutfit before his eyes met hers. "Hey, Heather," he said, "You look great."
"Thanks," she went to stand next to him. "Nervous for the show?"
"Not really," he shook his head. "I'm more excited to see Katniss"
Heather nodded, "I don't expect anything less. So, about my offer, have you reconsidered?"
Peeta hesitated before answering, "I have and… I'll live with you. I mean, you're one of the only people who has my best interest in heart and I really can't think of anyone who can take care of me and make me comfortable better than you."
"I'm happy that you chose that… because I probably won't take no for an answer," they laughed and they talked more about plans for when Peter comes to live with her while the show goes on and the District team was being introduced.
When it was Heather's turn, she winked at Peeta before going on stage. The crowd roared when they saw her and Haymitch take the spotlight. Heather immediately went to Haymitch when she saw him and wrapped her arm around his. They turned to the audience and waved around as the people applauded for them for five minutes straight.
The crowd began to roar again when Peter and Katniss emerged from below. They went more insane when Katniss flung herself at Peeta. The young couple clung to each other and exchanged a few kisses.
While others saw Katniss as happy, Heather could feel something off about the girl's demeanour.
"How did she react when you told her?" Heather asked Haymitch in a low voice.
"She was shocked and nervous," he told her. "And before you ask, yes, I was gentle with her."
She rolled her eyes at his last remark. Eventually, Haymitch stepped forward to break the live fear and the new victor a good-natured shove to their seats. Normally, in its place, there would be a single ornate chair for the victor but since there were two victors, a plush loveseat took its place.
Katniss kicked off her sandals, tucked in her feet, and leaned her head against Peeta's shoulder. Automatically, Peeta wrapped his arm around her. Knowing that Katniss wasn't experienced enough to do this on her own, Heather turned her head to the man beside her who was doing a great job of acting innocent.
When the show began, Heather felt thankful for the fact that the cameras were no longer on her and that the audience were focusing on the screen. Out of all the things that the Capitol made new victors do this was the most ridiculous one in Heather's opinion. Making a victor dress up then force them to watch a three-hour recap of the horror they've lived through so they see their reaction was just plain stupid and inhumane.
Unpleasant thoughts invaded her mind as she thought back to her past struggle to keep an impassive face as she watched her fellow tributes die. She felt bad for both Katniss and Peeta as they also had to suffer through this.
Throughout the show, Heather kept switching between checking on Peeta and Katniss and playing with Haymitch's hand. Finally, after three long hours, it was over. Everyone rose as the anthem played then President Snow came onto the stage, followed by a little girl.
Heather was a bit confused as there was only one crown but then Snow twisted it into two halves. He placed the crowns on their hands with a smile but Heather knew that this was just for show. She had no doubt in her mind that his eyes were as cold as a dead snake's eyes.
Neither knew this but when President Snow met the eyes of Heather and Haymitch, they both gave the older man an equal cold stare with unforgiveness. The man paid them no mind and went on his way.
Then came the part Heather was dreading the most; the Victor Banquet. As soon as they got to the President's mansion, a large quantity of people equally surrounded Heather and Katniss and Peeta. Men and women who were interested in Heather's body then herself didn't leave her side throughout the whole event.
It would have driven her crazy had she not got used to it. Her popularity didn't go unnoticed by Peeta and Katniss as the couple observed her whenever they got the chance. They both felt bad for her as they could immediately look through her fake enthusiastic persona. After seeing the real Heather and how she was really like, it wasn't hard to figure out that she was playing pretends with the Capitol citizens.
However, what was so shocking out of all, was when they saw Seraphina Snow, President Snow's youngest granddaughter, interact with Heather. Katniss couldn't believe her own eyes when Heather dropped her act in front of the sixteen-year-old girl. Heather hugged her and the two walked around the ballroom with their arms linked and talking together as if they're old friends.
When the Banquet was over and it was time to return to the Training Centre, Heather came over to hug the new victors good night.
"You're not coming with us?" Peeta asked.
"No, I have some things to take care of," Heather said with a well-practiced smile that no one could tell was fake but Haymitch, "but I'll try by tonight."
Katniss was about to question her further before Haymitch threw her a warning look that shut her up.
It was only during the night that Heather came back to the twelfth floor of the Training Centre, limping. She was going through explanations that she was preparing in case Peeta, or more specifically, Katniss asked her some questions to rig some answers out of her. She was so deep in her mind that she almost didn't notice Katniss standing outside her room.
"Kat?" Heather called out for her. "What's wrong?"
"Heather, hey," Katniss said and she was about to complain to her about how Haymitch didn't allow her to talk to Peeta before she noted how the woman was limping towards her. "Are you okay?"
"Huh?" Heather glanced down to where Katniss was looking at and laughed. "Oh, something just fell on my foot but I'm alright."
Had her mind not been filled with other issues, Katniss would have caught her lying but alas, that was not the case. "Oh, I see," she said then sighed. "I wanted to talk to Peeta because Haymitch wouldn't let me earlier but I couldn't find him and I can't enter his room."
Heather's face softened. "And what do you want to talk to him about?"
Heather expected Katniss to start spewing things that worried her and how she just wanted to make sure that Peeta was okay but she did neither. Instead, the girl looked away, calculatingly thinking about her response. A normal lover wouldn't have acted like that. A normal lover would have immediately listed the topics they wanted to discuss because they're been stressing over it for the past day. This would've been the case even for stoic people like Katniss and Haymitch.
That's when it hit Heather that Katniss didn't have romantic feelings for Peeta. Sure, she cared for him but she didn't like him that way. Heather felt stupid, all this time she was rooting for them and Katniss didn't feeling a thing for Peeta. The only reason why she didn't notice this earlier like Haymitch was because she was busy being anxious about other matters.
"You don't love Peeta," Heather stated.
"No, I don't," Katniss confirmed. She wasn't surprised that Heather figured it out as she knew the woman was quite observant.
Heather sighed, "This is why Haymitch didn't want you to talk with Peeta."
"What do you mean?" Katniss was still confused.
Heather pushed her hair from her face and let out another frustrated sigh, "Look, Katniss, Peeta lost his leg, he's going to a family who he doesn't have a great relationship with and who didn't expect him to survive, and now, the girl who he was in love with for the past nine years doesn't reciprocate his feelings like he thought. I know that you suffered as he did but Peeta is sensitive and he already harbours pain as it is," she looked at the girl with worried and pained eyes, "Can you please spare him the details until after we go home? Please?"
Katniss felt angry towards the woman. But the anger went away as it came since Heather hit all the right points. She knew that Heather was right but she didn't want to admit it. Did she really want to sadden Peeta? Was it necessary for her to add onto his anxiety?
"What difference will it make though? He will still be angry," Katniss mentioned, still a bit conflicted about this issue.
"The difference is that there wouldn't be cameras around," Heather answered. It was a low blow and she should've said something else but she knew that this was the fact Katniss would listen to.
Of course, Heather ended up being right as Katniss' eyes widened in realization.
The next morning doesn't start off better. Heather woke up to the sound of the crew setting up the interview place and Effie yelling of "big, big, big day!". Last night, her conservation with Katniss didn't only end badly but awkward as well. Heather had warned Katniss to think through her words probably before she talked to Peeta which the young girl was not happy to hear.
After washing up, Heather looked through the clothes in her closet, carefully picking her outfit for the day. She wanted something that was easy to move in but was still stylish. Finally, she settled on a sleeveless flowy green dress. On top of it, she wore a button-up white shirt as she didn't feel like showing too much skin. For accessories, she wore her mother's leaf necklace, which was her district token back when she was in the arena, and golden drop earrings. Her hair was left down but she put on a headband to keep her hair from her face.
As she was putting on her sandals, Haymitch entered the room unannounced. He blinked at her, not expecting her to be awake.
Heather graced him with a smile. "Good morning," she greeted.
"Morning. The interview is about to start, I thought you were still asleep," he told her.
Heather walked over to him and pecked him in the cheek. "Well, I'm awake but thanks for coming," Heather paused, contemplating what she was about to say. "I ran into Katniss last night."
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "And what happened?"
"She got locked out of her room when she tried to sneak to talk to Peeta. And, well, she got mad when I agreed with you," she cringed. "I don't know, Haymitch, I mean, was I too insensitive to her when I said that Peeta doesn't need to know because he already has enough on his plate?"
"Maybe a bit, but you were still right."
"Just because I was right doesn't mean that I want to be," Heather groaned.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" Haymitch offered. "I don't mind being the bad guy."
"No, I'll do it," Heather linked their arms together. "Besides, you may not mind being the bad guy but I do."
When they entered the sitting room, Peeta and Katniss were off talking in a corner but it didn't look like they were talking about anything serious.
"Heather!" Caesar greeted with open arms. Heather stepped into his arms and hugged. "You seem to be better than the last I saw you."
"Thank you," Heather smiled brightly. "Now that Peeta and Katniss are here, there's no reason for me to worry."
"Yes, I'm glad," he said. A member of the crew notified Cesar that it was time to start. He turned back to her and once again said that it was nice to see her healthy and taking care of herself and that he was looking forward to seeing her in the future.
And just like that, Peeta and Katniss were back to their former position with Katniss' feet tucked up and Peeta holding her close. Since Katniss was not much of a talker, Peeta and Caesar were the ones carrying the show. Of course, Katniss has to talk but as soon as she can, she directs the conversation back to Peeta.
Everything was going well until Caesar asked Katniss about when she fell for Peeta.
"Oh, that's a hard one," Katniss let out a faint, breathy laugh that was a bit awkward and looked down at her hands. It was clear that she needed help to answer the question as she wasn't in love with Peeta. Thankfully, Caesar, ever the observant, noticed that and helped.
"Well, I know when it hit me. The night when you shouted out his name from that tree," Caesar commented.
Relief washed Katniss' face and she immediately went with his idea. "Yes, I guess that was it. I mean, until that point, I just tried not to think about what my feelings might be, honestly, because it was so confusing and it only made things worse if I actually cared about him. But then, in the tree, everything changed."
"Why do you think that was?" urges Caesar.
"Maybe, because for the first time. there was a chance I could keep him," Katniss exclaimed shyly.
Heather heard a huff of relief coming from Haymitch. Caesar pulled out a handkerchief and had to take a moment because he's so moved. To this day, Heather wasn't sure if this was real or if he was just acting for the sake of the camera. Peeta pressed his forehead with Katniss' temple and said something inaudible. When she replied, he kissed her and the people, sans Heather and Haymitch, in the room sighed.
Next, they went through all the injuries the two went through. Towards the end of it, Katniss found out that Peeta lost his leg. She blamed herself for using the tourniquet but both Caesar and Peeta reassure her that she did the right thing. The reason why Heather didn't tell her about this was because Peeta wanted to be the one revealing this truth. But between their busy schedules and Haymitch blocking any personal communicative interaction, he didn't get around to do that.
Then, finally, the most important topic that they're been getting anxious about; the berries.
"Katniss, I know you've had a shock, but I've got to ask. The moment when you pulled out those berries. What was going on in your mind. hm?" Caesar asked.
Katniss stayed quiet for a while before she answered. Unlike Haymitch who was out of his wits as he waited for her to answer properly, Heather was 89% confident in Katniss. After all, she was a smart girl. The only way she can answer wrong is if her nerves got to her, and that also had a low chance of happening. "I don't know, I just. couldn't bear the thought of. being without him."
Heather let out a breath of relief that she didn't know was holding.
"Peeta? Anything to add?" Caesar turned to him.
"No. I think that goes for both of us," he says.
Caesar signed off and everyone started to laugh and cry and hug. While Katniss went to Haymitch, Heather went to check on Peeta.
"Okay there?" Heather asked as she helped him stand up. His body was too stiff from sitting too long so he couldn't do it by himself.
"I've had better days," he said.
"Well, a few more hours and we're out of here," Heather laughed.
"Looking forward to it," he smiled.
It was during the train ride when everything went wrong. Heather was in her room, knitting a new sweater for Peeta. They had stopped to refill for fuel and Katniss and Peeta went out for a walk along the tracks.
Suddenly, Katniss came storming her rooms with tears strolling down her face. It took a second for Heather to process the scene in front of her, and when she stood up, Katniss immediately ran to her arms. At that moment, nothing mattered to Heather than comforting the teenaged girl in her hold.
After calming down, Heather sat Katniss down with the girl's head on her shoulder. She didn't ask for any explanation as she was sure the girl would tell her when she's ready. Her worry for Katniss overwhelmed her curiosity so she didn't think about the cause behind Katniss' behaviour.
Finally, Katniss blurted out everything. How she and Peeta were out for a walk, how Haymitch came and ruined everything by congratulating them for their acting, and how they fought after Haymitch left.
"And the worst part is that he wasn't mad though. He seemed… empty," Katniss covered her face with her hands. "I really hurt him."
Heather sighed and looked down as she fidgeted with her fingers. "It's my fault. I should've told you to tell him instead of waiting," Katniss didn't offer any condolences which meant that she partly blamed him too. "I'll go talk to him but I don't think it's going to go well."
And, indeed, it hasn't. All the anger Peeta held, he let out on Heather when she went to him. He yelled at her and blamed her for everything that was happening to him. She knew that most of the things he said, he didn't mean and were spoken out of anger but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt any less.
It was a great feat for Heather to not cry from the harshness of his words. She wasn't even able to get a word in before his descended on her like heavy rain. Despite his brutal tone, she could hear the pain in his voice and see the pain in his eyes. He was hurting and he was hurting badly.
Unfortunately, luck didn't seem on Heather's side as she ran into Haymitch when she got out of Peeta's room.
"Is everything okay? I heard some loud noise?" he asked, concerned.
Somewhere deep in Heather, she knew that what she did was bad but she didn't care. She may have not been clear when she told Haymitch about how Peeta doesn't know the truth but he was clever, he was supposed to catch onto her double-meaning. Heather glared at him and left to her room before he could say a word.
It was no brainer that he was confused about why Heather acted like that towards him but he was smart, let him use his head to figure it out.
Back in her room, Heather sank to the floor and she hugged her knees to her chest. A few whimpers escaped her mouth as she willed herself to not cry like she wanted. This was just like she won her games, she expected everything to be alright once she was back home but this could be the furthest from the truth.
END OF PART I
