The 70th Hunger Games season has started and Effie arrived at District Twelve two hours early for the Reaping. Her routine went on as usual. She went straight to Haymitch's house to deliver the clothes he must wear to the Reaping so he would be presentable. Unlike the previous years, he's already waiting for her in the living room when she came in the house. She stopped bothering to knock years ago because she's gotten use to his door always being unlocked and him always asleep but not today. He's up and he's waiting for her with that look on his face.
"You're awake. That's new", she muttered involuntarily.
She was planning on greeting him with her usual cheerfulness but he caught her off-guard.
"Seneca Crane", is the only thing he said to her and she knows why he's looking at her like that.
Apparently, the news had reached even District 12. It's either that or Chaff or Mags told him about it.
"It's nothing, Haymitch. There's nothing to fuss about", she muttered.
That's when his fist hit the table. It startled her that had halted her movement and kept her from saying anything.
"Nothing to fuss about? Aside from the fact that you're banging a gamemaker and you're not bothering on hiding it from everyone, you asked for time, princess. I gave you your fucking time for what? So you can screw a gamemaker?" he exclaimed.
To be fair, it's not supposed to get out and be spread around like a wildfire but discretion is not a Capitol trait. Everyone has access to information whether they like it or not. It's not intentional with Seneca Crane. It's just one night filled with alcohol at a party and then one thing lead to another and she found it's better to stick with that than pop another bottle of pill just to cope. It seemed like a good idea at the time but looking at Haymitch now, not so much.
"I did not mean for it to be like that, Haymitch. I was not looking for…" she took a deep breath, "Seneca was…"
What is she supposed to say? That she's not doing very well? That she's back on pills again and in order to keep herself from it, she resorted to sex with Seneca Crane? None of those is going to make the situation better.
"I'm sorry", came out of her mouth instead.
"Is he your boyfriend now?" he asked.
"No, he's not", she answered right away.
Haymitch shrugged and scratched his head.
"I was wondering why you never called or why you never answered my call. Then, I first heard about the news and I was so sure that they're enlisting your services again. Did you know I almost hop on the train to beat up anyone who might be forcing you to do that again but apparently, I was wrong", he chuckled, "No one is forcing you to do anything. No one is enlisting your services. You just gave it freely", he spat.
That hurt. It stings. The way he put it sounds like she's a whore but she did not say anything. Perhaps, she deserves it. He did give her the time she asked for and then he would learn about her brief affair with Seneca Crane.
"I brought you your clothes for the Reaping. Please be ready. I need to see the mayor about some preparations. You will be escorted when you're ready", she just said like a robot and went out of the house.
She just needs to get out. She has to.
He did not plan to confront her like that but he was not able to help himself. He felt betrayed, cheated on. It's not like they talked about being in a relationship. They slept together many times. He knocked her up and asked her to get rid of it. Still, they care for each other so that must count for something, right?
It's not like Effie to just stand there and take everything he said to her but then she did. He knows she's struggling. That's why she asked some time from him but why ran to some guy? Why not run to him? Mags had told him about the parties Effie goes to in the Capitol. She told her that it's for work but Mags saw her just drinking her ass off nothing more. Then, the whole Seneca Crane fire broke off. Chaff was the first one to call him about it. His best friend hates Capitol but he grew to like Effie. After hearing that she was sleeping with a gamemaker, Chaff's view on Effie went back to square one.
There has to be a reason. There's always a reason with Effie Trinket. She does not do things without reason and she did not give him anything earlier. She was about to but she stopped herself. He has to know why, so he pushed himself to get ready and wear the clothes Effie brought him.
She's already on the stage when he arrived. He can see the sadness in her eyes as clear as day but the escort smile is fixed on her face. He noticed her fingers fidgeting, long nails gently scraping her lace gloves. She's on edge. It's always the case with her when it's time to draw names from the bowls. She hates it. He knows she does but she cannot do anything about it which she hates even more.
"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!" her voice rang throughout the plaza.
He has no idea why that sent shivers down his spine. Her tone is laced with that fake cheerfulness, thick Capitol accent, but the way she delivered that sounded so grim, almost ominous and death-like. If the atmosphere is dim, it just went dimmer.
"Welcome to the 70th Hunger Games!" she proceeded before the usual video propaganda was played.
He watched as she mouthed every single word of that video but it's not patronizing. It's almost like a sarcastic mockery of the video which he wished no one else noticed the way he did because that's a big red flag.
"Now, for the girls…" she dipped her hand inside the glass bowl and picked up a piece of paper, "Grace Locksmith!" she announced.
Haymitch saw how her fake smile almost dropped upon seeing the young girl walking towards the stage. She's probably twelve years old, first year to be eligible to be a tribute and her name got drawn.
"For the boys…" Effie cleared her throat and picked one, "Bran Locksmith!" she announced.
She almost stopped breathing when they heard their mother's cry in the audience. Siblings, she thought. She just reaped siblings. The two kids hugged each other on stage and for a moment, she thought she's not going to recover.
Haymitch wanted to go to Effie and snap her out of her trance. She cannot break now, not in front of everyone. Their eyes met and came to an understanding. She cleared her throat and plastered the smile on her face.
"Lovely! Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" she ended and ushered the kids off the stage.
Haymitch found Effie at the hallway focusing on the schedule board like her life depends on it. It's not lost on him what happened during the break and he's still upset about it but seeing her so distraught about the Reaping is topping what he feels at the moment.
"You okay, princess?" he asked.
She looked surprised that he approached her and asked her if she's okay.
"Wonderful…the kids are just saying their goodbye to their family. We have five minutes left and then we can leave", she answered.
He learned to decipher that as the opposite. She's not okay. She's far from okay. She almost slipped on stage for crying out loud.
"Earlier…that was not careful, sweetheart", he muttered lowly.
She took a deep breath. She knows she almost had blown herself earlier. It's just it happened fast and when she saw the children, she almost lost it.
"I handled it", she simply replied and with that, she ushered the kids to the train.
Bran is fourteen and Grace is twelve. They're the only children of their mother whose husband died three years ago. One look at them, Effie already knew they're not going to make it. They're kids, innocent in every way. She doubts they can even hold a knife properly. They're going to die and their mother will be left all alone.
"Princess…" Haymitch's voice brought her back to find the two kids staring at her, waiting for her next instruction.
"Yes…sorry about that. It's hard to keep up with the schedule this season!" the fake laughter hurts her throat, "Well, why don't you two take a nice and warm bath, relax and I will send for you when it's dinner time", she suggested and the two kids just nodded and left.
Once she was able to give instructions to the Avox, she grabbed her cigarette and went to her usual spot to smoke her nerves away. Of course, Haymitch had followed her.
"Please, I don't want to fight right now. You have every right to be mad at me but let's not start now…please", she breathed out.
That's two please in one sentence, enough to inform Haymitch how bad this is for her.
"I'm not here to fight, princess. Just came here to keep you company…that's all", he muttered and sat on the couch with the flask she gifted him.
Her thoughts kept drifting to the kids she just took away from their mother. After years of being escort, one would thought she had learned her lesson but she couldn't help but feel something. It would be a whole lot easier if she can just be like the other escorts but she can't. She cares and that's her flaw.
"They're not going to make it", she stated while her eyes are fixed on the window.
It's not a question. It's a fact.
"Game has not started yet…isn't that what you used to say?" he asked.
"They're siblings. They're Mrs. Locksmith's only children and I reaped them both", she responded.
He sighed. He has no idea how she figured out that the two kids are the only kids of Martha Locksmith but that information does not help her at all. It only added to the guilt of being an escort.
"It's out of your control, sweetheart. You can't predict whose names you're going to pick in those bowls", he tried to explain.
He admits that Effie is not the luckiest escort in Panem. She tends to draw helpless children as tributes but that's not on her. Every children in Twelve is helpless. They're not like the children in Career Districts. They're not trained to fight, to handle weapons. They're just children living a life of a child as it's supposed to be.
"I want them to win. I want them to make it. Tell me how can I make that happen", she pleaded.
"You can't. It's not up to us what's going to happen in that arena. Who knows they'll get lucky. We will never know. We can only do our jobs and help in our own way but that's just it. There's nothing more that we can do for them", he responded.
She knows that. It's the Hunger Games. Rules are rules. Nothing can change that especially an escort like her.
"Do you promise to help them? Mentor them? I know you may think it's a waste of time but…please, try. Give them anything helpful and I will try to get them as many Sponsors as possible", she asked.
A knot in his stomach tightened.
"Don't do anything stupid, Eff", he warned.
He knows her tendencies to go overboard to help their tributes. Sometimes, she just forgets the consequences just to get Sponsors for the kids.
"I promised you I will not do that, didn't I? I will keep that one, Haymitch", she replied.
He sighed and nodded.
"Just making sure we're clear on that. Alright, I'll mentor the kids and you do your thing. We'll do our best to help them, okay? Just keep it together, princess. You will not be able to help them if you fall apart", he agreed.
That finally made her smile.
"Thank you, Haymitch. That means a lot", she responded.