HALF AN HOUR AGO
Effie's heart is beating fast. She knows it's unfair to blame it on the girl. Katniss is young and it's not her fault she's been thrown into this world but is it too hard to understand that antagonizing the gamemakers has serious consequences? How can Haymitch laugh at that? He, of all people, should know how bad it can get no matter how popular Katniss is right now. She is popular and yet, her life might end at the end of the season. Her popularity is not going to help her and it will not help Katniss either.
Her feet brought her in front of Seneca's apartment and she knocked on his door impatiently.
"Effie? What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.
She raised a brow.
"I think you know why I am here", she muttered.
He opened the door widely for her and she walked inside his apartment. Of course, she has been there before. It's been a while since she slept with him but they remained friends. He's a good man. That's why she felt comfortable coming to him.
"Listen, Effie…I know you want to be there for your tribute but she crossed a big line", he said.
"I know. Katniss is impulsive and stubborn as you already know but…you and I know she got a chance to win this whole thing", she responded.
Seneca sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He's much like her. When he's at home, he does not bother with grooming his hair anymore and putting on nice suits. He's plain as a man gets and she's the only person he allows to see him like that.
"Your tribute shot an arrow at us. No one in the history of Hunger Games has ever done that. It may seem bold to other people but it screams disrespect for the gamemakers and for the president. You know that. District people will never understand it but that is the way of life in our city. Katniss Everdeen screwed up, Effie", he explained.
No one disrespects a gamemaker, that is an unspoken golden rule in Hunger Games and yet, Katniss managed to do that in all of them with one single shot.
"You weren't exactly polite with her either. It's her private session and you ignored her after her first shot. Expecting a good behavior after that rudeness is quite hypocritical, don't you think?" she retorted.
For a bunch of people who pride on being civilized and well-mannered, they did display rudeness towards Katniss.
"What do you want me to do, Effie?" he asked in resign.
"Depends…what does the gamemaker has in store for my tribute?" she asked him back.
All it takes is one good look into his eyes and she confirmed they got something in store for Katniss.
"They all voted in unison to give her the lowest score as punishment for her behavior", he answered.
Giving Katniss a low score will endanger her standing when it comes to Sponsors and the gamemakers know that. If she gets the lowest score this season, the Sponsors will doubt her chances inside the arena no matter how appealing she is to the audience. They will have a hard time getting money from Sponsors to help her during the game.
"Seneca…please. You know that's not fair. The girl is skilled in her bow. She could have hit any of you but she went with that apple. Giving her the lowest score is simply just ridiculous. You cannot agree on that", she argued.
Scores are given based on the tributes skills. Katniss surely displayed an excellent aim.
"Majority of gamemakers voted for that", he argued back.
"…and you're the Head Gamemaker", she snapped.
She does not want to pressure him into using his position to help her but she's desperate. She does not want Katniss' behavior to affect all of their hard work. It will ruin her chance and that would a waste. Seneca stared at her hard before sighing.
"I know why you need your tributes to win, Effie. Your life depends on it", he muttered.
So, the gamemakers know about her impending doom. Of course, they do.
"It's not about me, Seneca. You know that. They are different from any tributes we've had. I don't care whether they forced me to retire at the end of the season as long as Haymitch can go back to his district with one of the kids alive. I am sick of sending him back to Twelve with two new coffins. For once, even before I…it would be nice to see one of my children to survive", she said.
There's been too many deaths already and she's longing to see even just one of her tributes making it out of the arena alive.
"You have such a big heart. This world does not deserve you…" he muttered.
She gave him a sad smile.
"…and yet here we are right in the middle of it", she supplied.
Just like her, Seneca was brought into the industry not on his own volition. His family has high expectations from him and they wanted him to be highly regarded in the Capitol. What better way to earn that but by being the Head Gamemaker? It was instilled in him that it's the path to take since he was just a child. She knows this because Seneca told her all about it one night after they slept together. It's one constant thing about Capitol men, they do love pillow talk so much.
"I'll do it in one condition, Effie", he said.
"Name it", she responded eagerly.
She's that desperate. Whatever it takes, she said in her mind.
"Marry me after the game", she's not sure whether it's visible to Seneca but she's certain she just turned white underneath all the makeup on her face. "I know we're not that but…the President knows, Effie. You can fool everyone but not President Snow. If your tributes win, it will not guarantee your safety. He will just find a way to get to you again and to hurt your Victor",
By Victor, he meant Haymitch. So, they're not so discreet after all. All that pretending, it's all for nothing so it seems.
"If you're married to the Head Gamemaker, you will never have to be an escort again. You will not be involved in the games anymore and therefore, be safe. No one will dare touch you if you're my wife. You know that", he explained.
She knows it's true. The Head Gamemaker is like second in command to the president. They can literally order a Peacemaker to kill someone if they want to…if Snow does not intervene.
"My fate is not set in stone, Seneca", she reminded him.
"Like you said, Katniss Everdeen has a chance. If she makes it out, if she became the Victor this year, we'll announce our engagement before the Victory Tour started and then we get married after the tour. You'll retire, officially, from being an escort. Haymitch Abernathy will finally rest from being Mentor and the girl can take over. President Snow will no longer have any reason to use you to torment your Victor because you'll be married to me", he proposed.
It's not a good plan. It will break Haymitch's heart like it will break hers but it's better than her being dead. Her death will destroy him and she cannot let that happen. She will be a forever pressure point for Haymitch now that Snow knows the nature of their relationship. He will torment Haymitch as long as they're together. Seneca was right. It will not stop with this ultimatum for her. At least, it's Seneca, right? He's much better than Nemo Rosehorn. With Seneca, she can be sure that he will treat her right.
"Alright…if Katniss or Peeta win the game, we'll get married. You have my word to hold my end of the deal", she agreed.
"Then you can count that I will hold mine", he replied.
PRESENT TIME
"Tell me how you manage to get the girl that score", Haymitch demanded with a growl.
Of course, he would know. She's an open book when it comes to him. No one can read her as well as he does. Sometimes it's excruciating and quite annoying because she cannot hide anything from him.
"Let's talk about it in the morning, yeah?" she tried to buy some time. She should have known it's a lost cause.
"Tell me now, Effie", he used her first name.
There's no hope to delay it and she already knows it's going to get ugly.
"I made a deal with Seneca", she gave up.
Her room is clean. Cinna assured her that. Her friend has a talent for finding bugs in rooms.
"What kind of deal?" he asked.
"The gamemakers voted to give Katniss the lowest score as punishment for what she did in her private session. You know how they react to disrespect like that. They wanted to affect her standing in the game by discouraging the Sponsors to invest on her", she took a deep breath, "Seneca agreed to sway the vote if I marry him at the end of the season", she answered.
Haymitch snorted before shaking his head.
"He's that desperate, huh? You bought that? You sold yourself to get the girl an eleven score?" he spat.
With the way he worded it, she sounded so cheap, no matter what her intentions are.
"I agreed to the deal because I want at least one of them to come out of the arena alive. If that makes me a whore in your eyes, so be it", they stared at each other for a moment. "Haymitch…he knows",
"He knows what?" he snarled.
She can see that he's seething. He's ready to commit murder.
"He knows about my supposed retirement", she saw him stiffened, "He told me that President Snow knows about us…that we're not fooling the Capitol. Even if our tributes win this game, it will only delay the inevitable. He will only find another way to get back to you through me and I refused to be your pressure point. I will not do that to you if I can help it. You told me once you don't handle grief very well. I don't want you to grieve me. That's the reason I agreed to marrying Seneca. It will derail Snow's plan to hurt you by hurting me. Don't you see that?" she explained.
She hopes that he understands what she's trying to say even though she's not expressing it right.
Haymitch remained silent for a few minutes before grabbing her lampshade and throwing it across the room that made her yelped. He is panting and it's clear that he's calming himself, controlling the beast inside. This is why he does not want to get attached in the first place. This why he avoided human connection for so long. His fear of it being ripped away from him is coming to fruition.
"I see where you're coming from, princess, but fuck, Effie! This is not just you getting a boyfriend somewhere or screwing someone else. We're talking about marriage here! You're walking down the aisle, wearing a ring on your finger, taking up his name!" he exclaimed.
She does not want that either but she's born to walk down that path whether she became an escort or not. It's just her fate.
"It will happen anyway. My father arranged a marriage for me, remember? If I survived this year, if Seneca had not offered…I will have to marry someone else. That someone else, I don't even know him. I am not sure if he's going to be nice to me or if he's going to hurt me or make me miserable. The only consolation I will get from this arrangement is that I know Seneca will not hurt me and I know that you will be safe as well", she responded.
Haymitch hadn't figured out yet how he's going to stop her father from going through with that arranged marriage since his first priority is making sure that Effie will make it to the end of the season. He never anticipated something like this will come out.
"I can't lose you, Trinket", he muttered.
"You will not. You know how I feel no matter where I am or who I'm with", she said.
"It's not the same. You know that", priorities…he forced himself to set his priorities right. That engagement will come after the season if Katniss or Peeta win the game. He can worry about that later after he makes sure that one of those kids will actually win it. "I cannot discuss this right now, princess. Tomorrow, I will walk the kids to the arena and then, we will have to have hustle for Sponsors for them. Let's make sure they make it first and then we can argue about this absurd engagement. How's that?" he proposed.
"Alright, let's table this for now and get some rest. Are you staying?" she asked.
"You know I am", he answered.