The Peacekeepers were able to drag Katniss and Peeta back inside first, followed by the Victors but Effie was the last one they were able to remove from the stage since she's on the far side of the platform. Therefore, she saw it all happened from the moment they brought the old man to his knees up to the moment he fell on the ground and his blood covered Eleven's soil.
"Princess? Talk to me…Trinket!" she can hear Haymitch's voice but it seemed so distant.
She's back at the Justice Building but she can still the old man's face engraved in her brain. There were people yelling around her. It must have been Chaff and Seeder arguing with the Peacekeepers. She can hear Katniss going ballistic somewhere with Cinna and Peeta trying to calm her down. Everything is going to hell and she…she can't seem to bring herself to move.
"Effie!" it worked on pulling her back from her trance.
She finally met his gray eyes filled with fear. Everything came back to her all at once. Chaff and Seeder are fighting the Peacekeepers, telling them how they ruined the Victory Tour of the first two Victors in history and how it will be of grave consequences to them. That seemed to have done the job in scaring the Peacekeepers because they left them in peace to deal with the chaos outside.
"They shot him, Haymitch", is the first thing she said when she got her voice back.
Haymitch met the Victors' worried eyes. Katniss and Peeta did not see it happen because they were hurried inside first but they heard the shot. The other Victors caught sight of what's about to happen, a gun pointed on the old man's head but did not see his brain shattered. Effie, on the other hand, saw it all.
"Ms. Trinket, I am so sorry about what happened. We were certain we briefed everyone to be on their best behavior. Please, accept our apology for the inconvenience…" Eleven's mayor apologized in panic.
She's not sure whether he's apologizing for the distress it caused everyone or because she's Capitol.
"There's nothing to apologize for, Mayor. I will appreciate it though if you can arrange for us to get back to our train", she managed to reply.
The mayor agreed right away and started barking orders to people about arranging the safe passage of her team.
"You okay, love? It's going to get better. Time will make it better", Chaff checked in on her.
He's talking about what she saw.
"I'm quite alright considering this little hiccup, but thank you for the concern, Chaff", she replied with her escort smile.
The Victor knows that too but did not push on making her talk. Seeder can only sympathize with the shock she's under. When everything's settled, they escorted the Twelve's team back to the station. Cinna ushered the kids inside right away. Effie hugged both Eleven's Victors before going inside the train.
"We're sorry about that, Haymitch. We did not know they will do that", Seeder apologized.
"It's not your fault. We did not know the kids are going to open their mouths like that. Thank you for taking care of those Peacekeepers for us", he responded.
Chaff hugged him and patted his back.
"You watch over Trinket. I don't think she's in good form right now and that's bad", he said.
"I will. See you next season", Haymitch replied and boarded the train as well.
Inside the train, Cinna is talking to Katniss and Peeta when he found them. Effie is that edge of the cart inhaling nicotine right in front of the children which says a lot about her state of mind. Not once, she smoked in front of their kids before and since she couldn't be bothered to walk to the last cart to smoke means she's very much on edge.
"Haymitch…" Cinna tried to get in between but Haymitch is just seething.
"How fucking difficult is it to read a fucking speech written in a fucking card in bold letters?" he growled at the two.
The stylist stood in front of Haymitch to keep him a few steps away from the kids.
"We did not know it's going to happen. We just thought it's a nice gesture to share our allowances to their families", Peeta tried to explain in their defense.
Haymitch scoffed.
"So, you're planning on doing that to all tributes' families? You want to build a fucking charity? You have one job! One! There's a reason there's a speech made for you and that's to prevent something like that from happening but you just don't care! You go up there and you say, 'screw the plan'. How did it work out, huh? We could have left Eleven without any bloodshed and now, because of that, Snow will probably think you're a fucking symbol of the rebellion!" he exclaimed.
He is panting when he's done. Katniss is already crying, probably from guilt. Peeta couldn't look away from the floor. Effie, well, Effie is transfixed on the window as she blew out smoke incessantly.
"Let's just take a moment to breathe, okay? We need to cool our heads and then talk afterwards", Cinna turned to the two, "Go to your rooms and rest", he instructed when it's clear that Effie is not going to take over any time soon.
The kids are actually waiting for her to say something, maybe rant at them for not following her instruction but they got nothing. She sat there in silence and just smoked. They have never seen her smoke before which worried them and informed them how badly they screwed up, so they obeyed Cinna and went to their rooms.
"Will you calm down now? I already talked to Katniss and Peeta. They understood what happened. Shouting at them like that is not going to be productive", the stylist said to him.
Haymitch shoved him aside and grabbed a bottle.
"There's a difference between understanding things and wanting to follow it. They can understand it all they want but it does not mean anything if they're just going to do whatever the fuck they want!" he slammed the bottle onto the bar.
It's a surprise that it did not break from the force.
"They're not going to do that again", Cinna insisted.
"If you two are not going to stop screaming at each other, do me a favor and do it somewhere else. You're giving me a headache", Effie finally broke her silence.
The guys turned to her and saw her lighting up her…they don't know how many cigarette she had already smoked.
"Good of you to join us, princess", Haymitch remarked.
"…seems like you were handling it pretty well. Now, go drink somewhere else", she replied coldly.
Haymitch glared at Cinna who understood what he meant and left the cart for their privacy. He then went to her and grabbed the cigarette from her hand and put it out.
"Talk to me", he said.
Compartmentalizing is all good and it worked well in their world but there's only so much a person can handle before one breaks. He does not want her to break, not now, not when the whole world is watching.
"I've seen the games. I've watched it so many times because it's what expected of us. It's my job too…but I've never…" she's never seen anyone kills someone like that in person before, "He was just…he was just right there and he did not hurt anyone. How…"
He couldn't bear to hear the pain in her voice any longer so he pulled her into his arms. She resisted at first. She obviously does not want to shatter but soon enough gave in because it's already too much. She hardly moved on from what happened to Seneca and she just witnessed a man being murdered right in front of her for saluting to her Victors. She cried and sobbed in his arms until it took a toll on her and her body was exhausted. He held her close until she went limp and finally fell asleep.
"Is she going to alright?" Peeta asked carefully.
Haymitch did not hear the boy come in. He can be stealth when he wants to be.
"She has to. This is not a good time for breakdown", he answered.
Effie slips when she's tethering to the edge. He cannot allow her to slip because it will cost her, her life.
"I am sorry. Katniss and I talked. We will not stray from the cards again. We will follow the plan, we swear", the boy promised.
His eyes are fixated on Effie in his arms. Seeing her like that is new for the boy. Haymitch is aware that the two are closer than Peeta and his own mother. It's odd for the boy to see the well-composed Effie Trinket so broken like that.
"Good, because the consequences of your actions are far greater than you can imagine. There are people, people who actually care about you, who will pay the price for your mistakes. Trust me, it's not something you want to carry around your shoulders for the rest of your lives", he responded.
He should know. He's been living like that since his game. It's been too long and the weight is crushing him down. If it was not for Effie, he would have been crushed a long time ago.
The news of the distress in Eleven reached other districts as well. Security tightened everywhere. Katniss and Peeta stayed true to their word and stuck with the cards. District people expected them to speak true to themselves like what they did to Eleven but they did not. It sparked riot to some other districts. Some people shouted at them for being fake. Pretty sure, Snow is rejoicing at the moment because the people are getting angry with the two love birds.
As they're nearing the Capitol, the more withdrawn Effie has become. She barely eats and she's always smoking. Even the kids are getting worried about her.
"What are you taking?" Haymitch asked when they're finally alone.
She had retreated at the last cart for some space but he had followed her as expected.
"What are you talking about?" she asked him back in irritation.
"Don't try and make me look like an idiot. I ain't blind, sweetheart. You barely sleep and when you do, it's not more three hours but you got the energy of someone who was fortunate enough to get full eight hours of sleep. We've been down this road before. I will ask you again. What are you taking?" he pushed.
He had let it on long enough. There's too many on his plate right now. He's been pressing on Katniss to keep her from firing loose during the tour. Dealing with Effie's addiction is not helping them at all.
She pursed her lips and he just knew she's contemplating on lying to him but that's the thing with the two of them. They're not good with lying to each other. They would rather answer vaguely or give half-truths than lie completely.
"It's not sleeping pills, if that's what you're thinking. It's anti-anxiety meds and I have prescription for it. It helps with the nerves when I feel like I am going to pass out", she admitted.
He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands.
"You don't need that shit, Trinket", he groaned.
"…but I do! You have no idea what it feels like to lose control over yourself. I keep imagining that Peacekeepers will come at my door and kill me. I feel like oxygen is leaving my lungs most of the times but I have to put a smile on my face and pretend like everything's alright because if I don't, everyone will see. Each time I close my eyes, all I see is Seneca's dead body or that old man's bloody head. So, don't you dare tell me what I need and what I don't because you have no idea what I feel!" she exclaimed.
It's the most he's gotten out of her when it comes to what's eating her up inside. It's the guilt.
"You're talking to a guy who killed a lot of people inside an arena, sweetheart. I do understand what you're feeling right now. I do. I also know that keeping it all in is not going to help. That's going to destroy you and it's already working. I am here. Use me as your sounding board, but you can't keep taking those damn pills in your system. You don't need them because I'm right fucking here", he responded.
His words sink in her head and she saw reason. Being apart from him during the hiatus had brought her to spiral down into her old habits but they're together now. He's there with her.
"Hold me please", she requested and he happily obliged.