It's too soon, he thought. When he saw what Katniss did, it blew up the entire plan. They did not see it coming. Cinna is already dead, that much is clear for them. Portia is missing. Plutarch secretly met him telling him that it's time to move.
"I have to get Effie. She does not know yet. She needs to be on the pick-up point", he said in urgency.
"Alright. Be quick. You can't be in the Training Center that long. It's the first place they'll look. Get her on the rooftop of her apartment building. We can get her from there in our second hovercraft", the gamemaker replied.
Haymitch shook his head.
"What? No. She rides with us", he insisted.
"Haymitch, we're going inside the arena to get the Victors out. Do you really want her with us in case they shoot us from the sky? They will focus on our hovercraft. That's why we chose to put the people on our lists at the second hovercraft so they will safe", Plutarch explained.
It has made sense in Haymitch's mind and so he agreed and ran back to the penthouse.
She had told him that she loves him. He wants to say it back but his mouth wouldn't allow him too. Years of holding himself from uttering those words. He sort of trained himself to be strange with them. She did not ask question. She did not ask where he's taking her after that. She never asked him what he's gotten himself into. She trusts him just like what he asked of her.
He quickly ran back to Plutarch and boarded the hovercraft. Effie is already making her way back to her apartment. She will be fine. As for them, it's still unsure. They're going to enter the arena which would be swarmed with Peacekeepers shortly.
"There, by the tree", he heard one of the soldiers said.
It's Katniss, Beetee, Chaff, and Finnick all lying on the ground. The hovercraft picked them up one by one. Haymitch stared long and hard at the screen in search for the others.
"I can't see Peeta and Johanna. Where are they?" he asked.
Plutarch ordered for his people to search the arena further. By this time, Johanna and Peeta must have removed their trackers already so they can't track them using that. The only reason they were able to get Katniss even without her tracker is because she's among with the others who still got theirs under their skins.
"Sir, we have to go. The Peacekeepers are inside the arena and there's hovercrafts coming our direction", another man yelled.
Plutarch looked at Haymitch. He can see the regret and desperation in his eyes. He understood what he was trying to tell him through his gaze. They cannot stay. They cannot stay and search for Johanna and Peeta because if they do, they will all be dead including the ones they already rescued.
"Take us up and head for Thirteen", the gamemaker ordered.
Haymitch hit his fist onto the wall. Katniss will surely kill him once she wakes up and realize Peeta was left behind. Then, Finnick and Chaff will grill him all day about Johanna. They will blame him for everything even though it's out of his hands. It's out of Plutarch's hands. They're going to be ambushed right then and there if they had not left.
He was not wrong because when Finnick and Chaff woke up, they yelled at him for leaving Johanna. When Katniss woke up, she almost strangled him for leaving Peeta. He tried to explain what he told Finnick and Chaff before but the girl is fuming.
"Stop, Katniss. It's not something we can do something about. Look around you", the girl did, "If we hadn't left, everyone in this hovercraft would have died. Capitol's hovercraft was coming and they will shoot us out of the sky before we can even find Johanna Mason and Peeta Mellark. It was not Haymitch's call. I ordered us out to leave the arena. You want to blame someone. You blame me and not your mentor", Plutarch cut in.
The girl sneered at him but settled down. Chaff and Finnick are giving him a sympathetic look, reasoning finally getting through their thick skulls.
"…my family", Katniss muttered.
"They're okay. I put them on my list. Peeta's family too, not sure whether it's a good thing to have his horrid mother there but I put her to the list too", he glanced over to his friends, "Your families were on the list too so they should be fine and on their way to Thirteen right now", Haymitch said.
Finnick and Chaff exhaled in relief.
"I'm still mad about Peeta but thank you…" Katniss expressed.
Haymitch snorted at that and slumped on the ground to allow himself to rest for a moment. His body is running high in adrenaline ever since Katniss fired that arrow into the sky.
"Please tell me there's booze in Thirteen", he grumbled.
Plutarch winced before pursing his lips which does not look good for Haymitch.
"…about that. Thirteen does not tolerate alcohol so…" he trailed.
Haymitch already groaned and Chaff is very much alarmed.
"You're not suggesting that Haymitch has to go cold turkey in Thirteen, right? That's going to kill him", his best friend protested.
He's been an alcoholic ever since his family died. Abruptly stopping will surely kill him. Katniss stiffened at the thought of Haymitch dying. She looks murderous. Finnick looks scared.
"They have an excellent medical facility. They will supervise the withdrawal and supply your body with enough vitamins and medicine to get you through it. You will be fine", Plutarch assured him.
Haymitch laughed while shaking his head.
"…and you neglected to tell me all this before you recruited me in your little rebellion. Clever, Heavensbee", he muttered and decided to take a nap right there on the floor.
When he woke up, they're nearing District Thirteen. Beetee is already awake at that point and everyone marveled at seeing the district they've only known through history.
Haymitch finally felt excited despite his scheduled trip to rehab because he'll be seeing Effie again. It does not matter if they throw him inside the rehab as long as Effie is going to be there for him. She would know how to take care of him, to make the pain better. She always has that talent in making him feel better even when the world is full of crap. When he's too out of it, he can be sure that Effie will take over and look after Katniss and Finnick while he's being drained of alcohol in his body.
In the midst of the crowd, he saw Chaff reunited with his family from Eleven, Katniss reunited with her mother and sister, but no sign of Effie. He saw Finnick trying to spot Annie too from couldn't find her. He met the boy's eyes and shared the same question.
Plutarch is talking with a man who must be in charge of the soldiers of Thirteen and their whole vibe does not sit well with both Finnick and Haymitch. The two went towards them and the conversation stopped.
"Where the hell is Trinket and Cresta?" Haymitch asked.
"This is Joseph Boggs, one of the military advisors to President Coin and in-charge of the second hovercraft", Plutarch introduced them to the soldier.
The two Victors turned to Boggs.
"Four was already overrun by Peacekeepers when our hovercraft got there. Ms. Cresta was reported to be arrested and taken into custody. As for Ms. Trinket, we went to the pickup location but she was not there", he answered.
Finnick almost sat on the ground. Of course, they took her. Everyone knows his weakness and that is Annie. Meanwhile, Haymitch shook his head in disbelief.
"No. That's not possible. I told her to go back to her apartment and go to the roof. She understood what I said and she left right after I did. I saw her leaving the Center. You must have gotten the wrong apartment building or better yet, you did not go there at all!" he exclaimed in fury.
This can't be happening, he repeated over and over in his head. He cannot lose Effie this way, not this way. She was supposed to be safe. The whole point of keeping her in the dark was to keep her safe and now, he found out that she did not make it to Thirteen. She's got left behind in the Capitol.
"The building was right. There's no sign of her. I even sent someone to her apartment and it's empty. Ms. Trinket was not there", Boggs explained in his defense.
He didn't have to have her apartment checked but he did just to make sure. Effie was not just there at all.
"It could be she was delayed on her way there or…"
"…or Peacekeepers got to her first", Finnick supplied.
"…or she does not want to come at all", Chaff said. Haymitch glared at his best friend. "Come on. It's not like Thirteen is as cozy as the Capitol. Trinket is not going to give her beloved city up that easily", he added.
Haymitch growled in frustration. His fist is itching to punch someone, anyone to make him feel better.
"She did not even know I was planning on taking her here. I just told her to get to her apartment building's rooftop and that people will be there to pick her up. That was it. She did not ask anything. She did not ask where I was taking her. She agreed and trusted me because I asked her to and now…she's not here. She's left behind in that wretched city and they're going to tear her apart because of me!" he exclaimed before walking away.
"I'll talk to him", Finnick volunteered and followed Haymitch.
There's not a lot of places to hide in Thirteen. The whole district is underground and full of concrete everywhere. Everyone is wearing a gray uniform. He can already imagine Effie's voice complaining about the dullness of the place and how their fashion is so out of date. He clenched his fists in an attempt to stop the tears from coming out. She's supposed to be there with him. That was the plan. He promised Cinna that he will get Effie out of the Capitol when the time comes. He failed to keep that promise.
"Hey", Finnick found him hiding in the corner and decided to sit next to him on the floor. "…not going to ask you how you're doing because I know how you feel", he muttered.
Haymitch wanted to laugh at that. In all the times he denied sleeping with Effie and being in some sort of relationship with her in front of them, not once was he able to fool Finnick and Chaff. His first impulse is to deny to the boy that it's the same thing with Annie but there's no point in doing that now.
"You know Jo is going to take care of your girl. Surely, they will put the Victors together and Jo and Peeta will not going to let them touch a single hair of your girl", he said to the boy.
It's not an exaggeration. Johanna is Finnick's best friend. She knew how much Annie meant to Finnick and she would kill them all if they touched her.
"Maybe they will not hurt her…she does not know anything like you said. She does not know about the rebellion, where we are. They will get nothing from her. Effie is tough, Haymitch. You know that. She's going to get through this and we will get her back. We will get them all back, yeah? We don't leave anyone behind. We don't leave family behind", Finnick said.
Hearing the boy claim Effie as family meant a lot for him. For years, his friends deduced Effie as nothing more than a Capitol escort. Finnick and Mags saw her as something more but it's still nice to hear other people see value in her.
"You're right. We will get them all back, no matter what it takes", Haymitch replied.
That is the first thing he demanded when they met with President Alma Coin. At first glance, he immediately dislike the woman but she's all they've got right now. At least, she does not want them all dead for sports. They need her protection, her resources, her fire power to get Effie, Peeta, Johanna, and Annie back. Thirteen need Katniss on their side. It's quid pro quo. With Plutarch's encouragement, Coin agreed to rescue the remaining Victors along with Effie. Boggs volunteered to do the job but Coin refused. He is needed in Thirteen since Katniss is with them. He is now assigned as her bodyguard. Gale Hawthorne was tasked to lead the rescue mission which put Haymitch at ease. He knows the boy. He knows he's more than capable in getting everyone out.
"Now, your demand has been met, Mr. Abernathy. You must meet ours", Coin said which means it's time for him to go cold turkey.
He took one last look at Plutarch and the man understood what he was trying to say. Save Effie. Save her. It's all that matters to him in that moment. They must save her.