Her mind is racing too fast, she can barely catch up. When Haymitch told her to go back immediately to her apartment and wait on the rooftop, she just nodded and obeyed. She has no idea where he's planning on taking her but she trusts him completely. He would never lead her in any harm. He would want to keep her safe and that's what he's doing right now. He's keeping everyone safe. She's sure he's going to get the kids out of the arena first. As much as she wants to help, the only thing she can do right now is to make it to her apartment building.
The Capitol is in chaos. Whatever it is that happened in the arena has spread throughout the city and everyone is going crazy. There is no available car for her to use so she has to walk all the way to her apartment. It's not a good time to be wearing high heels but walking barefoot is not a piece of cake either with all the shards of glass on the streets.
She made it six blocks before someone yelled at her and then there are Peacekeepers surrounding her.
"Don't shoot! My name is Effie Trinket! I'm an escort", she announced.
They might mistake her for a burglar or a rioter although that would be idiotic. No burglar or rioter will dress themselves in haute couture while committing a crime.
"Why are you out here?" one of the Peacekeepers asked.
"Seriously? Everything is a mess. I got so scared being at the Center so I decided to go back to my apartment but as you can see, there's no car available for me to use so I have to make the effort of walking in my designer shoes. The horror!" she exclaimed.
She made a show of showing her sore feet from walking. The man seemed to buy her dumb escort act and was about to let her go when another Peacekeeper approached them, whispered something to the man she was talking to and she knew she's all screwed up.
"You're the escort to Twelve?" the Peacekeeper asked.
Yup, she's screwed.
"Yes, I am. Is there a problem?" she answered then asked him back.
Maybe a miracle will happen…though miracles in Capitol rarely happen.
"You have to come with us", he said.
"What? Why? I want to go home", she asked.
She already knows why they want her to go with them. She already has a clue of what's waiting for her but she still sticks with her role.
"Ms. Trinket, we just need to ask you a couple of questions. After that, you're free to go. It's standard for all people in the games", he answered.
She knows they're not going to let her go but she acted as if the answer cause her relief and she went with them willingly.
Haymitch will be crossed when he finds out she did not make it to the rooftop. He might even think she bailed on him but running was not going to work. It will get herself killed and Haymitch will be furious if she dies like that. The Peacekeepers brought her into a white room where they made her wait for hours. She's not sure. It felt that way.
"Ms. Trinket…" a man said.
He's Capitol but not someone she had seen before. He's not a gamemaker nor a Peacekeeper. She does not know him.
"It's not polite to fail in introducing oneself, mister", she chided.
The man smirked at her and took a seat across from her.
"My apologies, I'm Graham Dayfall. I am President Snow's head of protection detail", he introduced himself.
She had heard about Snow's special group of agents. They're very deadly and very loyal to him.
"I don't understand why I am here, Mr. Dayfall", she muttered.
"Graham is just fine…and you can drop the act with me, Ms. Trinket. We both know you have a clue why you're here", he said.
Snow is probably watching them right now.
"I honestly don't know why. I would appreciate if you would tell me, Graham", she replied.
It sparked an interest in the man's eyes. He is maybe not used to anyone challenging him that way, matching his wits, not intimidated by his status or his skills.
"Your tribute, Katniss Everdeen, shot an arrow to the arena's ceiling. After which a group of rebels broke them out and escaped the Capitol. That includes Head Gamemaker Heavensbee, your Mentor Haymitch Abernathy, Chaff Mitchel, Beetee Latier, and Finnick Odair. Now, we find it fascinating that you failed to know anything about that mess since you're Twelve's escort and you work closely with Mr. Abernathy…too close as I was told", he shared.
So, Peeta and Johanna weren't with them. They did not make it. Are they dead? Are they simply captured and still alive? Why did Haymitch left them?
"The fact that I am here, Graham, should tell you how much I know of whatever it is that happened", she snapped.
Her tone is far from rude but it's not proper either.
"You got left behind. Weren't you trying to meet them somewhere by any chance?" he asked.
"I was going back home when the Peacekeepers found me. I felt unsafe at the penthouse so I decided to go to my apartment instead but you brought me here. I was not meeting anyone. I was trying to get home", she answered without blinking an eye.
It's easy enough to lie once you replayed it over and over in your head. You're starting to believe it. Thank goodness to the hours they made her wait. She had time to prepare.
"I find it strange that Haymitch Abernathy will simply leave his fuck toy behind", he taunted.
She did not take the bait. She will not give him that satisfaction.
"I am an escort, nothing more", she replied.
Graham left her after that and did not come back for another couple of hours. Her eyes are already hurting from the bright light. She's hungry and thirsty and sleep deprived. She has no idea how long they have made her wait inside that room before he came back and asked the same questions. Her answers remained the same and he left again.
The next time he came back, he got Peacekeepers with him and they dragged her out of the room. Her legs are too weak to function on their own so they literally dragged her. It took her a while to process that they're taking her to prison. Well, if they're detaining her that means she will get cellmate. She will have people to talk to. That's a plus. Being alone in that room was already driving her crazy.
"Oh, you're fucking kidding me!" she heard someone exclaimed.
The voice is so familiar. She must have closed her eyes along the way because the next thing she knew, she got tossed somewhere and someone caught her just in time before she hits something hard.
"Effie? Effie? Can you hear me?"
She dared open her eyes and it's no longer bright. It's Peeta she first saw which made her smile.
"Peeta, dear? Oh, you're alive. I feared you're dead…Johanna? Where's Johanna?" she asked immediately asked.
She heard someone scoffed not far from them and when she glanced around, she saw Johanna leaning against the wall with Annie Cresta.
"Missed me already, Trinket? Feeling's not the same", the Victor spat.
Effie smiled, glad that they did not kill that fire in her. Her eyes found a very scared Annie beside her and she frowned. She's supposed to be in Four.
"I don't understand", she muttered.
"They brought her here after the rebels broke the Victors out of the arena. Finnick was one of them so they took Annie as leverage", the boy explained.
Is that what it was? Is that why she's there with them? Is she a leverage now too? They know she knows nothing of the rebellion. They nothing out of her during the interrogation but they have kept her alive because…Haymitch…
"We're alive. It's all that matters", she found herself saying.
Johanna laughed at that.
"Yeah, for how long? You know what, I don't understand. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your mansion right now, drinking fancy cocktails?" she asked.
How she wish that's true. She missed taking a bath, her comfy bed…a man wrapping his arm around her as they both sleep.
"That's being part of a team. You're in it through better or for worse", she simply said.
Peeta held her hand and looked at her in apology.
"Are you alright? You don't look alright?" Annie asked, speaking for the first time.
It made her smile. It's good for her to be talking. Silence can drive people crazy.
"They did not hurt me. I haven't eaten anything since they detained me. No water either and sleep but I'm fine. I'm a bit light-headed though", she answered.
She has no clue how long they've starved her because she feels weak.
"What did you give them?" she frowned at Johanna, "You must have given them something because they let you go", she accused.
Effie felt offended by that. Did Johanna really thinks she will betray Haymitch if she knew something?
"I have nothing to give. Haymitch never told me anything, right until everything went to hell. I never asked either. I have no idea why they let me go but…this is not letting me go though, right?" she answered sadly.
She wished Haymitch had told her everything. She wished she could have been of more use to them. It does not matter if it will get her killed. Look at her now…she's in prison anyway. It did not make any difference whether she knows something or not.
"Yeah…they told him not to include you…told him you're safer if you know nothing. It was fine by me because I don't think you have the balls to betray your precious city. He's going crazy about keeping secrets from you", Johanna chuckled, "He said he wanted to keep you safe. How funny was that? You're here with us in a jail cell! Way to go for keeping you safe!" she exclaimed.
Johanna is bitter for being left behind. She can understand that but it's not Haymitch's fault. She knows that if he can, he wouldn't have left them to the Capitol. Johanna knows that too as well as Peeta and Annie. Sometimes, it just helps to have someone to blame because there's no other alternative to cope. Anger and hatred can be a good motivator to keep on going, to continue to survive.
"It was not his fault", she still found herself saying that, "They will get us out. You'll see. They will not let you remain here for long", she turned to Annie and smiled, "I've known Finnick since he's a kid. He loves you very much and he will not abandon you", she then turned to Peeta and Johanna, "Haymitch thinks of the two of you as his own kid…you can deny it all you want, Johanna, but you know it's true. He's not going to let you stay here forever. He will find a way to get you out. Katniss too, and Chaff. Those people are the most stubborn people I've ever known. I don't think the Capitol can stop them if they set their minds to something", she responded.
It made Peeta and Annie laughed while Johanna, for the first time since they've met, failed to spit a comeback for her pep talk.
They all slept soundly after that until the cell was opened and the Peacekeepers came in. They woke them up and started yelling questions about the rebellion. Johanna only cursed at them and insulted them. Peeta told them he knew nothing and when they're done intimidating the two, they turned their attention to her.
"Escort, want to choose who we will punch first? This bitch or the boy?" the Peacekeeper asked.
Her blood ran cold. She shook her head.
"I can't do that. I will not choose", she refused.
They can't make her do that. She will not choose between Peeta and Johanna.
"Fair enough. We go with the nuthouse then", he decided.
It was like a slow motion in her eyes. The way Johanna and Peeta protested and tried to overpower the Peacekeepers while one of them made his way to a very scared Annie with his baton. She saw him raised it in the air, aimed at the young girl. She did not feel herself moving nor realize what it is she's actually going to do. It only registered to her when she met Annie's eyes and the pain shocked her entire body.