He eyes the woman in front of him dressed in a metallic dress that looks more like an armour for someone that's about to go to war.
"What's your name again?" he asked with a slight tone of annoyance.
The woman smiled and it's painful to see. For him, the smile screams fake.
"Effie Trinket", she answered with a high-pitched voice that made his ears want to burst. "Now, introduction is out of the way. May we proceed to the VIP section to discuss the plan for next year's game?" she asked.
Next year's game. Haymitch's tributes just died and the woman he just met wants to talk about next year's game like the death of those kids don't matter at all. It's all business and entertainment, of course. He's kidding himself if he expects to get an escort who actually cares for their tributes.
"No need for any plans, princess. Next year will be the same as this year. More kids dead", he snapped.
Effie pursed her lips in irritation that she hid very well. He didn't fail to see that he struck a nerve and he quite enjoyed it.
"Well, with that mentality it will probably happen. I wish to discuss how you intend to work on getting Sponsors for next year since I noticed District Twelve doesn't have much", Effie said firmly.
He was taken aback by how she spat those words like she's suddenly the boss of him without losing how business-like and formal her words were. No other escorts were able to stand their ground on his presence. They all backed down when he started showing his hostile and rude nature but not Effie. She stood firm and held his eyes with her stare.
"You got balls. I give you that but no discussion for tonight. As you can see, I just lost two kids. If it's all the same to you, I would like to take my time to grieve them before moving on to another pair of kids that we will send to their deaths next year", he snapped.
He expected her to flinch or cry or run away like the others do but she didn't do anything he wanted.
"First of all, mind your language. That's no way to talk to a lady and second, I apologize for being insensitive about your tributes. That's my mistake. We shall discuss the plan next year before the Reaping then", she said and it stunned the Quell Victor. Not only did she call him out for his manners, she also apologize which Capitol citizens rarely do for district people. "It's nice meeting you, Mr. Abernathy. See you next year", she ended and left him at the bar.
His eyes followed her every move. She's a natural, he thought. She can work an entire room and make them hold their breath to her every word. She laughs and responds to their jokes. She gave her opinions on any subject the crowd wishes to talk about. She even dances with some of them. If he's not mistaken, he thinks Effie is a celebrity and a very popular one because everyone seems to know her.
"Got your eye on someone?" Chaff asked once he reached his side.
Haymitch pointed to Effie's direction.
"Meet my new escort", he answered.
Chaff eyed her from head to toe, clearly showing interest.
"Well, that one should be easy to get rid of although it would be a shame because she's pretty hot", his best friend commented.
Hot? He shook his head. She's wearing hideous dress and a horrible wig. What is hot about that? Then he watched her move and talk. She has so much grace in her and it's not exaggerated or put for a show. It's innate with her. He's quite she's not aware that she moves as if she's dancing like a swan.
"You have your own escort to mess with, Chaff. Stay away from mine", he warned and that interests the Eleven's Victor.
ONE YEAR LATER
The Reaping always makes Haymitch anxious and moody. Maybe because it reminds him of the time he was reaped from his family, his life, his innocence. He's been doing it for years and yet the feeling never goes away. The bottle of whisky helps though with his nerves. There will be eyes again while he stands on that stage while two kids from his district will be send to their deaths…again. He has long accepted the fact that there is nothing he can do about it.
"Are you deaf?" a voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
He angrily turned to see who is the intruder at his house and saw yellow. His eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the brightness of the color to recognize that it was Effie who is standing in his living room.
"Don't know how to knock, princess?" he asked.
"The name is Effie, not princess. I did knock. I am in no habit of entering someone's house without knocking and invitation but it's been fifteen minutes and no response from you so I went in. You should do something about your door too. It's unlocked", she answered.
He sighed. He forgot that his new escort got balls and can be annoying.
"Reaping is in two hours. Go away", he spat.
He saw her looking around his house, inspecting it for every dust and filth. She ran her finger on the table before casually shook the dirt from her skin.
"Your place is a pigsty. You should hire a housekeeper. I'm sure you can afford it but if not, I can handle it for you. This is no way to live for a Victor. Anyway, two hours is short to be ready for the Reaping. May I know what you will wear today?" she asked.
He cannot believe the nerves of that woman. She already insulted his house, ordered him to get a housekeeper and now she wants to know what he will wear to the Reaping?
"Sweetheart, I usually wear clothes. I can take care of that myself. Now, go away", he answered and then took two mouthful of his whisky.
He heard Effie made a noise.
"I thought you would say that so I brought you a nice suit to wear. Go upstairs and took a shower. You reeked alcohol and you cannot go in public that way. Once you're done, put this on", she ordered.
Haymitch suddenly got a feeling that it will be a long year.
Here is the new project. I wanted to do like a beginning to end kind of story for my favorite couple and since the book and movie are lacking of their backstory, I took the liberty to start there. Of course, I don't own the characters and Hunger Games. This is all for fun. Enjoy and let me know what you think!