7
Her dream was a declination of crimson hues dotted with darkness.
There were voices in that darkness, warnings, but they were mere murmurs on the wind.
The dread was very real though, the unwavering certainty that bad things were coming, terrible things, that...
Effie woke up screaming, drenched in sweat, her lavender nightgown sticking to her skin. She was sitting long before she realized she was awake.
And the boy rushed into her room, machete at the ready, before she could even blink.
"Effie, are you alright?" he asked, finally lowering his weapon when he saw there was no immediate threat.
The soundproofing spell on her bedroom should have prevented him from hearing her nightmares… It was her first thought. Quickly followed by the realization she must have forgotten to close the door properly.
"Yes…" she offered, her voice shakier than she would have wished. "It was just a dream."
Peeta watched her, apparently not convinced. "You screamed. You sounded…"
She opened her mouth to tell him what she suspected, that the dream was a Slayer dream – or, at least, a washed-out echo of one, the only thing she could get now that she wasn't a Potential anymore – but she suddenly bent in two instead, on the verge of being sick.
"Effie!" Peeta panicked.
Her nose was full of the rotting smell of black magic, she felt the shift deep within the Earth, the triumphant throbbing pull of the Hellmouth…
She swallowed back her nausea and swung her legs out of bed, the feeling of dread only increasing even if the waves coming from the Hellmouth were already fading. "We need to get to Haymitch's. Now."
To his credit, Peeta didn't hesitate for one second. He was already running before she was properly standing up.
Neither of them bothered with dressing gowns or slippers and the chill of the night was cruel when they burst out into the street. Effie barely felt the bite of the icy wind on her sweaty skin though, she kept her blue eyes on Peeta's bare back and let him rush ahead into Haymitch's house. The lights were on and Cinna met them in the hallway, looking slightly ill himself.
"Did you feel that?" the warlock asked, his dark soulless eyes riveted on her.
The strength of his magic hit her like a brick wall and she staggered back for a second but eventually breathed through it and pushed her discomfort to the side.
"Yes." she confirmed. "Something happened with the Hellmouth. Do you think… The Reaping?"
"No." Cinna shook his head. "It didn't open. I would know."
She nodded in relief and reached for the wall to steady herself. She felt dizzy, like her head was filled with cotton…
"Effie, you don't look alright." Peeta remarked in a soft voice, his hand cradling her elbow as if to prevent an eventual fall.
He didn't look well either. Mostly because they had run outside without bothering to cover themselves and he was only wearing pajama pants. She wanted to tell him to go put on a shirt before he caught a cold but there were priorities and, right then, catching a cold wasn't her main concern.
"Is Haymitch still asleep?" she asked.
She had seen lights on the first floor when she had been in the street.
"Katniss screamed." Cinna told them. "He must be with…"
"What?" Peeta cut him off. His hand left Effie's elbow and he was halfway up the stairs by the time the Slayer showed up at the top of them, Haymitch right behind her.
"I'm fine." the girl grumbled, clearly having heard the last part. "Slayer dream."
Peeta studied her for a second and then he made a face and rushed ahead so he could wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders. "You don't look fine."
Katniss stiffened for a second and then allowed it, leaning into his chest.
Haymitch rolled his eyes but a smirk was tugging at his lips. His grey eyes found Effie. "I told Prim to go back to sleep and now she's sulking again. You've got to have a word with her."
Have a word with Prim, take Katniss to a doctor to get on the pill… She wondered when she was supposed to find time to do that when they were up to their necks in demon business.
He must have realized something was wrong – worse than Slayer dreams – because his face suddenly grew serious and he passed the kids down the stairs in a hurry to get to her quicker. One of his hands ended up on her waist, the other coiled around her forearm.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "You look like you're gonna puke." He made a face. "Please, don't puke."
She weakly whacked his chest in protest and licked her lips, trying to compose herself. She didn't like looking so frail in front of the children. "Slayer dreams and the Hellmouth are a bad combination."
"The Hellmouth?" he repeated.
"Something happened." Cinna clarified, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Not the Reaping. It hasn't opened yet. But whatever it was, it was big and extremely dark. Dark enough that everyone who practices magic must have felt it."
"I didn't feel anything." Peeta winced.
"It might be a preparation ritual before the Reaping." Effie added, hugging herself because chills were running down her spine. "We are running out of time."
"I think we are out of time." Katniss said, swallowing hard. "My dream…"
"Okay, we're not talking about it standing here." Haymitch cut her off. "The lot of you go to the library, I'm gonna make some hot chocolate. Looks like the two of you could use it." His eyes stopped on Peeta. "Go fetch a shirt and socks, kid, it's not summer."
He could talk, Effie mused, because he was bare-chested too and his sweatpants were hanging too low for company. And his hair was tousled by sleep and he smelled good and… She leaned against him without really realizing it. Fortunately, everyone else had followed orders. Cinna was gently guiding Katniss toward the library, Peeta had disappeared, presumably to get more clothes.
"Go upstairs and change." Haymitch instructed her, rubbing her arm. "Take a hot shower. You're cold."
She was cold.
Her nightgown was sticking to her skin – and she was fairly sure both Cinna and Peeta must have been able to tell how cold she was just by looking at her breasts but it was a thought she preferred to ignore. And yet she was also certain it wasn't why she was shivering.
"Whatever is coming, it will be bad." she professed.
He cupped her cheek, tilted her head up… His gaze was resigned, knowing perhaps, because he had warned her time and time again it was indeed going to get bad. The kiss he pressed to her forehead was short, more comforting than loving.
"Don't steal my thunder, sweetheart. I like being the pessimistic one." he deadpanned. "Go upstairs, get warm, and when you come back, make sure the kids don't see how scared you are 'cause that won't help."
He was right, of course, and she took a deep breath, raised on tiptoes to steal a peck that he responded to a little distractedly, and then hopped up the stairs to borrow some clothes from his wardrobe. She didn't take a shower because she knew they didn't have time for that sort of luxury but she did search for the smoothest warmest flannel shirt in his drawer. She borrowed a pair of clean boxers but didn't bother with pants and topped the outfit with woolen socks that she pulled up to her knees.
She wouldn't have dared call that look fashionable but she decided it was cute in a just-rolled-out-of-bed way. Feeling cute helped her schooling her features into something a little more cheerful and confident.
When she eventually entered the library, everyone was nursing a mug of hot chocolate and Haymitch handed her one without a word. She took the empty seat next to him. The children were huddled close together on the other side of the table and Cinna was sitting between the four of them, not quite part of the group yet.
"Tell us, Katniss." Haymitch demanded.
The girl sought her gaze and Effie forced a smile, shaking her head a little. "My Slayer dreams are not clear. I can just tell it was not a good omen."
The Slayer hesitated a while longer, her grey eyes darting to Haymitch without meeting his and then away.
"I saw three former Slayers." the girl eventually said. "They warned me the Hellmouth is awake and that Snow knows what's going on and is waiting." She shrugged. "Then there were more Slayers… Too many to count and they said…"
"He's coming." Effie finished for her in a whisper. She hadn't known the words before hearing Katniss' tale but now… Now she did. Now she remembered. She hoped she did a good job at hiding the nervousness but, if Haymitch's hand discreetly falling on her thigh under the table was any indication, she didn't.
"Which Slayers?" Haymitch asked, even though it really wasn't the most pertinent question right then.
There was something in his eyes… A hunger… A doubt…
Katniss made a face and looked down into her mug, staring at the hot chocolate as if the answer was swimming in there… "Maysilee, Mabel and your mom."
"All the Slayers who made an impact on this Hellmouth…" Cinna hummed. "All the Slayers who directly went against Snow…"
It made sense, of course, but it making sense didn't help Haymitch swallow that.
His face closed, his hand snatched away from Effie's leg as if the contact suddenly burned him, and she could feel him emotionally retreating from the conversation even though he didn't move a muscle.
"Alright. So Snow knows they want to bust him out and something happened with the Hellmouth tonight and you're telling me it's not the Reaping?" he directed his question at Cinna. "Cause coupled with that Slayer dream…"
"It was something else." Effie argued. "It was…"
"A dark ritual." Cinna confirmed when she let her sentence trail off. "Really dark." The warlock fidgeted on his chair. "I am worried about Portia."
Haymitch checked the clock on the wall. It was the early hours of morning, barely five. Then, he glanced at her and Effie did her best not to let it show that they had an inkling where the witch might be.
They had an entire conversation in that second and the silent conclusion of that conversation was that they didn't have any chance of successfully raiding the Capitol, not even during daylight, not if it was under the control of an army of vampires. It was the very same problem Iris Abernathy, Mabel Larson and Maysilee Donner had faced in their time. The Capitol could not be taken.
If Cinna insisted on going, they would have to follow. She didn't foresee any outcome where they all got out of there still breathing. Cinna might make it out because he was that powerful but Katniss would be a target and she and Haymitch… Well, they were humans. Not a warlock or a Slayer but humans. And they might be better than the average person at this game of fighting the occult but they were still fragile compared to demons and vampires…
"Did you get anywhere with the book?" he asked.
Cinna let out a frustrated snort. "Nowhere. I can't crack the code. There are a few codices left to try though."
Haymitch waved his hand. "Then let's try those. Effie, Katniss and I are going on a recon mission to the Hellmouth."
"I should come." Cinna immediately argued.
"You're the only one who can touch that book." he pointed out. "And we're just going to have a look. See if there's any activity." He glanced at the clock again and then at her and his Slayer. "We leave in ten. Get ready quick." His eyes lingered on Effie and he lifted an eyebrow. "Stealth mission. No pink."
She made a face at him, annoyed, but it got the designed results and earned him a few chuckles from the children.
"What should I do?" Peeta asked.
There was no point telling him to go back to bed and they both knew that.
"Help Cinna. Look at the shelves for more codices… Hell, fucking google some… Look through the books again in case we missed something…" He shook his head. "I need you on the research front. I need to fucking know what this Reaping is."
Peeta accepted that with a nod. "Okay."
"Okay." Haymitch repeated.
And then they were all moving, rushing to get ready for their respective tasks.
Her pink car wasn't exactly inconspicuous so they borrowed Peeta's truck. Effie insisted on driving because she was nervous and her magic was slowly bubbling under her skin and it was better for her mind to be focused on the road rather than worry she wouldn't be able to control it. Katniss had her bow laid over her lap in the backseat and she was petting it without even realizing it. Haymitch was silent. He stared through the window the whole drive and didn't say a word.
Effie wasn't sure what she was expecting to find in the meadow between the Capitol Hotel and the dead tree that marked the Hellmouth but she had expected… Something.
It was all calm, though.
Nothing amiss.
Not even a lone vampire roaming.
They parked a little away and crept around until Katniss got fed up with them, told them they were too noisy and everyone could hear them miles away, and ordered them to go back to the car while she sneaked closer. Neither of them liked it but it was the first time their Slayer took charge during a mission so they allowed it.
They sat in tense silence and didn't even try to make conversation.
It was a long half hour before Katniss opened the backdoor, making them both startle.
"There's nothing here." she declared. "There are people in the hotel, as much as I can tell, but the lightning tree looked the same as ever. No hole in the ground with a metal seal like in my dream either."
"Any trace of Portia?" Effie insisted. "Of magic? Perhaps I should check… You would not know what to look for…" The sky was turning pinkish. "The sun will be up in a few minutes, I will be safe…"
"Safe from vampires. Not safe from a witch." Haymitch pointed out but immediately let out an annoyed sound. "Effie's right though, you might have missed magic stuff."
"I didn't miss anything." Katniss grumbled. "But knock yourself out."
In the end, she did go and check because she needed to see for herself that everything was right.
Haymitch walked with her, his hand on the grip of his knife…
They both stood in front of the dead stump and, even though they looked around, they couldn't find any trace of any sort of magical ritual. Whatever had happened that night hadn't happened on the Hellmouth which hopefully meant it wasn't related to their Career problem – but that seemed like too much of a coincidence to hope for. And there was no telling if the magic hadn't taken place in the hotel but neither of them suggested they took a closer look.
"We're missing something." he muttered as they trekked back toward the car. "We're missing something and I don't like it."
She didn't like it either.
All the more so when she had the irritating feeling whatever they were missing was right under their nose.
Can you spell troubles? And make it double? XD So... Any theories? Will they ever see some action in this episode, you ask? HAHAHAHA. Consider I am sporting an evil grin. (also according to Akachankami who's doing the beta, Peeta with a machete is a new aesthetic we should all embrace) Let me know your thoughts!