Chapter 10: White Horses & Golden Carriages

Effie hadn't realized how much she had missed the city until she walked down its streets again, breathing it in. The background noises were almost aggressive after a week of staying in an isolated country house but, to her, it was simply home and she was smiling like an idiot as she made her way toward the cozy cafe Lyssa had agreed to meet her at.

She burrowed into the black woolen sweater she had borrowed from Haymitch again, thinking she should save enough money to buy a coat – or maybe visit a thrift store and see if she could find a cheap one – because the weather was really taking a turn. October was slowly but surely dying and it was becoming too cold to walk around in a makeshift cocktail dress made out of scraps from a wedding dress.

She spotted Lyssa immediately. She had taken a seat outside the cafe despite the fact they would have been more comfortable inside – but, she supposed, that was also a subtle way to convey the meeting would be short.

Her sister looked radiant as usual in a light green coat doubled with white plushy fleece on the inside, open on a sky blue dress impeccably tailored to flatter her figure. Her glossy dark blond hair was up in a complicated bun and there were expensive Gucci sunglasses on her nose even though they weren't really necessary in the gloomy afternoon light.

As usual – even more so perhaps – next to her sister Effie felt inadequate, and not only because of the cheap make-up or the fact she had sewed her dress herself.

"Hello, dear." she greeted cheerfully, as if nothing was amiss.

Lyssandra pursed her lips, giving her a long glance over. "You look dreadful." It seemed to soften her up a little and she slipped her sunglasses off, stood up and kissed her on the cheeks. "What are you wearing? Is that… Is that your wedding dress?"

"I had to… improvise." Effie dismissed, waving a hand in the air but careful not to let her get a good glimpse at her fingers. Her manicure had suffered from all the sewing she had been doing and one of her fake nails had fallen off. She was planning on finding some cheap nail polish before she joined Haymitch back at Katniss' doctor. "Did you manage to get what I asked for?"

Lyssa drummed a finger on the table impatiently, looking around until she caught a waiter's eyes. She ordered two coffee without asking Effie what she wanted and then reached under the table for a heavy looking Louis Vuitton pink travel bag.

Effie lifted her eyebrows, surprised. "I thought Mother gave everything away?"

"Mother is furious and rightfully so." Lyssa chided. "I saved what I could while she was not looking, which you will never tell her."

Effie hastily unzipped the bag and glanced inside. It was crammed full with various things that had clearly been grabbed at random. She spotted her favorite red lacy bra, a silky pair of pajamas shorts, a bottle of perfume, her ivory hairbrush and matching hand mirror, and, at the very bottom, taking up most of the space, her music box full of useless mementoes that she was so happy to see her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Lyssa… Thank you!"

Lyssandra shrugged casually but the rigidity of the gesture told Effie she was actually pleased.

"I managed to grab your purse too. You left it at the hotel." her sister said, sliding her favorite golden purse across the table. It was small and didn't contain much aside from her wallet, her phone, a packet of cigarettes – for emergencies – a lighter, a crimson lipstick she immediately applied and a few mints. "Your phone won't work anymore and Father had all your credit cards blocked so…" Lyssa winced. "I have some cash for you, though, Rufus won't notice."

Her sister was still rummaging in her own purse when the waiter brought the coffee they had ordered.

"I do not need your money." Effie refused, shaking her head. "Thank you. I have a job now."

"A job?" Lyssa repeated as if the word was utterly foreign. She put her purse aside and frowned. "What sort of job?"

"I work as a seamstress." she offered.

"Oh my god, Effie!" her sister gasped, putting a hand in front of her mouth as if she had said the most shocking thing. Concern flashed on her face. "This is entirely silly. Do you know, I am sure Mother would forgive you if you just came home and apologized and promised to sort it out with your fiancé…"

"He is not my fiancé anymore." she snapped. "And I will certainly not do any of that." She sighed. "It is not as terrible as you imagine. It is actually… quite nice. I enjoy it a lot."

Lyssa was staring at her as if she had grown a second head. "Where have you been staying? I have been worrying myself sick imagining you sleeping in the streets…"

"With… friends." she hesitated. For all Lyssa had supposedly been worried, she had still waited a whole week to take her calls.

"Which friends?" Lyssandra frowned. "Mother tried them all." She tilted her head to the side, her features hardening. "She said she saw you run away with a man. Are you staying with him?"

She hesitated even more.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Lyssa but she did not trust her not to report back to their mother and she didn't want Haymitch and the girls caught in what would eventually become an ugly fight. Because she was certain of one thing, Elindra Trinket may have disowned her for now but at some point she would remember that her favorite hobby was to micromanage her life.

Her hesitation was answer enough, it seemed, because Lyssa huffed in anger. "You are! Was this all planned, then? Is he your lover? Was he waiting for you? Did you create that horrible scandal on purpose just to humiliate us?"

"Oh, please." Effie scoffed. "I was the one being offered on a platter in exchange for money."

"Do not be tacky." Lyssa rebuked, wrinkling her nose. "You put Father in trouble, you know. He had to soothe a lot of ruffled feathers."

"I am absolutely sorry if refusing to sell myself to Father's potential customers put the family business in jeopardy." she deadpanned.

Lyssa clearly wasn't seeing what was funny.

"Is your lover putting those ideas in your head?" she snapped. "This is ridiculous. You could have kept him on the side. Why, if you had only married Seneca…"

"Seneca is gay." she cut her off.

Lyssa gaped at her for a moment because this certainly wasn't the sort of things you said in polite society.

Like the fact that Effie herself sometimes liked girls, it was glossed over.

More stupid rules that she was glad to be freed of.

"Nevertheless." Lyssa huffed. "You could have had a perfectly sensible arrangement and be very happy."

She almost asked her if that was what she and Rufus had: an arrangement. She couldn't really see her sister in an open marriage but what did she know ?

"I am very happy." Effie retorted.

"With a ruffian from who knows where who makes you work as a seamstress?" Lyssa scoffed. "No doubt that man thought he could take advantage of your relations or even of your money… You are being manipulated…"

"He is the first honest man I have ever met." she argued. "He… He has two girls…"

"Yes, Mother mentioned seeing children." Lyssa pursed her lips. "Is that what attracted you to him? The chance of playing house?"

Effie recoiled, it wouldn't have hurt more if she had slapped her. "That was uncalled for."

"No." Lyssa countered. "What was uncalled for was the scene you created at your own wedding and the fact that you haven't been around to weather the storm. Mother is beside herself. We are an object of ridicule. And all because you chose to be childish once again instead of acting like a responsible adult."

"You made your feelings very clear." Effie snapped, grabbing the bag and her purse. "Thank you for bringing me this."

She stood up, intending to storm off but Lyssa was quicker and blocked her path, her face suddenly pleading. "Come home, with me, Effie. I will talk to Mother and Father with you. We will convince them to forgive you and then you can marry Father's friend as planned and it can all go back to how it was before…"

She shook her head. "I do not want to go back. I… I know it is hard for you to understand but… I am actually happy right now." She wrapped her sister in a loose embrace that shocked her a little because they never hugged. "I will call you."

She left before Lyssa could recover from her shock.

She wandered around familiar streets, looking at the shop windows without really registering much. She felt weird after seeing Lyssa. As if her past was already a distant memory…

She met Haymitch and Prim in front of Katniss' doctor building as agreed. They were already waiting and they didn't notice her at first. Haymitch was holding Prim's hands and there seemed to be a very serious game of jumping going on. She effortlessly slid next to them. Prim beamed when she saw her and hugged her tight.

"I missed you." the girl said, digging her little pointy chin in her thigh.

"I missed you too." Effie replied, lifting her up to cuddle her which Prim was only too happy about.

"Went well?" Haymitch asked, a little warily. He still feared she would take off with her sister then.

"As expected." Her voice was flat and it seemed to be all the clues he needed to get to his own conclusion because he nodded and grabbed the travel bag from her without even a word about it being pink. "Shall we go get Katniss? What is in store for the rest of the afternoon?"

"The carousel." Prim informed her cheerfully.

Doctor Aurelius was pleased with Katniss' progress that week. Katniss was even more pleased to be released.

They made their way to the park, Prim hopping next to Effie, clinging to her hand, and Katniss sticking close to Haymitch, a little sullen. A regular occurrence after a session, he told Effie privately.

He bought them all hot chocolate and pastries from a stand and the two of them eventually sat on a bench while the girls ran to the carousel with its white horses and golden carriages.

Effie sipped her chocolate slowly, appreciating the warmth of the paper cup in her hands. She was sitting closer to Haymitch than was probably proper but she was enjoying his body heat against her side. It really was starting to get cold.

"What's in the bag?" he asked eventually, after waving back at Prim who was delighted on her horse. Katniss still looked like she was a little sad but every time her sister looked in her direction, she forced a smile.

"Mementoes, mostly." she hummed. "Whatever Lyssa could save from my Mother's wrath." She paused for a moment, letting a teasing smile stretch her lips. "My favorite red bra."

Haymitch's paper cup froze on its way to his lips before it resumed its course.

"I like your sister." he declared.

Effie laughed, maybe a little bitterly. "You would. Everyone loves Lyssa." She took another sip of hot chocolate. "I am not sure she would like you though. She disapproves my behavior most-heartedly. She tried to convince me to come back and get married.

"You shouldn't." he said at once and then winced. "Don't mean 'cause I want you to stay." She frowned and he winced harder. "I want you to stay, that's not what I'm…" He rolled his eyes. "Look, that guy you were gonna marry… When Chaff did his background check on you he found bad stuff about him. He really ain't a good guy."

"Oh, I am aware." she sighed. "He is the sort of man who thinks money buys everything. Even a pretty young wife. No doubt he will have replaced me by now."

"He hurt women before." he insisted. "It was in the file. Charges have all been dropped, of course…"

"Of course." she commented and then waved her hand. "Let's not talk about him. He isn't worth it and it will spoil the afternoon. I am not going back, that much is decided."

He lifted both eyebrows, watching her. "Is it?"

There was something hopeful in his gaze.

She wanted to kiss him but, with all the parents mingling around them watching their kids and the girls on the carousel, she didn't dare.

"I still want to take it slow." she answered.

"Slow works for me." He shrugged and then snorted. "Yeah, no, it's not working for me. But I can make do."

He waved his hand and wiggled his eyebrows and she couldn't help it, she laughed again.

"Crude." she chided.

"But so true." he mocked. There was a brief pause in the conversation because the carousel stopped and the girls came running back. They didn't ask but Haymitch gave them a few coins to buy two more tickets. When they were safely out of earshot, he nudged her arm. "You're telling me you're not doing it?"

She flushed crimson. She wasn't a prude about sex but there were places to talk about that and a true lady certainly wouldn't discuss it in the middle of a public park. And she certainly wouldn't admit to what Haymitch was hinting at.

Effie, however, had always been bad at being the lady her mother wanted her to be.

She leaned close enough that he would feel her breath against his ear.

"I do like picturing your hands on me…" she purred.

He swallowed hard, took a compulsive drink out of his cup and cleared his throat. "Should have known teasing you'd backfire…"

She chuckled but rested her head on his shoulder, happy to watch the girls go round and round.

There were worse ways to pass the time.

The caroussel goes round and round... Did you like this chapter? Will Lyssa keep Effie's secret or spill the beans? Will that red bra ever be put to use? Can Haymitch be any cruder? Let me know your thoughts!