Chapter 14 :
For a moment time seemed to freeze.
The gunshot echoed in Haymitch's ears and he waited for Effie to cry out in pain, to collapse… He waited and waited and it felt like forever.
It merely lasted a second.
Suddenly, there were more gunshots, more barked orders and men in grey emerging from the woods around them. Haymitch and Effie were trapped in the no man's land between the two groups.
"Down!" someone in grey shouted at them and Haymitch obeyed instantly, grabbing Effie and pulling her to the ground, trying to shield her with his body as much as he could.
It could have worked if she had let him.
He should have remembered she never played fair. He wasn't expecting the blow and, therefore, he didn't react quickly enough when her elbow collided with his chest and she escaped from his arms. He barely had time to scramble up before she was already hurtling herself at Hangston with a knife for only weapon.
Haymitch ran but he knew he wouldn't reach them in time. The Peacekeeper's gun was already aiming at her, his white gloved finger was on the trigger…
"Effie!" he screamed, out of fear and despair.
There were too many gunshots ringing around for him to know precisely when Hangston pulled the trigger but, suddenly, Effie stilled.
Haymitch's heart missed a beat but he didn't stop moving. He finally reached her and wrapped his arms around her just as Hangston collapsed in the snow, on his knees, eyes wide, a dark purple stain quickly growing on his chest.
Effie let out a cry of anguish and started wriggling in Haymitch's arms, lifting her right arm in stabbing motions as if she yearned to finish him herself.
"Get her out of the crossfire!" one of the men in grey shouted.
Haymitch had troubles doing that but he managed to drag her a few feet away from the fight and then he simply dropped on her with his whole weight to prevent any more escape as much as to shield her from any wayward bullet. She struggled for a few minutes and then she gave up, becoming strangely limp under him.
"I wanted to kill him myself." she whispered once the gunshots had died. "I wanted to make him pay…"
"Three." he reminded her. "You're not a killer."
"I am not so sure about that." she replied so low it was almost carried away by the requests for the remaining Peacekeepers to drop their gun.
It wasn't long before a worn pair of boots appeared in Haymitch's line of sight. He looked up to see a blond man clad in grey with sparkling blue eyes. Twelve's victor was quick to get back on his feet, hauling Effie up in the process and stepping in front of her protectively – just in case. The man didn't seem very interested in him though, he kept looking at her above Haymitch's shoulder.
"Effie." the stranger smiled. "Long time no see."
He felt Effie tense behind him and then he was roughly pushed aside when she threw herself in the man's open arms with a laugh.
"Hadrian!" she squealed in delight.
If she held him any tighter, Haymitch mused with a pang of jealousy, the man would die of asphyxia.
When she finally released the man, she turned to Haymitch with a bright smile. "He's my cousin." she explained with a touch of hysteria. "See? He's alive. My father was right. My father was…" Her voice broke and she shook her head before holding out her hand to Haymitch who clasped it in his own without a second thought. "Hadrian, this is…"
"Haymitch Abernathy." her cousin finished with an amused smile. "I know the story, Effie. All Panem knows the story by now. We've been looking for you two for a while."
"What?" Haymitch frowned, utterly confused.
Hadrian's grin was almost mocking. "Welcome to the rebellion, Haymitch."
~O~
Effie felt as if she had been riding a rollercoaster nonstop for the past few months.
She looked at the grey clothes they had provided her with in distaste.
"Humor them." Haymitch said from the next bed, slipping the grey undershirt without a second thought. "At least they're dry."
Haymitch didn't look much more convinced by the rebels than Effie was but Thirteen was shelter and that was all they needed. Hadrian's explanations had been scarce and obviously intended to be fuzzy. All the way to the hospital wing, he had repeated and repeated that they would be told what was going on in Command. Effie didn't see what they needed to be told but she had let their doctors probe and poke at her all the same. She had gobbled up the food and swallowed the water and she had shed her damp clothes with gratefulness.
Now they were about to be brought to Command – whatever that was – and Effie was nervous. Everyone they had met on their way down had smiled at them, even sometimes waved at them, reached out to touch them… Haymitch had been as puzzled as she was but had guessed it was because of his status as a victor. He had joked about Thirteen probably not getting their share of famous visitors very often. Effie wasn't convinced. She wasn't a victor, she certainly wasn't that famous and people had still been trying to get her attention.
"Ready?" Haymitch asked, outstretching his hand.
She finished lacing her boot, tugged her shirt in place and grabbed his hand. A soldier led them through a maze of corridors that all looked the same to her. She was feeling small and lost, she clung to Haymitch's hand like a terrified child.
Command was an impressive room full of screens and busy people. Hadrian was there talking to a grey-haired man and, for a second, Effie couldn't breathe properly. Her heart hammered in her chest and the tears almost choked her as a stupid, improbable hope started to spread… Only to be crushed when the man glanced at her.
Wrong eyes.
But still very kind.
"Effie…" her uncle breathed out, with such contained grief she didn't hesitate to run into his arms. "My girl…" He petted her hair as she embraced him tight, and she pretended for just a second that he was her father. The height was the same, they looked alike… It wasn't difficult to lose herself in the fantasy. "I am so very sorry."
A hand brushed her shoulder and she let go of her uncle to step back against Haymitch's chest. He was looking at the rest of the people in the room warily and it was clear he would like to keep her close. She trusted him so she did as he wished.
Aside for her uncle and her cousin, there was a woman in her mid-thirties with already graying hair and cold grey eyes. Effie disliked her on sight. She was sitting next to an old man with square shoulders and a straight back who was staring at her and Haymitch with a calculating face. And lastly, there was another young man with a good belly and a hairstyle that screamed Capitol who was smiling at everyone.
"Please, take a seat." the man suggested, waving at the chairs around the table.
Effie accepted gratefully, relieved to be off her aching feet, and nudged Haymitch to do the same.
"What's going on?" Haymitch asked at once, not one to beat around the bush. He was staring at the screens and Effie took a proper look for the first time. What she saw made the hair stand at the back on her neck.
"Is that Panem?" she whispered.
Riots. Districts in riots that was what was happening.
It was impossible.
"First, a round of introductions are in order." the younger man cleared his throat. "My name is Plutarch Heavensbee, I've been in charge of the Capitol's broadcasts for about two years now. Of course, you already know Jorna and Hadrian Trinket. This is President Fren and his second in command Alma Coin." Plutarch's smile became strained. "As for you, you are now Panem's star-crossed lovers and the new faces of the rebellion."
There was a second of silence.
Effie could hear the blood rushing in her ears.
"What?" Haymitch said at last.
It took entirely too long for Plutarch to tell them Thirteen's complete story. Effie was too tired to focus and she simply tuned him out after a while. Haymitch, on the other hand, seemed enthralled. She watched him as the man talked, studying the way his jaw clenched at some parts of the tale and the way the corner of his mouth would turn up quickly and briefly at some other.
"We have been biding our time for some years now." President Fren said.
It was the first time he had opened his mouth and it made Effie startle. She blushed when all the eyes turned on her.
The President fortunately didn't seem to mind or notice. "We were waiting for an excuse. A spark if you will. You, young lady, gave us the perfect opportunity."
Being addressed as a "young lady" wasn't something that had happened to Effie is some time.
"I didn't do anything." she protested.
"On the contrary." Plutarch countered. "We have been monitoring you ever since we learned what happened to your father. He was one of ours as you must have guessed by now. Your uncle was adamant we needed to smuggle you out of the Capitol…"
"I never thought you would manage to leave by your own means." Jorna interjected. "That was reckless, Effie."
"And brilliant." Haymitch spat defensively. "She made it, didn't she?"
"That she did…" Plutarch laughed. "You have no idea how many times we tried to contact you, Miss Trinket, but then… You seemed to be doing alright on your own and you had no idea what you were leaving in your wake."
Plutarch looked delighted. His eyes were sparkling with obvious amusement. Effie was simply lost.
"I don't understand." she confessed readily enough.
"Rumors." Plutarch explained. "Rumors in every Districts of a Capitol girl fleeing the city and when we were sure you finally reached Twelve and you stumbled on Mr Abernathy's path… Well…"
"All this time you knew where she was, what she was going through… And you didn't help?" Haymitch's tone was soft but dangerous and Effie reached for his hand instinctively, silently begging him not to start a fight. She was too tired to fight, she just wanted to sleep, preferably curled up against him. Yet, Haymitch wasn't done. His fingers laced with hers but his eyes were glaring daggers. "You let her jump off a train?"
"That was unfortunate." the woman shrugged. "Although it made for a wonderful story. People all around Panem bought it hook, line and sinker."
"A story?" Haymitch growled. "What story?"
"Why, a love story, of course." Plutarch grinned. "What else would people want? It was quite an easy tale to spin. A rumor here, tampered footage there… You met Miss Trinket during your time in the Capitol, you both fell madly in love with each other, President Snow learned about it, killed her family as a warning – it certainly wouldn't have been the first time – she fled across the country to join you in Twelve so you could both escape and be free to love each other. Panem's star-crossed lovers. It's perfect because even Capitol's people can relate."
"The Quell wasn't that long ago. You are still quite popular, Abernathy." Hadrian joked. "And Effie is easy on the eye, that doesn't hurt. You've been in those woods for about a week and a half, a lot of things happened during that time. We made it known that the Capitol was after you two to kill you. People rioted over that, all they needed was an excuse really. Of course, Snow wants you to deny it on national TV, Abernathy, that's why we were trying to find you first. You're very good at hiding."
"I don't understand." Effie repeated for the second time, rubbing her eyes. They were burning. She was so exhausted.
"You are the faces of the rebellion." the woman snapped. "You will stand in front of a camera, proclaim your undying love for each other and tell people to keep fighting for as long as necessary."
"That's a bit harsh, Alma." Plutarch cleared his throat. "Ask them if they agree, at least." His eyes fell on their still clasped hands. "Although, I see no acting will be necessary."
Haymitch remained silent for a very long time then he relaxed in the chair, glancing at one of the screens. Effie was trying really hard not to. She could glimpse flames and Peacekeepers shooting at unarmed people.
"Can we win this?" he asked. "Realistically?"
"We have resistance networks in every Districts. People are ready." President Fren said. "All they needed was a reason to fight. You gave them the spark. You need to tend to the fire now."
"That's not what I asked." Haymitch argued. "Can we win this?"
"We believe so." Coin finally answered.
When Haymitch turned to Effie, she already knew what he wanted to ask. His eyes were alight with excitement, full of life…
She had asked him to start running again.
She couldn't refuse him now.
"Twelve." she whispered tiredly, carefully forgetting about the thirteenth point. Thirteen was suicide, he had said again and again. She figured he had no idea how right that was.
"Twelve." he agreed to everyone's puzzlement. "We will do it."
This is the one before last chapter, next one will be an epilogue. I'm publishing early because I won't be here all afternoon. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please do let me know, feedback is important! 3