Chapter 2

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I joined Effie, Peeta and Katniss for dinner. Haymitch wasn't there. According to Peeta, he was in the train but he decided to take a nap instead of having dinner.

"So, you're our mentor?" Peeta asked me as the dinner was served.

"Yes, one of them." I replied taking a look at the thick carrot soup. "I'll help as best as I can. Both of you."

"I am glad that at least one of your mentor knows how to behave in public." Effie said with a bright tone. "If someone can help you during The Hunger Games, It's Ash."

I cleared my throat at that. "Like I said, I'll do my best." I started to eat my soup all the while keeping an eye on my two tributes. "Just go easy with the food. Don't eat too fast." I advised them, even though, they probably won't listen.

And they didn't. I could hardly blame them. After all, they don't get to see this amount of food in the district every day. I know what I'm talking about. Peeta and Katniss just kept stuffing their faces, during the entire meal. By then end of it, both of them were starting to look green in the face. Probably struggling to keep their food down.

Before moving to another compartment to see the reaping in the other districts and ours, I poured myself a cup of coffee and one for Effie. The four of us sat on the comfy couches and watched the recaps in silence. Starting with District 1. As usual those are the careers, of course, it is forbidden to train for The Hunger Games but some district does it anyway and no one is saying anything. Maybe District 12 should have done the same. Marvel and Glimmer are their names and then there was Cato and Clove from District 2, those are the one I considered to be the most dangerous. The ones that Katniss and Peeta will have to survive long enough to win the game.

As for the other districts, I barely registered their names. Not that I underestimated them but they weren't careers like in District 1 and 2, they weren't trained like them. They were still potential dangers but with a good strategy they could win this. I needed Haymitch, though. He's better with building up a strategy than I am. Also I needed to know what Peeta and Katniss could do. And then they showed the reaping of District 12 but I didn't pay attention to it. I was thinking hard about what kind of strategy that we needed to adopt. The other districts were strong and usually they didn't have any difficulties to find sponsors. But I like to think that District 12 played it smarter that's how Haymitch and I survived because we were smarter than the rest of them.

Haymitch staggered in the compartment at the end of the recap. "I miss supper?" He slurred. And then he did his Haymitch. He threw up on the carpet and fell into it.

"Fantastic." I groaned.

"A complete lack of manner." Effie said disgusted by the view before fleeing the room.

I put my cup on the table and walked up to Haymitch. He was trying to rise from the slippery fluid that has just come out of his mouth. Katniss and Peeta glanced at each other before looking down at him.

"Can one of you give me a hand?" I asked as I grabbed one of Haymitch's arms. Peeta took the second one and together we pulled him up.

"I tripped?" Haymitch asked. "Smells bad." He wiped his hand on his nose, smearing his face with vomit.

"Let's get you back to your room," Peeta said. "Clean you up a bit."

I smiled at Peeta thankfully and together we led Haymitch through the corridor to his compartment followed by Katniss. It was out of question to put him in bed in that state, so I directly put in the bathtub. Katniss turned the shower on but he was so drunk that he barely noticed.

"Okay. I'll take it from here." I said to Peeta and Katniss. "You two go to bed. You deserved some rest."

"You sure?" Peeta asked me.

"Yes, I am. Just go, get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." I assured him.

"Alright." Katniss retorted nodding at me. She turned around, Peeta also nodded at me and left too.

I left the bathroom for a short moment to grab clean clothes in the drawers for Haymitch. I grabbed a towel from the rack and put in on the chair near the door. Slowly, I started to undress Haymitch and wash out the vomit of his chest hair. He always managed to put himself in such state. Sometimes I think he does it on purpose but I know it's probably not the case. I'm pretty sure he drinks because of what happened in the Second Quarter Quell, the tributes that we watched dying over the years and some other things that he never wanted to talk about.

Once he was cleaned up, I pulled him out of the bathtub. Put some clothes on his back and tucked him into bed. I remembered the first time I had to deal with a drunk Haymitch. Just like today, we were on our way to the Capitol and he had drunk until he got sick. I brought him back to his room with the help of Troy. Troy Bellhill was the male tribute this year, sixteen years old, taller that I am, dark hair and grey eyes. He worked in the mines and he hated me like the rest of the district this year. Thing was that he could have been the one to help Haymitch that night but he couldn't. Simply because he was an empathetic vomiter, the smell of it was enough to send him hurling too. So, I told him that I took care of it, I didn't need two people vomiting on my hands.

It's not the vomit that put me off at the time but the fact that I had to take off his clothes and see him naked. I really didn't want to leave this experience but then again I couldn't let him sleep in that state. So, I did what I had to do. And I've been doing it ever since. Haymitch never asked questions or said thank you and I never told him or asked any thanks. It was some sort of silent agreement, we never talked about it. We probably never will.

Haymitch was snoring when I left his compartment. When I reached mine, I took a quick shower thinking of the long days to come. I took a glass of water and took my pills before going to bed. Those pills are somehow my salvation. Before I discovered them, my nights were plagued with nightmares. Every night I could see the face of the first person I have ever killed haunting me. Midas was his first name, he was eighteen like me and from District One. Well built, blonde, tall with blue eyes. I remembered exactly how it happened. I remembered the blood, how long he took him to stop breathing and how life left his eyes. So, yes, Haymitch has his booze and I had my pills. What a pair we made, uh?

Peeta was already there for breakfast and so was Haymitch, which surprised me a bit. I brushed by Effie on my way to get a cup of coffee. Once the warm dark liquid was in my cup, I sat next to Haymitch. Some eggs, bacons, toast and jam and I was soon stuffing my face.

"Are you gonna put something in your stomach?" I asked to Haymitch who was clearly pouring some alcohol in his coffee.

"I am." He replied showing me his flask.

I snorted. "So, about the games," Peeta started hesitantly. "you're supposed to give us advices, right?"

"What do you want to know?" I asked him taking a bite from my toast.

"How do we find shelter?"

"Yes, princess, how do we do that?" Haymitch asked mockingly.

"Most of the time, you don't." I answered rolling my eyes at Haymitch. "You sleep outside and depending on the weather in the arena, which most likely to be cold, you'd freeze to death before finding one."

"Then, I'll light a fire." Peeta replied matter-of-factly.

"Now, that's a good way to get killed." Haymitch retorted.

"What's a good way to get killed?" Katniss asked standing near the table.

"Oh, joy, why don't you join us?" Haymitch invited her sarcastically. "I was just giving some lifesaving advice."

"I was giving some lifesaving advice." I corrected.

"Like what?" Katniss asked sitting down.

"I was just asking about how to find a shelter." Peeta added.

"Which you could come in handy if in fact you were still alive."

"How do you find shelter?" Katniss asked.

"Pass the jam." Haymitch ordered her.

"How do you find shelter?" Katniss asked again.

"Give me a chance to wake up, sweetheart. This mentoring is very taxing stuff." Haymitch told her. "Can you pass the marmalade?"

Katniss drove her knife into the table between his hand and the marmalade jar. "What the hell?" I exclaimed. As Effie gasped. "That is mahogany."

"Look at you. You just killed a placemat." Haymitch said taking the knife. "You really wanna know how to stay alive? You get people to like you." Haymitch told to Katniss. "Oh, not what you were expecting. When you're in the middle of the game and you're starving or freezing, some water, a knife or even some matches can mean the difference between life and death. And those things only come from sponsors. And to get sponsors, you have to make people like you. And right now, sweetheart, you're not off to a real good start."

"There it is." Peeta exclaimed getting up and rushing to the windows.

I looked behind me but sit still, we were finally reaching the Capitol. Never liked this place. All those people had it easy while we were struggling in the Districts. And as if that wasn't enough, they were enjoying those games and couldn't have enough of it. I turned back to my plate as the train sped through the tunnel. To finally reached the crowd. I heard them cheering for Peeta, as he was the only one that stood near the window. I glanced back at him briefly and saw that Peeta was waving at them.

"Come on, come on." Peeta invited Katniss to join him but she stayed glued to her seat.

"Better keep this knife. He knows what he's doing." Haymitch told her.

"Peeta, you're listening?" I asked him.

"Yes."

"Alright, you're going to be put in the hands of your stylists. They're going to prepare you for the parade." I warned them both. Peeta has stopped waving and was sitting back down. "You're not gonna like it, especially you Katniss. Just know that whatever they're doing to you, just agree to it. Don't resist. Is that understood?" I looked at both of them. Peeta and Katniss didn't make a move. "It's the very first step if you want people to like you."