I don't own The Hunger Games.
November 2011:
"Gather round. I've got a story to tell you."
It was the first time they'd actually stopped for a night since they began their road trip, and the sixteen year olds eagerly gathered around Haymitch's camp fire to hear his tale.
"Firstly, ask yourself one question. Why did I chose you ten to come with me on this trip?"
"Because we're all friends?" Peeta suggested.
"Because we're the most fun?" Glimmer laughed, fist-bumping Gale.
"Because out of all the kids in that high school, you are the most superficial group I've ever met." Haymitch corrected them, raising an eyebrow.
"Superficial?" Johanna chuckled. "No way."
"You don't even see it in yourselves. Raise your hand if you care about grades." Haymitch said, and the whole group kept their hands up.
"Keep your hands raised if you'd lose friends to get perfect grades." He instructed, and nobody dropped their hands.
"Raise your hand if you enjoy parties." He said. "Now drop them if you'd miss a party to hang out with your family."
Again, no hands dropped.
"See what I mean? That's not what life is. Years at the top of the pecking order has left you like this. You shouldn't be worrying more about appearances than being a saving grace for someone, or about being at the hottest party of the year when your younger sibling's at home struggling with an issue. Don't drop friends for grades or sports- encourage them to greatness. Live a full life and maximise who you care about for as long as you can."
"Can we hear the story now?" Finnick asked glumly.
"When I was your age, my father was very sick. I loved him, but not as much as I loved the idea of becoming the next big thing at Panem High. I lost almost all of my friends because I studied too hard to be clever. I got wasted at parties and lost my girlfriend when I cheated on her. I tried too hard to be a track superstar and blew my knee at the age of eighteen. And then one day, when I was out at a fraternity party with some older friends, my dad passed away." Haymitch said, his eyes glinting gold in the firelight.
"Oh no." Annie sniffled, burying her head in Finnick's arm.
"From then on, I realized the true things I should be valuing in life, and now I'm going to teach them to you guys."
"What are they?" Cato asked, leaning forward to catch Haymitch's answer more clearly.
"Friends, family, love, freedom, and having no regrets. Once you have mastered all these, you will truly be alive."
"I'm not sure I understand what you're planning on doing." Annie said as Finnick clicked away on his laptop.
"Well I called everyone, and Cato, Katniss, Gale and Marvel are down for it. The others said no." Finnick explained, typing something.
"So we just need to convince Glimmer, Johanna, Clove and Peeta?" Annie asked, sitting opposite him at their kitchen table.
"Uh-huh." Finnick nodded, his eyes glued to his laptop screen.
"So how are we going to do that? And what are you even doing right now?"
"I'm booking a flight to Massachusetts." He shrugged in response.
"Massachusetts?! No way, Finnick! You are not going to try and convince Clove to come, you know how stubborn she is." Annie said, her mouth hanging open in shock.
"She didn't pick up the phone when I tried to call her. The least I can do is tell her that Haymitch is dead." Finnick explained. "Anyway, it's booked now. I have to be at the JFK airport in six hours."
"Finnick." Annie groaned.
"Come on." Finnick stood up and grabbed his keys from the table. "We have to be at the Crosby street hotel in thirty minutes if we want to catch Glimmer before her shoot."
…
When they reached the Crosby, it was clear to Finnick that Glimmer hadn't quite forgotten Haymitch's teachings. Assistants ran around all over the place fetching Italian coffee for the models and British meat for their pets. Glimmer, however, ran around with them to help them out.
"I see there's still some Haymitch in you." Finnick called to her. Glimmer whipped around- her make-up was dark and smoky and, paired with the messy hair and torn black dress she wore, made her look like a demon.
"Finnick! Annie!" She gasped, embracing the two in a hug.
"Glimmer, looking gorgeous as ever." Finnick greeted her, giving her a friendly peck on the cheek.
"Now, now Finnick. Let's not make Annie jealous." Glimmer laughed.
"Wouldn't dream of it." He chuckled as the three of them pulled away.
"So…I know why you're here." Glimmer said, hitting them with a sudden air of seriousness. "I can't go, Finnick. You know I can't."
"I'm not sure that I do know that, Glim. Think about everything Haymitch did for us. Would you be who you are now if it wasn't for him?" Finnick asked, stating at her intensely.
"I'm doing this for him! He told me to always follow my heart and my dreams. I'm so close to making it big, and I can't leave it all now. He wouldn't want me to." Glimmer explained, folding her arms uncomfortably across her chest.
"Glimmer." It was Annie who stepped forward this time. "I wasn't all that hot on the idea either. But we have to do this. For Haymitch. For his dreams."
Glimmer sighed heavily and bit her lip.
"I'm in."
…
"No."
"Come on Clove, do it for Haymitch."
"No!"
"Why not?"
"You probably hadn't noticed, but I'm kind of busy." Clove gestured with her pen to the stacks of paper on her desk. "Harvard's kicking my ass and I refuse to get behind again and mess up my future."
"Clove…" Finnick trailed off, looking at her sadly.
"Don't look at me like that, Finnick. You have no right to judge me when you don't know how hard I've worked to get here." Clove snapped at him without looking up from the papers she was signing.
"And this is the most important thing to you?"
"Yes!"
"So…You'd lose friends to get perfect grades?" Finnick asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"That's not fair." Clove looked down at the floor, her pen slowing down.
"Maybe we don't want you there anyway." Finnick sighed, turning to leave.
"Good, because I don't want to go." Clove turned back to her paperwork.
Finnick whirled back around and glared at Clove.
"Has this got anything to do with Cato?"
"No way. I can handle him, you know I can." Clove snorted.
"It was a bad break-up, and if he's the reason-"
"He's not!" Clove yelled. "I'm just too busy. I'm sorry, Finnick, I really am. I can't afford to leave."
"I'm going to take a few guesses here, Clove. You fell in love on that trip. Right?" He asked, and Clove stayed silent. "It was incredible and you miss it so much. It was the best time of your life and you dream of it every night because you just can't get over the freedom of the road. You remember everything Haymitch taught us but now you're afraid to put it into action because this is the real world- but that doesn't change the fact that you're going to miss Haymitch a lot. Right?"
Clove stayed silent still, and Finnick sighed deeply. He turned to leave once more and Clove let his hand hit the door handle before she called him back.
"Finnick."
"Yeah?"
"I'll do it. It could be...enlightening. Besides, if you want to convince Johanna, you're going to need me."