a/n sorry, I know this took some time to upload, but I've been held up. So sorry for the delay and enjoy!
Chapter 2 Grin and bear it.
Haymitch
Katniss. Katniss. Katniss. Her name pounded in my head, cluttering up my unconscious mind. What was it about her that managed to worm inside my head and force me to constantly think of only her?
Ever since the games, things had been different. Very different. For example the boy, Peeta Mellark had definatley not forgiven me about sending the sponsors to Katniss. But that's what every mentor has to do. They have to choose the best and focus on only keeping them alive. And unfortunately for our friend Peeta, Katniss overpowered him. The question is, am I actually glad that they both won? Or am I, the alcoholic, greasy, Haymitch a selfish coward? Too ashamed to face him. And he knew it too. So it didn't help when he refused to even make eye contact with me. Kids can be so difficult these days.
He wasn't an idiot, that kid. He'd known from the start that Katniss was the one. She overruled him by far.
But that wasn't really the problem. I just needed to understand why I'd felt pain, every time Peeta and Katniss had put on another spectacle of their 'star-cross lovers' act. And how difficult I'd found it to reveal Katniss' grim future with Peeta. The facts were so blatant,
Katniss loves the village boy, Gale.
Peeta loves Katniss.
Gale loves Katniss.
I love Katniss.
Seems like she's got a bit of a fan club.
Katniss
My eyes met the glare of flashing cameras, I blinked my eyes nervously. I could see Peeta's figure at the end opposite me.
"Here we go again." I hissed through my gritted teeth. I hurtled towards him, and flung my arms around him. I looked up at him, his mouth was turned up into a practiced smile but his eyes were dead and pained.
"Katniss." He murmured romantically, loud enough for the press to pick up. He leant down slowly, and crashed his lip down onto mine. I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks. For Peeta, the passion was there, the love was there. For me there was absolutely nothing.
I stood staring out the window, the trees and the fields darting past in a blur. We were on the train headed to district 11. The first district of the victory tour. I couldn't bear the thought of looking into the eyes of Rue's family. She could've lived too. I was just too late. And then there was Thresh, who spared my life. This was going to be a tough one. I felt the presence of someone not to far from my back. Predicting it to be Peeta, I span round, unsure of what to say. But to my surprise my eyes met Haymitch's. He was approximately a meter away from me, piercing me with his stare. I remembered the way he'd look at me earlier and shuddered.
"Hello Haymitch." I greeted, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"How are you holding up?" He grunted, flopping down onto one of the delicate arm chairs. He began pouring himself a drink. I wrinkled my nose at the unpleasant stench.
"So, so." I muttered vaguely.
"That's not a fantastic answer." He sighed. I felt my temper flare.
"Well what did you expect me to say? 'All good Haymitch, so looking forward to meeting two bereaved families, glad to remember Thresh saving my life! Rue standing by me before meeting her untimely death! Jeez Haymitch I at least expected you to understand how I feel!" I yelled. He looked slightly taken aback, before hastily recomposing his features.
"Sweetheart, I blotted out those memories a long time ago. And the idea of revisiting them hasn't exactly tickled me pink. But I've got to keep myself together, for the pair of you." He murmured, his words slurring slightly between each other. "Come sit down." He patted the frilly arm chair opposite him. Katniss hesitantly perched on the edge of the seat, avoiding Haymitch's eyed.
"Now you listen to me girl, and listen hard. This is what you and Peeta both need to do. You need to get ready for the quarter quell. You're gonna teach the tributes as much as you can, you have to remember that there lives are depending on sponsorships. By doing this you have to erase the entire period of time that contained the Hunger Games. I tried it, and failed. So I resolved to this." He gestured to the glass in his hand. "And I got through it somehow. But I still have the nightmares. Nothing ever quite leaves your mind, but during the day you're both going to have to get a grip, grin and bear it."
a/n Ok so I know that wasn't the longest and most exciting chapter in the world, but bear with me, I'm getting there. I'm going to try my best to update as evenly as possible but no promises. Despite the length and delay, I hoped you enjoyed it and please review ! Thanks :P
~Verity~
Ps I had no idea what to call this fanfic so I started off with "Never before him" Then I went to "Sing to me" But I've finally settled on "Stay alive" I promise I won't change it again! ;)