Authors note:
You guys are so nice! I loved reading the comments, they inspired me to jump right into making the next chapter, thank you so much. You don't even know how nice it is of you guys to stop and leave a message of encouragement! It's just makes my day! :) Oh and Haymitch says a bad word in this chapter.
"This has to be the longest train ride I've taken in a really long time." I say making small talk with Effie. She doesn't pay any attention to me shes just clutching onto a butter knife. "Haymitch am I holding this knife right?" She asks. "Yeah you got the right idea there, but you don't need the death grip." I say right when lets it fly. I hear a loud crash. Effie had managed to throw the butter knife through the window. "What are you doing!" I scream as a officer bursts through the door. "What's was that sound?" A big brute of a man says. "Well come on tell me!" He repeats.
"Well... I might have broke the window." Effie says edging away from the man. "How did you break the window?" He asks dumbfounded. "She is terrible at darts, sailed right out the window. I think it killed a deer a while back. I'd go back and strap that puppy on the top of this train. You can eat it later when me and Effie here are fighting for our lives and you sit here braiding your ass hair." I say with not having it from this guy. "How about you watch your mouth Abernathy?" I man threats me. "Bring it on, I'm not afraid of anyone! I'll kick your ass right here, right now!" I smile and punch out the other window. I wake up on the floor with a broom and dustpan next to me, attached to it is a note. Hey there Mr. Abernathy, you probably don't remember this but, I tased you. This here is a broom, now use it to clean up that mess.
"Effie where are you?" I call out stumbling a bit. "I'm not cleaning it up, you were the one that did it." She says from the dining car. "That's not what I was asking!" I say sitting across from her. "I was going to tell you, that your knife throwing skills need some work." She glares at me. "This is still so weird, because I want to slap you, but I want to kiss you at the same time." She says placing her soft delicate hand over mine. "I have that effect on people." I say. "Don't be insulted, okay? I have something that's been on my mind." I ask cautiously. "Oh boy, what is it?" She asks.
"Have you ever been romantically involved with a man?" I ask. "Why do you want to know?" She asks leery. "I just want to know you, I feel like you are such a secret person." I say. "I'm not a secret person Haymitch, it's just that there isn't much a Capitol girl has to tell." She says "I'm not too sure where to start.. You see many years ago Snow tried to have me married off some to a victor. There was one problem he was far too young for me. Not to mention I didn't even know him except for his presence in the games. It was when I learned that he had a girl waiting for him at home I decided I just couldn't go through with it."
"I told Snow I'll do anything but, I refuse to marry that poor boy." She stopped a moment, the air in the room had suddenly shifted. "Snow was mad but then he remembered that he could never get anyone to do the reaping in District 12, so here we are. Snow is dead and that young boy he wanted me to marry is dead ." She doesn't say anything. "I'm sorry that happened to you Effie." I touch her shoulder gently. She shrugs and stares out the window, "We are almost to District 13. If I was you I would prepare yourself." She says. The intercom sounds then, "Welcome to District 13, tributes. Please stay in your seat until the train has come to a complete stop. " The voice says. "Eh, been there done that." I say sinking back in my chair. "Effie are you sure that you are okay?" I ask as a single tear falls down her face. "That story just gets me every time." She says getting up. "Oh and you never did clean that mess up." She tells me, I walk right on by it on purpose. "I'll let ass hair get that." Effie gives me a stern look and says. "Haymitch, language!"
"I'm sorry, butt hair!" I correct myself just to make Effie happy.
Just as in the Hunger Games we dress up to impress the people. "Honey we have do something with that nasty hair!" One would say and then the other would comment, "Highlights! He needs some color his hair is so dull!" They poked around at me for about an hour until I even met my stylist. "Hayfield! I heard I got you!" Tigris says entering the room with five foot hair and what looks like cat eye contacts. "It's Haymitch, and Lord haven't I been tortured enough?" I say to the ceiling. "Relax there Haymunch, I'm going to give you a nice subtle look." She says playing with my hair awkwardly. "About time someone does something with your hair!" She screeches, and drags her finger down to my chin. "You look quite handsome for a old alcoholic." She coos into my ear. "Girly you need to keep your hands to yourself or else you will need a tetanus shot!" I warn her.
"What ever you do." I say putting on a skin tight black body suit. "Don't set me on fire that's getting so old!" Right when turn the corner I see Tigris holding a blow torch. "Haymate flames are cool!" She whines. "Girly do I look like the fiery, passionate kind of guy? No, I don't think so." I say frankly. "Let's not mention what you people already did to my hair! I look like I should be singing karaoke at a gay bar!" I say once I seen myself in the mirror. "Haylick it's not even real fire, don't be a wuss." She challenges. "Do I look like I'm a wuss?" I ask throwing her a scowl. "The biggest I've seen!" She says, "And trust me I've seen terrible things." She echos. "Is that right? Well I've done terrible things! And you know what? Go ahead light me up!" I exclaim.
She happily sets me on fire. "Where's Effie?" I ask when the chariots arrive. "I'm right here." She says instantly my jaw drops. She looked stunning! She is dressed in a enormous black ballgown her bodice scattered with millions of tiny chocolate diamonds. The silk of her dress swirls and shapes into giant lace loops that cover the bottom for the gown. It then continues going down to the floor leading to a train that seams to go on forever. In a strange way it almost looked like a wedding gown. "They changed your hair." I say running my hair through it. Her newly colored Raven black hair falls just below her shoulders and curls slightly at the end. The part I liked the most is that she didn't look like the capitol at all! There were no neon colors to be found. For the first time she looked like Effie. "You look stunning when you're not hidden under the Capitol clothes." I say with a subtle wink. "Haymitch you old handsome dog, you." she smiles and kisses my cheek. I help her into the chariot, soon we are introduced to the District 13 crowd. Soon we appear on the screen and like the past two years we burst into flames. The crowd cheers but, some people were expecting to see the flames.
"The people love you Effie." I say to her smiling. "No they are cheering because you finally got a haircut!" She jokes. "You're getting sassy in your old age!" I exclaim forgetting people were still watching us. "Shh!" She starts laughing up a storm. "Effie why are you are causing a scene here? Jeez!" I say when the horses have stopped. "I would like to welcome you all to the very First Panem Games!" She say and then pans to the crowd. "The capitol people have ruled us for so long!" She exclaims to the heavens. "It's our turn to be the backbone they never had." Then a man in the audience stands up. "If you want to punish the Capitol then why are we all in the Panem Games?" He asks fearlessly. "Very good question!" She say. "No one is safe from doing the same thing the Capitol has done my comrades, How can we learn from their mistakes if we don't remember them?" She asks the crowd. "Panem Games is a reminder to not be like the capitol. Remember tributes District 13 is not your enemy the Capitol and their Hunger games is the wickedness that is ruining our perfect world."
"Do you have the slightest idea of how stupid that sounds? You are going to kill innocent people so that people will be reminded not to kill people? Isn't that like telling a kid not to run with scissors, but then you turn around and give it to them anyway?" The man challenges the president. "You will be SILENT!" She screams so loud there is eight echos. The man quietly takes his seat and then she repeats the famous motto. "May the odds be ever in your favor!" She smiles down like a serpent. "I bet she has ass hair," I whisper to Effie and she giggles. Before I took off my costume I took Effie on the roof. "In the training you have to stick with me the whole time, we can't spend precious time goofing around." I say to her matter of factually. "If I die please don't give up." She says to me. "What?" I ask. "In the Games, don't just give up because I am gone... Fight for me Haymitch." She says. "I'd kill that son of a bitch, Effie. I wouldn't rest until his cannon is fired." I shed a tear for the first time in years. "I love you so much, you know that don't you?" I ask pouring out my heart. "I would never ever hurt you Effie, our love will live on." Suddenly she looks up at me, her eyes twinkling in the flames coming from our outfits. "Forever," She whispers. I lean in so close I can feel her warmth. I breathe her name and she replies with my own. Her lips brush against mine and suddenly we were kissing. It seamed to last for hours, the touch of her lips forever on mine. But then she stops, I look at her bewildered."I had to breathe silly." She says softly. She looks deep into my eyes as if she can see my soul. We just stand there staring are one another. Somehow it's more intimate than the kiss. When I look up the flames on our outfits had turned into a sweltering blue blase and embers swept and stirred all around us like fireflies. "We need to go," she says then. "Let them wait, I've waited a lifetime for right now." I say going in for yet another kiss.