mgowriter's note: Slow day at work :) This chapter references pages 61-64 in the hardcover version of Catching Fire.
Chapter 2: When Danger Looms
"…but I feel as if I did know Rue, and she'll always be with me. Everything beautiful brings her to mind. I see her in the yellow flowers that grow in the Meadow by my house. I see her in the mockingjays that sing in the trees. But most of all, I see her in my sister, Prim."
Even though they are watching Katniss through a TV screen, Effie, Portia, Cinna, and Haymitch can see the emotion in her eyes and hear the trembling in her voice.
"Thank you for your children," she continues, looking up to address the citizens of District 11. "And thank you all for the bread."
. . .
Effie has tears in her eyes. Katniss' speech is beautiful and touching, and more than that, it's perfect. People at home will be watching and weeping with the rest of the crowd. Katniss has finally pulled through, and the long hours of coaching are paying off at last.
Effie blots at her eyes with a tissue. She looks up with a smile, but is surprised to see Haymitch's brows furrowed deeply in a frown. His body is tense, and his attention doesn't leave the screen.
Someone from the crowd whistles Rue's simple mockingjay tune, one that has become so familiar since the last Hunger Games. Effie catches just a second of the crowd's reaction before there is a flicker on the screen and the image turns to static.
She feels Haymitch's hand around her arm almost instantaneously, pulling her closer to where he stands. The urgency in his grip is enough to scare her.
"What is it?" she asks.
He doesn't answer, but he scans the perimeter of the room, noting the positions of the Peacekeepers that have moved imperceptibly closer since the screen went blank.
"Haymitch?" she whispers, sensing her heartbeat quicken.
They hear a faint boom outside, and his grip tightens. His body leans toward the stairs, as if ready to pull her away and run, but there's nowhere to go. They are in a rotunda surrounded by white uniforms from all directions.
"I think that was gun fire," Haymitch says in a low voice.
"Gun fire?" Portia repeats, the anxiety unmistakable on her face.
Katniss and Peeta appear through the door before he can reply. Their expressions are equally tense.
"What happened?" Effie asks.
She takes a step toward the victors, but Haymitch's hand is still wrapped tightly around her forearm. She has to physically remind him with her other hand before he finally relaxes his hold. Even so, his fingers linger for a second before he lets her go.
Peeta exchanges a look with Haymitch, but his voice is steady whey he says, "Nothing happened, Effie. An old truck backfired."
Effie shakes her head. Peeta is lying, but why? They hear two more noises outside that remind her of thunder. They sound much louder and nearer than the one from before, and they are undeniably gun shots.
All eyes turn to Haymitch, who has his own trained on the nearest pair of Peacekeepers. They're alert, but not panicking. The building has gone into lock down, and they know they're safe inside.
Haymitch pauses to consider his options. Time is running out. He desperately needs to speak to Peeta and Katniss alone before the Peacekeepers change their minds about letting them wander around freely.
"Both of you, with me," he says shortly.
He turns to Effie and gives her a look that does a poor job of masking his worry. There is something else in his eyes; something she can't quite decipher before he blinks and it's gone.
"Stay here," he instructs firmly. "You'll be safe with Portia and Cinna."
"I…of course," Effie replies, unable to formulate the question running through her mind.
Haymitch nods, and she doesn't get another word out before he's half way up the marble stairs, leading Katniss and Peeta away from the group.