Hello again. This took longer to get up than expected; I changed the ending to this like five times. I hope you like it! Before I give you the story, I had lots of lovely reviews from all you lovely readers. Knowing people are reading this and liking this is so rewarding, so thank you! And the fact some of you are taking the time to review means even more…

So here are the amazing people who have reviewed: MissEffieTrinket (Thanks so much. And thanks for the tip. I'll try my best to improve on that! I hope you like this) SilensVulpes (I can't say that, mostly because I haven't got that far into writing it, so stay tuned! Shameless self plugging… but thanks so much for the review), Savysnape7 (Here is your Effie actually been in the story chapter. I hope you like it as much as I liked reading your review), DoctorWhoLuver11 (It's soon! Here is your update), Olivia (Don't do anything drastic! Here is your new instalment; hopefully it's enough to keep you going. There is Haymitch and Effie in this, I wouldn't exactly call it fluff yet though…), Hazy Lights (Thanks so much! I hope you like this new chapter!), Flawedprotagonist (I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this would have been a good idea. I hope I do the idea justice for you. And I'll try my best to pick up on what she said. And I hope you still like this after you read this chapter), District11tribute (Hopefully I can get onto the Haymitch and Effie stuff soon, we need to sort things out first, get a full idea of what really happened. I hope you enjoy this), Scyfy girl (Aw, thanks. Enjoy the chapter too!) Illyna (I hope you like this, thanks for the review) and last but by no means least – Lindseylikesyourface (Thanks so much! I hope this is soon enough for you!)

And on to chapter five.

"Katniss, Katniss wake up!"

My eyelids snap open, and after blinking away the darkness, I'm looking up at my younger sister. It's hard to believe she is the same girl I volunteered for. But she is. So mature, so wise for her years. She's still my little duck though. The only person in thirteen who can make me smile. And I do, I feel my lips curling into a smile, confirmed when Prim shoots me one herself. At least that's one thing about her that hasn't changed. Her bright, cheerful smile.

"Why, what's up Prim?" I ask, sitting up immediately at Prim's eager tone. She's come straight from the hospital wing; she's still wearing her uniform. I can tell she's been busy as she looks tired. Maybe I should tell mother to give her a day of. But despite her tired posture, she looks happy. Just after I think this she breaks out into a bigger grin than before.

"Your friend, Effie, she's woken up!" Prim exclaims. This makes me get out of bed. It has been two weeks since we discovered Effie. Whilst she has been healing, or so my mother says, she has barely shown any sign of life. This is a good improvement to say the least. A very good one if the excitement on Prim's face is anything to go by.

We set of for the hospital immediately. Not once do me or Prim let go of the others hand. As we near the hospital, the excitement of Effie finally waking up starts to leave me. Instead I feel nervous. We still don't know how she will be affected mentally by this. After all she had been locked up for over a month; she won't be the Effie Trinket I left behind before the third Quarter Quell. I'm scared of meeting the new Effie Trinket.

Prim is practically leading me now; my legs follow the direction she is taking. The rest of me as gone numb. Scared of what I will find. I don't even notice that we are stood in the entrance to the ward. I find myself looking around, searching across the beds. I shouldn't have bothered. I can't miss Haymitch hunched over a bed. Immediately dread fills me, this sight isn't too reassuring. But I move towards him, as I get closer, I hear him talking. When I get there I see that he is talking to her back. She has turned away to shut us out, curled into a small ball.

"How is she?" I ask. Haymitch glares at me; it's obvious she is in a bad way. I sit down on a corner of the bed. Prim as scuttled of somewhere, leaving me and Haymitch alone with a terrified Effie. He is sat closer to her. Whilst I am perched on a corner, he is sat on a good portion of the bed; his hand rests on the sheets that cover her waist. It seems she is ignoring this contact though.

"Effie, hey, it's Katniss, you remember Katniss right?" Haymitch asks in a soft voice I didn't know he could master. Why wouldn't she remember me? After all, it's probably my fault that she's here in the first place. Even if Haymitch is convinced it is his.

"Hello Effie" I say, softly like Haymitch. "We've missed you, all of us, especially Haymitch" I say, and to his credit, Haymitch confirms this to her. I'd have thought he was messing about with her a couple of months ago, but the fact he is close to tears tells me that Haymitch, out of all of us, is the person who missed Effie the most. He probably still does, she isn't the Effie we first met.

"Yeah, come on sweetheart, you've missed us too right?" Haymitch says, practically a whisper. It takes a while, but a mop on blonde hair on the pillow begins to move up and down. Confirming she did indeed miss us. "Especially me, right princess?" He says, eye's glinting with something more lively now she has actually acknowledged us.

I shake my head at Haymitch, but a noise comes out of Effie's mouth. I think it's a cross between a sob and a laugh, and this makes me and Haymitch go forward. Trying to coax words out of her. To no avail though. Effie remains shut off from us, not once turning to face us. About an hour into proceedings, in which we have tried to make her talk, laugh, scowl and shout at Haymitch, Prim turns up with a glass of water in hand.

She carefully places it besides Effie, trying not to look at her, give her some privacy. She betrays herself though, and ends up shooting a glance at her. Effie wasn't expecting this, and isn't quick enough to look away. None of us know what to say about this.

"You're very pretty" Prim whispers to her. I look across to Haymitch, his mouth is open in shock, he doesn't know what to say to this. We don't know how Effie will react. If she will just shove her face in the pillow and block us out once again. "You should take a drink of this" Prim says when the silence threatens to overpower the moment, and hands Effie the glass.

We have all frozen to our spots; we don't know what will happen next. But ever so slowly, a hand reaches out to the glass and Effie is grasping it. Yes, the fact she has been weakened considerably means it is shaking like crazy, but it is more than we could have asked for. A small, but genuine 'thank you' escapes from Effie's lips. It is barely audible. I doubt anyone else heard apart from the three of us, sat on her bed. She takes a small sip, then another. Once she is done, Prim takes the glass from her and looks up at me and Haymitch. I think the man sat next to me could jump across the bed right now and hug her.

"Go on Haymitch" I say quietly, pushing him forward a little. Telling him to say something to her now she has acknowledged us. He doesn't know what to do. His hand is still on the material covering her waist; his eyes are still threatening to let tears fall. Slowly though, ever so slowly, he leans forwards. I have no idea what he is planning to do; I hope it is nothing stupid. His forehead is resting on her shoulder now. Prim and I remain motionless. Not daring to move in case anything happens.

"The girl's right you know, you are very pretty. Why don't you turn around so we can get a look at you sweetheart?" Haymitch says. I never knew he could act as sweet as this. Never knew he had it in him, especially towards Effie. The two were constantly locked in some childish battle; it reminded me of the younger kids at school who had a disagreement, the names they shot at each other as pathetic and silly as the last. I don't know why he didn't act like this around her before, like he really cares about her. No, not like, he does care about her. There's a big difference.

Her movement is delayed, but ever so slowly, she begins to turn around. I jump of the bed as her body shifts into a different position; Haymitch remains were he is. Apart from his head moving upwards of her shoulder so she can manage the turn. It's weird looking at Effie minus the Capitols fashions plastered on her. Weird in a better way though. She looks so normal, she looks beautiful in fact.

Without her wig, her blonde hair falls just below her shoulders. Without the make up her skin is a pale, peachy colour. Without the built up clothes, even under the hospital bed sheets you can tell she has a skinny frame. I look down at her hand, the one Haymitch is holding tight. Apparently Effie and I have something in common; it looks as if she bites her nails too.

"That's better" Haymitch says, brushing a strand of lose hair behind Effie's ear. It's when he does this simple act of kindness that I see Effie as a deep cut that has been stitched up by the careful hands of the doctors, running down her cheek. I don't know how I didn't notice this before, but now I have, I feel sick. How could anyone do this to a person? Especially when that person is as harmless and gullible as Effie.

Haymitch sees the cut when I do. I can tell that this shocks him just as much as it did me. But he ignores it; instead he strokes the untouched skin next to the cut. It seems to calm Effie's shaking body, I can't begin to describe how grateful I am that she has appeared to calm down a little. I don't know what possesses me to do this, but I take Effie's other hand in my own. Trying hard not to look at the scars covering it. I don't know if she notices this or not, her eyes are locked onto the floor. Staring straight past me and Haymitch, it's like she is empty.

"Do you want another drink, any food?" Haymitch asks her. She shakes her head, still staring at the floor. Haymitch shoots me a look that I can only reply to with a shrug. Neither of us knows what to do. "What do you want sweetheart?" He asks her after moments of silence. She doesn't reply her eyes fixed on the floor still. We can only sit here, we can't do anything. We have to sit here until she talks. We can't leave her like this.

"I want it to stop hurting…"

The shock of hearing Effie again makes me sit up. It has been at least ten minutes since Haymitch asked her the question. Fifteen maybe. Her voice is all cracked, so quiet. It seems like she can't manage to talk in anything louder than a whisper. You can barely pick up on her Capitol accent anymore. She sounds like a small, harmless little girl. And the fact her answer is something neither Haymitch nor I can do for her makes everything even worse.

"It hurts so much Haymitch" She says, sounding so broken and harmless. It is then she looks up for the first time, staring Haymitch straight in the eye. Haymitch who is on the verge of tears. I think I hear sniffling, and I look over to see the noises are coming from Prim. I beckon to her, and soon she as run to my side, her head resting on my shoulder.

"I know sweetheart. But it'll get better" Haymitch says to her, running his hand down the side of her face softly. But I can't help but think he is lying to her. Does it really get better? I honestly don't think it does, but if it makes Effie feel better, then I can cope with her thinking that. "I'll make sure he does" He says in the same quiet tone as Effie has been using. "I owe you that much…" He adds.

"Effie… I- I'm so sorry" He says when all she does is look at him. "It's all my fault, I'm so sorry" He says, breaking down and crying. I'm surprised he hasn't done this sooner, he's been holding so many emotions in for so long. But I'm also shocked; none of this is Haymitch's fault. I realise whose fault it is as soon and Effie is shaking her head in response to him saying this. No, this isn't Haymitch's fault.

It's mine…