Maysilee and Haymitch time…but not like that.

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Chapter Ten

Haymitch stared at Maysilee for the longest time. Had she just saved him or was this a dream? He watched as she tucked a small wooden pipe in her pocket. Whatever the device was, she had saved Haymitch's life with it and for that, he was grateful.

"We'd live longer with two of us," she approached him, adjusting the bag on her back and flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Haymitch nodded. "I guess you just proved that," he stuck out his hand. "Allies?"

Maysilee accepted his hand and shook it. The duo began to make their way through the clearing towards the distant mountain range. Maysilee didn't ask where they were heading, but figured since Haymitch was so determined, he had a plan.

"Are the others still alive?" he asked about Janica and Darrien.

"No," Maysilee shook her head. "Darrien didn't make it out of the Cornucopia and Janica died from a butterfly."

Haymitch stopped walking and raised an eyebrow. "A butterfly?"

"Everything here is deadly. Everything." Maysilee deadpanned. "Janica and I found each other and we were heading for the outermost edge of the meadow. We watched as a tribute died drinking water from the stream. We watched another die from eating berries from a bush. We somehow managed to get food from the Cornucopia, but when we sat down in the bushes to eat, a bright yellow and red butterfly landed on Janica and stung her."

Maysilee looked at the ground, trying to fight back tears. "She was dead before she hit the ground."

"So, what is safe?" Haymitch asked, not fully knowing how he should respond to hearing Darrien and Janica's deaths.

Maysilee shrugged. "The food from the Cornucopia is all I know that can be trusted." Haymitch looked back in that direction, wondering if they should stock up on supplies. Before he could finish his thoughts, Maysilee interrupted him. "I took enough provisions after Janica died. You can have whatever you want."

The two continued walking as Maysilee brought Haymitch up to speed. She told him about the volcano explosion that shook the entire arena. Three Career tributes and two District eleven tributes were killed in the explosion.

"It's just you, me, the girl from one and two boys from five," Maysilee said. "The girl from one has an axe while the boys have knives and spears."

"What was that you had?" Haymitch asked.

Maysilee took the wooden stick, along with three skinny metal needles wrapped in a black cloth, out of her pocket and showed Haymitch. "It's a poisonous dart," she said. "Well, that is, I made it that way. I took some of the nectar from a poisonous flower and ran it along the point."

"I appreciate what you did," he whispered.

Maysilee smiled before putting her weapon away. "Can we stop for a minute? I just want to catch my breath."

The two walked over to the tree line and rested. Haymitch began to tell Maysilee about the tributes and the boulder when he began to feel the throbbing of his face and body. He carefully touched his face and felt its warmth.

"Your face is all bruised," Maysilee answered for him. "I'd say your nose is broken. Maybe your jaw too."

"Great," Haymitch groaned. He lifted up his shirt to get a good look at the knife markings the tribute with the knife made. His scratched weren't deep, but would need to be cleaned.

Maysilee handed him a small first aide kit, complete with alcohol swabs, gauze pads and bandages. He accepted with a smile and began to clean his chest before pressing the bandages over the worst parts of the wounds.

"What did you do in the Seam?" Maysilee asked.

Haymitch shrugged. "Whatever needed to be done. Help with construction — not that there was much of that going on — carrying stuff back and forth to the mines. Why?"

Maysilee couldn't help but give a smug smile. "It's funny to me that Darrien always bragged about being the fittest guy in the whole district, but he could barely lift anything or fight without putting himself in danger."

"Then how did he get an eight?"

Maysilee started to laugh. "Who knows!" Her laugh rubbed off on Haymitch. Soon both were laughing at the thought of Darrien trying to slide the boulder as Haymitch had done. He watched Maysilee take a couple bars of food from her bag. She handed one to Haymitch before unwrapping her own.

They ate in peace, leaving Haymitch to wonder why it took him so long to get to know this girl and why it was under the worst circumstances.