Goodness, it's been a while! I AM very sorry about that, but at least I have gotten back onto it now. I like to think it will be easier from now on, as it was the days in the Training Centre that bored me and caused me to go off this story for so long. But hopefully the gaps won't be quite as long next time...I'm not planning for most chapters to be this long, either, I just wanted to get the interviews out of the way in this chapter.
So, thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter: OptimisticLivvy, FezzesRCool25, Spirit-of-the-Rain, Mrs. 11th, Brennan, and toavoidconversation!
You six are awesome people. :)
Now, we see a bit more of Haymitch in this chapter, learn a teensy bit more about Lara, and see a much younger version of a character that you lot probably didn't expect to see in this story. But what can I say, I adore this person too much to not include her. So enjoy!
As expected, when I get up in the morning for breakfast, I feel incredibly tired and bad-tempered. I force myself through the morning routines and appear at the dining table looking rather untidy despite having washed and dressed in identical clothes to yesterday.
Even Lara looks slightly less chirpy than usual…which is strange. Dariand shares a knowing look with me and unsurprisingly, Geff doesn't show up until the rest of us are practically finished eating. I find it a little hard to look at Carlotta, and I think Karena notices, but as expected, says nothing.
Back in our bedroom for ten minutes before we are due down at the Training Centre, Lara asks if she can do my hair. I tell her yes and sit down in front of the mirror while she stands behind me.
"I used to do my sister's hair," She says quietly as her fingers weave through my thin strands of hair.
"How old is she?" I ask. It hadn't even occurred to me that she might have family, but I suppose the Games can make it easy to forget obvious things like that.
"She's nine…her hair's beautiful, it's this rich brown with a hint of red," Lara sighs, "I suppose I probably won't see her again." Her words make me freeze. They are forbidden words, ideas that are never supposed to be said. But once they are in the air around us, it seems silly. Why not be realistic? Why pretend? It's a simple fact that at least one out of the two of us will not return home to District 7. Would I kill her, to get back home to Deen? To save my baby?
I immediately feel ill when I realise very quickly that I would if necessary. The Careers might have been trained all their lives, but I have a protective maternal instinct which should not be overlooked.
Lara doesn't seem bothered by my lack of an answer, she's not petty and has enough to occupy herself with. When she's done, I twist my head to admire the result of her labours. She's braided the front pieces of my hair to twist around the back and join with the rest of my hair into a pretty bun at the top of my neck.
"Thank you," I murmur, and she gives me a small smile. I wordlessly get up and hug her until we hear Karena's voice calling for us, telling us that it's time to go.
The Training Centre looks the same as yesterday, only slightly less daunting. We all spread out as we did before, and Lara shows me some good tricks with knives, and we work on this for a couple of hours until I'm reasonably mediocre at it.
Haymitch approaches us and flashes us both a grin before directing his attention to Lara. "You seem to know what you're doing there, " He comments as he eyes the small knife in Lara's equally small hand. "Mind showing me a few tricks?"
Lara stares at him for a few seconds before stonily replying, "No." I'm not sure what reaction I am expecting, but it isn't the bark of laughter that comes out of him.
"Right answer, short-stuff," He smirks.
"Cadence is from my district, that's the only reason she gets my help," Lara continues as if her refusal needed justification.
"Look…what's your name?" He crosses his arms and eyes her with condescending amusement.
"Lara. You're Haymitch, aren't you?" He doesn't verbally answer but his eyes tell that she is correct, which of course I already knew.
"Well, Lara…it's good that you realise who your friends are," He tells her, but she simply continues to eye him with an unfathomable expression. I can't help but wonder how she pulls it off. "But you also need to realise that at some point, you and Cadence won't be on the same team. You can't both get out of there alive. You would do well to remember that." With that, he leaves as abruptly as he arrived.
Lara watches him go with the unreadable look she has been wearing for the last minute.
"Lara? Are you okay?" I ask, and she snaps out of her reverie, and forces a smile which is even less convincing than the ones I flash around.
"Fine," She says, but her voice falters a little before she sets her jaw and flips the knife in her hand. "Run that technique again."
When she is satisfied that I have a general idea of what I'm doing, I help her with basic axe swings while trying to hide how naturally it comes to me. Dariand joins us for a while but it's obvious he thinks he has a good enough command over the weapon already and soon goes off to practice making fires.
Over the course of the day, we manage to learn how to use each of the weapons at least a little, but we try to focus more on the survival skills because it something that we will have more control over than a physical fight.
Haymitch finds me again an hour after lunch while Lara is off testing herself on the edible plants for the third time. He picks up a mace twice the size of the one I'm holding and smirks before he swings it towards the dummy, knocking it over in a brutally abrupt hit.
I try not to appear to gobsmacked, but it just seems as though this boy from the poorest District in Panem is able to do everything and the thought fits strangely in my head. Later, he finds me yet another while I am trying to concentrate on the edible flora test.
"You realise that you're one of the most dangerous tributes here, don't you?" He asks in all seriousness, and I tear my eyes away from the screen to stare at him incredulously before rolling my eyes. "I'm not kidding."
"I'm not a career, I'm not a lethal fighter, I'm just a girl from District 7," I murmur, "I don't understand your logic."
"You're not just a girl, you're a mother, you have been from the moment you found out that baby was in there," Haymitch pushes, "And if I've learnt anything from where I grew up, it's that there is no one more dangerous than a mother protecting her child. But you have to grow a backbone and be prepared to fight."
"I'm prepared to fight to protect my child…but I'm not prepared to slaughter my friends, even if I was able," I quietly whisper, the realisation hitting me at the same time that I voice it aloud.
"Well you might want to prepare yourself, then," Haymitch says bluntly before walking off, leaving me alone and filled with an urge to throw up, which luckily I manage to fight down.
Due to the doubled number of tributes, the day for evaluating the training scores has been split over two days, one for the male tributes and one for the female tributes. All the males were evaluated yesterday, and it's almost my turn to go in now. Suddenly Lara is coming back out through the doors and hugging me before I have to go in after her.
"Cadence Marks."
Panicked, I look back down at Lara, who squeezes my hand for reassurance.
"You'll be fine, Cadence. Just show them what you can do." At her words, I nod stiffly before walking into the Training Centre. The room seems much more intimidating then before, as I am now the only teenager in it and the only person at all on the lower level. Despite the fact that the Gamemakers are also gorging themselves on food, they are also watching me intently as I walk to the centre of the room.
"Cadence Marks," I say, just in case I'm supposed to, because I honestly have no idea. One of them nods at me, and I can't help but smile at him a little with gratitude. With that, they all stare at me expectantly, so I cross over to where one of each of the weapons were waiting on a stand. Taking the double-sided axe in my left hand and allowing myself to get used to the weight, I first cross to the circle of dummies placed in the training centre to be destroyed in this very situation. I take in a deep breath before swinging the axe with all of my strength. One dummy falls instantly, and with my second swing, another's head finds the ground in second. I take out all ten within twenty five seconds, and although it's not a time to be ashamed of, my breathing is ragged when I am done, and I know that despite my strength from chopping down trees all day, I'm still no match for people like Jovanka and Davis.
I hold my head a little higher despite this, and after a few seconds of deliberation and calculations, I throw the axe across the room, and it slices through one of the climbing poles, staying completely wedged in at a perfect 180 degree angle. The judges appear as surprised as I feel. It was just a gamble, a last resort to possibly get in their good books if I happened to throw it right.
My arms curl around my stomach as I turn to face them all again. The outfit Karena picked for me today is supposed to emphasise my pregnancy and win me sympathy, so the fabric clings to my skin without me having to help it. I nod respectfully to them before walking out of the room as fast I can without making it look rushed.
Karena and Lara are waiting for me when I get out, and the former puts her arm around me within seconds, while the latter takes my hand. A part of me feels as though I should protest to being babied by everybody, but it's comforting and the part of me which knows all too well that it is only seventeen years old needs all the comfort it can get right now.
When we get back to the District 7 floor of the tribute apartments, I am incredibly surprised to see a child of about five running through the dining room, being chased by a man I don't recognise. Karena notices both mine and Lara's confusion and is quick to explain.
"It's Carlotta's husband, and their daughter," She says, and a few seconds later the child comes around the table and latches onto Karena's legs.
"Karena!" She squeals, and immediately Karena's expression softens as she takes the child into her arms.
"It's good to see you too, Effie," She taps the little girl on the nose fondly, and she giggles. "And what have you been doing today?"
"We went to see Grandma Trinket and she said she would buy me a doll of any of the tributes I wanted, and I asked for one of Haymitch Abernathy because he's my favouritest even if he's from District 12. But then I wanted to get one from Momma's district too, so she let me get one of Lara as well. I like Lara because she's kind of small like me," Effie gabbles with excitement, and Lara and I share a look before laughing as Karena sets Effie back on her feet.
"I guess I am," Lara admits, and Effie's head of curly blonde hair – full of pink ribbons and flowers – turns to face her, and her eyes light up.
"I have a doll of you!" She squeaks.
Lara looks amused. "I know."
"And one of Haymitch. I love Haymitch...have you talked to him?" The little girl only seems to have realised the possibility now, and both of us nod. "What's he like, is he nice? And strong? And just as handsome up close?"
"Well," I begin, and it's obvious that she's hanging off my every word, "He's good at almost everything. He's nice but he's not stupid. He has a good chance of winning."
Effie lets out a squee of happiness and is about to run off when she seems to look at me for the first time. Her head tilts to the side and I feel my body stiffen as her hand tentatively reaches out towards my stomach.
"Are you having a baby?" She whispers, and I slowly nod. "But you're not married to anyone."
A strange smile spreads across my face as a little laugh escapes me. "No, I'm not," I say as I shake my head, and pause, thinking about it, "But I'd like to be."
"You would have to do up your hair a lot fancier if you get married," Effie notes seriously, eyeing my two thick braids like a true child of the Capitol. "And try not to have your baby in the Arena…someone might hurt it."
My mouth falls open ever so slightly as it hits me that she doesn't seem to realise that my death means my baby's death too. That's the logic of a child for you. But I force myself to nod and smile. "I'll make sure to remember that."
She beams. "I love babies. I bet I'll like your baby too. She'll be pretty because she got to come to the Capitol and see all the pretty people, so she'll be pretty too."
With that she goes back to babbling away to Karena, who takes her to sit on the couch. I am left standing absently, lips still parted with confusion and disgust as the image of my baby, skin painted and tattooed like a person of the Capitol, swims unbidden into my mind. My gut churns and I run for the kitchen, making it just in time to throw up into the sink while trying to hold my braids out of the way. Once I get rid of the stench and check there's none of it on me, I emerge from the kitchen.
Carlotta is seated at one end of the large dining room table, head bent in and deep in discussion with the attractive olive-skinned man I had glimpsed chasing Effie earlier, her husband. For someone from the Capitol, he isn't too freakish, just some of that make-up stuff and dark blue hair that compliments hers.
I never thought it possible, but Carlotta seems worried or upset, if her hand gestures and facial expressions are anything to go by. His hand comes up to touch her face and before I can even blink, they're kissing and I have to wrench my gaze away. Because I'm reminded of Deen and the fact that I've never gone this long without seeing him ever since I met him.
Forcing myself to look back, Carlotta and her husband are just sitting there, foreheads touching, and actually looking as if they care about each other. Could Carlotta's act of now being a Capitol bimbo be just that? An act?
After dinner, the nine of us sit down on the expansive sofa to watch yesterday's and today's training scores be revealed. I can't help but feel that though I didn't do awfully, my score isn't going to be brilliant either. It hadn't even occurred to me to ask how the others thought they did, but I suppose we'll all find out now regardless.
The boys scores are being shown first, and both of the District Ones get eight. The boy from District Two who gave me the horrible feeling in my stomach gets a ten, and the skinny one who I remembered throwing spears around in the Training Centre scores a seven. The District Three's gets six and seven, while the District Four's get seven and eight. District Five's scores are dismal, while District Six had a lot of contrast. One boy, Icarus, a boy with dirty blonde hair who had a fancy for nunchucks if my memory served me right, scores a nine, while his counterpoint gets three.
As the scores for our own District approach, I grab Dariand's hand and smile at him, as he looks incredibly nervous. He smiles back just as his score is announced on the television: an eight. The room erupts with cheers and Lara and I both hug him as a way of congratulations. Clearly he is as good with swords and axes as he had been claiming.
Geff then scores a four, and we awkwardly give words of encouragement, the adults being the only ones who sound convincing. After his, all the scores are reasonably mediocre until the older out of the dark skinned District Eleven guys scores a nine. And then, Haymitch from District Twelve gets a ten, only proving my theory that he was both clever and physically gifted. Naturally, Effie squeals appreciatively and we almost can't shut her up in time before the scoring continues.
Then it's time for the girls and we're staring at the face of Jovanka, the frighteningly mature and accomplished fourteen year old, who does score a nine, and yet is beaten by her larger companion with a ten. I find myself gulping involuntarily. Both District Two's get an eight, and one District Three, the older, prettier one, scores a seven, while the younger scores a five. Unsurprisingly, the blonde bimbo Career from Four, Jacinta, only gets a five as well. Aubrey, the one who had confused me with her seductive aura, surprises us all by getting a nine. District Five does alright, and at least better than District Six. And then it's our turn.
"Lara Castellan," Caesar Flickerman's voice says, "With a score of seven." I look over to Lara, who is smiling with obvious relief, eyes still locked on the screen.
"Your knives, yeah?" I ask, and she nods before shushing me as my own face suddenly appears on the screen.
"Cadence Marks, with a score of seven also."
A strange nervous laugh slips from my lips and everyone in the room looks pleased with our results, except perhaps Geff's. None of the results for the rest of the girls are high enough to worry about, though the blonde girl from Twelve, Maysilee, does get a six.
"So what now?" Dariand asks, and Malroy takes an overexaggerated breath in before replying.
"Now, Dariand, we prepare for the interviews," He says as if it's the most glamorous thing in the world, "So much to do. Costumes to organize, and of course we have to sort out how we're going to portray you all."
"Portray?" His head turns to look at me when I repeat his words. "You make us sound like ornaments on a shelf!"
Sneering at me in a way that makes me want to slap him across his stupid painted face, Malroy says, "Oh Cadence...honey...what else would you be to the Capitol? Any of you?"
I fight an urge to be sick and as I'm storming from the room, the only thing that gives me any faith in adults at all is that I hear Carlotta and Karena simultaneously reprimanding him for saying something so horrible.
The next morning, Lara, Dariand and I are working with Karena on what angle we are going to try for in the interviews when Lara suddenly giggles to herself and we all turn to stare at her.
"Sorry," She apologises, "It's just that I realized that me and Cadence both got Training Scores of seven, and we're from District Seven."
I roll my eyes, albeit somewhat fondly. "You're mad."
"A little," she snickers, "Maybe that should be my angle."
"No," Karena says sharply, reluctant amusement in her eyes despite her attempted bravado. "I think with you we should try and present you as the strong little girl, the one who is going to use her size to her advantage and surprise everyone."
"Which means we'll be showing them the exact truth," I note, and Karena nods.
"This isn't about lying, it's about choosing a person's assets. Lara will be able to pull it off because that's exactly what she is."
"What about me?" My voice goes quiet, and her eyes soften as she properly regards me with them.
"We've agreed to reveal your pregnancy at the interviews, so..," She pauses, "You're the pregnant girl who is madly in love with the father of her baby, so much so that you'll do anything to save yourself and the baby and get home. The Capitol buys into a love story faster than they do a new trend, hundreds of people will try and help you as much as they can. I've gathered that Deen isn't something you like to talk about, but that has to change. You have to talk of nothing else, how he's your whole life, you need to make it so they have no choice but to want you back with him."
It takes me half a minute to process what she's saying but eventually I bob my head in a nod. "Okay, I think I understand. That might actually work."
Karena smiles. "Of course it will."
We had gone on to portray Dariand as an underdog with a good chance, and now the three of us were stuck with Carlotta, Malroy, and our stylists as we try on our costumes for the interviews.
Carlotta is attempting to show me how to walk in heeled shoes, and it's utterly impossible. I keep eyeing Lara's much smaller heels with envy, as they look more comfortable and she's already walking perfectly in them.
While I'm taking a break from the evil golden shoes, I am being instructed on how to take care to walk with a straight back and to smile frequently. They also say to hold my stomach a lot, to emphasize the pregnancy itself and how much I care about the baby. That's when Danna arrives with my dress, and I have to admit that this time, she's done a phenomenal job.
It's pale gold – a nice break from all the green they've been dressing me in – and is shorter than I expected. It comes to about mid-thigh and is very fitted, meaning that my slightly rounded stomach is impossible to miss. The neckline is attractive yet modest and there are no sleeves.
I'm quite reluctant to take it off again, but I know that later today I'll be putting it back on.
Although the interviews usually only take about an hour and a half, due to the doubled number of tributes this year, the boy's interviews will be in the afternoon and the girls will be in the evening. And then tomorrow, the Games begin, of course.
Lara and I sit on the large couch alone, as the whole team is down helping Dariand and Geff with their interviews. We watch as the District One's have their interviews, but other than being generally intimidating neither of them say anything worth paying a lot of attention to. But then Davis is the one opposite Caesar Flickerman – who has chosen purple for his signature colour this year – and all that he says continues to reinforce what we already knew. That he's totally sadistic and is likely to prefer to torture someone and leave them to die than kill them quickly.
"So," Caesar begins, "Is there anyone in this big batch of tributes who has grabbed your attention in any way? Anyone we should keep an eye on?"
Davis's eyes flash with excitement as if he had been waiting for such a question. "Those girls, man." He grins. "You'll see tonight. Someone from District 7 might just surprise you." I feel my whole body go rigid with shock as I realize that he's talking about me. The glint in his eye only brings back the sense of foreboding I got from him before, telling me that he wants to hurt me, that he's going to.
"What a douche," Lara grumbled, and I made a noise of agreement as the interviews continue. All the males are quite typical: Either ready for the fight and eager to win; or laid back and funny, a total people person. Dariand fits into the second category easily, and we laugh along with the audience as he cracks some jokes that Caesar seems to approve of, though Caesar is still very much the funnier of the two, because Dariand is somewhat socially awkward despite it all.
"So, Dariand…we've been informed that one of the girls from your District is going to surprise us. Do you know what this surprise is?"
Dariand nods slowly, a small smile at the corner of his lips. "Yes, Caesar, I do."
"And which one of them is it?"
"You'll have to wait and find out."
Geff, unsurprisingly, doesn't say too much, though tries to sound tough. It only partially works, though I do realize that I had paid no attention to him in the Training Centre, and have no idea what strengths Geff has, if he has any. I feel almost bad, that I've basically completely left him out of my little world.
Once again, just when all the tributes seem to blur together, the older boy from District 11 breaks out of the blur and grabs my attention. His name is Sim, and he's naturally very funny, somehow mixing his charisma with his obvious physical prowess. I find myself staring at his long black hair, noting how it seems to have matted into dreadlocks. He seems like the sort of person I would be friends with back home, and the thought makes me wish for the millionth time that that's exactly where I was.
Haymitch of course is the individual, and displays much more arrogance than I expected too, though none of it is false. He admits to having a girlfriend back in District 12 when Caesar asks about it, he says that her name is Callie.
"Well, a lot of the Capitol girls are probably very disappointed right now," Caesar says, and Haymitch chuckles.
"I like to think so," He agrees.
Caesar then pauses as he prepares for a new question. "So, Haymitch, what do you think about the Hunger Games having 100% percent more competitors than usual?"
Haymitch, clearly not too worried, shrugs. "Well, they'll still be 100% stupid as usual, so I figured that my odds will be roughly the same."
I laugh along with Lara, Caesar, and the audience, though there are many tributes that I personally would say are far from stupid. Still, it's nice to be light hearted about something for a little while.
Later, Lara and I are rushed off to our stylists, and I get to put the gorgeous dress back on, even if it does means the evil shoes as well. Thankfully I can walk in them somewhat, due to Carlotta's surprisingly patient guidance. Then the team does my hair into a half-up, half-down style with a bun at the back and my hair loose at the front, across my shoulders and framing my face. With that and the make-up, I actually look seventeen for once, or not too far off.
I am reunited with Lara soon after this, and she looks gorgeous and adorable, though while her dress is perfect, she hasn't escaped the curse of green clothing that seems to follow us District 7 tributes. It is a nice green, though, which makes it alright.
We then proceed to watch the interviews from backstage, and Jovanka oozes the same aggressive yet controlled confidence that she had in the Training Centre, while the bigger girl, Dorony, is surprisingly friendly, though clear about her intentions to fight anyone who gets in her way. Both of the girls from District 4 are dressed in incredibly short and sexy dresses, and act accordingly, though the dumb blonde still fails to impress me. The dark haired girl at least seems to be competent and intelligent.
But it doesn't take long before it's Lara's turn and I watch on the screen as she emerges onto the large stage, small yet radiant and powerful. The crowd seems to love her, and she does perfectly, all smiles and yet definitely not a pushover.
"So, we've been told that one of you District 7 girls is going to give us a surprise of some kind tonight…is it you, Lara?" Caesar asks slyly, a grin on his face, and she shakes her head with a laugh intended to only deepen everyone's curiosity.
"Nope, though I might surprise you in the Arena," She says with confidence, and Caesar smiles his broad smile appreciatively.
"I'm sure you will," He agrees, and shakes her hand as she gets up from the chair. "The best of luck to you."
"Thank you," she says with a bright smile before walking off. I tear my eyes off the screen and run to hug her quickly before it's my turn.
"Now, it would seem the next tribute has a surprise for us, folks, so let's hear it for Cadence Marks!" Caesar announces, and the crowd erupts into cheers and applause. I take a deep breath in and walk up the steps that take me onto the stage. As I fully emerge into their view, with the tight dress and one arm on my stomach for self-comfort, the cheers and applause give way to silence and hushed murmuring. Even Caesar himself looks shocked beyond words as he stares at me with wide eyes, though that lasts only for a few seconds before he professionally recovers and smiles his trademark smile at me.
"Hello, Cadence, how are you tonight?" He asks as he takes me by the hand and leads me to my seat.
"I'm good, thanks, how are you?" I reply, and he chuckles a little.
"I'm brilliant," He answers before his gaze flicks down to my stomach. "So, that's our surprise?"
I nod. "Yep, this is my surprise," I laugh nervously, "Did it work?"
Caesar laughs with me, as the crowd gives an encouraging cheer. "Yes, it definitely did. Can we get a proper look at the bump?"
"Sure," I get up and turn on the side so that the audience gets the best view, and they clap enthusiastically. Then I rotate myself again so that Caesar gets a good look too.
"Wow, that is just remarkable," He says, awed, and reaches out his hand to me. "May I?"
It takes me a second to realize what he means, and while for a moment I'm unsure, I decide that I do like him and that it couldn't do any harm. "Sure," I say, and place his hand on my bump. His face lights up with delight and then his eyebrows lift in surprise in the same moment that I feel my baby kick for the first time, and it's evident that he feels it too.
"Was that a kick?" He asks excitedly, and I nod slowly, still processing the information, but I feel a giddy grin spreading across my face.
"Yes," I say breathlessly, "He hasn't done that before. That was his first kick. He must like you."
"Well, I'm flattered, how very exciting…do you know it's a boy?" Caesar smiles widely, clearly still rather ecstatic, as we both sit back down, and I shake my head to answer his question.
"I just think it is," I admit with a shy smile, but he seems to think it's all marvelous anyway.
"Now, can we assume that there's a father back in District 7?" He asks.
I remember what Karena said about making sure I emphasize my love for Deen as well as the pregnancy, and quickly nod. "Yes, there is." A lovesick smile crosses my face while longing sits in my heart. There's no need to do any kind of acting up here, as I miss him and love him as much as I need them all to believe.
"What's his name? Will he be watching right now?"
"His name is Deen and I really hope so," I say, glancing over at the cameras that are filming us.
"Is he handsome?" Caesar's eyebrows waggle a bit. "He must have been for a baby to happen in the first place."
A blush creeps up my cheeks. "Yes, he is, but that's not why we – why this baby happened."
"Then why did it happen?" He's more serious now, leaning back in his seat and watching me intensely.
"Because I love him more than anything," I say quietly, "And he loves me."
A smile more genuine than any I've ever seen on him appears on Caesar's face. "Well, you'd better go out and win this thing and get back to him, then!" His voice is motivating and it seems like he really believes in me too, but at the same time I know that he has been the same with all the other tributes before me. Still, I nod and smile brightly.
"That's the plan," I say, and he looks pleased.
"Of course it is, and the best of luck to you and the little one," Caesar says as we stand up again, "Cadence Marks, everyone!" The massive audience, that stretches back for as far as I can see, applauds and gives more cheers as Caesar kisses my hand. I force myself to wave goodbye to them all as I walk offstage and grasp Lara's hand as soon as it's within my reach. But I keep my head up high as we leave back for the seventh floor apartment, because it's time to harden up and face the truth.
The worst of the faking nice for the Capitol is over. But tomorrow the Games begin.
So, yeah, I put Effie in, even if it was just for a little bit...and I just have this headcanon that she was in love with Haymitch as a child because the irony is brilliant and I'm a Hayffie shipper at the core, LOL.
Hopefully you liked what you saw, and next chapter the games begin! I am quite excited for that but I have to go back to the Doctor Who fandom and write a Doctor/River honeymoon chapter (with drunken Jack/OC as an extra) before I can justify coming back to this. So I'll see you all soon, but not immediately! Reviews really do inspire me to write faster though, don't forget that! :)
-MayFairy :)