Hey everyone! This is going to be a long one! It's like 8 pages on Word! D: I'm a writing machine! This chapter has swearing in it, so if you're like Effie and don't like swearing, still read, but don't get annoyed at me :P It's just Haymitch's foul mouth!
I hope you all like this chapter, I had fun writing it! :D
Oh, and thank you for all the reviews! :D
Effie
What... what the hell was that?
Effie stood there, watching as he retreated to his room. What just happened?
Haymitch Abernathy had kissed her! Elation filled her, quickly to be replaced by confusion. He had pulled away, and then told her that he couldn't do it. Couldn't do what? Was she that bad of a kisser? Oh no!
She put her fingers to her lips, trying to mimic the kiss that she gave him. Was it that bad?
Sorrow filled her. He didn't like her kissing. She was a failure.
She looked at the clock, it was five o'clock in the morning, and she had to be ready for eleven for the mentors and escorts interviews. Annie Cresta would be interviewed tonight too, and then the mentors would go home for another year.
The prospect of Haymitch leaving after all that filled her with dread. As she walked past his room, she stopped and pressed her ear against the door. She heard him toss in bed, obviously trying to get to sleep.
"Damn woman." He grumbled, softly. Her heart sunk. He really did think she was a bad kisser! A tear fell down her cheek.
She pushed away from the door and went back to her room, only to fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
...
Brrrrring! Brrrring!
Effie groaned, and hit her alarm clock. It was nine, and she needed to get up and get ready.
An hour and a half later, she was done. She was wearing her white wig, with a purple and yellow corseted suit, and her gold-winged heels.
And now came the hard part, waking Haymitch and trying to get him ready.
She pepped herself up by listening to her favourite song and dancing around the room.
She didn't realise that the door was open until she heard a familiar chuckle.
Effie whirled to see Haymitch standing there, bottle in hand, laughing at her dancing.
"Dancing Queen? Really?" He chuckled some more.
She blushed scarlet. "Yes. I like it!" She tried to defend herself, stamping her feet.
"That song is so two hundred years ago, darling." He put on a fake Capitol accent and did a Capitol hand gesture.
"So what?" She screeched, and then paused.
Surprise filled her. He was already dressed. And presentable!
Usually, Effie had to prod him for half an hour to get him to get up, and then he always wore the wrong thing, like his crumpled shirt from the night before.
But here he was, dressed in a dark purple suit and black shirt. His dark hair was styled in the sexy way that it was last night.
"What is it, sweetheart?" He asked, sneering at her.
"You're actually presentable for once!" She said, grinning.
"Well, I didn't want your horrible voice screeching at me for an hour." His mouth turned up in one corner.
He turned to leave, but Effie stopped him.
"Haymitch!"
"What?" He said, without turning round. She saw him tilt back his head as he took a swig of liquor.
"We should talk. About last night." Neither of them had mentioned the kiss.
He turned, a grin on his face. "Oh yeah. Last night. Thanks for the kiss, sweetheart." He sounded sarcastic.
She was stunned. "So, it didn't... mean anything?" She stammered.
He laughed harshly. "Mean what? I was just trying to get you to shut up about the damn TV! And it worked, didn't it?"
And with that, he left, still laughing.
Tears prickled in Effie's eyes. It hadn't meant anything? Anything at all?
This was what happened when she allowed herself to care. She had opened herself to him, and all he did was hurt her. Instant hatred swept through her. He must have just done it to hurt her, to make her feel something and then crush her. That horrible, insufferable man! How dare he?
She pushed down her anger, turned off the music, and stormed out into the living room.
They both went down for the interviews and lined up with the other escorts and mentors. Haymitch was the drunk out of any of them, but somehow he managed to still form coherent words. He and Chaff stood together, joking around and sneering at any Capitol citizens.
The interviews took place, with each District's escort and mentor going up together to talk to Caesar.
Nika Hemsworth, District Four's escort, and Finnick Odair, the mentor for Four, were both greeted with congratulations about Annie Cresta's victory. Finnick looked like he hadn't slept for weeks, which marred his looks only slightly. He was still stunningly beautiful. Even Effie, whose type was more rugged, found herself swooning when Finnick winked at the camera. Finnick was nineteen, which was very young considering he had won his Games five years ago. Effie remembered watching his Games and being slightly scared when he had run rampant with his trident. She remembered her father paying handsomely for that trident, but his donation had been only one of many that had gone together to buy it.
"Poor kid." Haymitch muttered to Chaff, who agreed. Effie wanted to enquire as to why, but she remembered that she was mad at Haymitch, so she kept her mouth shut.
As the interviews wore on and the line got smaller and smaller, Effie picked up tips from the other escorts as to how to handle herself. This was her first interview as an escort, and she needed to make a perfect first impression. She decided to try to be funny and cute, and to see what the Capitol made of that.
When Chaff and District Eleven's escort, Hilly Starr, left for their interview, the awkward silence that stretched between Effie and Haymitch was excruciating. She was mad at him, and he was just indifferent to her.
She wondered what had made him kiss her last night. Was it her lack of "Capitol crap", as he called it? Or was it the alcohol acting on his behalf? Probably the alcohol. Haymitch did stupid things when he was inebriated.
Suddenly, an Avox escort appeared to show them to the stage. Chaff and Hilly left the stage, and Caesar stood up.
"And now, let's welcome the last pair tonight! From District Twelve, please welcome Haymitch Abernathy and his escort, Effie Trinket!"
Effie led the way, smiling and waving at the crowd. Haymitch strode along behind her, not even bothering to wave.
Effie hugged Caesar and sat down. Haymitch threw himself into the chair beside her without a single acknowledgement of Caesar. Effie mentally groaned. He was going to be stubborn and rude, wasn't he?
"Welcome, both of you!" Caesar said.
"Thank you Caesar, it's wonderful to be here!" Effie beamed.
"So, Effie, you're our new girl on the block. The newest escort, this is your first Games. How have you found it?"
"Oh, it's been a wonderful experience. I've met so many amazing people and learnt alot. I was so nervous on my first day, but everyone has made me feel welcome." All except Haymitch, but she didn't mention that.
"And Haymitch, how have you found Effie so far?" Caesar said, leaning over to see Haymitch, who was still slumped in his chair.
"Yeah, she's okay. Better than the last one. The last one wasn't even pretty." He grumbled, and the audience roared with laughter. Effie was stunned. They thought that was funny?
"I assume you're referring to Marnie Chandra? Isn't she working in retail now?" Caesar asked, hoping for more laughs.
"Yeah, I scared her away, didn't I? Good thing too. She was starting to get on my nerves." Haymitch didn't grin, just kept his face serious, but the crowd assumed that he was making some big joke, and laughed anyway.
He was stealing all her laughs! She wanted to be the one that the Capitol adored, but so far, Haymitch was getting all the attention.
"Effie, Haymitch, there has been some controversy about your tribute, Ileana. Some people think you both just left her to die. Is this true?" Caesar said, as nonchalantly as if he was talking about what he was going to have for dinner tonight.
Before Effie could speak, Haymitch leant forward quickly and spoke.
"No, of course that's not true. We tried to get her sponsors, but unfortunately, none came forward."
"Yes, we did try." Effie said. She felt awkward, how could she talk about Ileana? "Her death was very sad. Both of them were." She looked down.
The crowd made "aww" noises, and Caesar patted Effie on the back. "Its okay, Effie, they were your first tributes. You'll get used to it."
Haymitch shot up to his feet. "Get used to it? Get used to the children dying? I've been doing this for nineteen years, and it doesn't get any easier!" He looked like he was about to rip Caesar's head off for what he said.
"I understand that. I was merely trying to cheer Effie up. And maybe it's different for escorts." Effie could see that Caesar was trying to find a way to placate Haymitch, but he was failing miserably.
"Yeah, it's different because they haven't experienced it! You Capitol people think it's so easy to watch them die, but we mentors know how it feels. Think of Finnick! Annie is his friend! Imagine him having to watch her go through all that, knowing that she might die, watching her go mad over the death of her partner! You think that's easy for him? Or her, for that matter? Well, of course you do, because you don't care! None of you care."
Effie rose to her feet and grabbed Haymitch's shoulders, trying to calm him down.
"Please Haymitch, calm down. You're on television." She looked into his eyes, and saw only fury.
"Oh yes, we're on television. You don't want me to ruin your perfect reputation. You're just like the rest of them." He pushed her off him and swept off the stage.
The crowd mumbled to themselves, obviously feeling cheated at Haymitch's disappearance.
Effie stared after him in shock, but then composed herself.
She sat back down, apologizing to Caesar. "I'm so sorry. He liked Ileana. Her death still hurts him." She knew it wasn't true, but she had to cover somehow.
Effie and Caesar talked for another five minutes about the Games, the escort society, and being around Haymitch.
"Well, that's all we have time for Effie. I look forward to seeing you next year. Ladies and gentlemen, Effie Trinket!" Caesar held her hand and stood up, taking her with him. The crowd roared with applause, and Caesar kissed Effie's hand. She walked off the stage casually, but as soon as she was out of the camera's sight, she was running to the apartment.
When she burst in, she found Haymitch throwing things around his room in anger.
"Haymitch!" She screamed, alerting him to her presence. He stopped and looked at her, anger in his eyes.
"What do you want?"
"I want you to calm down! What the hell was that? You made me look like a fool! Just calm down!"
"No! You heard what he said! It was like the tributes didn't matter to him! Like they were insects that he could kill without thought. It's disgusting!" He threw a shirt across his room.
Effie came into the room and grabbed his arms. "I know. I know. But you shouldn't have flipped out like that." She tried to sound comforting, but she had a feeling that it wasn't working.
"I can do whatever I want! Maybe my outburst would help them to see what a fucked up idea the whole Games is. How fucked up they are for making children die for their entertainment." His anger was waning, Effie could see that.
Effie liked how he used "they" and not "you". He didn't include her in the list of those who needed to be shown.
"I doubt that they'll ever see that. Not until they're in the position that you and I are in." She said, softly.
He sighed, and Effie saw a tear form in his eye. "It's so unfair."
Her heart panged for him. "I know." She wound her arms around him, relaxing into him.
His arms wrapped around her too, and suddenly she felt sobs rack his body.
"Even the Victors get treated like shit, even though we won. We get our families ripped away from us, or we have to sell ourselves, like poor Finnick. And the Capitol doesn't even care. Why is the world so screwed up, Eff?" He sobbed into her shoulder. Effie felt herself tear up at his sudden burst of emotion.
"I don't know. I really don't know." She rubbed his back as he cried.
"We have to live in fear of getting too close to someone, just in case they get hurt. That's what happened to Finnick. He got too close to someone, and the one year he refuses to do what they want, that person gets thrown into the Games. It's a miracle she survived."
Effie realises that he means Annie. Poor Finnick. He had to watch her go through all that. No wonder he looked like he hadn't slept.
Then, an idea shot into her head. Was this why Haymitch couldn't get close to her? Was it why he had told her that he couldn't kiss her again? Because he was scared of her getting hurt? It seemed true.
"And it's the same with me. I can't get close to anyone because of what they did to my family, and Nadyah. They don't have anyone to use against me, but if they find out that I loved someone, they'd use them against me. The Capitol would hurt them. The Capitol would hurt you, Eff." He whispered the last part, his voice breaking.
Her heart thudded. Was this a confession?
He broke away from the hug and looked into her eyes. With tears in his eyes, they sparkled like diamonds.
"I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you, Effie. I've come to realise that I care about you too. But I can't do that. I can't put you in the same position that I put Nadyah. I can get away with what I do now because they don't have anyone to use against me. If I were to reveal my feelings for you, Snow would instantly pick up on that. You'd be in danger." He placed his hand on Effie's cheek, and electricity ran through her skin at his touch.
She looked up at him, taking in his face. He looked way younger here; there was vulnerability in his face that made him look more like the sixteen year old boy at the reaping.
"I understand. I really do. But we don't have to make it public, right? We could just... keep it a secret." She brought her fingers up to trace his lips, her eyes still locked with his.
"What, you don't care that you could be in danger if anyone found out?" His shocked expression made her giggle. "You'd defy the Capitol to be with me? You care for me that much?"
"Haymitch, I've cared for you for twenty years, ever since I was six. You captivated me. Maybe that was the out-of-control feelings of a six year old girl, but being with you has only confirmed it. Granted, you are annoying, sarcastic, insufferable, with terrible manners and a horrible superiority complex, but there are times when I still see the boy that I fell for. I would defy the Capitol to be with you. I understand your concern, I do. But how about we try? We'll keep it a secret. I won't tell a soul." She brought her finger up to her lips.
Haymitch's eyes kept getting wider throughout her speech. Effie laughed at his expression now.
"Eff... I..." He stammered.
"Oh, just kiss me, you fool." She giggled, and pressed her lips against his.
A moment's shock on his part was replaced by a fiery intensity that deepened their kiss. They clung to each other, not bearing to let the other go. She could taste the liquor on his breath, but didn't let that distract her from the kiss. Fire sprung through her body as his hands ran up and down her back, pressing her against him.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of the TV switching on in the other room, and Caesar Flickerman's voice emanated from it. They broke apart, startled.
"I guess it must be time for Annie's interview." Effie whispered. The television switched itself on automatically for important broadcasts. The mentor and escort interviews were important, and the Victor's interview was certainly very important.
"They must have fixed the TV." Haymitch chuckled, and Effie laughed too, remembering how he broke the TV last night.
"Shall we watch?" Effie said, taking Haymitch's hand.
"Fine."
As they walked towards the sofa, they broke apart. The Avoxes were there, waiting to wait on them. They couldn't be seen to be feeling something for each other, even in front of their servants.
Haymitch took a detour to the kitchen and came back with a bottle.
Effie sighed. "Must you drink now?" She put on a tired voice, which actually wasn't a full lie. She was quite sick of him constantly drinking.
"Yes, I must, sweetheart. It's hard enough to watch these damn things without it." He threw himself down on the sofa and took a big gulp.
Annie was led onto the stage by a Peacekeeper. She looked so disoriented. Her sea green eyes were vacant, and she looked at the crowd like they were aliens.
"Poor girl." Haymitch whispered, taking another swig.
Annie sat down and said hello to Caesar.
"So, Annie, how does it feel to be the Victor of the 70th Hunger Games?" Caesar asked, beaming at the lost girl.
"I... I feel... weird. Like I'm not me." She drifted off into some sort of trance, rocking and humming to herself.
Caesar looked puzzled. "What do you mean weird?" He prompted, but Annie wouldn't come out of her trance.
Suddenly, Finnick came onto the stage. He knelt down next to her and put his hands on her legs.
"Annie? Can you hear me?"
At the sound of his voice, her eyes became engaged again. She looked down at him in shock.
"Finn? Where am I?" She whispered.
"You're in an interview, love. Tell Caesar what you meant." He scooted over, out of the way, and Caesar asked his question again.
"I suppose... I suppose I'm not all here. Part of me died with Triton."
Triton was Annie's partner from District Four. He was beheaded by the other Careers in front of Annie's eyes. She had slowly gone mad with grief and terror, and now she was like this, a shell of a person.
"Oh, come on now, you must be happy that you won!" Caesar said, and Finnick's eyes hardened.
"Not happy. I just keep thinking about the Games. About Triton. About all the blood... oh!" She squeezed her eyes shut and started rocking, humming a tune to herself, her hands over her ears.
Caesar looked confused now. He probably hadn't had to deal with a Victor like this.
"I think we should stop now. She doesn't feel up to this. Not now." Finnick said to Caesar.
"Would you like to comment, Finnick?" Caesar asked.
"No, I've already had my interview." His voice was laced with hatred.
"Okay then. Everyone, please, give it up for Annie Cresta, Victor of the 70th Hunger Games!" The crowd roared in applause, and Annie squeezed her vice-like grip around her ears even harder.
Finnick bent down and picked her up like a baby. He carried her off the stage, and Caesar signed off.
They sat there in silence. Then, Haymitch threw his now-empty bottle on the floor.
"Oh, Haymitch!" Effie squealed. Why must he always do that?
"Vapid, selfish, hateful arse! How could he talk that way to her? He saw how she was, and yet he was asking her if she was happy! The nerve!" He paced around the room, kicking the broken glass.
"Stop it, Haymitch. You'll cut yourself." She got up and pulled him away.
The Avoxes came and cleared away the mess. Effie waited until they were done, and then released her captive.
He had calmed down in that small time, but Effie could tell that Haymitch was very drunk. He had, after all, downed a 500ml bottle of liquor in about five minutes. She wondered how on earth he could stand to drink that much.
Effie watched him. His eyes drifted in and out of focus, as Annie's had.
Could she do this? Could she watch the man that she cared about drink himself to death? She guessed that she would have to. It was either that or losing him.
She looked at the clock. It was eight o'clock in the evening. Damn, time went fast.
"You need to go to bed." She said.
"Don't." He muttered.
"Do. You were up very late last night. You've got a train to catch at nine." A pang of sorrow hit her heart. He was leaving the Capitol tomorrow, to go home. Would he forget about her then?
"Oh yeah. Home. To Ileana's family. And Karl's. Both who now hate me. Great." He slurred.
"Come on." She said, helping him up. They walked to his bedroom slowly.
"Come in." He said, walking into his room. She followed, saying goodnight and dismissing the Avoxes.
She shut the door carefully, and turned to Haymitch. He was still in that nice suit of his. He suddenly took off the jacket and tie, kicking off his shoes. Effie's face dropped in alarm.
"Don't look at me like that, I'm not stripping sweetheart. Just making me'self more comfortable." He threw himself onto the bed.
"Okay." She hovered around, wondering what she should do.
"Eff, come here." He chuckled, patting the bed beside him. "Take off that crap first."
She sighed, but gave in.
Five minutes later, she was curled up in his bed with him, bare faced, her hair curled around her face, and in his bath robe.
"There, that's the Effie I like." He muttered, chuckling, putting his arm around her.
"Good." She smiled at him. He kissed her on the forehead.
"Night." He whispered.
"Goodnight." She curled up next to him, her head on his chest, and fell to sleep. She could do this more often.
Haymitch
The faces were back. It didn't matter that he'd downed that bottle of booze, or that Effie was lying beside him, the faces still plagued his dreams.
Ileana, Karl, the other tributes, the girl from One, Maysilee, Ronan, Mother, Nadyah. All of their faces swam before his eyes.
But tonight, there was a new addition.
Effie was there.
Her perfect face was slashed and bloody. Her beautiful blue eyes were missing, only empty sockets remained. Her screams echoed through his mind, her screaming his name. Her body was broken and bloody, lying in a desolated cell.
He couldn't bear it. He was screaming her name as he watched her getting beaten to death by Peacekeepers. One of them morphed into President Snow, who cackled and hissed "your fault" at him repeatedly as he kicked Effie's body.
"No!" Haymitch screamed, and shot out of his dreams, knife clutched in his hand. He felt a presence next to him, and was about to strike, when he heard her voice.
"Haymitch! What's wrong?" Her eyes were wide, and they got even wider when they saw his knife.
Relief crashed over him. She was okay! Her eyes were still there, her face was perfect still. She was whole, she was fine.
His arm dropped, and the knife fell out of his hand. He sagged back onto the bed, looking up at Effie. She looked frightened, of him mostly.
"You're okay." He whispered.
She made a funny noise and said "of course I'm okay. What's wrong?"
"I had a dream. No, a nightmare. It was about you... you were hurt." He said, and felt tears prickling his eyes. No, he would not cry. Not again. He'd cried enough today to last him a lifetime.
"It was just a dream, Haymitch. I'm fine. Look at me, I'm fine." Her voice sounded panicked, and he didn't blame her.
"I know. I was just scared..."
"I know."
They stayed there, looking at each other, and then Effie leant in and kissed him. That dispelled all his chills and fears.
It was only a small kiss, which ended with Effie pulling away and settling herself down next to him.
"I don't want you to leave tomorrow. But I know you have to." She whispered.
"I don't want to leave either. I don't want to leave you. But we'll see each other next year. You'll just have to learn to live without me until then."
Why did he have to act cocky? But she laughed, showing that it was alright.
"I'm sure I'll live."
And with that, they both fell asleep. Haymitch didn't dream again, and woke up marginally well rested.
Effie wasn't there.
Panic ran through him. Where was she?
It was half past eight. Haymitch swore, got dressed quickly, and packed his stuff. His train would leave any minute.
He ran out into the hallway to see her there. She was back in the Capitol crap, but she still looked pretty.
"There you are." She smiled. "Let's go."
When they got to the station, they found the train that was going to Twelve.
Effie helped him get his stuff on board, and they went to his room to say goodbye. They couldn't risk anyone seeing them.
She walked over to him after closing the door, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him. Their kiss was intense and passionate, as they knew that they would not be doing it again for some time.
"Write to me? Or call me?" She asked when they pulled away.
"I'll write. They might tap the phones." He said.
"Okay. But still ring me. We can just talk about stuff." Her eyes were full of tears. He knew that she didn't want to leave him. He didn't want to leave her either. But they had to part.
"I will. Goodbye, Eff." He gave her a hug, and then led her to the front of the train.
She gave him another hug when they were there, but made it look like an awkward hug between two people who were obligated to hug, but didn't like it.
"I love you, Haymitch." She whispered in his ear, and his heart soared. He couldn't say anything back, as he was facing all the people outside, but he pushed her away in a pretend show of hatred and looked into her eyes.
"See you around, princess." He winked at her teasingly, and left her to get off the train.
As the train moved out of the Capitol, Haymitch thought long and hard to her, hoping in vain that she could hear him, however silly that may have sounded.
I love you too, Eff. I love you too.
D'aww! I loved writing this chapter! :D
Right, I have something to ask you guys!
The future of this story depends on whether you guys want me to carry on. I could leave it at that, or I could go onto the 71st Hunger Games. If you want me to carry on, please tell me. And please, if you guys have Hayffie shipper friends, show them this story! It would be the best thing ever!
Thank you, all of you, for the amazing reviews and love!
And don't forget to tell me if you want more! :D x