Hey guys! Oh my gosh, it's been too long! Thank you all for being patient with me, I've had exams, as I'm sure most of you have had! I'm not finished with them, but it's half term, so I've been writing!
This is a sort of filler chapter, hope you don't want to kill me after this!
Happy reading!

Effie

I was kissing Seneca before I really understood what was happening. My emotions were swirling around, conflicting and clashing with each other, and I just needed something to make it all go away.

So I kissed him.

He seemed to warm to it, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing me to him.

Then, I heard the smashing of glass, the familiar smell of alcohol, and someone shouting "hey, Avox, come and clear this up, someone dropped a wine bottle!"

I broke away quickly, looking to where I had heard the bottle smash, and saw a figure retreating into the Remake Centre.

"Oh God." I whispered. I knew that figure.

Guilt rose quickly within me.

"What's wrong?" Seneca asked, trying to keep me next to him.

"I have to go." I said shortly, trying to struggle out of his grasp/ He let me go, concern written on his face.

"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" His bright blue eyes were wide and sad.

"No, of course not! I just need to go; my prep team will be looking for me. Interview later, remember?"

"Yes, I remember. I'll see you later?" He said, hopefully.

"Okay." I smiled at him, but inside, all I wanted to do was run to Haymitch and apologize.

I walked calmly away from the Square, but once I was inside the Remake Centre, I started running, almost twisting my ankle in my high heels. I briefly questioned why I always wore them, and then mentally slapped myself in horror. How could I even think that?

I got up to the apartment, a part of me hoping that it wasn't Haymitch that I saw running away.

However, when I saw the state of the apartment, that hope was quickly crushed.

Haymitch was sat on the sofa, surrounded by pure carnage. Feathers were strewn everywhere, glass smashed, liquid seeping into the carpets. I gasped in horror at the sight of it.

I heard a dark chuckle from the sofa, and looked to Haymitch. He was very drunk, I could tell by the smell.

"Surprised, princess?" He growled; a smirk on his face.

"What did you do?" I gasped.

"Oh, nothing. Just taking out my anger on things. As I do." He took another big gulp and almost coughed.

I couldn't speak. The way he was looking at me assured me that he knew everything. He had seen me with Seneca.

I started trying to pick things up, like a vase that had fallen off a desk, when I heard Haymitch laughing. It wasn't a normal laugh of happiness; it was one of those drunken laughs that spelt trouble.

"You know, I feel really stupid." He growled.

"Why?" I whispered.

He gave me a look, like it was obvious. "I probably just ruined my relationship with one of the only people who have ever liked me. For you. I thought that if I confessed to her that I loved you, so she'd keep her distance; that you would stop being jealous and we'd go back to the way things were. But no. Because within minutes of my realisation that you are one of the most important people in my life, you had to go and shatter everything."

My heart thudded. He thought I was one of the most important people in his life? Oh gosh, why had I been so stupid?

"Haymitch, I..."

"No. I think you've done enough." He stood up and walked into his room, leaving me in the carnage that I had indirectly created.

I sighed. How were we going to get through the interview later if he hated me? I supposed that I deserved it, but the interview was my only time to look presentable on television, besides the reapings. If Haymitch ruined that for me, I would be the laughing stock of Panem.

But somehow, that didn't matter anymore. He hated me. I had kissed Seneca out of confusion and a sudden need to make Haymitch jealous. And that had blown up in my face.

The door swung open behind me, and Faul, Lilia, and the two prep teams entered.

Lilia gasped in horror at the wreckage around me.

"Are you okay?" She whimpered.

"Yes, perfectly. Haymitch is just a bit drunk. Good luck with him, Faul."

I prayed that Haymitch wouldn't say anything to Faul, but then I dismissed that idea. He was too smart for that, drunk or not.

My prep team took me to my room and got me ready. It didn't take very long; I always keep my body in tip-top condition.

Lilia dressed me in a form-fitting pink dress that shimmered like a waterfall down to my feet. I twirled around, and the hem fanned out like a flower. It was in the style that Cornelius, the stylist for Eight, gave Talia for her interview dress before the Games. I loved it, even though it reminded me of her and her relationship with Haymitch.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked beautiful. My blonde hair was hidden under a luscious candy-pink wig that curled out around my head, and a large magenta bow graced it. The dress accentuated my curves, and made me look slim.

A slight hope crossed my mind. Maybe Haymitch would see how pretty I looked and decide to not care about the kiss. However, that hope was squashed by my rational mind. Haymitch was stubborn. He wouldn't forgive me for a while.

"You look wonderful, Effie!" Lilia squealed, and she hugged me hard.

"Thank you! This dress is amazing!" I said, clapping my hands in excitement. However, part of it was fake, I was a little bit scared of seeing Haymitch again.

However, when we walked out of my room, Haymitch and Faul were already there, and they were talking normally, it seemed.

Haymitch turned around upon hearing us come out. I wanted surprise or shock to cross his face, to realise that I was beautiful and that he didn't care what I had done.

It wasn't what I got.

His face hardened, and he turned away from me, talking to Faul.

Faul had done a good job with Haymitch. He was dressed in a cream suit with a light blue shirt. The combination suited him, especially with his lighter hair. The hair that was casually styled, hanging over his face.

I tried to push down the disappointment that welled up within me, but it didn't work. He was purposely ignoring me. I supposed I deserved it, but come on! It was one kiss! Surely Haymitch could forgive me that.

"Good luck!" Lilia squealed, bringing me out of reverie. She was jumping up and down, clapping her hands together. I saw the look that Haymitch gave her and chuckled mentally.

Then, I stopped. Did I use to act like that? Before I realised what the Hunger Games were about? What he must have thought of me.

Haymitch and I walked in silence to Caesar Flickerman's stage. He walked ahead of me, so I had to look at his back as we walked. I wanted to say something to him, but I knew that it would only make him mad, and then the interviews would go horribly.

When we reached the line of mentors and escorts, I heard Haymitch shout.

"Finnick!"

Finnick Odair turned around and my heart thudded for a moment. He was still as dreamy as ever. He walked over to Haymitch, who was next to me.

"Did you...?" He mumbled, and Finnick nodded.

"She should be okay for tonight. I hope."

Haymitch sighed. "Thanks, Odair." He patted Finnick on the arm and gave him a small smile.

I wanted to know what was going on, and who they were talking about. I remembered suddenly that Finnick and Haymitch were with Talia earlier, could she be who they were talking about?

Finnick left to find Nika, and Haymitch started talking to Chaff, completely ignoring me. I edged around them and struck up a conversation with Hilly about shoes. Hilly was complimenting me on my new heels, when Chaff put his arm around me.

"Yeah, you look stunning in them, sweetheart." He growled, the liquor on his breath making me nose wrinkle.

With the use of "sweetheart" and the smell of booze, I almost thought that it was Haymitch. But I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and saw him standing with his arms crossed, a sour expression on his face.

I stiffened under Chaff's grasp, and heard him laugh manically at me. He was so patronizing! I wanted Haymitch to get him off me, but by the chuckle that was coming from his direction; I didn't see that happening soon.

Thankfully, Hilly saw my discomfort and managed to wrestle him off me, and by that time, the interviews had begun.

When Cecelia and Laylah walked onto the stage, they were greeted by rounds of applause for their victorious tribute. Their entire interview was about Talia, no word about any other tributes, not even their boy.

When Chaff and Hilly went on, Caesar commented in a flamboyant way about Talia's stunt with the knife. A clip was played of Talia catching the knife that their boy tribute threw at her and sending it right back at him. Chaff looked like he wanted to rip Caesar's head off, and I wasn't surprised. The way that he said it... It was like Caesar had no regret that that boy was killed.

And then it was our turn. Haymitch and I hadn't spoken a word to each other for the entire night, and now we had to pretend that I hadn't just committed a huge crime against our potential relationship.

As Caesar called out our names, I steeled myself, and then walked on stage, plastering a huge smile on my face. I waved out to the crowd, who were cheering enthusiastically for us. Haymitch staggered along behind me, almost falling flat on his face once. He was really playing up the drunk act. I mentally slapped myself. This was probably all my fault. Actually, this was all my fault.

Caesar gave me a hug and kisses on both cheeks, and then held out his hand to Haymitch. Haymitch totally ignored it and sat down. Caesar seemed unfazed by it, and sat down, smiling.

Our interview went by without too much embarrassment from Haymitch. There was a moment where I thought he was going to snap, at Katerina's death. Caesar insinuated that it was our fault that she tripped. I could see Haymitch's jaw clenching in anger, but then his eyes flickered over to me. I gave him a look that pleaded with him, and he relaxed slightly. Hope sprung through me, maybe he didn't hate me after all.

When we were dismissed, however, Haymitch strode off without even saying goodbye to me. I didn't know where to, but he just left. I decided to find my friends and go partying. It would distract me from my Haymitch/Seneca situation, and would help me to unwind after a stressful year.

I found Hilly, Nika, and Laylah talking at the bottom of the stairs. They seemed ruffled.

"Effie, there you are! You need to control your Victor; he just pushed past me swearing under his breath! It was not a very nice way for a man to treat a lady at all! Especially a lady of my standing!" Laylah called, running to me. I could just see Haymitch's back as he strode down the long corridor. I wanted to call his name and run after him, but I knew that I needed to stay with my friends.

I partied with them all night, forgetting about Haymitch. It was only when I spotted Seneca walking into the club that I remembered my sins. I ducked away into the bathroom and planned my escape. I didn't want to see Seneca. He probably thought that I was in love with him, or something. I really wasn't; that kiss was a product of my confusion about everything that had been going on lately.

When I got home, I found Haymitch sitting on the sofa, remote in hand. He was rewinding something on the television, and when I looked over, I saw that it was Talia's interview.

Haymitch played the tape at the point when Talia walked on stage.

"You missed it. I figured that you'd want to watch." He slurred, clearly intoxicated.

At least he was talking to me. It was a start.

I sat down and watched as Talia swept out onto the stage, looking stunning in a long blue dress that shimmered like a waterfall.

Caesar started replaying some of her Games and commenting on her flair. There were questions about her relationship with Elijah, and a lot of questions about Mikhail. She was honest and self-respecting, and she seemed like she was okay with everything. However, I knew that she wasn't.

As the interview was about to close, Caesar commented on a clip that had been recorded of her and Haymitch together in the Victor's Square.

"It looks like you're getting friendly with him, Talia. Anything that you want to say about this?"

She laughed, watching the screen. I could see a little bit of hurt in her eyes, did Haymitch really reject her?

"Oh, well. What can I say about Haymitch? He's been a good friend to me over the past few days. He's helped me through this tough period." She smiled out to the crowd.

"Are you sure that there's nothing more going on between you two?" Caesar asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Oh no! I can safely say that there is nothing going on between Haymitch and I! We're just good friends, that's all." She laughed again, and Caesar took her word for it.

As Caesar closed the interview, Haymitch switched off the television and sighed.

"And that's all we'll ever be. Good friends. I couldn't even help her out."

I knew this was a jab at me, to try to make me feel guilty for what I did. However, I did feel that he was being a bit unreasonable. At least I had only kissed Seneca once. Who knew what those two had been up to while in bed together?

"Haymitch... I –"

"No, Effie. Don't say anything. I don't want to hear it."

He swept past me again, and anger got the better of me. I wanted to throw him against the wall and make him talk to me. But I knew he'd probably kill me if I attacked him; he was so strong and I so weak.

He went into his room, slammed the door, and left me standing there.

Haymitch

I knew that I was being unreasonable. She had only kissed the guy once, after all. But that whole incident had broken me out of the haze that Effie had cast upon me. I shouldn't be feeling like this. I shouldn't be falling in love, especially not with my escort. I would put Effie in danger, and I couldn't have that. I barely got away with my shenanigans as it was, if I was to do anything more stupid, like hammer on about rebellion, Effie could be hurt, or killed because of it.

Most of me was upholding that. But there was a part of me that did feel secretly betrayed by her actions. Her kissing Seneca Crane, of all people, led me to believe that she wasn't as anti-Capitol as she had said. Surely, if she hated the Hunger Games that much, she wouldn't be snogging one of the people who made it happen.

And then there was a part of me who resented the fact that I had broken my relationship with Talia for her. Talia's confession in her interview gave me some reassurance that she didn't hate me, but there would always be a wedge between us now.

I thought of her, she was probably in the same room as that womanizer right now. I hoped that Finnick had been able to help her adjust to the new feelings. I hoped that Kay wouldn't hurt her too much.

I heard Effie walking down the hallway to her room. I was glad that I was leaving the Capitol tomorrow; I could put this whole horrid business behind me. And hopefully Effie would too. Maybe she'd get together with Seneca Crane.

As much as that thought repulsed me, and I will admit it made me slightly jealous, I wanted her to be happy. And if that murderer made her happy, then I wasn't going to ruin it for her.

I threw myself down on my bed and willed the hours to pass. I had to be on my train for nine, so I had around eight hours to will by before I could leave this god-forsaken place.

I fell into a fitful sleep, where all the familiar faces were tortured before my eyes. The one perk of that was that I woke up early and was ready to go by half past seven.

I was sitting at the breakfast table, already drinking myself into a stupor. I knew I would need it for what was to come; being with Effie, going home, seeing the families of the children that I had lost. That was the worst part of this whole rotten business. Seeing the hatred in the families, as they asked "Why couldn't you save them?" It had been the same for nineteen years, and tomorrow would become the twentieth time. The occasion shocked me. Surely I should have had a Victor by now?

Then I remembered my mentor, Balthazar Fiennes, who had mentored for thirty-five years with no success before I came along. Good, at least I had fifteen more years to go before I broke the record.

Fifteen more years of this? God. That was horrible to think about.

Effie sat down at the table, looking even more Capitolized than usual.

"Good morning." She said in her upbeat voice, and then reached over to pick up the teapot. I didn't reply. It would be easier to wean her away from me if I gave her the silent treatment.

We said nothing for the entire morning, and then only gave a formal goodbye at the train station because the cameras demanded it.

As I zoomed away from the Capitol, away from her, I felt a small amount of relief, but a large amount of sadness. I didn't want to leave Effie without a proper goodbye, but it was what I had to do. The more she hated me, the better.

She would be safe then.

Aw, Haymitch has gone all protective! :(
The next chapter will be better, you guys, I promise! I'm writing it right now! :D
Please review, it makes my day! :D