District 11: Alliances
40 years old
Haymitch leaned forward, elbows on his knees, fingers steepled together to press them on his lips as he watched the screen.
She crept along the tree branches, so comfortable in her movement and gait, while Katniss remained oblivious to her presence.
"Is she going to be a problem?" Effie voiced out the question that had fleeted through his mind. "Katniss cannot afford to worry about the Careers down the tree she's on and the Eleven's tribute at the same time."
Haymitch struggled to remember her name but gave it up as a lost cause. Tributes were often reduced to the districts they belonged to, and their names would only be remembered if they proved to have some worth in entertainment for the Capitols. Even Career sponsors, when asked, could never tell the tributes' names until a time came when the tribute remained amongst the last left in the arena. On the other hand, the mentors avoided remembering other tributes' names to guard their own hearts and interests.
"Don't think Eleven's a threat right now," Haymitch answered quietly. "The girl won't attack Katniss now and risk attracting the attention of the Careers – won't be a smart move."
Up in her own tree, she whistled for Katniss' attention. Haymitch's heart stopped beating for that split second, worried as he was that Katniss might react purely out of instinct by doing something to protect herself, harm the girl and give away Rue's position to the Careers.
He wasn't sure how he would face Chaff if his tribute killed one of Chaff's own. Ultimately, given how the Games were played, that was inevitable but there were usually no hard feelings between mentors. Still, there was always that small, uncomfortable moment of guilt. To this day, Haymitch vividly remember the year Finnick couldn't look Johanna in the eye after one of his tributes had crept and murdered her girl in her sleep.
Fortunately, Katniss had no bow on her to let her arrow fly. All she had was a knife which she was not willing to lose at this crucial moment by flinging it on Eleven's tribute. Rue, of course, was smarter and sneakier than anyone truly gave her credit for. She made a sawing motion and repeatedly pointed to the branch above where Katniss was perched. In the viewing lounge, Haymitch received the message clear as day. It would seem, so did Katniss.
"Good girl," he muttered under his breath. "Chaff's girl is smart."
"Yes," Effie nodded when it became clear to her what Rue intended for Katniss to do. "Still, this situation can easily go out of control. Tracker jacker…" she shook her head, pulling out information on her tablet as it appeared the moment Caesar Flickerman began explaining it on national television.
Haymitch gave the information a quick glance when Effie showed him the tablet.
"Find antidote for the venom – just in case," Haymitch instructed.
"We do not have that kind of money."
"Just do it – I want to know that the Gamemakers have at least put that in the inventory. Let me worry about the money when it comes to it."
"Already thinking two steps ahead, eh?" Chaff sauntered into Twelve's private viewing lounge. "An alliance – a first for our districts, am I right?"
"Yeah," Haymitch chuckled when Chaff laughed at them being mentors in an alliance. "You betting on the girl?"
"The boy," Chaff answered truthfully. "Thresh got what it takes to actually see this through but Rue's holding well on her own. She found your girl after all. So we'll see how this plays out."
For the most part, the alliance went as well as can be expected. As the day developed, they divided tasked amongst themselves, took turns keeping watch throughout the night and devised plans to survive by taking down other tributes a peg, but it was clear to Haymitch as the alliance progressed that somewhere along the line, it had shifted to a tentative friendship especially so when Katniss offered Rue a piece of the groosling she shot and they began talking of the supposed romance involving Peeta.
"She better not fucked up the story line," Haymitch grumbled low enough for only Effie to hear.
Chaff might be one of his best friends here but there were strategy involving his districts that he did not disclose to anyone except Effie.
On his end, Chaff was watching the development between Katniss and Rue with his arms crossed and a slight creased between his brows.
Friendships in the arena had never born anyone any good news, and his gut feeling proved to be right when Rue was speared and Katniss lost her grip.
Next to him, he heard a sharp intake of breath and saw Effie struggling to control her emotions. Wordlessly, he handed her his handkerchief when a tear fell the moment Katniss began singing. Effie nodded her head in thanks, dabbing her cheeks with as much poised as she could in the presence of another mentor.
When the camera zoomed in to Katniss crying as the song she was singing came to an end, Effie choked back a sob.
Chaff shot her a look at her reaction, the confusion visibly displayed on his face. He had always cast her as just another Capitol but Haymitch knew that was far from the truth.
The canon sounded strangely loud and unbearable to Haymitch. He clenched his fist to stop himself from flinching. On screen, Katniss had bent forward to kiss Rue on her temple and at that act Haymitch pinched the bridge of his nose and drew a breath. She had shown far too much.
"Oh, no," Effie covered her hand over her mouth as they all watched Katniss began to arrange flowers around Rue's small, lifeless body. "That had never happened before by one tribute to another."
There were rules in the Capitol and especially in the Games that one should never deviate from. Effie knew that from years of Capitol upbringing and he learnt that the hard way. Giving Rue a funeral of sorts and to hold the Capitol accountable for what they did was to put a noose around one's neck and that was exactly what Katniss was doing.
"I have to handle this," Chaff said heavily. The laughter that was on his face and voice just a day ago was gone. "And your girl..."
Chaff shook his head and left, leaving his sentence hanging.
Haymitch knew what his friend meant to say. His girl just did something no one had expected. She had shown humanity and compassion, and even in Rue's last moments had remained steadfast as a friend by her side.
Later during the day, long after the Capitol had retrieved Rue's body, Chaff transferred the bread meant for Rue into Twelve's electronic cart.
"Send it," Chaff popped by to instruct him.
Haymitch could have kept the bread in the cart. What Chaff had done… He was stoking the fire but if Haymitch were to send it as Chaff had requested, he would be sending Katniss a message that he endorsed what she did and by that, he would be feeding the flame because whether she realized it or not, Katniss had started something.
He was proud of her. He was anxious and fearful but he was proud of her.
"Don't do it, Haymitch," Effie whispered urgently under her breath. "There will be consequences."
He had endured this too long. His girl was in there doing something, proving something.
"She's making a statement. Eleven wants to make theirs and I should let them. It's their gift. I can't hold it back."
He grabbed the tablet from Effie's hand and sent it.
"My thanks to the people of District Eleven…"
Effie grabbed his hand on the sofa and clutched it tight.
"This is unprecedented," she whispered.
She had every right to sound scared. She was afraid for them and for Katniss in the arena, but Haymitch was aware that District Eleven would pay the price for this, too.
Havent' posted a one-shot here in a long, long time! Please leave behind a review for me :)