The only way to cure the hangover was to take a bit more of substance that hurt you. Haymitch was sitting in the living room, a seemingly innocent coffee mug in his hand. As Effie walked back in, she spotted him. Silence treated them both, before Effie spoke. Her words were calculative and stiff. "You can go pick them up in an hour."

Haymitch drank his "coffee" with a grimace. "I would have done it."

Effie flipped through her agenda, turning the pages loudly. "No…" She said in a clipped tone, "You wouldn't have. District 12 would have been late to the first day of training."

"You assumed I wouldn't be up." Haymitch countered gruffly.

"I was right." That was all she added.

Haymitch let out a strained groan and downed the rest of his cups contents. Effie watched him suspiciously. "Go eat, you have a meeting with the other mentors in half an hour. Wouldn't want you to live up to your reputation.." Effie stalked away to her room.

Behind the closed door she pinched the bridge of her nose and fought the urge to scream in frustration. He had worked his way under her skin. How could he have been so different last night, and now he was just the same insufferable man. From the kitchen area she could hear the clinking of the ice cubes into a glass and the unmistakeable pop of the stopper in the whiskey bottle being opened. So it would seem she'd be playing mentor again.

And so it went, for the next week. He drank, she argued, and he drank more. The tributes were removed from most of the drastic details of their mentors arguments. Effie put up with it, silently as she could. Which was hard for her. She watched as he drank himself sick after training score. The respectable 7 for the boy and a 3 for the girl. Effie had to be the cheerleader when Haymitch stood up and left. "He'll be back." She lied to the kids.

Morning turned on them and with it brought the nerves for the interviews. It was the last day the kids had in certain safety. It pitted Effie's stomach thinking about it. Mere hours until the real horror started. Effie spent her day with the girl. Grooming her for her few minutes of spotlight on stage.

"Do the other district have escorts who work as hard as you?" The little girl asked, she was incredibly observant.

"I think so.." Effie watched as the girls prep team prepared her. She smiled and looked at the girl again.

"You should just be a mentor." The girl concluded.

Effie smiled and laughed lightly, "I haven't won a game. I'm better off making sure everyone sticks to schedule and looks presentable."

The little girls eyes darted around the room nervously, "Mr. Abernathy doesn't want to be a mentor does he? Is that why he drinks and you two fight? You're mentoring for him…"

The prep team exchanged knowing looks and then glanced at Effie. "I'll finish from here.." She dismissed them.

Effie's hands fussed with the girls hair, "Don't you worry about Mr. Abernathy. He's having some problems.. I'll make sure everything is fine. All you need to do is look as charming as you do right now and make that audience fall in love with you. You don't need anyone's help doing that."

The girl nodded in response and looked up at Effie, "Is it time to go?"

Effie glanced at the clock, "Yes!" She ushered the girl out of the room. Pausing to open the room next to them and collecting the boy. "Where is Mr. Abernathy?"

"Miss Effie… Mr. Abernathy is sleeping… He left me with the prep team 3 hours ago." And that lit a fire in Effie's stomach. She stoically kept a smile on her face.

"Go on with your prep teams, I'll be right behind you. Remember smiles the minute you enter the elevator!" and with that Effie turned with a whirl of her vibrant blue dress.

Haymitch had his door locked and was soundly asleep in a chair when a pounding was heard from his door. Effie was hissing through the door, "Haymitch! Wake up!"

Effie jammed a card into the lock and tricked her way into the room. "Of all the things you could do…. This is the worst! Get up, now!"

Haymitch sat up and looked at her, red eyes hazed from drinking. He reached for the half-finished glass on the table. Intending to down it in order to merely tolerate her. "Loosen your corset, Eff's. I was going to get up." He said with a smirk.

Effie snatched the drink and dumped it in the sink. "Did you even prepare him for his interview? You drank yourself into a stupor and left the boy to take a nap! Haymitch, I can't even believe… Actually… I believe it. I believe it completely." Effie's voice wavered slightly. Anger etched into her words.

"Believe it, Princess." He laughed and got up to but his suit jacket on. "What else am I supposed to do when you're in the next room calling yourself a mentor."

Effie narrowed her eyes, the words stinging like a slap to the face. "I'm more of a mentor to them that you've been all week!"

Haymitch backed her up against the wall. His hands bracing on either side of her shoulders. The liquor fresh on his breath. Effie's face paled and her breath hitched in her chest. "You don't know the first part of being a mentor, Trinket."

Effie found her voice, "I think I do… You've done so well over the past 7 years showing me exactly what not to do."

Haymitch bit back a growl, "You don't know a damn thing about what mentoring means. I know what it means."

Effie raised an eyebrow at him and found the courage deep inside her. "Then prove it, Haymitch."