No one in the entire room was prepared for the arena. Of course it was fun to speculate what the Gamemakers dreamed up, but it was always a shock. The tributes rose out of their tubes into the vast pit of an extensive network of caves. Instantly eyes were on District 12 who would probably feel some sort of advantage. Effie as counted on gasped and clapped her hand, "How spectacular!" To that which Haymitch rolled his eyes. The countdown began and Effie swallowed the qualms in her stomach. The little girl looked scared. Haymitch found his solace in the glass of whiskey in his hand. Just like that the games began. Tributes scrambled over clumps of dirt and piles of rock to grab supplies. Effie's eyes were zeroed in on her tributes. The girl bolted from the cornucopia and away from the chaos. The boy charged right into the mess, snatching a backpack and a sleeve of throwing knives. He was quick to get away unscathed as other children nearby bludgeoned each other with rocks. The two kids met up and ran down one of the tunnels as cannons began to sound. For now it would seem they were safe.
Effie found a fruit drink to celebrate her 12's success in the first hours of the games. Last year it wasn't the case. Both tributes died in day 1. Hours passed uneventfully in the arena. 14 kids had perished that morning, and by now it was setting to late evening in the Capitol. Not that it mattered in the arena. It was dark no matter what down there. Other filtered out of the lounge to disperse to their own suites. Mentors who had already lost tributes were busy dealing with the procedures when a tribute dies. Effie was sitting on the sun deck near the lounge, looking over the Capitol. Watching the bright lights mix with the dark night sky. It was just minutes now before the anthem would play and day 1 would be concluded.
A cannon sounded as loud as ever from the screens inside the lounge. Gasps were heard and Effie saw her tablet light up. It would only light up now if… Effie's heart plummeted. She stood up and saw Haymitch white knuckle his glass and swallow the full contents in one gulp. No. She swiped the screen on her tablet with trembling hands and saw the replay. The boy had died.
The two of them were edging near a crevasse in the cave. He kept warning her to be careful on the ledge, and it was him who lost his balance and fell. He fell with all their supplies. She was all alone in the dark. Effie was furious, he was the one who really stood a chance. As she hated to admit it, she hoped that the boy could protect the girl.
The anthem played and Effie quickly dismissed herself. She glanced at Haymitch who seemed not ready to part with the flow of liquor at the bar. She'd have to come scrape him off the floor later. That's how this always went. Perhaps he wasn't so sold on the team part yet. Morosely Effie fell on her bed and buried herself under the covers. She didn't want to move or do anything.
Some point later that night she heard a rustle in her room. Haymitch was standing next to her bed. "Effie." He said quietly.
It was 3 am, god did he reek of booze. She blearily sat up and looked at him, "What is it Haymitch?"
Many things registered on his face. All of them Effie could pinpoint. Fear. Pain. Anxiety. Anger. Plenty of anger. She sighed, "I know… It's going to be okay."
He just looked at her, probably the most vulnerable anyone had seen him. She got up and pointed to the bed, "Lay down, Haymitch." She didn't expect him to listen so quickly, as he flopped into her spot and buried his face in the pillows. "No! Roll over!" She poked him. God forbid he dared puke on her sheets, she wouldn't have him drown in it.
"Bossy.." He grumbled and rolled over.
Effie rolled her eyes, "If you're going to be a mean drunk you can leave my room, Mr. Abernathy." She tugged off his shoes and unbuttoned his shirt.
He grumbled and pushed her hands away, undressing himself, "Have it your way then." Effie rubbed her eye and saw the smear of make-up come off on her finger. She retreated to the bathroom to wash her face and put on more suitable sleeping clothes.
She went back to her bed and saw him sprawled in her spot, "Scoot over, Haymitch." She nudged him and shut off the light.
He moved just enough to give her space, to which she slid into bed and laid down. Her back to him, and she fell into silence. She stared around in the dark wondering how the little girl was holding up. It must be so dark, oh god. She was all alone. Effie chewed her lip and grabbed her tablet off the bedside table. Dimming it and scrolling through the various sources that tracked her tribute and the others.
A hand slid over her hip and grabbed the tablet, and tossed it onto the pile of clothes and decorative pillows on the ground. "No! I hadn't even reached her statistic screen… Haymitch!" Effie made to get up.
"You're obsessing, Effie. Go to sleep." He huffed and locked his arm around her and pulled her tight against his chest.
"You're drunk!" Effie threw back at him out of annoyance. "She's all alone, in the dark…"
Haymitch made no move to let go of her, "And you staying up all night watching a screen won't make her feel any less alone. You have to let it go." He made no comment toward the name calling she was resorting to for a few minutes than continued. "I'm drunk because it's the only way I can handle contacting the family. Listening to his mother cry, and his sibling's confused questions in the background. The father who slammed the door in the background…"
Tears fluttered down Effie's cheek, staining the pillow under her cheek. "Stop it," She breathed, "Stop… Why would you dare bring that up?" She whimpered and thought of the poor boys family. Damn you Haymitch Abernathy, damn you.
It was the sort of question he knew she didn't want him to answer. She asked them all the time. He didn't fall for that trick anymore. It only made her more upset if he did. He held her tightly and rested his chin again the crook of her shoulder. At least she didn't push him away. "I'm sorry, Effs." But that only made her cry harder. Haymitch was concerned and now uncomfortable. Crying girls confused him. Before this season he had never seen her cry. He liked it better when Effie was always just "annoying chipper Effie". That Effie was quite easy to figure out. This Effie in his arms was complex. He was at a total loss for words. "Eff…" He said quietly. "I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong?" Each tear she cried seemed to scare him sober.
He laid there and stroked her loose blonde hair, waiting for any notion that she'd decide to speak to him. For a while he thought she was done crying, but he saw her hand keep returning to her cheeks to wipe them away. Silent tears, oh what fresh hell was this? "If you don't talk to me, and tell me what's going on I'll call a doctor." He leaned over her and looked down at her.
Effie let out the breath she had been holding in, "Have you forgotten who is more responsible for his death than the arena?" It was all she said and Haymitch felt his stomach curl.
"Shit… Effie.. Listen, it's not your fault. Stop thinking like that." He said quickly.
She let out a dark laugh, "But it is. You can say it. I reaped him. I am the hand who has personally selected 2 kids each year for slaughter. In 2 years… I've led to the murder of 4 children."
How long had she been bottling these emotions? She was never ever this upset. His room is next to hers. He would have heard the tears. "Look at me." He said firmly. But Effie didn't listen. "Right now, Effie." He said more urgently.
Effie turned to look at him, puffy eyed and as unglamorous as ever.
"You cannot think like this. You can't. Got it?" He said quickly. "This place you call home will eat you alive if you let them get you like this. You have tonight to be sad but tomorrow, you've gotta put that chin up and show them you aren't broken down."
Effie sort of nodded and he scooped her into a hug. He didn't let her go right away. He just felt like he needed to help her. He spent so long giving her hell and it turns out she's this amazingly vulnerable and real person behind the costume.
"This place isn't my home."
Haymitch tried to read into her comment and found more questions, "What do you mean?"
"I didn't grow up here… I grew up in District 12."