HAYMITCH
"Haymitch!" I turned as soon as I heard Leila's sweet voice calling me. She came running to my side, Chase lagging behind a few feet away giving us privacy.
"What's the rush?"
"Are you busy this afternoon? You know, to come to training?"
"I thought my presence was banned" yeah, apparently Katniss thought my ' cheering her on' comments were annoying and rude, so a week ago I was banned from coming. What a poor sense of humor the girl had.
"That doesn't matter today! I'm looking for volunteers for a special exercise I've prepared, and I thought maybe this one would please you."
"May I know why, this one, especially?" I laughed
"Well, you're always complaining about Katniss and how she doesn't listen to you, so I thought maybe you'd like to get a little bit of revenge" she smiled mischievously. While Leila and Katniss barely tolerated each other, I doubted she had any plans to hurt Katniss, or did she?
"I don't complain much about her, but you've got me curious, what's it all about?"
"Do you have a good aim?" i looked at her stoically "don't worry, you're not going to really hurt her, well her ego maybe."
"As Peeta have informed you, it's not within my skill set to hit the target, and fighting back is..."
"It's not combat, the exercise is about agility, you'll be shooting little paintballs with a gun, no big deal" she shrugged. The thought crossed my mind, making me let out a chuckle.
"You know what? That sounds like fun, I volunteer as tribute " I joked, barely earning a snort from her. "Who else is in the game?"
"Chase."
"Obviously" we laughed simultaneously.
"Hawthorne, Castor, Pollux and Boggs. I thought about giving your spot to Peeta but maybe that wouldn't have been a very good idea."
"I agree. I'm surprised, Pollux and Castor?" From what I had heard as soon as the two brothers along with Cressida entered the training room for some shots, Leila had sat down, almost hidden behind Chase's body and had stopped everything, refusing to continue until they turned off the cameras. Coin and Plutarch were quite upset with this act of defiance. I couldn't have been prouder that she stood up for herself for once.
"Well, they were also interested in the exercise and promised to leave the cameras out. So I'll see you there?"
"Punctual as always" I kissed her quickly before letting her go "hey am I allowed to comment during this experiment?!" I wanted to make sure I could be me in all my glory.
"As much as you like!"
"I'm counting on it too, Abernathy!" replied Chase laughing.
Overexcited with the idea of a change of scene, I arrived a little before the hour agreed upon. Apparently I was not the only one who seemed curious about the event. Those of us present were divided into three groups, the participants: Katniss, Johanna, Finnick, who were warming up. The volunteers: Chase, Boggs, Gale, Pollux and Castor and I, who were at a separate table receiving instructions from Boggs on how to handle the gun. In this group it seemed I was the only one who really seemed to be paying attention, apparently the others already had enough gun training. The third group was the audience: Annie, Cressida, without her camera, Plutarch, a couple of soldiers whose names I didn't know and...Peeta.
"Did you understand everything, Haymitch?" Boggs asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, yeah, point and pull the trigger, piece of cake."
He huffed in frustration "don't leave your finger pressed down or you'll send up a burst of projectiles. They can't be wasted if we are not in exercise, understood soldier" he repeated in a serious tone.
"Yes captain" I mumbled. In the distance I heard Leila giving directions to her 'students'. I took my place near her.
"...you have to catch the discs that are only a few meters away from the 6 snipers, who will be located on opposite sides of the field. The objective is to retrieve all the discs without being touched by the bullets. The difficulty is that you have to work in pairs and in synchrony, so your partner can be your biggest obstacle. If any of the munitions touches a 'vital' area, we start the exercise again from scratch. Is everything clear?" the 3 kids nodded "Johanna and Katniss can start. Whoever wins will pair up with Finnick, do you agree?"
"I always knew the two of them fought over me" I rolled my eyes at Finnick's smug comment.
"you dickhead!" retorted Johanna "I'm going to win just to make you my bitch" Finnick just laughed at his friend's threat. I saw Leila roll her eyes and shake her head.
"Ready girls...wait in the middle of the court as soon as the whistle blows you can start" both girls obeyed, getting into position and wearing some sort of protective goggles. I guess it wouldn't be very nice to get shot in the eye with paint. Leila approached my team consisting of Castor and Boggs. "Katniss' left flank is her weak point, so that's your objective and Johanna's is to work as a team, so force Katniss to get in her way" She whispered to nodded at the assignment earnestly and took up an attack position. I thought this was for fun. I didn't think they were going to take it seriously. She stood next to me and winked.
The whistle blew. Katniss and Johanna ran incredibly faster, than the last time I had seen them, in our direction. Clumsily I pointed in the direction Leila had indicated, without achieving any target. Boggs had accomplished something though! Forcing the two girls to cross paths and BANG! the headbutt echoed throughout the room, both had gone for the same disc bumping their heads at the same time.
A few seconds of silence broken by my uncontrollable laughter "show this to Snow, he'll be terrified as soon as he sees these two in action!" I said barely containing my laughter. If looks could kill, I'd be slaughtered right now! At least some had joined me in laughter, and even Leila, although she disguised it very well, had also been humored by the accident. The latter headed off to talk to the girls in private, she wasn't wrong that this exercise was going to bruise their egos.
Several more attempts with some improvement as the exercise progressed, Leila decided to give them a break and give Finnick a chance.
"So who's going with him?" asked Leila.
"You" answered a not very happy Katniss.
"Johanna?"
"no, the brainless is right, I want to see the exercise from outside. I have a better idea, Castor, do you mind if I take your place?"
"Go ahead," said the boy, offering her his gun.
"Well Leila, apparently I'm your prize" said Finnick flirtatiously.
"How lucky," she snorted. "Come on, let's get out of this. Here Katniss" Leila tossed her the whistle "you give the signal".
As soon as the whistle blew, Leila and Finnick sprang into action. It was quite a sight to see. Finnick, despite his height, was agile and fast; and Leila, it was no surprise that this was a piece of cake for her. I had already seen her in action in the games, she was fast and knew how to have her attention everywhere, not just on the target. That was what made her so deadly, she always had her mind one step ahead. however there was something else, as soon as Finnick came across her, instead of shying away from him, she used him as a human shield. She was using his shortcomings to her own advantage. Chilling.
"amazing" I heard Johanna mutter. Boggs moved from his position continuously 'shooting' them and began to follow them, keeping the same distance, but making the exercise have a higher level of difficulty. Chase took his cue and mimicked him. From all 4 sides of the field they were being 'attacked', and although Leila had been touched just a couple of times on her limbs, it was Finnick who had taken the brunt of it, which was to say an exaggeration. With only one disc left that was in our direction, they approached at high speed. Boggs returned to his spot next to Johanna and they both continued firing as if their lives depended on it. Just as Finnick caught the last disc, ending the exercise, I felt a blow to my back. I turned my face to my clothes and they were smeared with paint.
"Well that serves you right Abernathy" sneered Johanna. I heard Leila let out a giggle in the distance. Yep, I was sure she had seen Johanna go behind me.
After the exercise was over Leila walked away along with Finnick, Katniss, Johanna and Boggs to discuss the rights and wrongs of this training. I couldn't ignore Plutarch's watchful eye on the group and the whispered comments he was making to Cressida, I hoped he wasn't up to anything.
"What made you come boy?" I turned to Peeta.
"I didn't know I was forbidden to come, as far as I know, it's you who shouldn't be here."
"how fast the rumors spread. how have you been?"
"I've never been better, can't you see" he said cynically, showing me his tied hands.
"It's only temporary. I'll talk to Aurelius"
"I don't need your intervention."
I sighed frustrated, it was no use going down this road, so I decided to change the subject "how are the wedding preparations going, can I dream of a chocolate cake or are we low on resources?"
he snorted mockingly "apparently they are 'going all out' for this celebration even though they have limited materials"
"So chocolate or no chocolate?"
"no, it will be something more subtle and fresh. Something that reflects district 4"
"great! then it will be a fish cake" I huffed.
Peeta looked at me with a weird expression, I couldn't tell if it was irritation or fun "she must really like you to put up with you. You're not the least bit funny" I laughed quietly. "Anyway, I'll take my leave since this training is over. Tell Leila I'll see her tomorrow."
"Sure."
Another quarter of an hour passed and finally everyone in the room gradually left. My sweet Katniss didn't leave without giving me one last murderous look and maybe a couple of mumbled insults.
"Let's go?" Leila asked me
"Don't you have to wait for Chase?"
"Technically, yes, but since I'm going straight to my room and I don't plan on leaving until tomorrow, he'll turn a blind eye," I laughed, shaking my head. That kid didn't look like he belonged in this district.
"Then let's go."
Calmly we walked to our compartment, Leila talked about everything she had done in her day. As we approached our room I had an idea, I looked both ways making sure no one was coming.
"What's wrong?" she asked and in one motion I grabbed her and pulled her over my shoulder speeding up the pace. "Haymitch, what are you doing?" she asked me with a chuckle, her voice indignant at this outrage.
"picking up the pace"
"put me down! someone can see us and this is so inappropriate".
"I like inappropriate things" I replied laughing "you still haven't paid me for today's betrayal. You left me in Johanna's hands" She laughed.
"don't be childish" she smacked my butt
"We can both play this game" I threatened her.
"don't you dare and put me down now" she continued to laugh. Only when I got to our room, I pulled her down from my shoulder to catch her and kiss her like I had wanted to do all day. "Haymitch" between giggles she pulled her face away from mine "I'm dirty, I've been sweating let me take a shower first"
"I don't care, I like it dirty" I kissed her deeply leaning her back against the wall. "Haymitch please" she moaned. I moved down her neck to her collarbone, removed her shirt, kissed her breasts and without stopping for too long I knelt in front of her and with one tug I took off her sweatpants and underwear. I lifted one of her legs over my shoulder and lost myself in between them. With my tongue I played with her clit, her hands tangled in my hair, when I felt she was wet enough I inserted first one finger into her and then two, dilating her for me. "I need you Haymitch" she whisper moaning. I jumped up, she helped me unbutton my pants, I lifted her up, wrapped her legs around my waist and with one thrust I penetrated her. "oh god!"
"Just Haymitch, darling "I said in a choked voice.
"What an idiot," she growled, "but don't stop," she pleaded in my ear. Her wishes were my command, I didn't stop until I heard her moan in complete satisfaction. Just a few more thrusts and I too reached my orgasm. I held onto the wall so I wouldn't lose my balance, still catching my breath. "The shower doesn't sound so bad now, huh?"
"Mind if I join in?"
"Nope, after all we have to save resources right?" she smiled flirtatiously.
I was lying on top of Leila feasting on her sweet breasts, the shower with her had only managed to turn me on more. Wrapping her legs around my body, burying her nails in my back, when suddenly my communicuff began to vibrate, with exasperated exhale Leila reached for it and threw it across the room. I just chuckled at her outburst.
But since life couldn't be that simple, just 20 minutes later Boggs was knocking on my door "I know you're in there Haymitch. There's an important meeting going on right now, don't force me to come in and bring you by force."
"Fuck!" against my will I forced myself to separate from Leila, get up and get dressed to leave "I'll be right out" I shouted
"It's weird meeting so late, do you think something happened?" I distracted myself by watching her naked body stretching like a cat on the bed. Holy fuck! How I wish I was back in bed "Haymitch?"
"Sorry I got distracted" she just laughed and covered herself with the blanket "I don't know. I hope it's not about the wedding preparations or I swear I'll knock out whoever made me go"
"how over the top you are"
"Do you want me to accompany you to Johanna's? Then you won't have to be alone."
she narrowed her eyes "I'm fine, and no, I'd rather wait for you here."
"You don't have to wait up, I don't know how long this charade is going to last."
"don't worry about me. Go now so you'll be back quickly" I leaned in to give her one last kiss before joining Boggs
"I hope it's something important"
"The leader of district 11 is waiting for us at a video conference, apparently he wants to negotiate certain aspects in exchange for sending troops to the capitol" Boggs explained.
"And my presence is crucial because...?"
"It will give them more confidence to see a familiar face, who doesn't belong to either the capitol or district 13"
"I see that."
As soon as we reached the command room I took the empty seat next to Plutarch.
"I think it's a great compromise, what we are offering," Plutarch said. The man on the other side of the screen didn't look very convinced by Plutarch's words.
"The amount of men you are asking for exceeds our capacity, with the last bombings we suffered considerable losses, we can't afford to leave the district unprotected, there is still capitol presence here" said the leader of district 11. His name was Bay, I guessed he must be in his thirties, he had the same physical features as Chaff.
"I understand the situation" Coin interjected "but the collaboration of all the districts is essential if we are to win."
"Who is the man accompanying him?" I asked Plutarch in a whisper.
"his second in command. Apparently he's the one who disagrees with sending more people than originally agreed"
"who would be" I snorted
"...the medical centers can't cope, not to mention the number of children in poor condition and who have been orphaned."
"is it necessary to have the number of people you asked for at the initial request?" I whispered.
"at least half would be a fair deal" Plutarch answered me in the same tone.
"If the 13 takes care of relieving the burden that your district has at the moment, could we negotiate half the number of people that was requested?" I interjected drawing the attention of the two men and the people present in command.
"What kind of relief are you proposing?" said the second man.
"With whom do I have the pleasure?"
"Ash" he replied dryly
"I am..."
"I know who you are, Chaff told me about you".
"I hope good thing about me" I tried to joke "back to the matter that concerns us, the 13, and if you allow me president? " she nodded, scrutinizing me." We could bring more wounded and take care of the orphans that..."
"As generous as the proposal sounds, our children are staying here" Ash replied crisply.
"However, easing the burden on our medical centers we accept it, and to that we also want more resources needed from the 10, 2, and 8, if we get that, we will have an agreement."
As Coin considered this offer, a little girl appeared behind Ash, handed him something, and then disappeared from the screen. I looked at Plutarch to see his reaction but he didn't seem to have noticed anything. That little girl was clearly not from district 11 and those green eyes looked too familiar to be a fluke. could it be?
Before I knew it the two districts had come to an agreement and had ended the call. "Can we talk in private?" I whispered to Plutarch, he nodded without looking at me.
"Well, that will be all for today" Coin ran his hands over his temples before standing up. "The other districts were easier to persuade, we'll have to do a count of our supplies and a check-up in the medical area."
"Count on it tomorrow, President," Fulvia replied.
I followed Plutarch into one of the adjoining rooms.
"It must be something important for you to want to talk privately. I hope our mutual friend didn't get into trouble did she?"
"It's not exactly about her that I want to talk about."
"But it has to do with her," he guessed.
"Did you see the little girl on the screen, Heavensbee?"
"What about her?"
"Isn't it obvious? She's not from district 11 and she has green eyes like Leila."
"With all the movement there has been in the districts it's no wonder that certain citizens have decided to flee to another district. There's no way that girl is Leila's sister, it's just a mere coincidence."
"How can you be so sure? Have you ever seen her in person or at least in a picture?" he thought about it for a minute.
"no, Leia was too overprotective of her, she always made sure she didn't appear in any media".
"Exactly! So you can't be sure it's not her?"
"that would be a miracle really" he sighed "I guess in case it is I have a promise to keep. Come with me"
"Where to?"
"to find out if it's Milly"
We returned to command, Plutarch activated the screens again and initiated the call with District 11.
"Plutarch. Is there anything else to discuss?" greeted Bay.
"Not exactly. The hovercraft will go tomorrow to bring the supplies demanded and bring in the sick as we agreed. However, I need a favor from you, outside of negotiations."
"What would that be?" he replied suspiciously.
Tired of so many turns I abruptly blurted out "the girl who appeared today with Ash".
"I beg your pardon?" anger began to take over his features. I wanted to punch myself for my clumsiness, of course that had sounded horrible.
"Forgive him, Bay. That's not exactly what he meant. We have a suspicion that the girl belongs to district 8 and her family is here."
"Impossible. The girl and her mother said they came from district 10?"
"Is her mother still alive?" I asked.
"No, she died in the last bombing, the little girl was barely saved."
"What's her name?" asked Plutarch.
"I think Sarah" he made an odd gesture "the little girl has been living with Ash's family. Wait a second" He disappeared from the screen and a few minutes later returned in Ash's company.
"Bay told me what you guys suspect but I doubt it, the mother was always emphatic that they were coming from 10"
"maybe she was lying" I suggested "if it's them they would have had to have lied, Snow was looking for them"
"It would make sense. Ash, the little one hardly ever responds when her name is called," said Bay.
"Maybe she's a little deaf, with the bombings many lost part of their hearing" Ash justified "my sister has taken the little one in, she has a family. I understand your search but if you make a mistake you will only cause even more damage to that child".
"and if we don't we would be returning her to her real family" I tried to reconcile.
"Wouldn't it be easier to call the little girl and ask her?" suggested Plutarch. Both men exchanged glances.
"She's not very talkative," said Bay. "the only times I've seen her talk has been to other children, as soon as she sees an adult she shuts up."
"I see" reflected Plutarch. "Send her with the sick, if we make a mistake I'll give you my word I'll send her back to the 11."
"And what is the word of a Capitoline worth to us?" Ash mocked.
"Mine is" I interjected "By the memory of my friend, I swear to you that the child will be fine and if we make a mistake I will take care of returning her to her new family myself."
"Chaff trusted you. If you don't deliver I'll be the one looking for you Abernathy" I nodded.
With my heart pounding in my chest I went back to my room. I prayed to the heavens that Leila would not wait up for me, I didn't want to tell her anything and create false hopes until I was absolutely sure that the little girl was indeed her sister. To my bad luck she was awake. Time to play it cool. I grabbed my pajamas and changed under her gaze.
"Is everything all right?"
"Yeah, I was just needed for some negotiations, you know, for the assault on the capitol."
"ah and that was it?" Damn what kind of sixth sense did she have?
"Yeah, why?"
"I don't know, you seem a little nervous"
"Just a bit tired and anxious, tomorrow they're bringing in a bunch of people from 11 and well let's just say I have to take care of some people coming there" a half truth was better than a lie. I lay down on the bed.
"I imagine the most wounded and sickest"
"yep"
"poor people"
"I know but don't let that keep you awake, come on let's get some rest, tomorrow will be a busy day" she gave me one last look and finally settled on my chest.
"Are you sure there's nothing else?"
"no, stop worrying about nothing".
I didn't sleep a wink all night and yet in the morning I didn't feel tired, I woke up more anxious than last night, I had a knot in my stomach. Even though I was trying to act normal, Leila wasn't believing me at all.
"Will you be at lunch?"
"Maybe, it all depends on how things turn out this morning."
"Are the people who are coming so important?"
"only one but yes let's say yes it is very important" she furrowed her frown "are you jealous?" i said playfully
"Should I be?" She answered me coldly. Wow, I didn't expect that.
"no, and leave that face, later I'll tell you everything ok?" I grabbed her face and kissed her without much enthusiasm on her part. I was surprised that Leila could be jealous of me, hadn't she seen me? I wasn't exactly the jackpot.
A few hours later I was in the hospital hallway waiting to be allowed into the cubicle where the child was. Walking like a caged lion, my nerves were about to explode.
"Mr. Abernathy, you can go in now. Cubicle 3."
The little girl was sitting on the edge of the gurney holding a dirty piece of rag.
"Sarah?" I called out to her and she didn't answer "ahem" I cleared my throat without getting a response, maybe she was deaf. I stepped in front of her and bent down to be level with her face, getting a better look.
'"What does she look like?" I asked
Leila's huge smile at the thought of her sister was quick "she has green eyes like me, chubby cheeks, porcelain white skin and waist-length light brown hair, since she was born she has never cut her hair, it's beautiful"
"isn't she a redhead?"
"no, I'm the only one, I don't know which side of the family this comes from. Milly inherited mom's hair. But all three of us have the same weird odd shaped mole on our arm "
"It's true it looks like a bean," I teased.'
The description Leila had given me that day, apart from the eyes, did not match the girl in front of me at all.
Her hair was not long but short, barely reaching her chin, her color was not light brown, it was strange maybe it was at the roots but the rest was a coal color. Her skin, surely once whiter, was tanned by the sun. There were no chubby cheeks, it was obvious that this girl had been starved quite a bit. The mole, bean-shaped, that Leila had on her right arm, the little girl had nothing. Look at her other arm and part of it, forearm and shoulder she had a dirty bandage covering it. Leila had it on her right arm and she had told me that her two siblings have the same mole. I felt hope leave my body. I was wrong, this girl was not Milly. However, there was still the question of who she was.
"What's your name?" I spoke to her in the softest tone I could. But she just dodged my gaze and ignored me "is Sarah your name?" she nodded slowly. "can you tell me how old you are?" again no answer. "You come from district 8 right?" she nodded once and quickly shook her head correcting her mistake. I knew she came from district 8! "You know I have a friend who is also from district 8, her name is Leila" I waited for some reaction but she just hid her lips in a thin line without looking at me. I wasn't going to get any response from her "do you have any brothers or sisters?" nothing. I tried something "what's your name?" I waited a second " it's Lilly right?" She started to nod and then shook her head tightly clenching her rag. Two things were clear, neither Sarah nor Lily was her name, and this questionnaire was just stressing her out and scaring her.
I got up from my spot and left the cubicle, I had to find another way to get information out of the little girl.
"Excuse me sir?" I turned to the woman calling my attention from the adjoining cubicle.
"Do you need a nurse?" I approached the woman on the gurney.
"no, no thank you I have already been attended to" she showed me her bandages on one leg and arm. "I heard you talking to the little girl next door."
"Do you know her?" I asked hopefully.
"no, today was the first time I've seen her, but I heard you ask her if she had any siblings, on the way to this district she was standing next to my 7 year old daughter and I heard her say she had one"
"do you know if she said what her name was?"
"I think she said Leah or Leda, she barely spoke above a whisper" she joked. Leda, close but not the same as Leila. Perhaps this woman had misheard. Suddenly I remembered something! The little girl only interacted with children, to an adult she wasn't going to answer anything but to a child she would. Now I just had to look for a child and I knew where to find one.
"Thank you for the information" She nodded gently, this was the reason I liked the 11's, they had a good heart.
I went straight to where I knew I would find Primrose. The trainees were always with the less medically ill patients. In the distance I saw her mother, that meant Prim shouldn't be far away.
"Hey Grace! Have you seen your daughter, I need to ask her a favor?"
"I have two Haymitch, which one?" she teased.
"the nicest one among them" I snorted.
"don't even think about it Haymitch" she answered me sarcastically.
"Hi Haymitch!" greeted Prim coming behind me.
"oh but here it is who I was looking for".
"organize these bandages in the cabinets" her mother ordered her.
"Prim?" I called out to her
" yeah?"
"I told you no! you know it's forbidden!" Said Grace firmily.
"you don't know what I need her for, I don't understand where all this negativism is coming from".
"maybe because the last time you came looking for my daughter in such a hurry, it was to ask her to assault the cabinets and bring the ethyl alcohol to you".
"that was a long time ago"
"Just three months ago."
"I'm no the same person" I said solemnly
"Can I have an opinion?" asked Prim with amusement.
"No," replied her mother.
"What do you need, Haymitch?"
" You question a child" both mother and daughter exchanged glances. ugh that didn't sound good. "I mean I want you to interrogate a girl who may or may not be Leila's sister."
"Why don't you ask her directly," replied Prim.
"because he doesn't want to give her false hope in case she isn't," replied Grace.
"The little kid doesn't trust adults, I need a young friendly face" I shrugged.
"Come on" Prim looked at her mother, the latter nodded and within minutes we were in 'Sarah's' cubicle. Grace and I backed away against the wall with her back to the gurney and me with my eyes on the two girls.
"My name is Prim, I thought I heard your name was Sarah wasn't it? it's a pretty name."
"Prim is cute too," the little girl said softly.
"I'm going to clean this wound on you, okay?" she nodded "did you fall?"
"I was running and I tripped"
"don't worry, I'll do it gently so it won't hurt. Who is he?" Prim points to the rag she was carrying.
" Bunny boy. Mommy made it for me."
"It's very pretty. She is very talented." the little girl nodded with a sad smile "how old are you?" She held up her hand showing 4 fingers. The ages almost matched, Milly turned 5 almost a little over a month ago, maybe the little girl didn't know. "you know I have a sister and you, do you have any sisters" she denied fervently. I sighed resignedly, this made no sense.
"I think it's best if you bring her in and get out of the doubt, Haymitch. The poor child shouldn't be subjected to interrogation after interrogation" Grace whispered.
"I know, but if I'm wrong."
"It won't be your fault. You go, I'll stay with her. From what her chart says she has a burn on her left arm, while you get Leila I'll change the bandage."
With resignation I went to look for Leila. It was noon, which meant she should be in the dining hall with the others.
I went straight to her table. The laughter coming from her only made me feel worse for ruining this fun time for her.
"Why the straight face, Haymitch?" Finnick asked, drawing the attention of the others who turned in my direction. I just ignored him.
"Leila, could you come with me for a moment?" She gave me a confused look.
"Don't be a killjoy Haymitch. Sit down, we were just remembering..."
"Leila?" I interrupted Johanna in her tirade.
She turned to the others " I'll be right back" and got up to follow me, followed by Chase.
"You don't have to come, Woodstock, I got this" he nodded with the same puzzled expression as the others. Johanna was right, I was a party spoiler.
"Am I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?" Leila asked me anxiously, as soon as we left the dining hall. I stopped dead in my tracks in the middle of the hallway.
"No, no darling" I ran my hand over my face trying to think of a way to tell Leila that possibly her sister was alive without giving her much hope in case it wasn't true "I just want you to come with me to the hospital, there's someone I want you to see?"
"Another shrink?"
"No, no. I don't know how to tell you this."
"You can tell me anything," she reassured me.
"I don't want to hurt you, I..."
"Are you breaking up with me?"
"What? No! Why would you say that?" I asked in dismay.
"Since yesterday you've been strange, since you came back from command and the last time that happened you..."
"Leila, I think your sister is alive and she's here" I blurted out. She looked at me blankly for a few moments without saying anything.
"What are you saying? She's dead" she whispered in a cracked voice.
"Yesterday at the meeting in command I saw a girl who looked like you; she was living in district 11. I didn't want to tell you anything before until I was sure but well, the truth is that you are the only one who can say for sure if it's her or not"
"I don't get it" she looked at me confused "living in District 11? That's not possible, what makes you think it's her?"
"She has your same green eyes, she..."
"Many people have green eyes, Haymitch, that's no reason to..."
"I know, I know, but only in your district there is that kind of green color and according to her mother they come from 10, in that district honey colored eyes prevail not emerald green" I saw that she was going to protest again "But listen to me. There are more coincidences. The girl must be the same age as Milly, and she also lies about her name and where she comes from; the child apparently has no other family, yet she told someone that she has a sister. Also the fact that she came to that district alone with her mom."
"Now you're talking crazy" she answered me exasperatedly, "if the little child is with her mother, she could…".
"Her mother died in the last bombings".
"Haymitch, I know your good intentions, and I'm sorry that little kid has no one now, but that doesn't mean she's my sister. I saw their dead bodies."
"You can't be sure of that either, you only saw two calcined corpses and a stuffed animal that maybe was your sister's."
"It was my sister's, no one else had one like it and she never left his side" anger colored her features as her eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry Leila" she took a deep breath.
"I know you wish it were true and believe me I do too but it's impossible. Still leaving aside the fact of the two dead bodies. It's impossible that my mom along with my sister managed to escape from 8 and to get all the way through to 11. Both could not survive outside without food, they do not know what it is like to be in the wild. Besides, do you know the distance between the two districts? Not to mention the number of peacekeepers guarding both districts, and if you add to that the fact that my mom couldn't go more than an hour without being drunk, that she could accomplish something like that is...implausible" the more I listened to Leila's reasoning, the more I realized that she was right. Such a journey, with a kid, was an unlikely thing to accomplish.
"For a moment I hoped" I whispered. What an imbecile and naive I had been, I was sorry I had ruined her lunch with this affair "come on I'll walk you to the dining hall, you seemed to be having a good time" with a frown she nodded.
"It's okay." She sighed sadly, "At least the orphan is doing well?"
"malnourished, which is no surprise, given the conditions they've been through in 11. She has a considerable burn on part of her shoulder and forearm from the bombing. But otherwise yeah she's fine."
"Poor baby" she whispered.
"Are you going to try to find out who her sister is?"
"It will be a difficult thing. The little one refuses to talk and I only have a sort of name and I'm not sure if it's the real name."
"She must be scared if she refuses to talk."
"Well, she does but with other kids, that's how I got the sister's name. It's a Leda or Leah" Leila stopped and looked at me quizzically. Maybe it wasn't her sister but someone she knew from her district.
"Do you know what the girl's name is?"
"She calls herself Sarah, though I'm sure she's lying" Leila mumbled something unintelligible as she stared in concentration at a spot behind me " is something wrong?"
"When she first learned to speak she had trouble saying my name, and even as she got older she continued to call me the same, 'Leia'. Actually ...there was also ...there was this animated cartoon she loved, the main character was called Sarah" she mumbled quietly "do you think I could see her?"
"Sure" I said, not too sure.
With every step we took on the way to the hospital, the more I believed this was a mistake. I had convinced myself that I had found Milly without being sure and now seeing Leila's face, I knew it was going to be a painful blow when she realized that the little girl was not her sister.
"She's in cubicle 3" I said as we reached the hospital room where all the refugees from the 11 were. With a firm and quick step I watched her approach the cubicle and stop dead in her tracks there. I sighed resignedly fearing the worst.