I have two ideas for Between Lives, I hope you don't mind. 1. Haymitch coming back to Twelve for the first time after his victory and 2. Haymitch realizing for the first time that he feels attracted to Effie or maybe even has feelings for her. I hope you'll write at least one of it. Thank you. :)
Thanks for the prompt. I wrote the first one instead of the hayffie since the two prompts are in one asks and I can’t have two stories together so I chose one.
Summary: A boy from the Seam, a tribute who won against insurmountable odds, an unwilling mentor and a rebel mastermind. A snap shot of different aspect and centred around Haymitch’s life. A collection of one-shots, timelines are random.
13. Between Lives: Twelve’sWelcome
His warm breath misted the window ashe leaned his forehead against it, nails digging into the palm of his skin.Outside, the scenery rushed past him.
“Home,” he uttered the wordhesitantly as he forced his mind to wrap itself around the fact that he was onhis way back to his district. “I’m going home.”
As the words rolled out his tongue,a sharp jolt of familiarity resonated within him. As he slowly replaced thebeautiful but deadly images of the arena that he had been seeing each time heclosed his eyes with scenes of his house in the Seam and images of his motherand his brother, warmth spread through him. That feeling did not last becauselayered beneath that was a terrible sense of anxiety gnawing at his heart.
Home was meant to be safe. Home wassupposed to be welcoming but right this instance, he wanted nothing more thanto run away. Returning to Twelve meant having to face Maysilee’s, Aster’s andAllan’s family. The thought made him anxious and the bile rose in his throat.The four of them were all returning home today. The only difference was thattheir bodies were lying cold in the coffin at the other end of the train whilehe was here, alive and breathing.
Throughout the train ride, the samethoughts kept haunting him. Would their families begrudge him for being alive?Would Maysilee’s parents and twin sister hate him for it? After all, he hadallowed Maysilee to walk away. He didn’t stop her from breaking off theiralliance and she died soon after.
“Are you ready?” Magsentered the train compartment. “We’re pulling into the station now.”
Haymitch opened his eyes at thewarmth of her hand as it seeped through his shirt. He craned his neck slightlybehind him to see Mags smiling encouragingly at him. Pushing all thoughts andworries to the back of his mind, he clenched his jaws. The expression on hisface was a mask of grim determination as he nodded.
The train door slid open, letting inthe cold draft of District Twelve’s air. He inhaled sharply relishing the sharpsmell of coal from the mines in the distant.
The station was filled with people -his people - all waiting to welcome the second victor for theirdistrict. The moment he stepped out from the train, they broke into applause.It surprised him. He took in the faces smiling at him and at the back of hismind he thought he understood this reaction. They knew that because of him theywould have full bellies and they were grateful for it.
“You’re still on,” Magsremind him.
He breathed in, raised his hand andwaved at the crowd. The cameras rolled, closing up on him and then panning outto get a reaction shot from the crowd.
“Mitch!” a sharp cried rangout. “Mitch!”
His brother was amongst the crowdand when the Peacekeepers stepped back a little to allow for this reunion tohappen so that it would be caught on camera - not that Haymitch wasparticularly concern about the cameras right now - Lief ran forward, almoststumbling on his feet in his rush to get to his brother. Haymitch descendeddown the steps in a hurry, meeting his brother halfway. He enveloped Lief in abone-crushing hug, neatly lifting the younger Abernathy off the ground.
He couldn’t breathe. His emotionswere threatening to choke him. He missed his brother so much. This was thelongest he had ever been away from Lief and Mama. Haymitch buried his face inthe crook of his brother’s neck and then suddenly, they were laughing.
“I knew you’d come back! I knewyou would,” Lief’s smile was so wide it must hurt his cheeks. “I wasso scared when the girl chased you up the cliff.”
“You watched my Games?”Haymitch asked sharply. He let his brother down carefully, his hand going tohis stomach as he heaved, gritting his teeth at the aching pain that was stillpresent.
“Don’t strain yourself toomuch, Haymitch. We don’t want the stitches to split open,” Mags warned him
“I had to. Mama wouldn’t let mebut I had to know,” Lief answered and almost cheekily, he added.“Besides, it’s mandatory to watch. I got to.”
Haymitch frowned. His brother wouldhave seen his fight with the Careers and he would have seen Haymitch killedthem. He searched Lief’s eyes to see if he was ashamed for having a murderer asa brother.
Before he could dwell too much onit, his mother who had patiently waited as the two brothers reunited, calledout to him and that was all it needed for Haymitch to step forward, pulling hismother against him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had initiated a hugwith Mama, probably since he was fifteen when it was embarrassing for hismother to still kiss and hug him in public but now, he wanted the comfort thatonly his mother could give.
“Mama,” he breathed in her scent. Quietly, hewhispered in her ear, “I miss you.”
His mother was a strong woman,resolute and hardened by circumstances. Haymitch had only seen her cry oncewhen his father died but never when times were hard or when they werestruggling but now, at the train station, in front of all these people, as shewelcomed back her first born, the tears flowed freely down Isla Abernathy’sface.
“Why you crying? Don’tcry,” he smiled and cupped his mother’s cheek. He kissed her forehead,hoping to give her the same kind of comfort she had always given him andwrapped his arms around her again. “You didn’t lose me, Mama. I’m home. Igot you now.”
“I know,” she nodded.“I thought I had to bury you like I did your father. I’m so happy you’rehome. I’m so, so relieved.”
“We’re gonna be okay,Mama,” he told her. “Our lives are gonna be different now.”
Haymitch released his mother butkept an arm around her. The woman clutched to his shirt as if she was afraid hemight be taken away a second time. He squeezed her shoulder in assurance andthat was when he spotted Myra, walking with Aspen, Iris, Hazelle and TobyHawthorne.
Her face broke into a wide grin andthen she punched his shoulder. He smirked.
“You call that a punch?”he teased.
“I’m going to kiss him, Mrs.Abernathy,” Myra said, eyes twinkling. Isla laughed and waved a hand,giving her permission. She stood on tiptoes and kissed him.
With his free hand, Haymitch grippedher shoulder and returned the kiss, pulling away soon after. He cleared histhroat, embarrassed that his friends saw that or worst, Lief, who pretended togag.
“Did you stay with Mama?” Haymitchasked.
Myra nodded. “I came over everyday. We watched your Games together. I couldn’t - I didn’t want your family tobe alone.”
Haymitch nodded.
The camera crews were not intrusiveand they filmed a few distances away that Haymitch completely forgot of theirexistence; forgot to pretend. Miles away, in the Capitol, President Snowwatched the scene unfold with increasing interest. He leaned back in his seat,closed the book he had been reading and turned towards his advisor. He gave hisadvisor a curt nod. It was a simple nod that would eventually seal the fate ofthe three people Haymitch cared about. The advisor left the room, heelsclicking against the floor. President Snow turned off the television to retirefor the night, comforted by the knowledge that the little problem in the formof Panem’s newest Victor would soon be taken care off.
Back in Twelve, Aspen Everdeen hadnudged Myra aside to embrace his friend. He slapped Haymitch’s back.
“Good to have you back,”he grinned.
Haymitch nodded but his eyes trailedover to Iris, standing next to Aspen. Her eyes were red and puffy, and it wasevident that she had been crying for days. Maysilee was her best friend andHaymitch felt the need to say something.
“I’m - I’m sorry…” Haymitchswallowed, staring at Iris. “About Maysilee… I know you both are - “
Iris bravely gave him a small smileand shook her head, saying, “There was nothing you could do,” beforeshaking his hand and added, “I’m glad you at least made it home. I - Ishould be with Marilyn. She’s been… Ever since Maysilee… I better go. Seeyou around.”
His gaze followed her as she joinedthe Donner’s family standing around a coffin. Allan’s and Aster’s family werethere, too. Haymitch broke off, walking away from the people surrounding himwhile mumbling under his breath about needing a minute.
As Haymitch approached them, thethree families raised their heads, watching him coming closer.
He stopped before Maysilee’s father,the person closest to him. “Sir, I’m - ” Haymitch began only to beinterrupted.
“Don’t apologise, son. Don’tapologise,” the man chided him gently. He was holding on to Marilyn who leanedheavily against her father, inconsolable in her grief.
Haymitch tore his gaze away knowingthat the person in the coffin bore the same face as her. Aster’s mother wassobbing, pressing a handkerchief to her mouth but she came forward, takingHaymitch’s hand in hers.
“I saw you with her…” she saidbetween sobs. Haymitch leaned forward to try and make out the words. “Isaw you with my Aster at the Parade, looking out for her. Thank you. Thank youfor being her friend.”
Haymitch didn’t know what she meantbecause there were no friends in the arena. It was everyone for themselves. Atthe Cornucopia, while the other 47 tributes were stunned by the beauty of thearena, Aster included, Haymitch had seized the opportunity, knowing that thiswas his only chance to get supplies and dashed to the Cornucopia where heretrieved a backpack. He had fled even before the Careers had gotten to theCornucopia. Haymitch had not turned back to look for Aster, Allan or evenMaysilee; he never stopped for a second to check if they were still alive.
Haymitchlooked away, ashamed.
Allan’sfamily said nothing to him and he didn’t expect them too. Haymitch watched themall leave, each family bearing a coffin of their dead ones.
“The Capitol did this,” Aspengritted his teeth, a statement that Haymitch would repeat over and over twoweeks later. “And we let them.”
“Don’t start,” Haymitchwarned.
“Let’s go home,” Lief said, comingto a stand next to him. “Let’s go. We’ve got a new house now and I reallywanna see it.”
“You’ve seen Victor’s Villagebefore,” Haymitch pointed out.
“Yeah, but never on the inside.Come on, you can tell me all about how the Capitol’s like over dinner! Is ittrue that some people look like cats? With whiskers?”
Lief had looked forward to havingHaymitch back for days, since he won his Games but all Haymitch wanted was tobe left alone.
I have a funny feeling when I was writing Isla and Lief Abernathy + Myra since I know at the back of my head that in the timeline, in two weeks, these characters will be dead.
026: The last time Haymitch ever dreamed was right after his Games. After his retrieval from the arena, he started screaming fanatically at the Peace Keepers on the hovercraft, they had to give him an extra dosage of anesthesia. While they chipped away at his imperfections, he dreamt. He was back in 12, strolling down the streets on a warm summer day laughing with all his old friends, Hunger Games months away. Then he saw her. She poked her head from around a corner, smiling at him. He ran after her immediately, they spun around sharp bends and laughed through alleyways, until he finally caught her. He had her pinned to soft grass on the outskirts of the District, she smiled softly up at him and he leaned down and their lips just barley brushed. But then he woke up. He woke up to a world where his friends would not be caught dead with him, a world where he would never enjoy sunny Saturdays again, a world where he could never have the chance to jubilantly chase after Masyilee Donner. He woke up to a world where he wouldn’t be happy for a very long time.
