Chapter Text
Timeline - Right Before Entering the Tubes to the 75th Quarter Quell.
“Knock them dead, girl on fire.” Was the last thing Cinna told Katniss before there was the sudden BAM! of the door being slammed open by Peacekeepers. She jumped, instinctively wanting to reach for a bow that she didn’t have as they launched themselves at her stylist before everything slowed down. She blinked, finding that she could move normally and trying not to freak out immediately, she reached for Cinna before everything around her shifted, her vision plunging into darkness.
“Kat….s!”
There was a muffled voice surrounding, calling out to her. Peeta. But why would Peeta be with her right now? She was about to enter the arena. One that would seal her fate in this torturous world.
“Katniss!”
But then she remembered. About how the Peacekeepers kicked open the door and how-
“Cinna!” Katniss gasped as she jolted upwards, nearly smashing foreheads with Peeta, who quickly moved back in time. At Cinna’s name, she saw how his face immediately tightened.
“Cinna? Katniss, what happened with Cinna?”
“He- Peacekeepers-You know what...Nothing, don’t worry about it.” She quickly shook her head, grabbing his outstretched hand to help herself up. The moment she steadied herself, she noticed that she and the other victors were certainly not in the Launch Room anymore. She glanced around and noticed 12 couches, each being a color distinct from what was associated with their district. Blues for District 4, A light gray- almost dove color for District 6, black for District 12, and so forth. In the center was a small piece of paper resting atop a very purple book.
“Peeta…where are we?” She asked as he gave her a shrug. She looked around at the other victors. The Morphlings seemed to be freaking out quietly in a corner as they looked around. Finnick was with Mags and helping Johanna off the floor, and Katniss swore she saw a flash of something golden on Finnick's wrist, but she couldn't catch it fast enough as her eyes moved on. Wiress and Beetee went to explore what was on the table. Other victors looked around in amazement at the tall walls and windows that gave them sunlight, yet they couldn’t see anything out of them. Beete picked up the note and cleared his throat.
“It says that we’ve been transported here to read this book, and it wants us to sit where our district colors are according to the couches….” He paused as there seemed to be something else on the page, but he didn’t speak until Cashmere called out to him.
“And…?” she said snippily as she dragged Gloss over to the acidic green couch. Katniss was internally grateful for whatever sent them here that the color of District 12 was black.
“...and we are to stay here until the book is finished. Says it will give another point of view.” He sighed as he rested the paper down and stared at the book, eyes narrowed. As the other victors started to head to their seats, Katniss noticed that they all had little name tags on their chests. Allowing her to get some names that she didn’t bother trying for before everything went down.
“That's all it says?” The drunkard from District 5 asks. He seemed sober, considering he was about to enter the games. Katniss could see that his nametag said ‘Thunder’ while his partner, who was just trying to drag him to the ugly brown couch, had her nametag as ‘Nelly.”
“It isn’t signed or anything! No hint of what or who could’ve brought him here, but it is definitely something that must be supernatural or out of our control.” He sighs as he sits down in the District 3 couch, the one that was right in front and closest to the book. Katniss can see Wiress muttering something to Beetee, which has him immediately looking at the book closely. Katniss and Peeta share a look as they head towards the District 12 couch. To both of them, it’s hard to imagine something so powerful that it was out of President Snow’s control. That….man…had an iron grip on all of the District and especially 12 with the new change in Head Peacekeeper.
Beetee ended up reaching for the book, examining it like it was some sort of booby trap. Though most of us were suspicious, it seemed unnecessary to look at the book. It was a book, not a bomb. But he could be looking at it for another reason. Johanna, ever impatient, let out a small huff as she sank back into one of the couches within the room. “Well, are you gonna open it and start?” Beetee looked at her and raised an eyebrow
“You really want to hurry this up and return to what might be our deaths?”
“Well, we know more about what could happen there than what could happen here.”
Beetee just hummed as he opened the hardcover and turned to the first page. “Chapter one-”
Beetee suddenly paused, his face seeming to pale, his eyes flashing as if he was correct about something. Katniss and Peeta glanced at each other once more before turning their attention back to Beetee, Peeta making a small “go on” motion with his hands. Beetee retook a breath before he finally started reading.
“Chapter One…Happy Birthday, Haymitch!” (SOTR, Page 1)
There it was. What this book was about. Haymitch. Out of the corner of Katniss’s eye, she could see Finnck’s back straighten in interest, Mag’s face twist into something of sympathy and remembrance. The emotion on Mag’s face confused Katniss, as it was something she wouldn’t expect from the older Victor from District 4. Enobaria lets out a snort as she crosses her arms.
“So we’re reading about the bitchy drunk? Seriously?”
Finnick rolled his eyes at Enobaria’s actions, basically waving her off.
“Relax! You’re being dramatic,” Enobaria sputters, gesturing right back to Finnick, who ignores her, “Let the guy continue reading.” Finnick then led forward, looking at Beetee, something changing in his eyes as he rested his elbows on his legs, hands lacing together as he rested his chin on them, before muttering darkly, “Besides, this might actually be interesting.”
Johanna decided to walk over to the District 4 couch, flop down right next to Finnick, and flick him behind the ear, causing him to give her a glare, which she just shrugged off. Beetee just gave Finnick a look before continuing to read. It was clear that already it was clear that nobody liked the fact that Haymitch’s birthday was on Reaping day. So when we found out that he rolled over and threw a blanket over his head to stop whoever was waking him up, most of us victors cracked a grin.
“Man, I wish to do that again. That’s so real,” Finnick cracked as he probably tried to imagine Haymitch now doing that when they blared the anthem, “though it must be annoying knowing two kids, in this case 4, from your district are being sent off during your birthday.”
Thunder just rolled his eyes. “Please, the kid is dealing with it now. Just like I did. Drink yourself into oblivion.” Nelly slapped Thunder on the back with a scowl.
“Just listen.” She snapped as she gave a small head nod to Beetee.
“I’m hoping to finish my work before the ceremony so I can devote the after to the two things I love best – wasting time and being with my girl, Lenore Dove…But given the dual occasions of the day, I think she’ll allow for a bit of freedom as long as my work is done...” (SOTR, Page 1)
Katniss’s eyes widened at the mention of Lenore Dove. Peeta’s face broke out into a grin as he gently elbowed Katniss to get her attention. “Well, would you look at that! He’s actually dated someone before and wasn’t giving shitty advice before!”
Katniss winces, “I mean, it was still kind of terrible.” Mags had a small smile on her face. Finnick looked like he hit the jackpot, as if he was going to do something with that information. While Woof, one of the 8 victors, tilted his head.
“Strange name.”
Chaff rolled his eyes as he leaned back into the couch. “It’s probably some District twelve tradition or something,” He turned to look at both Katniss and Peeta, “You two hear any names like that?”
Peeta shook his head as he couldn’t think of anyone with a similar name. “Nope…not that I know of. We’re probably gonna get more information about it.” Katniss glances at Peeta with a hint of confusion. There was someone. Both of them knew it. But why wasn’t Peeta-?
Beetee nods as he eyes the book, staying silent as he rubs his thumb along one of the pages before he continues. Turns out Haymitch’s mother was an interesting person, yet a good woman. One that Katniss wishes her mother were.
“Huh. Good that she makes sure he gets his shit done.” Blight, Victor of 7, nodded his arms crossed and back straight proudly. “Honestly, if his mother could see him now, she’d be disappointed, I’d guess.” There’s a silence before Gloss speaks up snappily.
“Considering that he’s a knock out drunk like 5 over there,” His head nods towards Thunder, who scowls, moving to stand up, but is roughly grabbed back and shoved down by Nelly, “His mom's probably dead.”
The continued silence shows that most of the other victors agree. Beetee even hits home as he reads Haymitch mentioning that the Gamemakers tend to ruin plans. Katniss can see the grim expressions of the others, and she thinks back to how much her life was ruined just by Prim’s name getting picked from that bowl. Though what Beetee tells them next from the book allows for much laughter between the victors.
“Pants that have ‘Courtesy of the Capitol’ on the ass! Ha! I would love to see Haymitch in those!” Chaff cackled loudly as he leaned against Seeder, who was also laughing. Katniss crackled a small grin, imagining what it would be like to see a tiny Haymitch in those. It’s hard to imagine Haymitch younger; she’d honestly just imagine him now, but with some sort of hat. Maybe one with a small propeller. But that would be weird considering she has no idea where that thought came from.
“Gotta be honest, good for his mother to not let anything go to waste. What god out there knows kids in the Seam can’t?” Peeta said with a small nod of his head. Katniss also agrees, as in twelve, if you can get your hands on anything, you should probably use it. Even something as small as a button can be used in some sort of way. Beetee and Wiress share a small smile as they look at the other tributes. When Beetee looks down at the book, he reads ahead to himself slightly. “Oh..Yikes.”
“What is it?”
Beetee then picks up where he left off. Only a few pages in and still there's so much information to ingest. Like how Haymitch’s father died in a fire. Katniss curls up on the couch slightly, as she remembers how her father died. An explosion in the mines. Maybe she and Haymitch are quite similar, both of their parents dying by some sort of problem in the mines. Both were probably caused by the Capitol. Their families like labs headed for slaughter- Katniss jolts as she feels a hand on her arm, and she realizes that it’s Peeta. He’s giving her a look of worry, which she waves off by shaking her head as if to tell him, ‘ I’ll tell you later. ’
Peeta nods, and his attention is quickly brought away by the mention of the flour supplied by the Capitol, and his face twists slightly. “Ugh, I can only imagine what that must look like.” He shudders, and Katniss just gives him 3 pats on the shoulder. Though the idea of having a gritty and burnt cornbread doesn’t exactly make Katiss feel any better. Haymitch’s mom, though, feels bad for. The idea of life's sorrows cutting away at the poor woman when she’s only 35. At the mention of Haymitch’s mother telling him, “Happy sixteenth…” We’re all suddenly hit with the fact that, yeah, this isn’t the Haymitch we know now, it’s the Haymitch that we get to hear about before the games. Before everything in his life went wrong. Beetee continues,
“We’ve got cold running water, only it comes out in a thin stream that would take an age to fill a bucket. There’s a special barrel of pure rainwater she charges extra for because the clothing comes out softer…What with pumping and hauling, filling the cistern is a two-hour job even with Sid’s help…” (SOTR, Page 1)
“His little brother seems adorable,” Peeta said with a small smile. Sid reminds Katniss of Prim. Cashmere sighs as she leans back against her couch, her legs crossing.
“It’s so weird…this is like- getting insider information on one of the poorest districts.” She sighed before her head tilted back. “Little things don't even learn to fight. How boring.” Katniss is a second from launching herself upwards and socking the District one victor in the nose when, surprisingly, across from her, Johanna subtly shakes her head, which makes Katniss stay in her spot. But mainly the fact that she might’ve gotten her ass kicked, so she settles on speaking.
“Many other kids do it. I’ve seen it done in the Seams. I helped a few of them whenever I could before-” Before the games, before the shit show. Katniss doesn’t finish her sentence, but it is clear what she was going to get across: “But even with the better technology, some families still use them.”
Beetee nodded solemnly. “Yes. Though there have been some technological advancements. I’m still sorry you had to do such a thing. As well as for those families….Maybe Twelve in general.”
Katniss gives him a shrug. Most of the kids always rushed to make sure that the cistern was full. Even if they had a good amount of water. Katniss had always found it strange, especially with how their situation was in twelve. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard an annoyed groan from Enobaria, “Ugh, is he going to get to the Reaping already, or are we just going to sit here and get every detail about his home life!”
Finnick threw an arm over the back of the couch and rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m sorry some people enjoy hearing about Victor's life from before. I certainly find it interesting.” He said, putting a hand on his chest in mock offense, while Enobaria just threw him the bird, which was ignored. Beetee quickly moved on, and Johanna snickered at Haymitch wanting to do it the next day.
“Man, knowing what's gonna happen is pretty funny!”
“And also a curse,” Nelly spoke up. Her hands lay in her lap as she stared at the floor, “We know he's Victor. We know we are going to prepare for about 47 other kids dying. How is that going to be funny?”
There was another silence before Johanna crossed her arms and stomped a foot on the floor, letting out a puff of air. She threw her hands up in surrender. “Well, my bad for trying to make this experience a little bit more light. No need to be snippy.” Nelly just glared at Johanna.
There are a few chuckles and laughs when Haymitch in the book complains about wanting to fill the cistern later. Katniss was slightly weirded out to see this side of Haymitch. One that seemed…carefree? No, that wasn’t the word.
It was strange seeing Haymitch whole. Like the world wasn’t falling apart around him.
Still, as Beetee continued the book, the feeling of dread slowly started to creep up her back. Despite now even getting to the Reaping yet. It was just the morning. And it wasn’t the fact that it was Haymitch describing the Second Quarter Quell as two games in one. What unsettled Katniss was the finer details. Why were they so important?
“No way to control the outcome of the reaping or what follows it. So don’t feed the nightmares. Don’t let yourself panic. Don’t give the Capitol that. They’ve taken enough already.” (SOTR, Page 3)
The silence in the room was practically deafening. The Victors in the room knew exactly what the Capitol did. They all won The Games. They all knew. Yet Katniss felt like she didn’t know all of it. The tension in the room could be cut like a knife.
“Yeah, that's complete bullshit.” Vicky huffed. The Female Victor from 10, “There’s always a way to control the outcome. Just look at what happened in 4! There’s no way that was a coincidence!”
Finnick bristled as he sat up slightly straighter, glaring at Vicky, “Don’t try and bring up Annie. She’s got nothing to do with what's happening right now.” Finnick leaned back and relaxed slightly, but continued glaring at Vicky, who held her hands up in surrender. Finnick looked away and muttered, “But thanks to Mags, they didn’t take anything else.”
Mags gently grabbed one of Finnick’s hands and squeezed it, offering a supportive smile that must’ve spoken in volumes for Finnick. Katniss didn’t know what was up, but it was clear some others did. Cashmere’s hands tightened in her lap, her face seeming to have a very similar haunting look to Finnick….Beetee, on the other hand…
Beetee stared off, mainly looking at the floor, before a hand landed on his shoulder. Wiress. All Wiress did was keep her hand on his shoulder, being a small support that snapped him out of whatever daze he was in. Despite seeming to understand the fact that the Capitol only took, it seemed to be different for him.
Katniss wondered if it was something that had to do with the reaction when he realized who the book was about.
Once everyone seemed to snap out of their dazes about the Capitol, Beetee continued. And it turns out, Haymitch did the same thing she did. Sneak through the fence into the woods. Enobaria let out an ear-grating whistle. “Didn’t think 12’s dared to try that.”
Katniss crossed her arms and gave Enobaria a nasty side eye. “You’d be surprised.” She snarked, which Enobaria responded to merely with a sharp grin.
At the mention of Hattie Meeney, Peeta lit up, “So that's who makes it!” This earns him some confused glances, which included Katniss- more so on the reason why Peeta was so excited- so Peeta explains, “Well, I always wondered who was making the white liquor for Ripper when I noticed the liquor seemed to be made the same every time, with no fail. Ripper said that it came from someone named Hattie. Didn’t know Haymitch worked with her.” Peeta shrugged. A few of the victors rolled their eyes, not really caring, and gestured for Beetee to continue.
Eddy hummed as he crossed one leg over the other. “I remember Haymitch’s interview. Mentioning making liquor. I would’ve thought that something happened to the woman, considering the look on some of the peacekeepers' faces.” That's the thing. Nobody knows if something happened. And from the look on Peeta’s face, and the nervous bouncing of his synthetic leg, Katniss assumed neither did Ripper.
“Wouldn’t be surprised…” She spoke up surprisingly. She wasn’t a big fan of sharing, especially now that everything about her district was going to be out in the open, despite it being the past. “It was considered really illegal. Probably still is.”
The other victors nodded, and Chaff seemed to wince as Beetee read how it’s made. While Beetee continued reading, Katniss turned him out to look at Peeta.
“Why would you want to know that?” She asked with a tilt of her head. Peeta waved off her worried look.
“We use the liquor for baking. Flavour enhancement." Katniss was about to ask another question when Beetee read that Hattie decided to give Haymitch one of the bottles of white liquor. This causes a slight ruckus with the victors, some cheering, others questioning. Katniss, personally, wanted to know what young Haymitch would do. She surprised herself with the thought, but he didn’t seem like the type to drink, especially with his family.
“I figured if you’re old enough to make it, you’re old enough to drink it.” (SOTR, Page 5)
“Preach!” Thunder cheered, despite being sober. Even if he winced at how the wine was made, Chaff gave Victor 5 a high-five. Nelly muttered about them being childish, while Enboaria and Brutus seemed to be debating how much Haymitch would say he drank. Ignore the fact that Haymitch had yet to experience the games. Beetee silenced everyone with a clearing of his throat. Katniss felt her heart become hollow with the next sentence.
“I have to agree and, though I’m not a drinker myself, I’m glad to get the bottle.” (SOTR, Page 5)
Katniss and Peeta both glance at each other, both sharing a look of heartbreak. Not a drinker. Katniss remembers when she first saw Haymitch, when he collapsed off the stage. The anger, the constant state of being drunk. The withdrawals when the new peacekeepers came, and the Hob was burned. Haymitch in his books seemed so bright. What the hell could’ve happened in that arena?
Though there was a hidden thought in the back of Katniss’s mind. What if it wasn’t the arena that did him in?
There is easily a collective wince as it is mentioned that the Abernathys were rebels. It wasn’t easy admitting that your family was a part of the reason these Games ended up happening in the first place. The fact that they went up against the Capitol. Yet it was clear that every single victor in some way had done that. There was a reason they survived this long. It could have been a small phrase, a small action, hell- it could even be the fact that someone breathed in the wrong direction of a stuck-up Capitol citizen! Katniss made a small apology to Effie in her head.
She tensed when it was also mentioned that Haymitch’s father's death wasn’t an accident. It was rather obvious now that both her and Haymitch’s fathers were definitely killed for show. For the Capitol to continue to instill fear into the districts. And it pissed her off. Yet soon a name catches her attention. Clerk Carmine. She’s seen him around before. Maybe playing the fiddle once or twice. With all of the information she had now, it was clear that Clerk Carmine was a part of the Covey.
“He must be a part of that Covey thing Haymitch was talking about.” Nelly hummed with curiosity. Beetee just nodded.
“It seems so.” He said as he glanced over at Peeta and Katniss before looking back at the book, licking his thumb, and turning the page. There's a collective laugh at how Clerk Carmin,e or CC they learn doesn’t think that Haymitch was the right boy for Lenore. Katniss can tell that, despite the mentor that she knows now, Haymitch most likely was. He seems to have loved her more than the words on the page of this book could ever explain. Katniss glances over at Peeta before quickly curling up on herself slightly and putting her focus back on Beetee and the book.
Yet even if the part of the book has already passed, there is a nagging with the cistern. Katniss still wants to know why Haymitch mentioned it, as everything the man said seemed to be double-sided. Yet she didn’t know if it was still the same with this book. She notices Peeta giving her another worried look, which she scowls at, making Peeta back off.
“My friend Burdock had finally worn me down…” (SOTR, Page 6)
Katniss’s eyes widened at the sound of her father's name. Haymitch knew her father? She tried to think back to any point between when she first met Haymitch to now. She couldn’t recall anything with her father. She jolted as she felt a hand grab her own, and she looked up at Peeta, who leaned forward ever so slightly.
“Burdock? Wasn’t he your father?”
Katniss gave a nod as the ringing that she didn’t notice stopped in her ear. And it ended just in time as she heard Beetee read about her father getting hit in the head by an apple. She heard laughter and a few chuckles from the victors; even Enobaria had a small grin on her face, though it looked more like a smirk. Katniss herself let out a small giggle, which caused Peeta to do a double-take and grin at her. She quickly pulled herself together and shoved him. She would deny she ever did that.
“So Lenore Dove is Burdock's Cousin…” Peeta murmured as he leaned back, willing to ignore Katniss’s shove, “Did he mention anything?”
“...If he mentioned something while I was younger, I don’t remember it.” This made Katniss wonder more about her family tree. She was learning much more about not only Haymitch but her family as a whole. She wonders just how large her family tree is. Who she didn’t know about, and who in the district was connected to her. The Covey…it was called? Yeah, she wondered how the Covey worked back in the day.
She wonders if the story her father told her was true. The one about the girl in the rainbow ruffles.
“I’m Haymitch.”
“I’m Lenore Dove.”
“Dove like the bird?”
“No. Dove like the color.”
“What color is that?”
“Same as the bird.” (pg. 7)
Peeta lets out a snort of laughter while Katniss whacks his shoulder, trying to stifle her laugh as the rest of the victors are openly laughing or cackling-Johanna holds her stomach and kicking her legs as what sounds like a witch cackle is hidden under the other laughter- and it’s a great way to get everyone mind off of the Covey. Finnick, in particular, lets sighs once all of the laughter is over.
“Man…Wish we could see baby Haymitch.” He hums as he tilts his head back, arms resting on the couch’s back, “Though I gotta say, being in love at the age of ten is an achievement. I gotta bug him about that.”
Cashmere glares at him from her couch as she crosses her arms. “Yeah, if you win the Games.” This immediately causes the mood around everyone to drop. Some victors shift uncomfortably, changing positions to close in on themselves. Katniss sees Finnick’s smirk sharpened slightly as he and Cashmere are stuck in a staring contest, while Wiress and Beetee exchange more looks.
“Let's get back to the book,” Beetee says, redirecting everyone’s attention back to him. As Beetee continues reading, Katniss continues to zone out slightly, thinking back to her possible Covey ancestry. No, it’s not possible; it's one hundred percent confirmed that she has Covey in her blood. Yet to her, it feels foolish. Sure, she sings sometimes, more in the past than now. She thought back to when she would sing Prim to sleep when Prim was younger, trying to distract both of them from the hells of this world to get a peaceful sleep. Yet Katniss can’t play any instruments. She quickly shakes her head, snapping out of her daze as she hears Beetee start and then pause.
“I believe it’s a song.” Beetee signed, and Finnick made a very dramatic gasp as he turned his head to look at Beetee
“You should sing!” Which was quickly followed by Beetee’s lips tilting upwards, but he shook his head as well as a chorus of disagreeing shouts from the rest of the victors. Finnick boos quietly, and it’s clear to Katniss that he’s just trying to make everyone at least have their spirits up after what Cashmere decided to do. At the mention of what instrument Lenore Dove plays, Katniss tilts her hea,d trying to imagine the instrument. A piano accordion. Katniss has never seen one herself, or anywhere in twelve, but her mind quickly tries to imagine the instrument, the girl, and the geese. She should hope that when she gets back, she can ask Haymitch about it. There are many things she wants to be able to ask Haymitch.
Katniss finds it hard to think of a melody for the song, as she had focused more on the words. It was easy to tell how it was about the districts and the capital. Katniss broke from her thoughts slightly as she looked around, as Beetee continued mentioning more about Lenore Dove. How she didn’t tend to sing in public. Another thing Katniss wondered was what it would be like to have a bunch of music played within the district. It's not that it’s not being played within twelve, but it’s an uncommon occurrence.
It was quite easy to see that the ‘law’ in the song was considered the Capitol. Hell for Katniss, it was Snow for her. The slippery snake he was. And the ‘lords and ladies?’ The only thing Katniss could imagine was the Capitol citizens. The people who bet on the tributes, who just seem to take and take. At the lyric, she can subtly see Mags take a hold of Finnick’s hand, who just smiles at her. He gave nothing away.
Katniss and a few other victors grin at Lenore Dove’s song being two rebellious, Johanna and Chaff being some of the tributes who grin the biggest. It also goes along with the fact that Katniss has never heard of this song. Peeta gives off a small hum at Haymitch, mentioning he disagrees with Clerk Carmine and Tam Amber. Besides, Haymitch was right. You shouldn’t go asking around for trouble at twelve.
‘Poor and wretched.’ That was the tributes. From what Katniss has seen, they never seem to escape. They don’t escape until they lose that last breath. Unless they lose it within the arena. Then they don’t escape.
“There's always some sort of snitches in the districts.” Nelly huffed as she shifted in her seat when Beetee read the fact that there is always a pair of ears if there is a pair of eyes. A murmur of agreement ripples throughout the victors.
“They just like to steal from us,” Petra mutters quietly as Beetee finishes reading the lyrics for the song Lenore Dove wrote, and Katniss couldn’t agree more. Though the slightly angered look on Peeta’s face disappears at the knowledge of the geese hissing at Haymitch, which causes him to let out a snore of laughter. Which then turns into both Katniss and Peeta grimacing at Haymitch kissing his literal girlfriend. There are some hoots and hollers in the room, but most of the “younger” tributes scrunched their nose- Finnick going so far as to pretend to gag and hold his stomach. There is once again a collective silence as not only does Lenore Dove mention that four kids will be going to this game, but also how it will hit a lot of the families. Katniss stays silent as she remembers some of the scathing looks some of the districts had given Peeta and her for their victory tour. She wonders how it will turn out for Haymitch. Twice as many families are angry at the tribute. Though Katniss didn’t blame them.
“I guess. But I can’t really imagine the sun not rising tomorrow.”... "Can you imagine it rising on a world without reaping?” (SOTR, page 11)
There's a chorus of voices from the Victors.
“What a dream. Imagine what we could do.”
“It’ll never stop. Snow's too fucked up to even consider something like that. We’re the Capitol's lambs up for slaughter.”
“You shouldn’t say that!”
“It’s….what we all…dream.”
“That’d probably cause a bunch of chaos.”
“It’d be Heaven. Or whatever comes after death, but there is no sunrise that doesn’t have a reaping.”
“What a childish idea! Say that around the Peacekeepers and you’ll probably be hanged!”
The voices kept getting louder until Finnick let out a shout. “GUYS! Can we please get back on track?! You can bicker after this chapter is over!” Luckily, many of the victors wanted to continue either to hear what would happen but also to hear Lenore Dove’s reasoning. Though there are snickers when Haymitch mentions that Lenore Dove might be too smart for him. Katniss ignores whatever mutters from other victors, agreeing as she knows Haymitch is rather clever. More so than he lets on.
“It’s a thin strip of metal, shaped like a C…The head of a snake hisses at the beak of a long-necked bird. I flatten out my hand and see that their enameled scales and feathers travel around the piece until they merge and become indistinguishable.” (SOTR, page 12)
“What is it?” The Morphling Female asked as she tilted her head. Though Katniss could easily figure out what it is. Most families of twelve have one. Though, as Haymitch mentions, they are normally dull and beat up.
“It’s a flint striker.” Sounds of realization echo throughout the room, and Katniss notices that three of the victors don’t have a reaction at all. Wireless and Beetee, though Katniss feels like that's a given, as the two are incredibly smart, no matter how crazy they seem. And also Mags. Katniss isn’t sure why the District 4 victor doesn’t react, but it would be due to the fact that she had possibly seen a flint striker when she was younger. Katniss feels tapping on her shoulder, and she turns to Peeta.
“That must’ve been his token,” Peeta told Katniss, and she nodded in agreement. Though she was wondering what he did with the bracelet that Effie gave him. Katniss’s eyes suddenly widened as she remembered something. Turning to look at Finnick, she actually looked at the bracelet he had on. She thought it was his token, which was strange as he wasn’t wearing it before, but now that she looked, she could see it was the same bracelet that Haymitch had.
“What?” Peeta asked his back, straightening slightly as he turned to look at Finnick as well.
“Haymitch gave him his bracelet,” Katniss muttered as Finnick also turned to look at them, glanced at his bracelet, and gave them a smile and a wave before putting his attention back to Beetee, who was still reading. Katniss and Peeta turn back to each other.
“I wonder why he didn’t keep it. It’s from the girl he loved.” Peeta sighed as he settled back down into the black couch. Katniss hummed as she thought. A lot could’ve happened. She sighed as she leaned against him slightly.
“Something probably happened in the arena. That's my only guess.” It wasn’t. But she wasn’t about to tell Peeta that. So she hoped he would just accept that as an answer for now. And though he gave her a suspicious glance, he didn’t say anything. It’s sweet, seeing Haymitch interact with Lenore Dove. It makes Katniss frown at how both Clark Carmine and Haymitch’s mother think that they shouldn’t be together due to either being a bad influence or a distraction. Though the thought of Haymitch being a bad influence at think age, while Lenore Dove seemed to have a very rebellious natur,e makes her laugh.
Sid reminds Katniss so much of Prim. He seems like a very sweet kid. Katniss is surprised Haymitch hasn’t mentioned anything about him, as it seemed Haymitch in this book absolutely adores his little brother. Yet Katniss’s mood is immediately ruined as Beetee describes the square of District 12. All of the peacekeepers, the slogans hanging everywhere on the stage of the justice building. She tenses as she hears someone mutter that those banners don’t deserve to be there, but she can’t exactly tell who it is. Her attention is quickly exchanged as she listens to Haymitch talk about her mom and her dad, grinning as Haymitch mentions how her father was nuts for her mother. She lets out a little laugh. Soon, the mood of the room lifts slightly, but is tense as Haymitch buys gumdrops for Lenore Dove at the Donners.
“Didn’t you mention that your mother knew the Donners?” Peeta asked Katniss, who nodded.
“I hope he can get those to her,” Nelly muttered, her mouth hidden by her wrist, as everyone seemed to realize that they were getting close to the reaping within the book. Though a few- more so the Careers- are getting excited. Katniss wants to punch the grin off of Enobaria’s face.
“Today I have twenty slips of paper with my name in the reaping…but I have an additional three because I always take on three tesserae to feed myself and my family members.” (SOTR, Pages 17-18)
There's a bunch of grimaces and winces at the mention of how many times Haymitch has his name in those dreaded bowls. Katniss knows kids who still have to take the tesserae. Hell, she took three tesserae as well. As Beetee reads Haymitch needing to tell Sid his role in the reaping, the mood of many victors dampens. There's no way it will go up now. It’s very clear to Katniss that Haymitch’s brother is dead. That was honestly a given. Yet Katniss wanted to avoid thinking about it.
It’s sweet to see Haymitch have people who can support him at the time. Katniss is glad he at least had someone, yet she’s confused about why he didn’t decide to go to his support systems. He had his girlfriend, though somewhere in the back of her mind, there's the mention that she’s not around anymore, considering Katniss hasn’t heard of Lenore Dove, her father, his friend Blair, and possibly her mom.
Peeta snickers quietly at the trio's talk about being born on reaping day. Especially with Blair basically calling Haymitch an idiot. There are also a few other victors who let out hollow laughs. It’s strange. Knowing what's going to happen before it even does. It’s not like anything could be worse. Katniss is pretty sure that all of the victors here had to at least have watched the Second Quarter Quell. They all knew who was going to win and who was going to die. Though they were going to get some more background information.
“I wonder what she was like.” Peeta's voice quickly snaps Katniss out of her thoughts, and she can hear Beetee reading about Mayor Allister and her reading the Treaty of Treason.
“Hm?”
“Maysilee. The supposed most stuck-up girl in town?”
“Well, you saw what she was like. We watched Haymitch’s games.”
“So? There's definitely more to her. And it also unsettles me with the fact that we saw it through a tribute. How the hell does that even happen!”
“Next, fresh from the Capitol, comes Frusilla Sickle, a plastic-faced woman who escorts our tributes to the Hunger Games each year. I have no idea how old Drusilla is, but she’s been showing up in District 12 since the first Quarter Quell.” (SOTR, Page 20)
Katniss has never felt more blessed to have Effie than she already is. She can hear Peeta let out a small hiss of sympathy for Haymitch. Katniss tries to imagine the woman, but any thought of trying to think of her made Katniss grimace. As Beete continues to read about the woman, she is also blessed that despite how…loud Effie’s style is, it isn’t whatever this woman is thinking. If she got out of the arena alive, she’d need to thank Effie for being such a good escort because what this woman- no, this thing is, is actually atrocious.
A silence settles over the room as Beetee starts reading. They are about to find out the first tribute other than Maysillee and Haymitch. The first girl they learned about is a thirteen-year-old girl, Louella McCoy. There is a gasp from Nelly, and some head shakes of disapproval from the Capitol. Peeta leans over as Beetee starts to read Maysillee’s drawing.
“Poor girl.” He mutters. Katniss nods, and despite seeing Prim in Sid, she also sees Prim in this little girl. Katniss also gives a small nod of approval at Maysillee, keeping her nose extra high in the air, not even caring if she is the most stuck-up girl in town. All the Victors tense as it gets to the boys' drawing. They know what will happen, yet it seems to cause everyone to tense. They all relaxed slightly after the first boy was called, Wyatt Callow.
“So close,” Finnick mutters at the mention of Wyatt almost getting to his nineteenth birthday.
“He shouldn’t be relaxing.” Chaff mutters as Haymitch mentions that he relaxes after Wyatt was picked, “he’s going next.”
Enobaria snorts slightly as she mutters a small, “Spoilers”, in a mocking attitude. Katniss ignores how Peeta quickly grabs her arm to keep her from leaping.
“I suck in my breath, preparing for my death sentence…”
Everyone tenses, ready to hear the name when Beetee pauses. It turns out that despite the fact that he basically seemed to know what was going on so far with Haymitch he didn’t know what happened here.
“Just get on with it!” Gloss calls to him as he leans back into the couch and crosses his arms. “We know his name gets drawn, just hurry it up so we can fish this book.”
Beetee looks at Gloss and shakes his head before he reads out the drawing.
“...Drusilla peers at the final name. “And boy number two is…Woodbine Chance!” (SOTR Page 22)
There's a silence throughout the Victors before everyone basically explodes.
“WHAT?!”
“He wasn’t picked?”
“Okay- this is bullshit! Bullshit!”
“How did he get into the games?”
“Who the hell is Woodbine Chance?”
“She must be reading it wrong.”
“This isn’t right- we all saw the footage. It was Haymitch!”
Beetee puts up a hand, and everyone quickly silences.
“I’m reading exactly what's on the page. I’ll show it to you all after this chapter is over, but I’m reading it correctly. But now we all know something.”
“Know what?” The Male victor of District 10, Trill, asks, tilting his head.
“Haymitch wasn’t supposed to go into the Games. Yet he got there somehow.” Katniss said as she tightened her hands in her lap. She was on the edge of her seat but something was wrong. Everything about the whole situation was wrong. Beetee goes back to reading. About how Woodbine moves to follow Wyatt down the path and up to the stage. About how he suddenly books it.
“Holy shit. This kid has guts!” Enobaria cackles as everyone’s eyes widen. How people are encouraging the kid to run, and how people are blocking the Peacekeepers from getting to him. Beetee quickly breaks Enobaria's enjoyment.
“...-- a shot rings out from the Justice Building rooftop, and the back of Woodbine’s head explodes.”(SOTR Page 22)
Beetee folded the corner of the page and set it in front of him. The purple book is surrounded by silence as the Victors stare at each other, in shock, some in terror, some in pity, some in excitement at what's to come. Though there is one thing that everyone is thinking.
What really ended up happening during the Second Quarter Quell?