Chapter Text
The weight of another human body pressed against her from behind. Cold metal cuffs constricted any movement of the wrists, and she could remember being bent so far over the bar that a flush came to her cheeks. In spite of all efforts to conceal it, a thin grimace made its way onto her face. Her wig had begun to slip, the belt that cinched her waist pinched in this positon, and the balls of her feet were in terrible pain from the heels she wore. If she had to choose a word for that moment…perhaps “uncouth” would have suited the situation. It was unladylike. Demeaning. Embarrassing. She had a mind to protest, to question if such actions were really necessary, to insist that it was all a big misunderstanding.
She choked. The words died on quivering lips, and Effie swore that she could feel the Peacekeeper’s hot breath tickling the back of her neck through his shielded helmet. This wasn’t real. She hadn’t - they couldn’t …
If only they had explained it to her. Guilty or not, didn’t she have a right to know the reason for her arrest? Yet no words were spoken, by her or the Peacekeepers, and she folded easily under their rough handling.
My Prosie - did they get to you, too? A lump formed in her throat. It became so big that even as she tried to clear it, she could not speak nor swallow. They were guiding her through the room, towards an exit, but the image of Katniss lifting an arrow up to the arena sky remained perfect in her mind’s eye.
“Trinket.”
The Peacekeepers had never called her by name.
“Trinket…”
A burst of light broke the memory, and she knew the voice. She couldn’t immediately place it, but then, only one person used her surname like that.
“ Effie! Wake up, we’ve stopped.”
She jerked away from the warmth of the train’s window. After a few blinks, Effie noticed the imprint of her makeup smeared on the glass. She felt bad that someone else would have to clean up the mess, considered wiping it off herself, then forgot about it when the whimpering started.
Effie had grown so used to Annie that the way the other woman basically burrowed into her side was no surprise at all. She wrapped an arm around the fire-haired victor, and woke her with a gentle half-hug. Only as Annie shifted from her seat did Effie feel her own pounding heart clog her throat, and wide blue eyes darted from one corner of the traincar to the next, the search broken only when she caught sight of Finnegan.
And then came the sigh of relief.
Johanna held the boy in her arms, and Effie chided herself for even entertaining the notion that harm would be allowed to come to Finnick’s son in such protective company.
The little one laid his head against Johanna’s chest, and ocean eyes stared back at Effie blearily. Her temporary upset meant nothing to him, and Annie (who appeared equally unaware) simply stretched, then muttered something to Johanna that Effie couldn’t quite make out. Her brain fought to process it all.
The daze persisted even as Johanna released Finnegan to retrieve their luggage. Effie stood stock-still, conveniently out of the way. Better to be quiet, to avoid drawing attention, and her plan worked until a colorful collection of biting words broke through the ether of her mind and a suitcase was shoved in her direction.
The phrase move on stuck out from the rest. Effie suddenly snapped to attention, confused when she realized that the other patrons had already left. Either the conductor had a tight schedule to keep, or Effie had lost more time to the void than she cared to admit, and Old Effie piped up in a shrill tone:
“We do not have time for this foolishness!”
Had she really said that? Effie couldn’t recall the details of the scene, nor who she had been so snappish with. Whoever it might’ve been, they probably hadn’t deserved her ire, and the ferocity of it haunted her like a ghost.
Johanna went on about how they needed to hurry.
Effie followed, belongings in tow. Though in opposition to her punctual nature, she replied, “Don’t be so harsh. 12 isn’t going anywhere.”
She knew as soon as the phrase left her mouth that it sounded like a bad joke, and winced in response to her own folly, yet Johanna only smirked and kept any witty remarks to herself. At least Katniss and Peeta had popped into earshot after the fact.
Effie noticed Peeta first. She could never forget that face, his sweet smile. Any anxiety over their reunion vanished as the boy embraced her, the weight lifting off her shoulders, and she felt light as a feather for a short moment. Yet, his name was the only word she could greet him with, in a single unsteady exhale.
“Peeta.”
“Hello, Effie - it’s good to see you again.”
His obvious excitement at her arrival encouraged her to give an equally enthusiastic response. “It’s good to see you, too, my darling boy!” But Effie had to remind herself that Peeta wasn’t a mere teenager any longer, and certainly not the same person she had sent off to the Games. His face still bore scars that would probably never fade, yet his eyes were brighter than when she’d last seen him, and he smelled of sugar and spice.
“Hey, Effie…”
Effie found Katniss at his side, seized her just as quickly, and pulled away to get a good look at her. “Katniss -” There were scars here, too. Her eyes were impenetrable as a stone wall, yet she managed a smile, and it felt genuine. Green leaves tangled into messy hair. Effie imagined this to be from a warm summer nap in the woods. “You look lovely as ever, my dear.”
The grand show of affection silenced Katniss, and instead of offering a response, she dove for the case that Effie had toppled over upon their arrival.
And then Peeta asked: “Are you all set and ready to go?”
“Ready as we’ll ever be.”
Katniss and Peeta were hospitable as ever. Peeta carried more of their baggage than one person should’ve been able to manage, while Katniss guided the group to a gravel lot filled with various work vehicles.
They stopped at short-nosed truck that obviously had more space in the back than the front. A baker’s delivery van, to be more exact. Dusty, and a bit rough around the edges, but the fresh coat of paint spelled out the words: Sunrise Bakery on the side, colored a deep shade of orange.
Peeta blushed, “Um - I hope you don’t mind riding in the back of a bread truck,” the hint of pride in his voice betrayed him, “It’s actually not too bad back there, I promise. Totally safe.” As he loaded the baggage, Effie peered uncertainly into the empty space that was left.
“I can take the back.” Katniss piped up, then hopped in before anyone could state their opinion on the matter.
Annie and Johanna joined her, and Finnegan with them, fully awake and now thrilled to be riding somewhere different - with a new friend, no less. His eyes were on Katniss as she switched on a light for them to see by, and he wasn’t concerned at the hatch being shut.
Guilt gnawed at her stomach like an embedded worm. Her companions had most certainly chosen the bumpier ride to please her, and she wanted to protest this, but didn’t know how to do so without offending Peeta.
“Well…I guess that makes you and I in the front,” he hesitated a beat, then asked: “Is that okay with you?”
“I - the others -”
“It’s not far. I’ll drive slow. They’ll be fine, I promise .”
“Alright.”
He opened the door for her, she climbed carefully into the passenger seat, and they were off to what had originally been the Victor’s Village.
Even the beauty of the sun could not hide the change, couldn’t shield the work that had already been finished. The first time Effie had properly visited District Twelve, she had made some flippant remark about a lack of color. Now, every dwelling had taken on a complexion of its own, a sort of rustic sway. There were businesses aplenty, including a doctor’s office, a shop with a sign for Tailoring and Alterations , a Shop of Books and Antiquities , a small farmer’s market, and finally, the Sunrise Bakery .
Peeta practically beamed as they passed it.
“This truck is yours?” She asked, though her interest bloomed elsewhere. She had never seen him so proud!
“Yeah, it’s mine. I, uh…sort of jumpstarted Sunrise .”
“Oh, Peeta…” And then the building came into view, and Effie fawned over it. “It’s absolutely darling .”
“I wasn’t planning on going in the next few days - that’s the nice thing about having help - but I’d love to show you around while you’re visiting.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea.”
A short stop interrupted the rather relaxed drive. A corner had been marked off right beside the bakery, and a group of contractors laboured under the constant heat of the season. Effie hadn’t the slightest clue what they could be working on, though the structure already sprawled above the little houses and shops spread about, like a weed in a bed of flowers.
“Johanna told us you’ve been spending a lot of time in Four.”
“Yes,” Effie let her gaze return to Peeta, “It’s a beautiful place.”
His grin never faltered. “You don’t strike me as the ‘sun, sand, & saltwater’ type.”
“Yes, well - the sun and I have never really gotten along, you see. It sounds silly, but I’d turn into a lobster if I laid out for any length of time, and nobody likes sun spots,” Peeta chuckled, as if to show that he found her anecdote funny, but Effie assumed he was just being polite. “Be that as it may, I’ve found that resting under a parasol in the sand can be quite relaxing.”
Effie could picture it so clearly. A blue horizon occasionally spotted with clouds, sea foam rushing at her feet, a taste of salt in the air. Thoughts of Four served to keep her calm in the now unfamiliar territory, but there would always be a bump in the road.
A burning sensation shot out from the base of her neck and trickled down her spine. She hissed, and automatically froze up.
“Effie - are you alright?”
She couldn’t look at him. Effie searched for something to say, to chase his worried expression away with a soft reassurance. Nothing came. Effie knew that if she so much as turned to face him now, the electricity would overwhelm her. So she squeezed her eyes shut, pursed her lips into a tight line, and clutched at her dress without any thought of wrinkles.
Needles. Hundreds of them, small and sharp. From the point of each shoulder blade down to her very fingertips they stung, relentless, then advanced to her thighs. Effie waited out the pain until it subsided back to the usual dull ache. A shuddered breath escaped her mouth at once, and then she rummaged through her satchel for the bottle of pills. Upon finding them, two of the capsules were swiftly crushed between her teeth, and Effie once again found the small part of her that relished the bitter taste.
Peeta studied her, mute as an Avox.
She forced a chuckle. “I’m perfectly fine, darling.”
That he didn’t prod allowed a sense of relief to settle inside her. Moments later, they had finally made it to the Mellark-Everdeen household. To see the two living together was no surprise at all, in fact, it made perfect sense.
The bigger shock came when they walked into the house to find that Asterid had laid out a rather plentiful feast for lunch. Enough to feed an entire army, really. A healthy variety of meat, cheese, bread, fruits, and vegetables were on display, and they all gathered together to enjoy the spread, their drinks filled to the brim with ice to fight off Twelve’s current heat wave.
Effie piped in every now and then to give due praise. Otherwise, she remained content to listen to the happy chatter of the Victors and their kin. As Peeta told a story about a mishap with some frosting, and Katniss a tale about an injured bird she nursed back to health, she discovered a gentle peace in her own occassional laughter.
That is, until the sound of the front door being thrown open interrupted them, and everyone spooked. Effie hadn’t even the chance to blink when Johanna leapt from her seat and disappeared into the foyer, while Katniss prowled at the threshold of the kitchen like a caged creature.
A notable change could be detected in her eyes, a signal of recognition. Her whole body suddenly relaxed, and Effie knew they were safe, even as the ringing in her own ears did not cease.
Katniss took a step back. Haymitch came into view.
A familiar mop of dirty blond hair. Bloodshot, Seam-gray eyes. His trademark scowl, and the usual scrub of stubble, a little more gray now than the last time they were together.
Effie felt her cheeks blossom into a shock of red at that thought. The last time they were together…
For goodness’ sake, you mustn’t complicate things.
It’s only Haymitch.
You knew he would be here!
Just be polite .
“Haymitch,” it came out with more sass than she originally intended, “How good of you to join us.”
A dumbfounded look. A silence so tense you could cut it with a knife. Until, finally:
“Effie?”