The Anger Games [a Hayffie fanfic (THG)]

Chapter 1: A Necklace Made of Mahogany

Today, Effie was in disguise.

Her wide, plain black feather hat was pulled well over her face, and her sleek, dull gray jumpsuit was very unEffie-like. She usually wore the craziest high heels, and so the soft black flats felt oddly comfortable on her feet, almost as if she was barefoot. Amazingly, though, it didn’t matter. To the ever-proper, fashion-obsessed Effie Trinket, it didn’t matter. Not now. Not today. What mattered most was that she should get what she wanted.

And to do that, she needed a disguise.

“How much is this necklace?” Effie asked the lady at the stall.

The woman looked at her curiously. For a moment Effie thought that she’d been recognized. Oh, what would her family and friends (and enemies too, most importantly) think if she was caught buying a necklace from a thrift shop? The shame would be unbearable!

But then Effie realized that brand name of the expensive suit she was wearing was printed in large, bold letters.The lady must’ve been wondering why somebody so wealthy would be buying from her. Oh well. Let her wonder. As long as she doesn’t find out who she really was.

“It’s beautiful,” Effie commented, fingering the smooth surface of the heart-shaped pendant. “What is it made of?”

“Wood,” the lady mumbled. Obviously she was hoping not to lose this moneyed customer.

“What kind?”

“Mahogany,  but—”

“I’ll take it.”

The lady paused, looking at her strangely, as if she was wondering why Effie chose to buy that certain necklace. As if it was something extraordinary, although Effie couldn’t tell if it was extraordinary in a good way or a bad way. Effie stared back. I’m from the Capitol, what is wrong with you? It almost seemed as if the lady didn’t want to sell the necklace, or at least was reluctant to.

“It’s a remnant from the Nuclear Wars,” the lady explained softly. “It’s almost a hundred years old. “

“I’ll still buy it,” Effie insisted. “Is it that expensive?”

 “It’s the cheapest thing here,” the lady replied carefully. ”The oldest and most precious, but the cheapest. There’s a very good reason for that.” She paused, her mouth slightly open. She looked as if she wanted to add something more, but decided against it. Effie raised her eyebrow. That was no way to promote a product.

“Is there anything wrong with this necklace?” Effie said. “Just tell me the truth. If it was filched somewhere or stolen from a museum or something like that, I won’t buy it. Probably. Are there are any other mahogany necklaces?”

The lady slowly shook her head. “But there’s this lovely one made of acacia—”

“No thank you. It’s mahogany or nothing. How much is it?”

“Fifty bucks.”

“That cheap?” Effie was amazed. She paid for the necklace.

As she was leaving, the lady shouted from far behind. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you!”