One Last Game -Haymitch Abernathy-

Chapter 10

Amelia threw her cup against the wall in a moment of anger. The glass hit the wall hard, shattering upon impact. Katniss was injured by the fire, and the Careers had found her. Peeta was still with them, and he appeared to be helping them.

She should have seen it coming. This happens every year. Her tributes never win. The Capitol always makes sure of it by doing something ridiculous, such as the fire. It was a miracle Katniss was able to survive, but not an accident. The Gamemakers practically led her into the hands of the Careers. They needed them to be the ones to kill her. It was better television that way. Amelia shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. If either of them were going to win, it would have been Katniss. Peeta was going to be slaughtered by the Careers the moment Katniss was dead. He didn't even see how badly they were using him.

Amelia wanted to slap some sense into him. Scream at him to run and save himself, but she couldn't. Peeta was miles away in an arena he would probably never walk out of it. The girl dropped to her knees, slowly picking up the pieces of broken glass.

Her bedroom door opened with a bang, but she didn't turn to look. "What the hell happened in here," Haymitch asked.

"Nothing," she muttered under her breath. "Nothing happened. I just dropped a cup."

Haymitch noticed the chip in the wall. He had been walking by when he heard the sound. The glass cup clearly wasn't dropped. It was thrown. "Right," he whispered. "Let me help you clean that up."

"It's fine," Amelia didn't need help. "I can do it."

Haymitch wasn't backing down. "You'll hurt yourself. Let me-"

"I said I can do it," she shouted at him. Haymitch flinched at her tone, not having expected Amelia to lash out at him. "I'm not a child, okay? I can clean up my own damn mess." It wasn't like Amelia to shout, but her emotions were taking over. Haymitch had been right. She got too personal. She actually believed one of them had a chance of winning. "I'm sorry." Amelia hadn't meant to explode. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. It was easier to feel nothing than to feel something. Haymitch watched her closely, hating when she turned her emotions off. "I didn't mean to shout."

"I know." His next actions were slow. He reached for her hand, opening her palm to take the shards of glass. In her moment of anger, she began to clenched her fist. The pieces of glass stuck to her skin. Haymitch worried she would accidentally hurt herself. "I saw the games."

"I was so stupid," Amelia muttered. "I actually believed they had a chance." How could she be so stupid?

Haymitch smiled at her, knowing how worked up she had been the last four days since the games started. Amelia hardly slept as it was, and he was positive by the bags under her eyes that it had been days since she rested. "I still believe they do."

Amelia scoffed at the comment. Haymitch never believed their tributes would win. Every year he had the same mentality. That they would die, and there was nothing they could do to help. "Don't be ridiculous," she began. "You never think District 12 tributes will win. You never have."

"Because we've never had tributes who stood a chance," he argued with her. "But I've believed before, and I do now."

"Well, you were wrong then, and you'll be wrong now." Amelia was still upset with how these games were going. "Katniss is hurt and needs help, and Peeta is too stupid to see he's being played."

"I wasn't wrong before," Haymitch's tone was softer. Amelia looked at him, not sure what to make of his statement. "Katniss has a chance. She just needs-" but he didn't say anything else.

Amelia waited for him to finish, but he didn't. "Needs what, Haymitch?"

"A sponsor," he smiled at her. "I'll be back in a little while, okay?" She nodded, "don't throw anymore glasses." Before she could question him, the blond man was out the door.