One Last Game -Haymitch Abernathy-

Chapter 30

Amelia stirred her tea silently the following morning, her back facing Katniss and Peeta. They had training in a few hours but were relaxing until then. "Good news," Haymitch's voice filled her ears. "More than half the Tributes want you as an ally."

Amelia turned around, holding the mug tightly in her hands. "They saw her shoot."

Haymitch was looking at Katniss. "You have your pick. Who's it going to be?"

"I want Wiress and Beetee." Amelia thought they were good choices.

Peeta crossed his arms, "Johanna calls them Nuts and Bolts."

"Who else?" Haymitch didn't object to her choices, but he wasn't thrilled about them either.

"Mags." Peeta turned around, clearly annoyed. "Fine, nobody."

Amelia let out a chuckle but quickly covered it with a cough. It didn't come as a surprise to her that Katniss would choose them. They were the few good souls left. "I'll tell them you're still making up your mind." Haymitch glanced at Amelia, who ducked her head down and swiftly walked out of the room. She agreed with Katniss's choices. Haymitch and Peeta had forgotten that although non-threatening, Wiress, Beetee, and Mags won their games. They outsmarted others and won. They were Victor's. "Hey," Haymitch called out.

She turned around, offering him a smile. "Hello."

He eyed her. "You okay?"

"Always." That was a lie.

"Hm," he walked towards her. "Something you want to add about Katniss's choice of allies?"

Amelia sighed and set down her mug. "Everyone playing has one their games. They're all equal in my book." Haymitch pursed his lips while placing one hand on his hip. "Some use strength." She tapped his arm. "While others use their brain." Amelia tapped her head. They both won their games in different ways. "And they are all equally dangerous."

He grabbed her hand, his thumb stroking the skin on her palm. "Your strength is equal to your brains, Sweetheart."

"Well," she smiled at him. "I guess I'm just better than most." If things were different, and Katniss and Peeta weren't an issue. Haymitch would bet on Amelia. She was right. There were usually two kinds of winners: the smart ones or the strong ones. She was always classified as smart, but Haymitch had seen her training. She was strong now, mentally and physically. "Katniss won't trust anyone but Peeta and me in the arena. Pushing allies on her won't work-"

"Which is why I need you," Haymitch said.

Amelia snorted, shaking her head. "I've never been very good at making friends."

"Well, you're going to have to try."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amelia closed her eyes, pushing away the rest of the world. There were six days until the Hunger Games. She tried not to think about it. Soon, she would present her chosen skill. Amelia didn't have a chosen skill but had to pick something. She decided on a spear. The object felt wrong in her hands. She once used a spear to shatter the ice on a lake and threw Georgia into the water.

There was nothing that haunted her more than that day. It destroyed her. Watching Georgia desperately try to reach the surface but ultimately failing was something she would never forget.

Amelia held the spear tightly, struggling with her feelings. She had six days left to live, and the idea of dying terrified her. Until now, she had been good at hiding it.

She opened her eyes and spun around, twisting to spear as she did. To her surprise, as she brought the spear down, someone was there with a spear of their own. The wood made contact, and the sound echoed throughout the room. The only person who looked was Katniss, who was with Mags. Peeta was with Johanna, but he was too distracted by her to notice anything else.

Finnick stood in front of her. An award-winning smile on his face. Amelia pulled back her spear, a questioning look on her face. "What are you doing?"

Finnick swung his spear down, which she easily blocked with hers. "Analyzing the competition."

She laughed at his comment. "Analyzing the competition?" Amelia moved quickly, lowering his spear to the side. However, Finnick was prepared for this.

"Yes," he tilts his head to the side. "Isn't that what you've been doing?"

His words take her by surprise, and Finnick takes the opportunity to knock the spear out of her hands. "I have no idea what you're talking about-"

Finnick steps closer. "You want to know what I think?" Amelia stares at him, "I think you're smarter than you look. You downplay your victory, making it seem like luck. But you're not lucky. You're brilliant."

Amelia doesn't notice that he is still walking towards her. "Oh, is that what you think?"

"Tell me. Why did you arrive an hour early to training and spend most of it watching the others?" He didn't let her respond. "You're analyzing. Finding strengths and weaknesses in simple actions." Amelia doesn't break his intense stare. His body towers over hers, but he's not attempting to show his power. If anything, it's the opposite.

"It's not my fault. Having such an obvious weakness is a character flaw."

Finnick let out a laugh, placing the weapon to the side. They're no longer two people fighting in the games. They're two people who respect each other. "Everyone has a weakness besides their weapon, Amelia." He dipped his head down. "Even you."

She looked towards the box that held several spectators and noticed Haymitch was up there. He was watching her, a complicated expression on his face. "You're just as smart as you are pretty. I'm sure you can figure it out." Amelia patted his chest and moved around him. "I've already figured out yours."

Finnick looked at her, "oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Without saying anything, she walked away from him. Finnick was right. She did have a weakness. Amelia momentarily glanced at Katniss and Peeta, who were focused on their training.

They were her weakness in these games. It was no secret that Amelia cared about the two more than she cared about most. They were all she had, besides Haymitch. If they were in trouble, there was nothing she wouldn't do to help them.

Marching down the hallway, she was stopped by Haymitch. He appeared to be annoyed. "Hey-"

"What was that," he questioned.

Amelia huffed, "I thought you wanted me to make friends?"

He rolled his eyes, "it seemed like more than a friendly conversation."

She brushed past him, taking the wrap off her right hand. "I have to get him to trust me somehow."

"You don't have to do it by batting your eyelashes at him."

Amelia spun around quickly, causing Haymitch to step back. "Is that what you think I'm doing?" That wasn't what she was doing. She was simply talking to him.

Suddenly, Amelia could see the insecurity in his eyes. The fear. It clicked in her mind what Haymitch was truly worried about. She only had six days to live. There was no time for Haymitch to doubt his worth. As she approached him, he remained silent. He was fully expecting Amelia to yell at him for lashing out. Instead, she grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him.

The action took him by complete surprise. However, he kissed her back. It wasn't often that Amelia displayed her affection for him in the Capitol, but he wasn't complaining. Whatever fears he had vanished in an instant.