ACT ONE, CHAPTER FOUR Consequences of Your Actions
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
TWO WEEKS HAD PASSED SINCE HAYMITCH WON THE GAMES, and his return was highly anticipated by those of District 12. With Haymitch being their only living victor and second victor overall in all of the Games' fifty years of existence, he was bound to have an extravagant homecoming.
Rhiannon finally felt that things were beginning to look up. Orville's back, while still with stitches, was healing nicely and he was taking on a more active role in the home. When Rhiannon returned from her shift at the Mercers', dinner was freshly made and already waiting for her and Wai Po at the table. Rhiannon and her father's relationship was also improving somewhat, the tension between them slowly dissolving. After witnessing Haymitch face death on multiple occasions, Rhiannon acquired a new awareness of life's ephemerality that she hadn't had before.
Orville, frankly, didn't care for the reason behind his daughter's eagerness to rekindle the relationship between them. He was happy to feel appreciated by his own blood in any capacity. Wai Po would always have her reserves about him, but even her otherwise cold demeanor warmed up towards her son-in-law. That's not to say that she suddenly didn't believe in the bad luck cast across the family, because she very much did so. However, she couldn't bear to wipe the happiness from her family members' faces with her pessimistic thoughts.
Haymitch was due to return in the next few days, but for the time being, Rhiannon and the Abernathys had his frequent television appearances to comfort themselves with. The first week following the Games, Haymitch was being patched up by the Capitol's medical professionals until he was brand new. Now, he's been broadcasted seemingly nonstop. When he wasn't being interviewed by Caesar Flickerman, his highlights from the Games were being played on repeat.
As reassuring as it was to see Haymitch alive and well, Rhiannon itched to see him in person, to be able to hold him in her arms. While she and Haymitch were previously reserved with their affection for one another, Rhiannon was prepared to throw that belief system out the window. She was ready to stand on the stage of the Justice Building and declare her love for Haymitch Abernathy, loud enough for even those in neighboring districts to hear.
Currently, Rhiannon was working an extra shift in the Mercers' store to assist with Ione's absence. Since Maysilee's death, she hasn't helped with the family's business. Instead, she's been holed up in her room, burrowed underneath the sheets of her bed. Neither of her parents forced her to resume her previous lifestyle, both having had their fair share of loss due to the Games throughout the years.
Thankfully, Rhiannon was more than willing to complete Ione's tasks in addition to her own. After all, Rhiannon couldn't help but feel guilty that Haymitch was returning but Maysilee wasn't. She worried that their friendship would never be the same again. It wasn't like Rhiannon could've prevented Maysilee being reaped, or her death — and Haymitch had no control over the fact either. But did Ione see it that way? Rhiannon couldn't tell.
