The Flame That Never Dies

Chapter Nine

(Haymitch's POV.)

The hot wind lashes at my neck, the stringy gray hairs that remain now sticking to the back of it. I'm forced to pull them into a ponytail, heaving in a deep breath of the muggy air. As I begin to walk around the side of the house, I notice a screen door from the corner of my eye, a delicious smell drifting from it. I can't resist.

My hand grasps the wobbly door handle, twisting it anxiously. As I enter, the strong smell begins to overwhelm my senses. Katniss and Peeta are back in their room anyway. I know they won't mind. My eager eyes scan the entire room, the counters covered in various breads and packets of cake mix.

The smell is definitely not bread or cake, but something sounding much more appetizing to me right now. I finally spot it, my nose leading me directly to the delicious culprit.

My fingers hungrily claw off the tinfoil wrapped tightly around the pan, revealing a freshly cooked turkey; its meat burnt perfectly to my liking. I'm nearly to the point of drooling at the sight of it, my eyes wide with excitement. I haven't seen food this good in a long, long time.

I'm snatching the pan and a knife before I can even stop myself, beginning to sloppily chop up the meat and set it out on separate plates. The kids think I'm giving them food like I promised, but I only told them that to draw them in easier. This is the perfect cover-up.

I let out a soft chuckle, the idea replaying in my mind. I have good ideas when I want to.

(Effie's POV.)

"What food did you bring us?" Finnius asks me, his eyebrows slowing rising in curiosity. My lips curl into a slight frown, the thought hitting me like a blade.

I know Haymitch definitely did not bring anything for them to eat, so what am I supposed to tell them? I've finally met them after years of patience. I know that giving them a bad first impression would scar our relationship; especially if Haymitch and I are going to basically serve as their grandparents.

"Oh," I lie, "Haymitch should be getting it very soon, darling. Don't worry." I continue, my voice coming out squeakier than usual.

To my relief, Haymitch's voice suddenly cuts off Finnius before he can ask another question.

"You kiddos hungry?" he asks with a chuckle, both of his hands balancing plates. My eyes grow wide with shock, a strange feeling now in the pit of my stomach.

My husband just stole from the only chance of us being able to serve as family members to children. Out of all the people he could have stolen from, he chose Katniss and Peeta.

"Haymitch, what are you doing?" I quietly hiss to him through gritted teeth. His face twists into a teasing smile as he hands me my own plate and fork, taking a seat next to me on the porch.

"I'm feeding hungry children. What about you, sweetheart?" he answers, a laugh escaping his lips. I roll my eyes, letting out a sigh of annoyance.

A strong smell begins to drift up from my plate, my stomach now roaring with hunger. No matter how much guilt is running through my veins, I know that my body is craving food more than anything.

As I'm politely taking small bites of the turkey, I notice that the kids have gone down the opposite route as I; their forks completely ignored as they shove the meat into their mouths using their hands. I nearly vomit at the sight of it.

"Manners, children." I instruct them, cautiously tilting my head in the direction of their forks. They don't even hesitate; quickly transitioning from using their hands to being polite and using silverware.

As we sit in awkward silence, Rose's sudden burst of excitement nearly gives me a heart attack.

"Where'd you get that outfit? It's so strange," she asks, her eyes scanning my outfit with strong interest. I'm almost thrown out of my chair, her mouth literally inches away from my ear as she speaks.

Giggles erupt from both of the children, them now on the ground clutching their stomachs.

"She scared you!" Finnius exclaims through his tears of laughter, holding onto his stomach tighter as he rolls around in the grass.

I wobble to my feet, beginning to brush the blades of grass off of my dress as I take a seat again.

In the heat of my annoyance, my answer comes out before I even have time to fully think about what I'm saying. "The Capitol," I hiss, now puckering out my lips as I reapply my bright green lipstick.

My heart drops immediately, what I just said beginning to play over in my mind. I just told the children about the Capitol; a forbidden topic… and I was the one to break the news.

Haymitch's hand is now clutched around mine, but not in a loving way. Both Finnius and Rose's faces are now twisted in utter confusion, their eyebrows rising at me.

"The what?" Finnius asks me, his eyes trained curiously up at mine as he thinks hard to himself.

I turn to face Haymitch, his eyes now locked coldly onto mine. Everyone has their attention turned to me, patiently waiting for my explanation.

Ideas swirl around in my mind, my head beginning to throb. What could I possibly tell them? Telling them the truth is definitely not an option. That would just be the beginning to an explosion of questions; something Katniss and Peeta have avoided their entire time having children. Recovering quickly and changing the subject is my only option.

(Haymitch's POV.)

Effie would be the one to let out a forbidden detail to the children. I can't help but continue to stare coldly at her, my heart pounding harder in my chest. She better come up with a story, and fast.

Just as I'm about to lose all hope, her head suddenly jolts forward, words beginning to spill out.

"The Capitol is a place where I used to shop. I actually wanted to show you guys some more of clothes, if you two are interested." She answers, a slight Capitol accent coming out along with her explanation.

I finally exhale, my heart beat slowing back to normal. She gave a much better answer than expected; plus, the kids seem to like it.

"Ooh, I wanna see!" both of them exclaim, hopping up from the ground with excitement. They nearly tackle Effie, Finnius now tugging at her arm in anxiousness.

"Alright, alright. Follow me," she whispers down to them, her lips curling into a nervous smile. Just as she's beginning to make her journey back to our house, she turns to face me.

You can tell from the look in her eyes that she feels horrible, tears beginning to well up and run down her cheeks. She wipes them away immediately, the smile showing back up. I know it's not real, though.

I quickly climb to my feet and snatch my cane, slowly walking over to Effie and the kids as they continue to trudge toward our front door.

"I love you. Don't worry about it," I whisper in her ear, planting a kiss on her cheek. She gives my hand a light squeeze, flashing me one last smile.

I let out a sigh as I take my seat again, tipping my head back so the sun now beats down on my face. The heat burns deep into my skin, my face now completely moist. I don't even bother to wipe away the sweat, a strange feeling beginning to race through me.

Maysilee's face burns into my mind, the horrific details coming back. I can almost feel her hand again, the jolt of pain I felt when I knew she wasn't breathing anymore. It nearly makes tears come to my eyes, the entire Games now unfolding in my thoughts all over again.

Just as I'm about to completely lose myself; Katniss' voice luckily breaks off my train of thought.

"Where's the kids?" she asks in a low whisper, her fingers working at the start of a braid that swings loosely over her shoulder.

My head tilts to the direction of our house as I heave in a deep breath, trying my best to regain the strength I possessed just seconds before.

"Effie took them to check out her wonderful line of clothing," I reply with a light chuckle, my eyes now studying my shaky hands.

"They just left you here? What have you been doing?" she asks, her face now brightening up with amusement.

I look down at the empty plate resting at my feet, then back up at her, my face twisting into a devious smile.

"Oh," I start, the smile not leaving my face. "I ate your lunch."