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CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

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Promptly following her discharge from the medical facility, as they had finally come to the conclusion that she was mentally stable enough to not endanger the Capitol's people, she was escorted by Peacekeepers back to the training centre where she would be staying during the closing celebrations and until her train ride home.

Finally, as she pressed the elevator button encrusted with the number, 'Four', the Peacekeepers left her alone and she was free to breathe a sigh of relief.

Since her argument with Finnick, which it seems caused him to have a breakdown in the corridor of the medical facility leading to the disturbance of her fellow patients, she had been forced to have a Peacekeeper watching her at every possible moment.

Odelya relished in her newfound opportunity of being by herself for it gave her the chance to properly consider her coming plan of action. Suicide was a strong contender, but seemingly impossible whilst in the Capitol due to her constantly being watched and it would be cruel for her to return to Reign merely to abandon him.

Therefore, Odelya was left with the daunting challenge of finding some way to survive regardless of her trauma and it seems a person of whom would understand such a harrowing task was drinking away his sorrows in the penthouse.

With such thoughts in mind, Odelya fastened her pace on the short distance between the elevator and the wardrobe in her bedroom. Completely disregarding Finnick as he sat waiting for her in the shared quarters.

Odelya journey to the Capitol with no possessions other than the pretty dress she had worn for the reaping, embroidered with flowers. As colours juxtaposed against the black fabric of the bodice, all she could think of as she held it in her arms was little Florence and how she had promised it to her upon her victory.

Returning back to the elevator with the dress held tightly to her chest, Odelya closed her eyes as she was taken quickly to the twelfth floor where she would finally meet the man grieving more terribly than she.

When the elevator doors opened, the scent of liquor overtook her senses. Potentially not the best way of managing his grief but it certainly took an edge off of the pain for while.

"Haymitch," Odelya spoke as she stepped into what would have been the shared quarters for the District Twelve tributes to find the man she could been looking for slouched in an antique chair in the corner of the room.

Approaching him with little caution, Haymitch didn't seem to respond to Odelya's presence until she stood between his chair and the wall, reaching out to take the bottle from his hand for just a moment.

Happening in all of an instant, Haymitch threw his glass at the wall behind her with every force he had left in his being and smashed the end of the liquor bottle against her face, before shoving her up against the wall and holding the broken bottle against her neck.

"You have some nerve turning up here, little girl," He snarled, moving the shared glass ever closer to piercing her skin.

"I didn't mean to disturb you in this manner, merely trying to give you something for Florence."

"My Florence is dead, what could you possibly give me which makes up for her life which you didn't protect."

"She liked my dress, I thought perhaps you could bury her in it."

Haymitch laughed dreadfully, with tears in his eyes and threatened, "You let my baby die and show up here with some dress thinking it will make everything you did better. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fucking kill you right now."

"I don't have one," Odelya had tears running down her face now, mimicking the grieving father, "Please, just kill me. It'll put me out of my misery."

"Your misery," Haymitch answered like no one she had ever met before, he smashed the rest of the bottle against her head, causing blood to trickle from her skull but Odelya cared little for that, "Your fucking misery. My child is dead! And you did fuck all to save her."

Haymitch collapsed after that and he lay a broken man on the ground, his knees to his chest sobbing for his little angel who would never be in his arms again. Odelya knew he would never again find peace and little comfort was she in that moment to him.

"I'm so sorry," Odelya cried, "I tried to save her, I did. I'm so sorry."

Odelya remembered when she was upset as a child, her father would wrap his arms around her tightly and whisper words of love and affection towards her until she calmed.

So, Odelya knelt next to his crying form, and wrapped her arms around his shoulder and laid her head atop his before beginning to sing the song which killed Florence to her death.

For just a moment, Florence was once again present in Haymitch's life and that was all the comfort he could ask for in his terrible life.

"I am sorry," Haymitch cried, "Fate is cruel that you were the one to be with her as she died instead of I. For I failed to protect her and you were there until the very end."

"All she thought of was you. Until the very end."

"I loved her more than anything. I'll bury her in the dress."

"Thank you."

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Poor Haymitch, all he needed was his baby Florence and she was taken from him. Poor Odelya, all she needed was to protect Florence and she couldn't even do that. My heart is broken for them.

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