Hayffie Stories - Oneshots (#Wattys2016) (Fanfiction)

Thoughts and Secrets

The dim lights shines down on the table of four. The table stands in a room that lies in the new Capitol building. After the Revolution the whole city was rebuilt, and now Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, and Effie sit at the mahogany table. Everyone stares at an imaginary spot in the middle of the wood, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that now they all hold the weight of the country in their hands. Commander Paylor unfortunately resigned her Presidency due to personal reasons, and now they all hold her power. Haymitch specifically. He was appointed President straight after her resignation.
He still drinks. He still dreams of the horrific games and the death of his loved ones. Ideally he is not the best President, but he was the only one who volunteered. Katniss has already volunteered for her sister in the 74th games; Peeta has already volunteered for Haymitch in the 75th games; Effie had volunteered her time and patience to provide for her team, and now it was Haymitch's turn to step up and be the change and not just the obedient follower. He was now the ultimate power for Panem.
They all still sit at the decrepit table, all staring at the imaginary spot, still contemplating their next words. 

"What are we doing?" Effie says, defeated. She has always been the most spirited, but today is the first day where she hasn't expressed her usual cheery self. Also, she has always been the team leader, because she was the only one who hasn't experienced the pure torture of the games. She was the only one who could keep it together. Don't get me wrong, she's had her moments. The moments where she sat in the middle of her condo, tears streaming down her face. The moments where she almost broke down due to the pain she was witnessing to her beloved victors on the television screen, not able to do anything because they were merely just figures on a screen. She felt hopeless, which was something she had almost never felt in her entire life. It may be an understatement considering her imprisonment in the Capitol, but there was almost never a time where she felt completely hopeless; until then. 

To cope with the pain caused by the arena, Katniss proceeds to hunt and gather as much as possible. It keeps her grounded in a world where being grounded means being different. She hikes the forests for hours upon hours, never wanting to leave, because she knows when she leaves she will need to face the cruelty of the future. The future is at this table in this very moment, and this is what scares her the most.

Peeta keeps to himself and doesn't speak up very much. It's probably some sort of post traumatic stress of the hijacking. He feels defeated and hopeless, which is the exact way he felt when he worked with his parents in the bakery. The spark that always appears in his eyes is burning less and less as time moves forward. The only one who can snap him out of his trance is Katniss. They both care for one another and want the other to be happy; however, there isn't much to be happy about these days.

Last but certainly not least there's Haymitch. He drinks, he sleeps, and his nightmares return. Unfortunately, there is nothing he can do to fix it. He tried his best to push the memories aside to run the new country, but it's extremely difficult to forget. Ironically, this new and anticipated country is not as good as it seems. 

"I don't know." Haymitch responds, rubbing his eyes, displaying the lack of sleep he has gotten this past week. 

"What do we do now?" Katniss says. Peeta is the first one that looks up from the table. Inevitably, he looks straight at Katniss; however, he doesn't speak. Effie is the next to speak: "I guess we try to forget." Almost immediately, Peeta speaks up as if his mental absence from the room was never existent. His voice is prominent and loud, but a little hoarse when he speaks: "How can we just forget?! You can't just forget the past years as if they've never happened!" 

The whole room is silent, startled by the intensity of his voice. Effie clearly understands that it's nearly impossible to forget about the past occurrences, but she knows what's best for the kids. Even though she was never in the arena, she still participated in the games themselves. She knows the stakes and what was lost throughout the years. She also knows that the sooner they forget about the games the sooner their new lives start. They are the face of this Revolution, and if they are depicted as weak, the whole country will believe it.

"Let's cancel the meeting today, shall we?" Haymitch takes initiative for the group. He is the President now, and he gradually fits the position. Katniss and Peeta leave the room and retire to their home. Only Haymitch and Effie are left. Haymitch is clearly exhausted and Effie picks up on it immediately. "Are you okay?" she says, sympathetically. Haymitch only stares at the table before him. They both stand now, Haymitch above his original seat and Effie beside the table next to him. Haymitch does not respond, which doesn't surprise Effie. Ever since the beginning of time he has never been the expressive type. Effie proceeds to pursue him: "Can I address something?" She says in a concerned tone. She doesn't let him respond, probably because she was afraid of rejection; however, it was most likely because she wasn't going to wait for a response and get silence in return. "I think that you should quit drinking so much." 

At this statement, Haymitch immediately lifts his head and rests his eyes upon her face. His facial expressions hint at annoyance and anger to Effie's statement. His alcohol consumption has increased since the start of the Revolution, and it seems like the only person who caught on was Effie. He never knew that another individual caught on to his late night binge sessions and early morning refreshers, but apparently he was wrong. 

"How dare you!" Haymitch practically yells, aggravated. 

Effie quickly cuts in: "All I'm saying is that I think the alcohol is effecting your Presidential decisions." 

"I have to run an entire country! Do you not know how powerful I have become."

"Yes! And that's why I'm suggesting that you cool it on the drinks!"

"I can do whatever I want! I don't need to be told what to do by some condescending bitch!"

The room is silent, once again. The intense stares create a weight in the room. You could decipher a pin drop in the dimly lit room. The light focuses on the two individuals, and the weight sits on the room like a blanket. The two nearly stare into each other's souls while the weight prominently covers the entire room. The one noise that pierces the ears of the two is the electrical sound that resonates from the ceiling lamp.

"Come back when you have some respect for me." Effie exits leaving Haymitch to the decrepit room filled with thoughts and secrets that are only accessible to those who know what happens behind the closed door.