The Untold Story of Haymitch Abernathy

Welcome to the 50th Hunger Games!

A/N : Hello guys! I wanted to share a throw back episode from when Haymitch joined the games as a tribute and won. The game Haymitch joined was the 50th, which was the second quarter quell. Hope you enjoy!

Quarter Quell: the special Hunger Games made once in every 25 years.

Haymitch's POV

There it was, the most silent day of the year. The day they choose the new "tributes". People gather around to check in, they form lines and wait silently until they reach the tables of the peacekeepers. The capitol is going to choose its new tributes today. And every teen from age 12 to 18 is nominated to die, including me, Haymitch Abernathy. Age: 15, district 12. I've never understood how capitol managed to make people accept sacrificing their children as tributes for the capitol. What kind of a game would result in death of dozens of children and still be liked?

            While I was waiting on the line, I looked around the square of the district. District 12: Where you can starve to death in safety. (Collins, 2008) The only place I have ever been in my life. Because I had no choice. It is my turn on the check-ins. I reach out to the table and a peacekeeper takes my blood sample, after he takes my fingerprint, he adds my name to the list of tributes. This year my name is added to the list for 8 times. They double the number every year, and I am as two times lucky as I was last year (!). As the last check-ins are made, people take their places around the stage. Every child has to stand with their age group, the adults are lined up behind us. When I look at the stage, I see a girl my age. She looks wealthy and stunning with her baby pink hair and vibrant pink dress. I don't know her name, but I surely know she is from the capitol as she is the only one wearing a color besides black and gray. Right at two o'clock mayor starts giving the speech he gives every year. We watch the video about the dark times of Panem. Then, she walks up to the microphone, guess they changed the hostess this year for the quarter quell. "Good morning District 12, my name is Effie Trinkett. Welcome to the 50th Hunger Games!" she says and her capitol accent separates her from us immediately. We can never be even close to her level, the only way to make is up to her level is to be a tribute, which nobody would ever want to think about. There are two reaping balls on the stage, one for boys and one for girls. She walks up to the girls' reaping ball first, "as always, ladies first." Normally the winners stand behind the balls but since District 12 has no winners, Effie is alone on the stage. She grabs a card and reads the name "Maysilee Donner". They'll choose 4 tributes from every district this year for the quarter quell. Which means there will be even more blood. Effie calls out two more names while I am busy listening to the desperate scream of little Maysilee, the fourth name she calls out mutes everything around. "Haymitch Abernathy".

            Everybody starts looking at me immediately. The peacekeepers surround me and drag me up to the stage. Suddenly I am standing with Effie, she holds my hand and declares the four of us the tributes of District 12. Her cheerful voice irritates my ears, her beautiful perfume burns my nose. I don't know what to do. Effie's voice echo in my ears, I hear my name repeating along the curious crowd. My name suddenly becomes the strangest thing I have ever heard. I feel despair in my blood. I don't know what to do. I follow my companions in misfortune and go down the corridor of the town hall, which I never saw before as the only ones valuable enough to make it up to here are the mayor and the ones from the capitol. They let the tributes go inside here because this is the last stop before we die, I think. This the only prize our district can afford. Effie starts talking as we sit down in the lobby of the town hall. "We will get on the train after you say goodbye to your families. You will each have designers for the traditional Hunger Games parade. This is the last stop before the arena." And before death, I say quietly. My girlfriend, mother and little brother come to my visit. I hug them like it is the last time, because it is the last time you silly, there is no way you can survive out of those 48!

            After a long train ride, we are in the backstage of the parade. We wave at the capitol's crowd and the President Snow, who watches us from the highest seat of the arena, siting on his sleek, white marble throne. Nothing like my broken chair back home. After we are presented to the cheerful crowd of the wealthy capitol, we go prepare for the games. They dress each of us like warriors. The last piece of clothing I wear is an expensive jumpsuit. Unlike my clothes back home, it has no patches. Funny capitol only spends for us when we are about to die. We walk down the corridor to the elevators that will take us to the arena, this might be the last time you walk freely Haymitch. We arise to the arena of death. It is time to kill each other and drown in our own blood. I hear President Snow's almighty voice. More enthusiastic than ever. "Happy 50th Hunger Games my children!" and the new presenter Effie, the woman my heart fell for, for the last time, completes his sentence with her cheer that I envy of. "May the odds be ever in your favor!"