Katniss and Peeta: For you

Bright Lights, Old Stories

Effie pov

I tilt my head to see the tiny screen set up in Haymitches room. I can see Katniss and Peeta dressed up like painted dolls again, with their fake smiles plastered on their faces.

"Oh Haymitch..." I whisper, brushing his hair out of his face. "I wish we were there with them."

His face tenses momentarily, but quickly goes back to its tired limp slumber.

I sigh. "I wish you were awake."

But my wishes do nothing, Haymitch stays asleep, and we both stay in this dank hospital room, miles away from Katniss and Peeta.

Ceaser smiles at the two, before turning to the audience, raising his arms up as he begins the questions. Both Katniss and Peeta pale even more, as the hands fly up.

"You need to wake up Haymitch." I say, my fingers clenching around Haymitches hospital gown. "They need you Haymitch." I tell him. "You're the one who helps them, who understands them better than anyone. They need you to be there." My pleas bounce off the walls of the room. Tears dripping down my cheeks. "Wake up Haymitch! Please."

I glance back up at the screen. "Do it for them, for Peeta and Katniss."

Katniss POV

I raise my hand to shield my eyes, as the bright lights sweep furiously over us.

"And our first question goes to the lovely lady in blue, in the fifth row." Ceaser calls out.

A district women stands up. Her blue flowered farm dress clean, probably for the first time in years.

"Whats your name Miss?" Ceaser asks.

"Laveene." She says shyly.

"Well Laveene." He says. "Whats your question?"

"It's for Mrs. Everdeen." She says. "What was Katniss like as a child?"

My stomach takes a dive off a cliff, for the first time since arriving I look at my mother. She looks exactly the same. Same kind, weathered face, blond bun and tired eyes.

She glances at me, a soft smile on her face. No blame in her eyes. 

"She was a very strong willed child." Mrs. Everdeen admits. "She often would speak opinions that I feared would get her into trouble."

I sigh quietly as I remember thinking this myself.

"With time she learnt to keep her mouth shut." Mrs Everdeen tells the audience. "She learned it was safer for all of us if she kept her opinions to herself."

"Well she didn't stay that way for long." Ceaser remarks, as the audience laughs.

"No she didn't." Mrs Evedeen says, smiling quietly.

"Alright who's next?" Ceaser asks.

A young girl dressed entirely in black stands up. "Mine is for Johanna Mason." She says saucily. I watch Johanna roll her eyes, already hating the question. "Is it true you didn't like Katniss at first, because you were jealous of how many people she had, and the fact that the man you'd been seeing was killed because of her?"

The audience all seems to lean forward, anticipating the answer to the question.

"Wait," I say. "What man?"

Johanna's eyes dart away from me, I watch her fiddle with a piece of black fabric that looks oddly familiar.

"Johanna... is that..." Peeta murmurs.