𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 ☘︎ 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞

𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 ☘︎ 4

I scramble up, trying to run out and save somebody I can't, but Haymitch has me by the hips and he's yelling as well. "Shut up!"

He takes Austin by the shoulder and me by the arm and basically drags us upstairs into the rafters of the building. As far as I know, Haymitch has only been here once, on his victory tour, but by the way he navigates this place, he could've been born and raised here.

We finally stop in a loft that he's sure isn't bugged, then he turns on us. "You two have a very simple task."

"I never meant for anyone to get killed, he has to know that," I cry, tears streaming down my face.

"What are you talking about? Who has to know what?" Haymitch asks me obliviously.

"President Snow. He came to see me, he's worried about a rebellion in the Districts, he thinks they don't believe our love story."

"So he wants you to make them believe it," Haymitch susses out.

Austin's livid. "You know, Willow you should've told me that before I went out there and tried to give those people the money!"

I turn on him, just as fiery. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do! He threatened to kill my family!"

"Well I have family too! People that I need to protect!" He fights back.

"What about them? Who protects them?" Haymitch points in the vague direction of the crowd. "Look, Willow, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about Rue!" I snap, imploring him to listen. "Look, Haymitch, I can't do this, please, just help us get through this trip, just help us get through this..."

"This trip, girl, wake up!" Haymitch snaps his finger in my face. "This trip doesn't end when you get back home, you never get off this train! You two are mentors now, which means that every year, they're gonna take you out and broadcast the details of your romance, every year, your private life becomes theirs!"

My eyes widen as I hear this. I can't do this.

"From now on your job is to be a distraction, so people forget what the real problems are!" Haymitch finishes.

"So what do we do?" Austin asks flatly.

"You're gonna smile. You're gonna read the cards that Effie gives you, and you're gonna live a happily ever after," Haymitch says in a fairy tale voice. He opens his arms. "Come here."

I hug him because I have no one else to hug.  But out the corner of my eye, I can see the Peacekeepers dragging that man's body away.

☘︎☘︎☘︎

"Willow and I, want to share with you are victory, and our gratitude to the Capitol for bringing us together. It was the bond of love, forged in the crucible of the games that was our greatest prize. For it is love, and true love, that allows us all to bear our hardships. That mends the heart, and banishes loneliness from our lives."

It went on and on like that. District after District. Speech after speech. We talked, we kissed, we (horrifyingly) watched people get killed if they did our three fingers symbol, then we moved in.

In District Nine, it was my turn, I began with the rubbish Effie had given us. "We also want to share with you, the sorrows of your losses, the tributes of this District..."

I watch two people do the symbol, then get dragged off for it. You apparently don't even have to do the whistle now. I look behind me at Haymitch (who, since Eleven, has been with us) and he gives a grave nod. I continue.