The 75th Hunger Games or the 3rd Quarter Quell has been announced and Effie is left frozen in her living room. Pool of remaining victors…she kept repeating that in her head until she can finally cope with the fact that President Snow just sentenced all those who survived the games to their second death sentence. She looked at her phone thinking of calling him, ask how he's feeling but she knows that is a bad idea. He will not want to talk to her at the moment considering where she came from and what she is. Of course, the two of them made peace about that and he had seen her as a person rather than a doll but in this kind of situation, Haymitch seems to forget that agreement.

"Have you heard?" Cinna asked her by the phone.

"Yes, I saw it personally on the television. For the love of Panem, why would President Snow do this? They already survived. Why put them back in the arena?" she answered then asked.

There is a long pause between that question and Cinna's answer and that's something that didn't go unnoticed by Effie.

"It's Quarter Quell, sweetheart. You know how it is. There is no rule", he answered.

She knows he's keeping something from her. They've known each other for a very long time. Other than Haymitch, he's the closest person to her. Other people will say their family is number one on their list but Effie's family is different and ever since she became an escort and fully understood the games, she couldn't look at them the same way especially when they're watching the games with such delight on their faces. Her mother warned her not to do anything stupid about the things she's observing. It's unladylike and she will risk herself and her entire family if she expressed her dismay so Effie kept her mouth shut and kept a blind eye.

The day of the Reaping has come but she wanted to see him first so she travelled to Twelve a day early so they can have time. There is no prep team accompanying her so no one notice her arrival at the district. Peeta and Katniss' houses are very quiet. She'll visit the children soon but first, she has to see Haymitch. Effie knocked on the door but no one answered. He must've passed out somewhere inside his house, she thought. The door is unlocked so she let herself in despite it being improper.

"Haymitch?" she called but no one answered.

The house looked like a pigsty but she didn't expect anything less. She's been there many times and not once did he make an effort to change his house's interior.

"What are you doing here, princess?" he asked when he came in from the back door.

His eyes wandered starting from her wig to her shoes. She's very Capitol, he thought. He put down a bag filled with bottles of whisky that he got from town.

"The Reaping Day is tomorrow but I wanted to see you so I caught the train for today", she answered carefully organizing her words.

She doesn't want to upset him, not now. He's fragile emotionally. She knows what the game did to him. She knows it better than anyone else. Almost ten years they've worked together. She knows this is already eating him.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked as he opens the first bottle.

It's too early for that, Effie almost yelled inside her brain but she kept it there.

"How are you feeling? I wanted to call you after the announcement but I am not sure if you want to talk to me", she asked.

"You're right not to call. I don't want to talk, especially to you", he spat.

Effie knows that already but it still hurt to hear it out loud. She cannot blame him. It's her government that's putting him again in the same nightmare that messed up his life so she bit her tongue and held her tears.

She's good at keeping it in but at that split second, he saw her eyes shone a bit. He knows she means well and that she cares. She's the only one who does for years but he can't help to be angry not at her personally but for the very idea she and her people represent. It's not her fault to be born Capitol and yet he's still mad.

"How is Katniss and Peeta? I went here first so I haven't talked to them yet", she asked just to break the awkward silence.

"Katniss went hysterical in the woods after the announcement. The fate is sealed for her. She's going back. Peeta kept himself inside his house before coming to see me to make a deal", he answered without looking at her so he can make a decent conversation with Effie.

"Deal?" she asked out of curiosity.

"He wanted me to do anything and everything I can to keep Katniss alive. If they both go in, he wants me sober and out there hounding all the sponsors to save her life and not his", he answered.

Effie figured that Peeta wants to go in the arena to protect Katniss. The boy will do everything for her.

"Katniss made a deal as well with me. She wanted me to keep Peeta alive. If Peeta's name got called, she wants me to volunteer in his place and I said yes", he added.

That almost stopped Effie's breathing.

"What? You don't want to go back into that place", she muttered without holding anything back.

Haymitch finally looked at her and smirked a little. She remembered all those times his time at the arena haunted him at night and he can see that she cannot maintain that escort façade she's always sporting.

"I don't have a choice, sweetheart. Peeta is not equipped to be in the arena. You know that. If it wasn't for Katniss, he'll be dead the first time", he explained.

He's sugarcoating it. She can see it clearly. He's taking a page from her book. He's putting a face for her so she won't worry.

"I guess not. The children must come first", she muttered remembering their mantra.

"Curse of being a mentor", he replied.