Author's Note:This fic, told from Haymitch's p.o.v., runs roughly the same time span as The Hunger Games did; it starts on the day of the reaping and follows the entire Games, just as The Hunger Games did for Katniss. Just as a precaution, Haymitch's story is far from a happy one- that much is clear just from the hints we get from the books themselves. I did my research as best I could in regards to what is and is not known about Haymitch's Quarter Quell and life before the games, but if you find an inaccuracy anywhere, please let me know so I can address it! Also, a note on Olivia: it is known that Haymitch had a girlfriend. Whether that's an unknown girl or Maysilee is left to interpretation. I hope to address both possibilities over the course of this fic, however. n_n

That's said... Let the games begin.

Chapter 1

I awoke to the sounds of my younger brother coughing violently. Sleeping had been more annoyance than rest, anyway, as my mind refused to stop churning through impossible 'what-ifs', so the excuse to get out of bed and check on him was a welcome one.

Hauling myself upright in bed, I dangled my legs over the edge of the thin mattress to look at my mother, who was holding a cup of murky water to my brother's mouth. She was clearly worried, frowning as the coughs racked his body as he tried to sip the water. He was so small, even for a boy of only eleven.

That was one bright side on such a morbid day, I thought as the realization hit me. He was still only eleven. I wouldn't have to worry about hearing his name called out today.

"Haymitch?" My mother's soft voice brought my attention back to the two of them. "Why are you awake? You should be resting."

I felt guilty, meeting her tired eyes. "Because you're an authority on sleep-deprived, huh? Compared to you, I'm fresh as a daisy," I scowled at her, masking my guilt with blunt honesty. "How's Hendrick doing?"

"Not well." If my jab at her hurt her, she didn't show it. All her concern was focused on my brother. "He needs medicine…"

The rest of her sentence went unsaid, but I knew what she was thinking. How could we afford medicine? I had no father, not that I knew of, anyway, and she barely made enough to feed us with her work as a seamstress, even with the tesserae I took out for the three of us. Medicine was an expensive luxury.

Which, we both knew, Hendrick would die without.

Hopping out of bed, I stumbled around our small hut, groping in the barely-dawn light to find a shirt and my shoes.

"What are you doing?" My mother asked softly. Hendrick had stopped coughing for the moment, and had his feverish eyes trained on me, a hint of curiosity battling back the exhaustion clear in them.

"Oh, I thought I'd go for a stroll, admire the morning." I snapped, rapidly buttoning up my shirt. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to go and talk to Adoxa. Maybe I can work something out with her."

"The apothecarist's daughter?"

"No, the president's." I replied, rolling my eyes as I shoved on my boots.

I heard my mother sigh as I headed for the door. Hesitating, I turned around to look at her and my brother, and my expression softened. "Sorry. I'm tense. I shouldn't be taking it out on you."

She shook her head, smiling sadly. "No, I understand. It's… a tense day for us all." Her arm around my brother tightened slightly.

"Mom?" Hendrick said, his voice hoarse from coughing. "What's wrong?" Even at his age, he had begun to know our mother's subtle signs of distress.

I quickly crossed back over to the two of them and ruffled Hendrick's hair. "Nothing, squirt. She's just frustrated that I haven't left yet to get you something to stop that cough. You know, thinking I'm lazy and all that."

"I don't think you're lazy, 'Aymitch." Hendrick said solemnly, nodding with the certainty of a little kid who had yet to experience his first reaping.

That drew a small smile from both me and my mother. I turned to leave once more, but at the last minute I gave my mother a quick kiss on the head. "I'll be back before one. I promise." I muttered quietly.

Then I made straight for the door, refusing to look back to see her expression. The last thing I heard was Hendrick calling, "Bye, 'Aymitch!" before the coughs took him again.

I hadn't gotten very far from my dingy little house in the Seam before I heard rapid footsteps behind me. Turning, my neutral expression changed to a rare grin.

"Trying to sneak up on me? You wouldn't last a day in the Arena, you stomp like a horse."

The girl I called out froze, mid-step, and scowled. Her pale brown hair was pulled back in a sharp braid, and a dusting of freckles covered her face and shoulders. Her dress was practical, as were her shoes, both of which were slightly better quality than most people on the Seam had- her father worked in the mines, her mother made a little extra on the side as a washerwoman, and she herself helped to tend geese in order to pick up extra money, in addition to her taking out the tesserae for herself, her parents, and her two little siblings.

She was one of the few people I respected in this pathetic District.

Sticking her tongue out at me, she caught up to me in a few long strides. She was tall, coming up to my nose while still being a year younger than me. "Ha, you wish. If I get Reaped, I'll have to win, just so I can come back and prove you wrong. You'll have to watch, of course, and be stunned by my cunning feats of stealth. That would show you."

"Really, now? I think you'd trip at the Cornucopia and get knifed by a Career. First death, easily."

She laughed, even though what we bantered about could easily become reality in a matter of hours.

"Where are you off to this auspicious morning?" She asked as we resumed walking to the merchant area of the district. "I'm off to deliver some freshly laundered whatnots. Mainly dresses, nice clothes and the like. Mom and I figure they'll want this bright and early."

"Apothecary. Hendrick's cough is getting worse."

The cheerful look she normally wore fell from her face in a look of genuine concern. "Do you need me to lend you some money for it? I can do that, Haymitch. It wouldn't be an-"

"No." I cut her off quickly. I refused to take anything from her, she worked too hard for it. "Olivia, I have it covered, it'll be fine."

She knew me too well to believe me, but that same knowledge kept her from pressing the issue. Instead, she kicked me.

"Ow! What was that for, Liv?"

"For being simultaneously incredibly sweet and pathetically un-chivalrous. Don't you know it's standard form to offer to help someone to carry their burden?" She asked, gesturing to the large bag filled with clothing that she carried, the mischievous glint back in her eyes.

I rolled my own at her even as I took the bag. "It's unladylike to guilt people into helping you, if we're on the subject of old-fashioned stupidity."

She grinned. "Who said I was a lady?"

We walked together as far as the start of the merchant district, bantering back and forth in our usual manner. At the start of the merchant's district, Olivia took back the bag of laundry with a sigh. "I suppose it's so long for now, hm? I've deliveries to make."

I nodded, making a pointed effort to hide my frown. I would never admit it, but I didn't want to part ways just yet. Instead, I wanted to spend as much time with her today as possible; it was all too easy for one of our names to be drawn at the reaping, and if that happened, well, it would be just as good as a permanent good-bye.

She smiled, bouncing up onto the balls of her feet to kiss me on the cheek. "Don't look so sour. I'll see you at the reaping. I've got the most ridiculous ribbon for my hair and everything."

"I always knew you were meant to be in the Capitol, you're just so fashionable." I replied, managing to quip back at her in spite of my sense of dread at seeing her leave.

With another laugh, she waved goodbye, breaking off for the mayor's building to begin her deliveries. I watched her leave a moment longer before purposefully making my way to the apothecary.

When I reached it, there were only two girls in the shop. One stood behind the counter, chatting idly with the other who was perched on it. Both looked up when I walked in and ceased talking, which was fine by me; I had little patience for empty gossip, and figured they were probably discussing what they would wear to the reaping or something else vapid and pointless. I knew both girls; Adoxa, the girl behind the counter, and Maysilee, the girl perched on it, were both merchant's daughters, relatively wealthy girls who had never had to take out the tesserae. As annoying as the Games' infamous tagline was, the odds really were in their favor, and they knew it. Looking at me, someone from the Seam, they probably felt pity.

I resented it, to say the least.

Scowling, I said, "Sorry. Didn't mean to crash the party, but I've a brother trying to cough up his own vital organs, so if I could trouble you for something for it I'd appreciate it and then I'd be out of your carefully groomed hair."

"Don't be obnoxious, Haymitch." Maysilee frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Don't worry about it, May." Adoxa said quickly, putting a hand on her friend's arm. "Sorry, certainly I can help. What are the symptoms?"

"Coughing, fever, aches." I rattled off, focusing on Adoxa rather than Maysilee. Maysilee and I had never gotten along, and I didn't feel like getting into a time-consuming argument with her.

As I spoke, Adoxa nodded and turned around to rifle through her jars of medicinal herbs. She quickly selected a variety, then turned back to the two of us. "Looks like we don't have any more willow bark. I'll be right back, I need to go get some from the storeroom." Glancing between the two of us and noting our clearly displeased expressions, she sighed. "Please try not to kill each other before I get back?"

"I make no promises." Maysilee replied with a shrug.

"On that, we can agree." I added, refusing to let her have the last word.

Adoxa sighed once again before vanishing into the storeroom. An awkward silence descended over us. Maysilee idly twisted a strand of her blond hair between two fingers, and I occupied myself pointedly looking anywhere but her. Finally, the silence seemed to frustrate her more than talking to me would, and she abruptly stated, "We weren't talking about hair, or whatever you think it was."

"I'll alert the Capitol," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Actually, what we were talking about might interest you, if you could deign to listen to us airheads."

"Really? Somehow I doubt that. What you guys here in merchantland care about doesn't exactly coincide with those of us in the Seam all that readily."

Despite my harsh tone, Maysilee couldn't stop talking once she'd started. "Poisonous plants, actually. I think those are relevant to the Seam? I'm not saying you do, but, I do know some people sneak into the forest, and, well, knowing what you can and can't eat is typically useful, wouldn't you say?"

She had a point. I didn't sneak into the forest- it was too much of a risk in my opinion, and I made better money helping out around the coal mines than I could by poaching or foraging and selling what I didn't eat. I had always been a terrible shot and had no time to learn traps, and it was damned hard to kill prey with a knife. Still, I refused to let her know that. "Yeah, great, stay away from the slimy stuff, very enlightening."

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" Maysilee asked, smirking at me. "It's not the slimy stuff you should look out for so much as the pretty stuff. The more colorful it is, the more deadly. Or at least that's the general rule."

"Uh-huh. If I see a butterfly, I'll be sure to run for cover."

Adoxa returned at that point, saving us from more petty jabs at each other. "Sorry about that. Here, Haymitch, this ought to help your brother." She held out a satchel of herbs. "Brew this as a tea and it'll help the fever, pain and coughing."

I took it gratefully. "Thanks. What do I owe you?"

The two girls exchanged quick glances. I knew a silent conversation when I saw one; Olivia and I spoke without words frequently. Finally, Maysilee shrugged unhappily as Adoxa turned back with a smile. "Don't worry about it."

"I don't take handouts, Adoxa." I scowled, even though all of my instincts were telling me to jump at the opportunity of free, quality medicine.

"It's not a handout, it's a payment." Adoxa said matter-of-factly.

Maysilee shifted uncomfortably on her counter. "Your mother did a lot of hemming for my family, and I'm of the firm opinion she undercharged us."

My eyebrows rose. "And here I thought you hated me."

"I do, but just because I do doesn't mean I can't like your mother and appreciate her work." Maysilee retorted. If we had been a few years younger I imagined she would have stuck her tongue out at me. "Besides," she added, "I could never just sit by and let a kid suffer, even if he does have the ill luck to be related to you."

"Just take it, Haymitch." Adoxa urged. "It's getting a bit late, after all, and none of us have time to waste today, do we?"

I scowled. I didn't want to admit it, but she was right. Snatching the satchel out of her hands, I mumbled my thanks and turned my back on them. I heard Maysilee softly go, "I just don't get what's wrong with him," as I left, and Adoxa reply, "You don't get Seam life at all, May, you're just too sheltered."

With a final scowl, I gratefully left the apothecary and hurried back home.

I heard Hendrick's coughing before I even opened the door, which made me grip the precious herbs all the tighter. Judging from the sun I had made it home at noon; plenty of time to get ready for the reaping. Only I had to get all dressed up for the show, and I put myself together quickly. I tossed the satchel to my mother, who was already heating up water over our small hearth. She looked at me with slight surprise when she saw its contents.

"Haymitch, how did you afford this?" She asked. "I was expecting just willow bark. This has lobelia and mullein in it as well, and those plants are far rarer."

I shrugged as I pulled my shirt off, even though my mind was racing. I had no idea what Adoxa had put in the satchel and no idea of its relative worth, but if my mother was impressed, that meant Maysilee and Adoxa had done me an even bigger favor than I had thought. I hated being indebted to people, but mentally I filed away the fact that I owed them both.

"Maysilee was there, said it was the final payment for the work you did for her family." I said disinterestedly, looking around for the tub of water we kept aside for cleaning. This water was relatively new; mother probably got it the other day in anticipation of the reaping. I splashed it over my hair before looking for our small mirror and the blade I used for shaving. As I did so, I noticed my mother had already laid out my best clothing. Hendrick was sleeping fitfully, coughing intermittently. I hoped Adoxa's medicinal tea would kick in for him to make it through the reaping without too much discomfort.

Once the tea is ready, mother coaxed it down Hendrick's throat and began to get him ready. It wasn't as vital that he look as dapper as could be as he would only be a small face in the crowd, but it was the one time each year she could get him looking like a proper gentleman, rather than a Seam street rat. Mother was born in the Seam just like us, but I always knew she wished she could one day live in a nice house like the merchants and Mayor did.

With a half an hour to spare we headed for the town square. Most of the district was already there by the time we arrived; the square was incredibly full. So many people in once space put me on edge; I couldn't stand large crowds, especially when gathered for such a morbid purpose.

I ruffled Hendrick's hair once more. The tea seemed to be having a good effect on him; he wasn't coughing as much, and his eyes didn't look as feverish as they had that morning. With a quick kiss on my mother's cheek, I went to take my place among the other eligible kids. I had to wade towards the front; I was in the oldest three age groups, being sixteen. With luck, I thought, I'd find the line where the fifteen year olds met the sixteen year olds and could stand near Olivia.

Somehow, I wound up standing next to Adoxa, Maysilee, and Maysilee's twin sister, Marjorie.

"I'll be," Maysilee quipped, eying my clean-shaven face and relatively nice clothing. "For a minute there I almost thought a stranger had wandered into the District."

"You clean up nicely," Marjorie remarked shyly. She had always been the meeker of the two, hiding behind her strong-willed sister.

I scowled at them both, which elicited a laugh from Maysilee.

After a short pause, Adoxa smiled tensely at me. Thankfully, she found something else to talk about than my appearance. "Did the tea help your brother?" She asked softly.

I nodded. "Yeah, a lot. Thanks." After a pause, I sighed, not wanting to say any more but knowing I ought to. "To both of you," I added, a bit louder, so that Maysilee could hear. To my outright surprise she gave me a quick, genuine smile. The nerves of the moment must have gotten to her, I figured, and made her forget that we weren't what you'd call friends.

A tap on my shoulder caused me to jump, to my embarrassment. I glanced over my shoulder to see Olivia grinning at me.

"It's pointless, but, good luck?" She offered, squeezing my hand.

"Thanks, empty gestures are great at times like this." I smirked back at her, returning the squeeze before dropping her hand and training my attention on the makeshift stage.

The clock chimed 2 o'clock.

Quickly, I scanned the faces of those on the stage. It was a meager pair, just the mayor and our escort, a woman by the name of Tilla Bloom, with green hair strewn with flowerbuds that made her look like some ridiculous living garden. The Capitol was obsessed with two main things, in my opinion: looking ridiculous and watching kids fight to the bloodiest death imaginable. I couldn't understand either one, and didn't try to; I'd go insane thinking about it.

Most other districts had a third chair or more on their stage, where past victors would sit. They would then mentor the tributes, providing them with insight into the arena. We weren't so lucky; District 12 had only ever had one victor in the past, and he had committed suicide soon after, driven mad by what he had done and experienced. Whatever tributes reaped from District 12 were on their own.

The Mayor stepped up to the podium then and began his typical speech. I zoned out for most of this; it was just the story of how Panem had come to be, and I had heard it once a year all my life. There was nothing new for me to hear.

I was still ignoring the Mayor when a collective gasp around me made me wonder what I had missed. Did the old man pass out, or say something ridiculous, I wondered? The faces around me were not amused, however; they were distraught. I noticed Marjorie crying, clinging to Maysilee's hand with all her strength.

"What just happened?" I hissed to Adoxa.

"They twist for the Quarter Quell was announced," she replied emotionlessly. I swore under my breath; I had forgotten, it was the 50th Hunger Games this year, which mean even more brutality to celebrate the anniversary. Typically the president would have made a televised announcement with the twist prior to the reaping, but this year they had decided to give that 'privelidge' to the mayors of the districts.

"What is it?"

"Two of each." Adoxa stammered. "There'll be two male and two female tributes, not just one."

I swore again. That would make for an even larger bloodbath, and an even harder time for everyone involved.

My attention zoned in on the Mayor, as he elaborated on the rules for this special Quarter Quell. "As our President Snow has declared, this year, to demonstrate how Panem requires the most of all its citizens, not one, but two boys and two girls shall be chosen as tributes, so that the Capitol can see our enthusiasm for the Games, and so that we may better be reminded of the anarchy that the Capitol has saved us from!"

All of us grimaced, feeling the increased risk that descended upon the children of District 12. I noticed that the three girls next to me had grasped each other's hands; it looked as if Adoxa and Marjorie were clinging to Maysilee with all their strength, using her as a tether to keep them safe and grounded. Only Maysilee kept her eyes on the stage, her gaze set and stoic.

Tilla had stepped up to the podium, smiling in a way I thought she imaged made her look caring and interested. "Happy Hunger Games, everyone!" She called out. "Now, I know how much everyone likes some suspense, but why don't we get right down to it? First up, let's find out which lovely ladies will be going into the arena."

She stepped up to one of two large glass containers, the one tinted a faint pink. She fished around for a bit and drew out two small sheets of paper. Beaming, she returned to the podium.

"Let's see! First up is… Lissa Singiris!"

Adoxa and Maysilee both winced, and I knew if I had been looking I would have seen Olivia cringe as well. Little Lissa was barely twelve; her birthday had been last week, making her just barely eligible for the reaping. This was a true case of rotten luck, as her name could only have been in there once or twice at most. A wail broke out somewhere in the audience as Lissa began the long trek from the back of the crowds to the stage. I whistled under my breath; the girl was small, but she held her head high, refusing to cry. She was tough for a twelve year old.

Tilla called for the crowd to quiet, choosing to hear the unhappy mutterings as enthusiastic discussion of the little girl's merits. Once we had adequately quieted down, she cried out the next name.

"Maysilee Donner!"

Adoxa let out a sharp gasp, turning to look to her friend. Tears were already streaming down Marjorie's face. Both girls tightly grasped Maysilee's hands. In between them, Maysilee's face was blank; she stared straight ahead with unfocused eyes. She wasn't moving. Already, the cameras perched on the rooftops around us were focusing in on her, and soon all of Panem would see this frozen girl.

Without thinking, I reached around Adoxa and pinched Maysilee on the shoulder, startling her out of her trance. "Get up there," I hissed to her. "If you stall, you'll be marked as weak, easy pickings, especially after Lissa just strode up there like she was bringing home a feast for her family's dinner!"

That shook her out of it. Putting on a stoic face, she calmly detached her hands from her two friends. Adoxa had joined Marjorie in the weeping, although Adoxa wasn't approaching hysterics as Marjorie was; in Maysilee's absence, the two girls hugged each other tightly, watching as their closest friend and sister went up to what, most likely, would be a gruesome death.

Even as the girls next to me wept, I gave an internal sigh of relief. Olivia hadn't been called. She was safe for one more year. I wouldn't have to watch her be butchered and have to pretend to be amused and enthralled. My body felt light, almost elated.

"Lovely! Just lovely, what elegant girls District 12 has!" Tilla cheered, politely clapping, turned towards the girls. On the stage, Maysilee clasped Lissa's hand tightly and gave the younger girl a reassuring smile. Good move, I thought to myself; the public would see her as caring, and that might end up getting her some popular appeal, which could mean some sponsors if she was really lucky. At the very least, it made up for Maysilee's delayed reaction, as she now looked the picture of calm.

My sense of relief at Olivia dodging the reaping was short-lived as Tilla declared, "And now, time for the gentlemen!"

All I could focus on was the blue-tinted glass globe that she now shuffled through. My name was in there more times than it had any right to be, I knew. My palms tingled with nerves, and my breath came rapidly, like Hendrick's did whenever he ran for any length of time.

The first name was called: "Reed Grouson!"

My body wanted to immediately de-tense, because usually only the one name was called. I barely even noticed as Reed, a fifteen-year-old boy that I vaguely recognized from school as an athletic, if somewhat dim kid, made his way to the stage. My mind kept shouting, you aren't safe yet, even as my body relied upon years of training, believing that one name called would mean safety for one more year.

That sense of safety was a lie this reaping, my mind kept saying.

Tilla read the name of the final tribute for District 12.

With a bright, sunny smile she called, "And our final tribute is… Haymitch Abernathy!"