The Flames of the Mockingjay

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"So everything in here is state of the art, made especially new for you two to enjoy so sit sit and I'm going to get Haymitch" was the first thing Effie said to Esmeralda and Rye.

Rye and Esmeralda sit down in the chairs that are around the table, full of food they could only ever dream about.

"Do you umm do you want to eat something?" Rye asked, with a sense of nerve and eagerness. Which is understandable considering the food in District 12, well lack there of.

Knowing that he probably didn't want to eat by himself and seem rude she said yes and they ate until Haymitch entered this car of the train.

"So you two are representing district 12?" He said not fully acknowledging them.

"So you are the mentor that doesn't care to help?" Esmeralda said to the blonde drunk mentor.

"Okay sweetheart you do understand I have won this before right?"

"And you sweetheart do understand that you being drunk numbs your pain, but doesn't numb the fact that you have to watch us be terrified, scared and anxious for days or weeks depending on how things go. And it doesn't numb the way we feel right?"

"Okay so attitude or the way they are going to portray you 'spunky'"

Esmeralda sat in front of the two young tributes who are about to go through something what no one should. Effie going through her same monologue letting Katniss and Peeta know that this is new, they should enjoy it and that the ride to the Capitol will be a quick but a fun one.

Nothing knew but Effie went to go find Haymitch in the bar car, but he's actually going to checking in with the cook make sure that Esmeralda eats food that see likes. He noticed 2 weeks after she got home from the games she wasn't eating correctly or sometimes even nothing at all.

Right when Esmeralda was about to speak, Haymitch walked in grabbing a glass looking for ice. After not being able to find any he slammed the top down and grabbed a bottle of rum and stay in front of Katniss and Peeta next to Esmeralda.

"So where do we start? What do we need to do?" Peeta asked.

"Well most of you aren't as eager as you are" Haymitch responded to which Esmeralda rolled her eyes.

"Well you are one of our mentors you are supposed to help, give us advice" Peeta stated looking at the drunk mentor.

"Okay here's some advice, know what there's nothing I can do for you and embrace your possibility of death." Haymitch said like if it was premeditated.

"Haymitch!" Esmeralda yelled at him.

"Essie" he said back in a mocking tone.

"Okay that's enough of that" Peeta said while trying to grab the bottle out of his hand. Esmeralda tried to tell him not to but Haymitch was too quick and pushed Peeta back to his seat with his foot.

"Well I think it's time for me to retire" Haymitch said and Peeta followed him.

"There's no point" Katniss said after Peeta told her she was going to try to get through to him.

"So I know this is a lot to deal with, but I'm here to help too. In any way I can, which isn't a lot. But Katniss I'm going to try"

"Thank you, but what exactly can you do?" Katniss said while getting up and walking to her room.

--

The next morning Esmeralda woke up screaming, being on the train mentally drains her more than she would like to say but she tries her best to not scare the tributes.

After getting ready because they were going to be entering the Capitol today, she walked into the food car and saw everyone there but Katniss. She sat beside Haymitch and saw all her favorite foods. She knew that Haymitch wanted her to eat, which she needed to because she hadn't ate that much since the day before the reaping. She got a croissant with some spread of strawberry jelly and chocolate over it. She could have sworn she saw a smile come from Haymitch.

"So if you want to live, get or find water. Finding that water is your new goal in life because that could mean the world when you are in there" Haymitch told Peeta to which Esmeralda nodded her head at.

"And if I was cold I would light a fire?" Peeta asked, when Katniss started slowly walking in.

"That's a great way to get killed" Haymitch and Esmeralda said together.

"What's a great way to get killed?" Katniss asked.

"Just giving some life saving advice if you wanted to sit down" Haymitch asked with a knowing tone to his voice.

"So what is a great way to get killed?" Katniss asked again sitting down but Haymitch didn't answer.

"Give me a second to fully wake up sweetheart, Peeta here has been bombarding me with questions left and right since I got to this car" Haymitch finally said after taking a bite of his food.

"Okay you have to be likable," Haymitch said and watched Katniss expression change, "not what you were expecting" he finished talking while trying to reach for the jam.

Katniss got frustrated and picked up a better knife and stabbed the table with it right between some of Haymitch's fingers.

"That is mahogany!" Effie yelled at Katniss.

"As irritating as that sounds Katniss, its true. These people are watching a show, they root for who they like which are the tributes who are quote on quote likable, I've seen it first hand what it's like being not likable to most people in the Capitol" Esmeralda said. During her games, in the beginning, she was told to not be herself, to be smiley to be happy, she thought that she would get sponsors from that. But nothing it wasn't until towards the end of the games when the people of the Capitol saw that she had a chance of winning and saw that she had an attitude but would help people they started to care. Being likable apparently comes in all shapes for who the people of the Capitol root for because it's not the same for everyone.

Katniss was about to say something when Peeta ran around the table told everyone that they could see the Capitol already. Once they got into view of the people of the Capitol, Peeta started waving to them.

"You should keep this because he knows what he is doing?" Haymitch puts back the knife that Esmeralda didn't even realize he took out, back into the table.

"If you aren't going to try, know that you could have done a lot more damage with that knife, and not just to the table" Esmeralda told Katniss before she got up to tell Peeta that they are going to get off the train soon. She smiled and waved to the crowd before retreating back.