In the Shadow of the Mockingjay - Haymitch Abernathy x Niece Reader

Chapter 2

"Haymitch. Gale wants to talk to you?", Effie enlightened me just as confused as me.

Peeta and Katniss sent me surprised looks as well. 

Reluctantly I followed Effie to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?", I greeted him.

"She's gone." His voice sounded beaten.

"What are you talking about?"

"(f/n). She disappeared during the reaping! I don't know what you did, but if anything happened to her, I swear you're going to pay for it!", he threatened me.

I felt all color draining from my face. (f/n) had disappeared? No way!

Suddenly Katniss appeared next to me. As I did not move to do anything she took the phone from me.

"What?", she exclaimed shortly after and hung up. "Haymitch. You have a niece?"

"He has a niece?", Peeta joined in, Effie following him.

"Wait! Don't tell me it was that girl I watched leaving your house", he recalled.

That boy had too good a memory.

"Yeah", I admitted reluctantly.

"At least he had. She vanished", Katniss clarified.

"Don't imply that she's dead", Peeta interjected. "Maybe she ran away", he suggested.

"Why should she run away?", Effie questioned.

"Because of the dangers of the Capitol?", Katniss assumed.

"Maybe she was hurt. You called her an acquaintance", Peeta reminded me.

"He did what? Oh, Haymitch!", Effie scolded me.

They forced me to tell them everything about the relationship of (f/n) and me. That earned me an eternally long scolding from Effie.

"I didn't mean to hurt her, okay? But she reminds me of my brother Rylan. I can't stand it! And if anybody had known about our relationship, she would have died a long time ago anyway!", I justified myself angrily and left them behind.

Actually I felt extremely guilty. I had not realized how much I had hurt (f/n), only considered my own feelings. Where was she now? Had she really left on her free will or had Snow captured her to pressure me if needed to? I would not get the answer until I would see her the next time, dead or alive.

So I distracted myself with the issue I could influence: the Quarter Quell.

A few days later I was inside a hovercraft on the way toward district 13. I felt like a failure. I had failed to rescue Peeta and Johanna. I had failed Katniss. And I had failed (f/n). I had not heard anything about her state and location yet giving me at least a small ray of hope that Snow did not have her.

Becoming sober in district 13 was cruel. How was I supposed to deal with everything going on now? They could easily talk about being sober being the only reasonable option. After all they had no clue what it was like to be a victor. To get ripped away from a life of misery to survive hell only to realize that your life of misery had turned into constant agony making death seem like a tempting escape.

After I had managed/been forced to become sober, I immediately wished for a drink. Katniss surely was the worst actress I had ever seen. Great propos were no option unless we sent her to the battle front. That was obvious.

Suddenly I stopped in my tracks as my head had turned toward the camera.

"(f/n)?" Her name left my lips before I had even comprehended the situation.

Her eyes mirrored dismay.

My feet immediately moved over to her leading her to hurry away. I followed her not caring about leaving the set. At one point I managed to get a hold on her arm.

"Let go!", she screamed and thrashed around.

I had never experienced her that way.

"What are you doing here?", I asked her irritated.

"What are YOU doing here? I finally got over you and now you decide to give me some of your attention? No, thanks! Follow your own wish and let me leave you alone!"

Shock overcame me at her harsh words. Automatically I let go of her arm. She took the opportunity to escape as quickly as possible.

Had I really told her to leave me alone? I could not remember. Maybe I had been too drunk.

From that point on I had no clue how to approach her again. I only saw her during work for the rebellion. Apparently she had become skilled at filming.

"You can leave now", Coin ended the meeting as it had just been decided that Katniss would be heading to district 8.

I waited for the others to leave first before standing up and almost bumping into (f/n).

"Oh great. You're here. (f/n), I wanted to ask you if you would like to join the camera team to go to district 8 and film some propos", Coin offered. "You already know Cressida, don't you?"

By now the three of us were the only people left in the room.

"You can't be serious! That's way too dangerous for a seventeen-year-old", I interjected.

"Katniss Everdeen is also seventeen", Coin reminded me.

"But Katniss is a victor and the mockingjay! That's an entirely different story!", I insisted.

"I'm going", (f/n) announced.

I gripped her shoulders. "Do you have any clue what you're agreeing to do? We're talking about the battle-zone!"

"Let go", she commanded.

When I did not she pushed me a bit away from her.

"(f/n), listen ..." I attempted to be softer.

But she interrupted me: "Oh, so you do know my name. And apparently even my age. Just stop it! It's none of your business! We are not a family! You proved that whenever you had the chance to. So don't try to steal my decisions from me now!"

"I'm going", she reassured Coin before leaving the room.

It did help that I was in command of Katniss during the mission. So I had an overview of what was happening. But after the hovercrafts came crushing down and the propo had been filmed, (f/n) suddenly disappeared.

"Boggs, do you hear me?", I contacted him as Katniss had thrown her device away.

"Yes, I do", he replied.

"Where's (f/n)?"

We could not find her. I had lost her again, although I should have had an overview. It had been my task to look out for everyone. But I had failed. That appeared to be the only thing I was able to.

"Where is she? Didn't you see anything?", Gale asked me when he was back inside the hovercraft.

"No. She just suddenly vanished. I dunno how it happened", I admitted guiltily.

"Of course you don't know! You never cared for her anyway", Gale spat out.

"You've no idea what you're talking about", I warned him.

"Oh, I don't? I was the one comforting her whenever you screwed up. So I think I know exactly what I'm talking about. Her life would have been way better without you!"

Gale's words stuck with me for the next weeks. He had been right. Everything I had ever done was hurting (f/n). I had to endure this truth.

When we rescued Annie, Peeta and Johanna, I was disappointed to see that (f/n) was not with them. I could not help but wonder if I had lost her completely this time.