philophobia

01

Katniss and Peeta watched Haymitch fumble, shoving the cork back into the glass bottle containing one of his favorite dark brown liquids. She was mindlessly playing with the butter knife that had been lying effortlessly on the glass table beside her plate, twirling it between her fingertips. Less than a year earlier, they had been crowned the victors of the 74th Hunger Games.

Now, the Quarter Quell was among them, and they were the outsiders of all the victors.

"I want you two to forget everything you think you know about the games, alright?" Haymitch started, clapping his hands together as he stared at his victors. "Last year was child's play, this year, you're up against seasoned killers."

"Alright," Peeta breathed out while allowing his hands to fall into his lap. "What does that mean for us?"

"It means you're going to have to make some allies," Haymitch said briefly before taking a swig of the dark liquid in his glass.

"Okay, well, I think that if we-" Peeta was cut off by a loud popping sound emitting from Haymitch.

"You're not the problem" he interrupted, looking at his Mockingjay. Katniss was staring at her lap, she hated the idea of Haymitch being right, and unfortunately, listening to her drunk father figure was her best bet at survival.

"No," she said plainly.

"You're both at a disadvantage here, most of these people have been friends for years" Haymitch argued.

"That just puts us higher on their kill list" she scoffed as she finally made eye contact with her mentor. "Do it your own way, but, I know these people" he paused, taking another long sip from his glass. "Go in it alone and their first move is going to be to hunt you down."

"Katniss, please" Peeta begged, giving his estranged lover the best puppy-dog eyes he could manage.

"How could any of us even trust each other?" she asked softly.

"It's not about trust, it's about staying alive" Haymitch retorted. Seeing that his most difficult tribute had finally given up her martyr mission, he clicked a button on the side of a black screen to bring up the readings. "Let's begin."

"Cashmere and Gloss, District One. Brother and sister, won back-to-back games, capitol favorites; lots of sponsors, they will be lethal" he rattled off, pointing to each tribute as he said their name.

"The other half of the Career pack, Brutus and Enobaria" Haymitch started but Katniss instantly spoke up.

"What's with her teeth?"

"She had them filed into fangs so she could rip out the throats of her enemies" Haymitch informed, watching all color drain from Katniss's face.

"She's committed, I'll give her that," Peeta remarked.

Haymitch gave Peeta a nod before switching the screen to an older man and what appeared to be his wife. "Wiress and Beetee, not fighters but really tech savvy...he won his games by electrocuting six tributes at once."

"These are the Morphlings, District Six, very tame. Spent most of their time hiding until all of the other tributes were dead, have been self-medicating since their games which I applaud, definitely not a threat" Haymitch explained, not having a moment to catch his breath before switching the screen.

"Finnick Odair, right?" Katniss asked.

All of Panem knew who Finnick was.

"Correct. He won his games at fourteen, youngest in history" Haymitch paused to clear his throat. "Extremely humble."

"You're kidding" Katniss scoffed, setting the butterknife down.

"Yes, I'm kidding. He's a peacock" he paused, twirling a strand of his greased blonde hair for effect before continuing. "- a total preener. But he's the Capitol darling, they love him here. Charming, smart, very skilled, especially in water."

"Any weaknesses?" Peeta leaned forward, resting both of his elbows on the glass table in front of him.

Haymitch hesitated to answer, staring at the screen for an uncomfortably long amount of time before deciding on his response. "One, Mags. She volunteered for another tribute. Mags was his mentor and basically raised him, trying to protect her in any way exposes him."

Katniss opened her mouth to question her mentor but Peeta's hand landing on top of her wrist effectively stopped her. For whatever reason, Haymitch was holding something back from them. Peeta felt that if it were important, he would share the information and if not, they'd just have to trust their mentor. This bothered Katniss but, they were finally getting useful information out of the drunk, so, she let it be.

"A guy like that has to know she's not going to make it, I bet when it comes down to it he won't protect her" Katniss offered.

"Well Katniss, when she goes I hope it's quick. She's actually a very sweet woman" Haymitch sympathized with the older woman, watching as she placed a kiss on Finnick's cheek.

"District Ten, Aspen Callahan, and Harley Cobain" Haymitch informed, taking a deep breath before turning and looking at his tributes. "My advice is to stay out of his way."

"Why? What did he do?" Katniss questioned.

"You've never seen his games?" Peeta asked in shock.

"I don't like to watch them" Katniss shrugged. 

"Plutarch told me something about him at our victory party, I didn't think anything of it back then" Peeta mumbled. 

"What did he say?" Haymitch asked. 

"Something about keeping him close in the wake of the rebellion, making him our ally instead of our enemy" Peeta paused, turning to stare at the stoic-looking boy on the screen. "He won the 67th Hunger Games at sixteen. Didn't he, like, rip his enemies apart?" 

"Harley lost someone very important to him during his game and snapped. On his fourth day in the arena, he butchered all of the remaining tributes" Haymitch explained.

"How many people did he kill?" Katniss asked in shock.

"He killed thirteen tributes. That's the most individual kills in the history of the games" Haymitch informed, watching the horrified looks of his tributes. "When he came out of the arena, he was different. He snapped and lost every part of him, he's like, a total brute now. He's cold and manipulative, he only cares about himself. It's a shame, really. I knew him before he entered the arena and he was a good kid, a lovesick puppy."

"Do you think there's any hope for him?" Katniss asked. As mortified as she was, the handsome tribute piqued her interest. He stood off to the side, staring blankly at the camera. If he wasn't blinking she would've thought he was a corpse.

"I do" Haymitch nodded.

He stared at the boy the same way he stared at Finnick before turning back to his tributes. This look didn't go unnoticed by the duo.

"As far as weaknesses, I can't think of any. After going through what he did in his games, he crossed a line within himself that I don't think anyone could come back from. He's without a doubt the most lethal competitor you will face. Think of it as the entire Career pack compartmentalized into one person" Haymitch warned.