The Hunger Games - Peeta Mellark (1)

}23{ - Death's a Poison

Kind of like Livia when she was alone in the arena.

Livia wondered how he was holding up, with the drinking, the attention, and the stress of trying to keep Peeta alive.

It was funny.

Haymitch and Livia didn't get along well in person, but maybe Peeta was right about them being alike because he seemed able to communicate with Livia by the timing of his gifts.

Like how she knew the sleep syrup just wasn't something to ease Peeta's pain.

He hadn't made much effort to connect with Peeta really.

Perhaps he thought a bowl of broth would just be a bowl of broth to Peeta, whereas Livia would see the strings attached to it.

A thought hits her, and she was amazed the question had taken so long to surface.

Maybe it was because she had only recently begun to view Haymitch with a degree of curiosity, "How do you think he did it?"

"Who? Did what?" Peeta asked.

"Haymitch. How do you think he won the Games?" Livia questioned.

Peeta considered this quite a while before he answered.

Haymitch was sturdily built, but no physical wonder like Cato or Thresh.

He was not particularly handsome.

Not in the way that caused sponsors to rain gifts on you.

And he was so surly, it was hard to imagine anyone teaming up with him.

There was only one way Haymitch could have won, and Peeta said it just as Livia was reaching the conclusion herself.

"He outsmarted the others." Peeta explained.

Livia nodded, then let the conversation drop.

But secretly Livia was wondering if Haymitch sobered up long enough to help Peeta because he thought he just might have the wits to survive.

Maybe he wasn't always a drunk.

Maybe, in the beginning, he tried to help the tributes.

But then it got unbearable.

It must be hell to mentor two kids and then watch them die.

Year after year after year.

Livia realized that if she got out of there, that will become her job.

The idea was so repellent, she thrusted it from her mind.

What else did winning give to Livia?

A whole village full of victors that had been friends for years?

A district full of pitiful looks and glares?

More money then she could ever imagine?

A big, empty house with nothing to put in it?