Our Love Could Be Lethal Act I Re-Write

Act I: Accidental Acquisitions

"Woah-ho-ho, and it looks like Miss Crazy and I take it again," he reaches forward to add more chips to our collective pile, "thank you very much."

"I swear I caught her looking at my cards," accuses Finnick with a laugh.

"Even if I did, which I didn't, there wasn't much to look at anyway."

Mags smiles and wags her finger at Finnick. "Careful, just admit she's better than you at this game."

"It's because she has the best teacher," boasts Haymitch. He turns to me, "hey partner, I don't know about you, but I'm just about ready to hit the bar, want to tag out for a minute and swap with those two?"

I nod and make my way to the bar with Haymitch, the two other victors that were sitting out taking over our seats. Haymitch orders us two glasses of a drink I can't pronounce, but I'm sure it's something strong.

My instincts are correct and the drink has quite the bite to it, I have to scrunch my face and cough a few times to clear the burning sensation out of my throat. "Shit, that stuff's awful. What is it again?"

"It's an old one. They call it a Veiux Carre."

I bring it to my lips to take a much smaller sip. "Sounds pretentious."

"It is. But it tastes good."

"That's questionable."

Haymitch shakes his head and lets out a small chuckle. He pauses for a moment to take a large sip of his drink. "You're not what I thought you'd be like."

I frown, staring deep into the amber glass swirling it around to give my hands something to do. It's not hard to guess where this is coming from. "I know. He doesn't speak very highly of me."

Haymitch purses his lips. "No. No he doesn't." He pauses. "But he's wrong." He leans over the bar and runs a stressed hand through his hair. "Makes me wonder what other lies he fed me over the years."

A small smile creeps across my face, happy that one of my father's friends, or perhaps ex-friend at this point, doesn't think I'm the big bad wolf. "Well, if you figure it out, let me know. I have a few questions I want answered."

A hesitates for a moment before speaking up again. "How'd he convince them to leave him at home this year?"

"He's too messy for 2. They don't want to deal with him." And truth be told, I don't really want to deal with my father either.

Something about my answer rattles Haymitch. He straightens up and turns towards me. "Your dad has the luxury of something I will never have. The ability to be forgotten. In 2, they can hide him away in shame, keep the drunk from tarnishing their prissy little reputation. But in the real world, back in 12, they can't afford that. There's no one for me to hide and cower behind."

"And what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, make sure you're forgettable. Once another girl from 2 wins, you're free and off the hook. Being from 2 got you into this mess in the first place. But now you can use it to get yourself out."

"I—" To be honest I thought he was about to yell at me for something, but he's completely right. The Capitol likes shiny new things. And if I can dull myself, there'll be a girl from 2, or 1, who comes along and replaces me. "—that's actually good advice Haymitch."

"Of course, it is," he chuckles. He points to himself, "Master," and then points to me, "student."

"The only thing I'm learning from you is how to be an alcoholic," I say, staring down at the drink in my hand.

"You people from 2 love schools," he leans in close so only I can hear, "and academies. Well, welcome to 'How to Survive as a Victor 101'."

"Cheers to that."