to win - haymitch abernathy

⁴¹ 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓂𝑒?

Rosemary's nightly routine was a solitary affair, typically limited to bidding goodnight to herself and Leslie. These routine farewells were carried out with an almost mechanical precision. However, on this particular evening, the script was about to undergo a significant revision, introducing a character into the scene that would forever change its rhythm - a man named Haymitch Abernathy. She out counted the numerous times the survivors of District 5 gathered during evenings, and then departed late at night. It was different to hear the words when the one saying them really meant it.

Haymitch had walked her to her room, a gesture so foreign that it sent shivers of discomfort and exhilaration down her spine simultaneously. As they reached her door, he uttered a simple "goodnight," his lips brushing lightly against her forehead. The sensation of his lips meeting her skin sent a wave of heat surging through her body, her cheeks flushed crimson. Rosemary felt a profound relief that the corridor was bathed in soft, dim lamplight, concealing her blushing countenance. As Haymitch retreated down the corridor, he did not glance back, leaving her alone in the doorway. Unbeknownst to her, a satisfied and perhaps even amused smile graced his features. He had finally kisses the girl— if you could call that a kiss?

With Haymitch's departure, Rosemary was left staring at the empty corridor, her heart pounding erratically. She felt a curious mix of emotions – nervousness, and a fluttering in her stomach that resembled a swarm of butterflies taking flight. It had been a long time since she had felt such a potent concoction of sensations. Her mind was a territory uncharted for her, a place she longed to explore further, if only she could.

With a heart still racing, Rosemary retreated into her own bedroom, her feet barely touching the ground as she crossed the threshold. She threw herself onto the bed, feeling the soft embrace of the mattress against her body. It was a moment of pure bliss, and she couldn't help but twist and turn on the bed, her face adorned with the broadest, most genuine smile she had worn in ages.

As sleep descended upon her, it felt like a comforting cocoon, a respite from the harsh realities of life in District 5. It felt like a good time, one of those nights where she would be spared of the terrors of her past. In those dreams, there were no tributes, no arenas, and no looming specter of death. Instead, there were only the innocent games she used to play on Sunday evenings with her siblings, laughter filling the air. In her dreams, she was free from the paralyzing fear of an uncertain future, replaced by a profound sense of peace and hope that had long eluded her in the waking world.

♕

Rosemary's awakening was abrupt and tumultuous, her body jerking upward as the remnants of a nightmarish dream clung to her like a suffocating fog. The oppressive darkness of the shelter was punctuated only by slivers of cold, pale moonlight seeping through the cracks in the uneven walls. Her chest heaved with ragged gasps, and sweat clung to her brow like a second skin. Her heart hammered in her chest, a relentless echo of the vivid, tormenting images that had haunted her slumber. With trembling fingers, she ran a hand through her sweat-soaked hair, an attempt to dispel the lingering unease that still held her in its grip. As she blinked against the haunting memories that lingered at the edges of her consciousness, the shadows in the room seemed to come alive with the ghosts of her past. The memories she had fought to suppress during her waking hours clawed their way back into her consciousness, unwelcome and unyielding.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to banish the gruesome scenes that had played out in her dream—the arena. But they clung to her like a relentless specter, refusing to release their hold on her fragile psyche.