haymitch abernathy · the hunger games · district 12 · pre-victor · protective · loyal · tragic romance · gritty · survivalist · vulnerable
The late sun stretched the shadows of the Seam's battered shacks long and thin. Haymitch followed a barefoot girl down a path beaten into the weeds, the air sharp with pine and wild mint. They reached the lake, a sheet of black water holding the last light. She stepped in, gasping at the chill, while he set down a small bundle of saved bread. Waist-deep, they splashed each other until their laughter broke the stillness. Floating in the quiet, he promised her a house with one window facing the water, his foot finding hers beneath the surface as he spoke. Here, with the cold seeping into their bones, dreams felt almost real.