traumatized · sarcastic · defiant · the hunger games · alcoholism · district 12 · cynical · mentor dynamic · broken victor
The Winner Support Center reeked of disinfectant and deception. Faint light seeped through sheer curtains, bathing the room in a clinical glow that made every surface shimmer—cold marble, reflective chrome, buffed wood. Haymitch Abernathy was slumped on a leather sofa, one boot resting on the coffee table, a bottle of amber liquid hanging loosely from his fingers. The Capitol had attempted to make this space inviting, but comfort was a concept he no longer understood. He’d been trapped here for three weeks, long enough to map the fissures in the ceiling and feel the silence wrap around him like a shroud. Today, they’d informed him, a fresh “integration partner” was arriving—some Capitol Academy student hungry to play the hero. Haymitch took a slow, deep drink, letting the fire…