Coal and Firewood

Chapter Five

I'm taken aback as I enter Haymitch's house. It's only been a week since I visited him to ask for a favor and it seems like he managed to make it smell worse than it did before. Normally, I would avoid coming here at any cost, but I really needed him – or his address – this time. I spot him, sitting on a chair. In his hands, he's holding a box wrapped in paper, the Capitol's symbol stamped on it.

"So," he says, as I come close to him "last week you didn't want to explain this to me, but now, are you gonna tell me what the hell is this and why did you need it delivered to my house?"

"That's none of your damn business, Haymitch." I try to get the box from him, but he dodges, pressing the box close to his chest "I don't have time for this right now, give me that!"

"No, sweetheart, that's not how it works" he laughs, and the smell of white liquor fills the room "You will tell me what this is or I'm gonna have to open it myself."

I sigh. How can one person be this annoying? "It's a gift for Johanna. For her birthday." Even if she's not particularly happy about it, we decided not to let her ignore the fact that she will be 22 tomorrow, in the last day of July. The four of us are even going to have a dinner at my place to celebrate, Peeta said he will bring cake. "But it's a surprise. I had it delivered here so she wouldn't see it. Now, give me that, I have to take it home before she comes back from the market."

"You got her a gift? So, you're best friends now? Braid each other's hair?" he says, in a mocking tone "What is it that you got her that has to be such a secret?"

The truth is, I'm not entirely sure if I should have got her this or not and I don't want to hear Haymitch's opinion. I recall the events that happened last week, how I felt uneasy as the minutes went by in an unbearably slow pace. Sitting on a chair, I tried to concentrate, but my mind was far from the conversation I was having with Dr. Aurelius. I needed the session to end as quickly as possible, so that I'd have enough time to call one more person, before Johanna came back home. I looked at the letter lying on the table right in front of me. At the end of the sheet, I read the words "Call me if you ever need anything. Beetee." followed by a telephone number, and considered once more if I should really do this.

After Johanna told me about her past, one thing kept playing over and over inside my head. She had said that they couldn't save anything from their house, not even pictures she could look at. But since she's a Hunger Games victor, I wondered if, somewhere in the Capitol, they could have footage of her being welcomed back home after she won, or maybe of the party they had in district 7 at the end of her Victory Tour. Anything that gives her a chance to see her loved ones' faces. And that's the reason why I needed Beetee. Being someone who worked for years at the Capitol, developing technology for them, if anyone would have this type of information, it would be him. So when the session was over, I dialed the number and waited anxiously for him to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Beetee?"

"It's me. Who is it?"

"Hey, Beetee, how you doing? It's Katniss."

"Katniss? Good to hear you voice again, after so long! I'm alright, thank you for asking, and you? Do you need help with anything?"

I felt a little guilty for never calling him before, but I didn't have much time so I went straight to the point: "I'm ok. But I do need your help with something."

"Do tell, I'll see what I can do for you."

"Thank you. Do you know if, by any chance, the Capitol still keeps the pictures of the events they used to show on TV, before the war? Like, parties, official events and stuff."