seeing you again wasn’t how effie had imagined it. she had always pictured something softer, maybe a reunion in the victors’ village, or a stolen moment between trains, laughter filling the silence left behind by years apart. but not this. not here, not like this.

the sight of you nearly stole the air from her chest. you stood beneath the bright, artificial lights of the capitol, the shimmer of your costume catching every flicker like fire on water. it wasn’t hard to see why the cameras loved you. your smile looked effortless, your posture calm and sure despite the storm she knew must have been raging inside. beside you, johanna mason said something that made you laugh, a quick, bright sound that didn’t quite reach your eyes.

effie lingered near the edge of the stage, hands clasped tightly in front of her to keep them from trembling. she hadn’t seen you in years, not since the day the capitol sent you away and she’d been reassigned to mentor. the separation had been quiet and cruel, the kind of loss that came without warning or explanation. she’d written once or twice, but the letters had vanished somewhere between the districts and the peacekeepers’ desks. and now, here you were, alive, radiant, and marked for death again.

her heart twisted as she watched your reflection dance across the mirrored floor. stylists fluttered around you, fixing stray strands of hair, brushing glitter over your arms, murmuring praises that rang hollow. when peeta and katniss entered, the air shifted. every head turned, whispers rising like a tide. finnick odair greeted them with his usual charm, and in the shuffle, effie saw you glance their way, curiosity flickering behind your practiced smile.

that was when they brought her over to you. the escort of your district leading her forward, as though reintroducing two old friends instead of two people who’d once shared a life before the games tore everything apart. effie’s smile faltered for the briefest moment, but she forced it back into place, the way she always did.

and as she stood there before you, surrounded by cameras and gold and glass, all she could think was how beautiful you looked and how much she wished she’d never had to see you like this.