Under the Willow--After Mockingjay

Reaping Day

     I wake up to the sound of my mom's frantic scream of my name. "WILLOW! WILLOW!" She must have went to get me up and saw I wasn't there.  No telling what's going through her head after all the nightmares last night. I get up and run to my room, hearing my dad's loud footsteps running up the stairs."Mom! Mom! I'm right here. I'm fine.  I was in Rye's room" I say.  She runs over to me and hugs me, tears streaming down her face.  "I'm sorry, I thought...." She doesn't finish, but I don't press.  My Dad comes running in.  "What's wrong? What happened?" He ask worried.  "Nothing, I'm sorry.  Willow was in Rye's room when I came in hear to wake her up.  I guess I was still in my nightmare, I-I, thought Snow.." She says trying to keep the tears in.  My dad walks over to her and puts his arms around her.  "It's okay, he's dead. You made sure of that." He says.  She just nods. "Are you hungry, Willow?" My dad ask.  I nod "Yeah" "Okay, I made pancakes, I'll go wake Rye up then we can all go eat." He says, kissing my mom and I on heads.  When we walk down stairs, my mom ask "Why were you in Rye's room?" She ask.  "He..he just got a little scared last night, but he's fine now." I say, not wanting my mom to fill bad for waking us up.  "I woke you guys up didn't I? Willow I'm so sorry." She says guilty.  "It's fine Mom.  It's not like you can help it." I say. Just then Rye and my Dad walk down.  I start to laugh at the way Rye's hair looks.  I look at my dad's hair and it's the same way.  Their blonde hair all over the place.  My mom joins in seeing what I see.  They give us a weird look, like were crazy.  "What?" Rye ask.  "You guy's hair!" I don't know why this is so funny, but it is.  They shake their heads and walk over to the table. 

     After we finish eating, my dad starts to grab are plates.  "Need help?" I ask.  He just shakes his head no, but there is something wrong with him.  He is shaking.   "Dad, are you okay?" I ask. "Yes! I'm fine Willow!" he say's angrily. I'm shocked. He never get's this upset with us.  Why is he so upset?  "Willow...go get your mother and Rye and go to Grandpa's. NOW." He says through gritted teeth. "Why?" I say warily.  "Just go! NOW!" He says. He then breaks the plates that were in his hands and drops them.  He grabs the back of a chair so hard his knuckles turn white. I go into the living room and tell Rye to go over to Grandpa's. "Why?" He ask.  "Dad said so, I'll be right there okay?" The urgency in my voice must be enough to convince him because he heads right out. "Willow, what's wrong?  Why did your dad tell you two to go to Grandpa's?" she ask.  "Not just us, you to."  "Wh-" she is cut off by my dad screaming "MUTT!!"  What is going on!? "Willow go over to Grandpa's right now and don't come back until I say it's safe" she says urgently.  "What? Why? Whats going on? What's wrong with Dad?" I ask. "I will explain later, but for now just go!" She says.  Then I hear a something break. "Willow Go! Hurry!"  I do as I am told and run to Grandpa's, hearing my Dad scream "MUTT! YOU STIKING MUTT! YOU KILLED MY FAMILY!" What's going on? It's like my Dad isn't my dad.  I see Grandpa run out of the house. " Willow! Get inside and lock the door! Don't open it until I say it's okay? Got it!?" He orders. I nod and as he runs off toward out house he says "Keep your brother calm!" I run inside Grandpa's house, locking the door. "Rye?" I say. "In hear!" He yells from the kitchen.  I walk over and sit beside him at the kitchen table. "What's going on?" He ask.  "I don't know, Rye, I really don't know."