You Are My Mockingjay- Watty's Finalist 2013

*Bruises/ A Mother's Advice

"Yeah you were like a girl on fire!" Peeta said cheerfully as he hugged her immediately after the game. Everyone but Cato went to celebrate her victory, not that Cato didn't want to come but Glimmer insisted they go hang out alone to more appropriate things.

***

Spring break came and everyone had plans to be with family. And since Clove was gone for the winter break with her friends her mother had told her spring break had to be with her. So that first couple days her and her mom took off to the beach that wasn't far from home. It was beautiful weather when they arrived low 70's, sunny and slight winds for it was truly perfect beach conditions. With some hopping, fish and chips and lazy walks on the shore made Clove feel at ease. At least for some part of the time for out of no where her father kept texting her leaving messages like: We need to talk, dam it, why aren't you responding you told me we would be able to hang out, for I need to talk to you.

It wasn't that she was ignoring him on purpose but go figure it still seemed to her that he hadn't yet told her mom about them talking to the other. On one conversation while she was in a dressing room trying on a bathing suit she responded: I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk, mom and I have been shopping more then I thought and I haven't been able to text you back until now. Can I come over on Thursday? Her father replies in a manner she hadn't expected from him: Yeah whatever, for you always win. Clove looks up from her phone and wonders where that attitude of his was coming from. By Wednesday afternoon around three Clove was glad to be home and after putting her bags on her bed she made herself some ice tea and sat on the porch swing. One of the few places she loved on summer nights for it was spent with friends like Cato and Katniss playing chess and board games. Just little reminders of the innocence of what young lives REALLY meant. For now things were changing for many of her friends that she feared nothing would be the same after graduation and it scared her deeply.

The next afternoon Clove text her father that she would be over within five minutes. It wasn't easy letting herself out the door though. For her mom wanted her to go see a movie. "Mom please let me do this one outing, I really need to go see Katniss she's having some issues with Peeta." Which was such a white lie and a lie she would regret later on that day. Yet her mom agreed to it that she could go but had to be back in a couple of hours for dinner.

Driving up on Brentwood street was just like any other home their was. Houses that held green lawns, flowers blooming from side to side to children playing in the yard. But as she turned into the house that her father was staying looked to be a home that looked unkept. Windows were covered throughout the front, peeled white paint hanging down and a dreadful lawn that had no speck of green but dried up weeds. Clove slowly pulls up the drive way and starts to have second thoughts about coming. But like a good person she was she knew she had to come over for she had not only promised him, but also cause of the fact she had bought him a shirt that said: "I'm like the beach, cool and fearless." She told her mom it was going to be for Cato for they were just about the same size in shirts. Of course Cato seemed to be a bit fuller then her father was. Parking in the driveway Clove grabs the shirt from her passenger seat and locks up her car door.

Reaching for the porch she slightly knocks and people stared at her while she stood alone. Slowly the front door slightly opens where Clove turns to face the small opened creek. "Hey dad it's me." Just with the looks of what she saw she could smell the scent of beer. A familiar and yet terrifying past of memories flashing into her memory for Clove.

"Clove is that you?" He says as he opens the door up just a little more.

Faintly she smiles back as she tries to not show she was feeling uncomfortable. "Yeah it's me."