Forgetting The Fire's We've Started

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Chapter 34:
Annie and Noah will be here any minute now, but Willow and I are still in the backyard. I decided to teach her the fundamentals of archery since she has been begging me relentlessly. Today is her first lesson.  

Initially, I was very reluctant to agree. I didn't want her to know how to use it because it always reminds me of all the blood on my hands. After mulling it over for weeks, I caved in. I had a dream the other night about my father. It was less of a dream and more of a memory, really. I saw him teaching me how to hunt in the woods back in District 12. We hunted to survive, and while that's no longer the case, I remember how close my dad and I became because of it. Willow doesn't need to hunt, she just wants to be an archer. Some kids want to be a doctor like their mother, like Prim followed our mom. I guess it's in Willow's blood.

I set up a target up against the back of the house with some old tin cans. 

"This is how you aim." I placed the arrow on the ground and showed her how to aim without it. I pulled back and looked at the target with one eye. "Now you try." 

She had a little bit of trouble pulling back the string, but eventually, she got it. 

"I think I'm ready to try with the arrow now." 

"Okay," I said warily. I resisted the urge to give her another lengthy speech about the danger of arrows. Realistically, I knew she understood that this was not a toy. 

I showed her with the arrow this time. I notched the arrow and pulled the string back

Breathe in... Breathe out...

I aimed for the middle can in the pyramid. 

Breathe in... release. The arrow sliced through the air, striking the middle can, knocking the whole pyramid down. 

"Here you go." I gave her the bow and went to fix the cans. I pulled the arrow out of the can and walked back over to Willow. She mimicked everything I showed her perfectly. She notched the arrow and pulled back with little struggle. She aimed for the middle can, took some breaths, and let go of the string. The arrow soared through the air once again and struck the middle can, knocking the others over. 

I stood there with my jaw dropped. Willow faced me, grinning from ear to ear. 

"Katniss," I heard a familiar voice say. I turned and saw Finnick's ghost. "I think it's someone's 14th birthday tomorrow and I think someone has to give that certain someone a certain trident."

"Don't worry," I said, to a translucent, grinning Finnick. "I'll give it to him." 

"Mom, who are you talking to?" I looked back at Willow, then to where Finnick's ghost had been standing. 

"I was just thinking out loud." I smiled. "Come on, let's go down to the bakery." 

She walked by my side the whole way there.