➳𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴➳

chapter 6

I look at my watch, it was 8:00. How have I been out here for so long! I start jogging lightly through the streets filled with many houses over to my own, it was located in a place that was once called 'Victor's Village' as it held 12 matching houses; 6 on each side reflecting each other like a mirror except from the yellow primroses in front of our house which apparently my dad planted after the war in remembrance to my Auntie, Prim. I think to myself, Prim's name had come up a lot today... I smile slightly and tears start to form in my eyes. I wish I had gotten to meet her because from what my mother, father and many other people in the districts had told me; she was an amazing girl and was too young to die. 

I suddenly put myself in my mother's shoes, imagining me watching Rye die. One moment he sees me and I am so happy. Then the bombs go off. BANG. And he is dead. Tears actually start rolling down my face now and I wipe them away quickly, remembering that it will never happen and we are safe. The revolution is over. I never was in the revolution. Obviously. But from what I heard it was awful. Families dropping dead. Innocent people being killed. Life being teared away from people's souls and they lay on the ground motionless, their brain staying awake for 8 more minutes as it plays back the memories of their lives. No matter who they were, who they wanted to be, they would never get to experience the rest of their days as their lives were over.

I shake that thought out of my head. And before I know it I am nearly at home. My dad stood out there looking everywhere and shouting something. As I get closer I realise he is calling my name and instead of light jogging I start running and yelling

"I'm here! I'm here!"

He noticed me and I saw his shoulders relax from the tense position they were in before. He came up to meet me. He wrapped his arms around me, his body heat warming me up.

"Willow, where did you go?! You know you are meant to tell us where you go before you run off. Especially at this time. It may not be that dark as it's summer but- we were worried. What if you were lost?! What if you were hurt?! What if you were..."

He paused. But I could finish his sentence and predict what he was going to say. So I do it for him and add...

"...Dead."

He sighs out of relief that it didn't come true. Pulls me in tighter and then lets me go. I raise my eyes to meet his and he replies

"Exactly."

I could tell that he was worried out of the way he looked at me.

"I'm sorry... I just... needed to clear my head a bit"

"I understand Lulu just please warn us before you go"

Lulu is my nickname. When I was younger and my brother was a baby he couldn't say the name 'Willow' so he shortened it to 'Lulu' and it has stuck all of these years.

"I know... I will next time I promise"

➳3 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳➳

I sit upright on my bed, hunching over slightly so I could focus on my drawing I was creating. Using every coloured pencil I had to recreate the sunset and willow painting on my wall my father had painted when I was born. A stroke of orange there, a highlight of yellow brushing the page. I sigh, adding the last touch of colour to my artwork. Finally it was finished. This had taken me 2 weeks and now... my artwork is complete. I smile to myself, proud that I had completed something today.

All of a sudden, I hear a knock on my door,

"Come in!" I say, closing my sketch book.

"Hey, Lulu"