The Purest Snow

Chapter 30: Honor

Coriolanus felt strange waking up without hearing his grandmother singing the national anthem. It would almost be sad, if it were not so irritating. It would be nice to have some peace and quiet around the house first thing in the morning. He felt guilty for feeling this way, he knew Tigris and even Rosella were more affected by the death than him. He felt his grandmother's time was long overdue anyway, and he couldn't pretend to be devastated by an elderly woman's death due to perfectly natural causes.

    He left his room to find his sister, going through papers at the table. He came up behind her and hugged her from behind, kissing her hair. "You okay?"

    Rosella nodded. "Yeah, just going through stuff for the obituary," she reached her hands up to hold his, clasped under her chin.

    "Tigris still mad at me?"

    "What do you think?"

    "Look, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be insensitive to her, I'm just not as... feeling as her."

    "Well tell her that, not me," she responded simply.

    He released her shoulders and sighed. "She won't listen!"

    "You haven't tried!"

    "Hey!" Coriolanus shouted at Cass, who was making coffee. "Dark roast in the morning, medium roast in the afternoon!" He snapped sharply.

    "Coryo!" Rosella shouted back. "Stop."

    He ignored her. "I don't understand why it's such a difficult concept." Cass signed an apology and hurried to switch the coffee beans. "Enough with the signing, we don't know what it means!"

    "I know what it means, and you should too," Rosella said.

    "Enough, Rosella!"

    "No!"

    Rosella sprang from her chair and followed her brother to the dining table. She grabbed him by the collar.

    "I know you're upset, but you do not take it out on others," she said under her breath. "Go apologize."

    "Absolutely not!"

    "Apologize!"

    "Fine." He apologized to Cass.

    Tigris rose from her bedroom, and greeted her younger cousin with a squeeze on her shoulder. She did not acknowledge the older. Rosella shot him a look, showing her disapproval.

    "Tigris, I'm sorry. I don't know how to deal with all of this. Please forgive me. I can't get through it without you," he apologized sincerely.

    "Of course I will..." Tigris said gently. "Coryo," she used his childhood nickname for the first time since his return from District Twelve, and hugged him. "I don't know how to deal with things either."

    "We'll get through it. Snow lands on top," Coriolanus insisted. Tigris nodded and smiled.

    "I suppose we'll have to plan quite the funeral," Tigris said. As if on cue, Mrs. Plinth came bustling through the main doors.

    "Oh, children," she said sympathetically. "I am so sorry," she pulled Tigris into a hug, then Coriolanus and Rosella. "How are you all fairing?"

    "Well, I suppose," Coriolanus responded.

    "What are you working on dear?" Mrs. Plinth asked Rosella, knowing there was no school work for the holidays.

    "Just the obituary," she responded.