When The Canary Sings

Whitest of Roses

Once our last song ended, Will and I waved off the crowd. We stayed on the stage, unplugging the microphones and talking as we watched everyone leave. Ever since our first show together when I poured ice down his back, we have a tradition of cleaning up the place when everyone leaves.

Once everyone I had left, I heard Will start laughing. I turned my head around, fully expecting him to be behind me with a glass full of ice. "Your guard dogs are waiting," he snickered as I turned around. I was half right in my prediction, Will was standing behind me with ice, but he wouldn't dare to dump it on me. Why? Maybe because of the crowd of victors that stood in the back, all staring at the stage. I looked back at him and cocked an eyebrow.

"They wanna make sure you ain't no Ryder Joe." I snickered, and Will mocked offense. He mouthed something like, "I would never." I chuckled and walked to the edge of the stage. Will tossed me a broom as he collected the discarded bottles into a large bag.

"Thank yall for coming," I shouted, hopping down from the stage. I walked closer and looked up at their smiling faces.

"They loved it, kid," Haymitch said, coming up and patting my shoulder. I laughed and twirled the broom in my hand.

"I liked the fight! Ain't no party without a fight!" Chaff hollered, repeating my words from earlier. I laughed as Haymitch tried to calm the drunk victor down. Chaff and him walked off soon after, and other victors followed them. Once they left, I was left alone with a few stragglers, including all of the District four victors.

"Not even the singin'?" I asked, looking up at him with puppy eyes, which only made him laugh harder.

"That too!"

"Pretty much everyones comin' back to Haymitch's house,'' Annie said kindly, "you should come, come on!" She smiled, placing her hand on my back.

"I'll be over later," I say, looking into her grass-green eyes. "Will and I have this tradition, we clean up after each show." I explain, holding up the broom.

"Kid, you're a victor," Finnick chuckles, staring at me. "Don't need to clean up."

"Are you guys always attached at the hip?" I asked, rolling my eyes in a playful manner, but just as I looked away, an arm was slung around my shoulder.

"Can you stop talking to Finnick and help me clean?" Will asks jokingly, I roll my eyes. Finnick raises an eyebrow and Annie laughs lightly. When Will said Finnick's name, he said it in a high pitched, girly tone, followed by ooohsss. God, he was embarrassing.

"You ruined my question," I laugh, swatting him with the broom. He then pulled something up behind me, and before I turned my head to look, I was met with a cold sensation running down my back. When I did look away, he was sprinting back to the stage.

"You jerk!" I shriek, I turn back to Annie and Finnick who are practically dying. Mags tries to calm them down. "Don't tell Haymitch," I say, and then I immediately break off for Will.

As I run screaming about a snake and showing it down Will's shirt, I hear Finnick yell, "three feet apart!"

Eventually, they leave, and Will and I continue to 'clean up' as we run around chasing each other. When the town bell rings signifying eleven, we stop and catch our breath, then, we start to walk home.