You Are My Mockingjay- Watty's Finalist 2013

What's in a Heart?

I know most of you are thinking he doesn't look like your average teacher from my other classes.  Which you would be right, because I'm not."  Cinna stated that firmly so they would all see that being different can be a cool think even if you are an adult.

"I like to show all my students that life holds possibilities and that can stray away from your challenges no matter how hard they maybe sometimes."  

  Katniss moves her head in to Cloves.  "Well I don't think I will be regretting this class."  Clove shrugs Katniss's right shoulder.  It was just hard enough and startling enough to make her jump out of her seat.  "Katniss strikes back.  "What?  I'm just saying."  

Cinna slowly turns and rolls the clay into a shape which looked to be a heart.  "Can anyone guess what this is?"  Cinna says.  Many hands came up at once and a girl proudly says a heart.  But in surprise, Cinna responds with a different response.  "Wrong!"  Everyone looked at each other, for in their eyes it was pretty obvious that it was a heart for what more could it be?  

"Then what is it?"  Said a young guy who looked to be an 11 grader.  

Mr. Cinna smirked and walks closer to his students.  "This my friends is your soul, something that no one can feel or create except you.  A thing that makes you who you are or what you want to be.  How it holds so much truth's, desires, fears and passion."  

It was then everyone realized what his point was.  "Not everyone can say what they want to do.  Sometimes its found inside yourself and how it's always kept there.  So I advise you all to take the challenge today and draw your heart and fill it with all your feelings. Now be truthful this won't be graded but I would like to see how you all see yourself as."  

Clove raises her hand up has Cinna passes out the paper.  "Do we HAVE to do this, cause I feel very uncomfortable." 

Cinna looks to Clove kindly.  "I promise you it will not effect you in any way, it will be only seen by me and I won't be grading you at all ok?!"  Glumly Clove sulks back into her chair and slowly retrieves the paper that she was given.  "Ugh I really don't want to do this." Clove said to herself as she pulled out her pencil and tried to think.  "My passion and fears huh?" 

   While the class worked through the class period many of the students found it both easy and hard to full fill their "hearts."  But as it was said before, they would not be judged no matter what they drew.

By lunch the group found each other at the cafeteria benches.  Everyone was hustling and passing through the campus to find seats.  Within minutes tables were being taken every few minutes.  "Clove, Katniss over here!"  Said Marvel waving to the girls as they shoved through people.  

"What is this some joke?  This is like a mad house if you ask me."  Said a breathless Katniss as she finally got to her seat.  "Good thing I brought my lunch with me today.  I don't dare to even look at the lines for the cafeteria."  Katniss pulls out her brown bag from her green bag pack and placed it on the table.  

"Make room for us charming and well deserved men."  Said a voice that came from behind Katniss, Clove & Marvel.  Cato and Peeta had come from behind and acted like all the crowd was perfectly fine and normal as they arrived to where their friends sat.  "Hey guys what's happening?"  Said Cato confidently as he stood right behind Clove where he wrapped his arm around her neck to give a slight tackle.  

"What's with you Cato?"  Said Clove happily.  

"Nothing just glad half of the school day is over, I'm ready to be done." He says proudly.  

He then slides in-between Clove and Marvel pulling out his car keys and lunch.  "Well I hate to be the barrier of bad news but we still have three more classes left."  Said Marvel humorously and pulling off his sun glasses up to his head.  

The group all laughed at Marvel except for Cato who had just bitten into an apple.  "Dude you really suck."  Cato says as he chewed up his apple he had bitten into.  Cato tilts his apple upside down and looks at the others.  "Hey guys did you know the newest details for us seniors is we can go off campus for lunch?"  

Peeta was picking at his cold pizza that looked a lot more tasteful if it hadn't had olives all over it.  "Really, I bet there is a catch though right?"  

Katniss smiles and tilts her head.  "Of course there is, the catch is we have to be back before 6th period starts."  

Clove swallows her spoonful of red jello.  "Surprise, surprise!" Cato just then finishes his apple turns around facing a trash can that stood feet away and tossed it in.  As he raised his hands up in celebrating his shot he twists himself around.  

"Well I'm just glad we're just going to all be together in our next class."  

Peeta looks glumly at Cato as if he had just woken up from a dream.  "Oh yeah that senior class we have to take."  Marvel, Katniss, Peeta and Cato turn to face him where all eight eyes gleamed into his as if he looked to be on some different planet then the rest of them. 

 "Dude what planet have you been on it's like the one class we all have to take.  Besides we were JUST talking about it this morning."  Cato hits the top of Peeta's head hoping to jog his memory.  

Peeta shakes Cato's hand off but missed.  "Hey easy now, I forgot ok remember I was kinda busy at that time when it was mentioned."  Everyone laughed.  "Oh would that "busy" relate to eating?"  Said Katniss gleefully.

After a few more minutes of cracking jokes at Peeta the crew finished up their lunches and took off skimming the campus and preparing themselves of the treacherous class period of Mrs. Effie's leadership class.  For who knew what kind of class that would bring them.