You Are My Mockingjay- Watty's Finalist 2013

"He's Back"

"Ouch!" Said a surprised Clove who had made herself fall off the side of her mothers bed. She starts rubbing her forehead as her mother bounced up from her bed.

"Wh- Clove? What are you doing on the floor sweetie?" As Grace looks down on the side of the bed.

Clove jolts up and looks around. "Aw man did I fall asleep in here?" She said in a state of confusion and dazed look.

"Honey why are you in here, is something the matter?" Grace pulls up her covers up to her waistline. Clove shakes her head and slowly joins her mom.  "How was the game last night?" She said trying to hold in a yawn.

"It was okay I guess, we won which was good and then we went out for dessert."

Her mother gently puts her hand on the back of her daughters hair. Her finger lingered down her soft brown hair. "How's Cato and everyone?" Said her mother with a soft smile.

Clove didn't know what to think for her mind was elsewhere. She kept thinking back if what happened with her dad last night had really came about. "Their fine, Cato was thrilled we beat Panem's behind and I think Marvel, Peeta and Katniss were even more excited.

"So I assume you came in late then last night right?" Clove didn't want to tell her mother just yet about her father so she decided to just tell part of it. "Yeah I got home a little after 11:00 and that's when I came in to check on you."

Her mother closes her daughter in to hug her. "Your so sweet, what would a mother do without a daughter like you, huh?"

Clove looks deeply in her mother's eyes. "I'm not sure, what would you do without me?!" The two of them laugh together and soon started to talk about the next possibilities for Cloves future in what she wanted to do after graduation.

***

Noon came as Clove was sitting at the kitchen counter eating a grilled cheese sandwich, cottage cheese and some fruit. When all of a sudden her phone rang and vibrated all over the marble table that sat next to her. Picking it up she looks at her caller idea where It read Katniss Everdeen. Quickly swallowing a mouthful, Clove grasps her phone by the third ring. "Hey you, how's it going?" She said upbeat. Although there was a slight pause in between. Awareing Clove that something was troubling Katniss she carefully speaks up again with a cautious voice. "Kat, you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine I'm just overwhelmed a little." She had finally said with sigh. "School is just getting to me and I can't seem to jumble homework and family all at the same time."

Still holding onto her phone by her right ear against her shoulder Clove takes the last bite of her fruit and takes it to the sink to rinse it off. "But we've only been in school for what, three weeks?"

Katniss laughs at her friends reply. "Yeah only three weeks and it feels like torture, ugh what am I going to do?"

Clove by now had bubble suds all over her hands, she tries to add pressure to keep her phone from falling. "Would you like me to help you? We can study once or twice a week, I mean I know I'm not as smart as you but two heads are better then one right?"

That was enough to get Katniss to laugh a bit who at the time was cleaning the kitchen floor. "Thanks so much Clove that means a lot to me, I mean whatever you can do would be more then enough."

Clove wipes her hands fast and hard as she dries them off on a green cloth that rested on the island. "No problem, glad I can help."

Katniss puts some dirt into the dust pan and quickly stands up. "Oh, another reason I called is because Cato wants us all to meet tomorrow at the gym...he says he wants to pump up for the season for who knows what he means by that! But I can't go, cause I promised my mom that I would keep an eye on Prim while she met up with some friends for lunch.  Will you be able to go?"