Our family doesn't really have many traditions as such, but I guess you can call this one. Every year for as long as I can remember at exactly the same time (one week before Liberation Day) they come to visit. They stay until one week after Liberation Day. Even though they are just two weeks, they are the best two weeks of my year and every year I die of anticipation just waiting for the time to come again.

For most people Liberation Day and the time around it is a time to celebrate. People throw parties and see friends. It is a time of happiness. Except in my family it is a time of mourning. I don't even know the people we mourn, but it is still distressing to see how depressed my mother gets. My mother always has nightmares, and now I am used to waking up during the night to the sound of her screams and sobbing. My father is the only person who can really console her and he always does. I don't think Mum has even realised that sometimes after she is finally calm and asleep, Dad will often sit in our kitchen and cry until dawn.

I suppose in a twisted way Jaeger, my brother, and I are lucky. Our parents cry and suffer in the night when nobody is listening; unlike Annie Odair who will have breakdowns at the drop of a hat, no matter where she is. Once she had a breakdown just as she stepped off the train coming to visit us. I was much younger then and I did not understand why she was crying. I thought maybe she was happy to see us at first, but from the look on her son Caspian's face I knew Annie was not happy.

Caspian is like the big brother I always wished to have, he just gets me and I love him for that. He has inherited his father's good looks and his eyes never cease to amaze me. They are the prettiest colour I have ever seen and I miss them for the fifty weeks of the year he is not with me. I don't just miss his eyes really, I miss Caspian. When he visits we go hunting together. We have the best spot down by the river that runs through the forest joining to the lake. Caspian fishes in the waters while I shoot birds and squirrels. It is our special spot and we found when I was eleven. Caspian is ten years older than me, which I hate; I wish I could be older so I am closer to him. He always keeps just a little bit more space between us because of the ages. I'm sure that if we were closer in age that gap would be non-existent.

Occasionally Jaeger comes with us into the forest. He's a hopeless shot and a useless hunter. Just like my father, Mum would joke sometimes on one of her better days. The funny thing is that Jaeger's name means hunter but he is the least competent hunter in our family. He spends most of his time either helping Dad in the bakery or drawing in his sketchbook. When he does come with us into the forest he usually sits by the river and draws all day. He is very protective of his sketchbook and doesn't like people to see what he draws in it, but occasionally I am granted the honour of seeing his sketches and, I must say, they are beautiful. Jaeger and I are reasonably close compared to other siblings. I am the 'dominant' personality in our relationship. People tell me I have my father's charm. Jaeger tends to keep to himself mostly and is very shy around people and he is always cautious to let them get close to him.


Screaming echoes around the house. The sound is coming from my parents' room, of course. I can hear my mother sobbing through the wall. Whenever I hear Mum crying like this I wonder if it is like this for everyone who was involved in the war and the Hunger Games. Did everyone suffer like this or is Mum worse than most? I can hear everything she is sobbing clearly.

"I was screaming. They were back! They were trying to take her!" She is sobbing. Although I can't see it, I can imagine her head resting on Dad's chest; he will have her arms around her and will be smoothing the back of her head.

"It was just a dream, Katniss," my father soothes gently.

"They were trying to make her be in their game! They wanted me to mentor her; to watch her die!" more sobbing follows and then a painful silence.

"The games are over, Katniss, Karri is safe and so is Jaeger. There are no reapings; there are no games. Panem is safe now."

Silence.

"Peeta, how do you know that? What if it came back? What if it did?"

"It won't."

"You don't know that! I remember every death I saw! Do you? I remember that spear in Rue's stomach and the arrow I shot through that boy from district one. He had a family too, Peeta! And Glimmer and the girl from four, I can still see her practically falling to pieces as I grabbed the bow! And so many others killed by me, killed by careers, by Finnick, by everyone in those games!"

More painful silence; or more likely Dad is just whispering so quietly that I can't hear him.

I stare at the ceiling of my room and wait. It could be minutes, it could be hours. I can't hear Mum anymore; she has probably fallen asleep again; gone back to her nightmares. I stare at the ceiling; waiting for what I know comes next. Surely enough after just minutes I hear my parent's door creak open and close with a soft thud, followed by the low groans of the floorboards as my father moves down the corridor to the stairs. When I was younger I would creep down stairs and watch as my father began to bake as he cried, but now I don't bother, it's too painful I guess.

I swing myself up on my bed and pull my nighty over my head. I get up and grab my favourite shirt, pulling it over my head. I grab my good pants and slide into my warm, brown jacket. Gently easing open my window, I throw out my boots. They hit the ground with a soft thud. I climb gracefully over the window sill and walk carefully over a few metres so I'm in-line with a branch that is almost touching the roof. I jump and feel a rush of adrenaline as I reach for the branch. My fingers wrap tightly around the branch, it is covered in dew but I get a good grip. I don't hesitate before letting go and dropping to the ground with a thump. I wipe my hands on my pants, drying them, and head across to collect my boots; then I take off.

Even in the dark of night the forest is familiar. I know every tree, every sound. The rustle of a breeze through the leaves is as comforting to me as how another might perceive an embrace from their mother. It will be a long while before the sun comes up, but the moon is full and bright. I like running, it makes me feel free. I go out like this most nights. I guess the mood of our house after a nightmare is just too uncomfortable.

I used to only go into the forest during the day; spent my weekends exploring. It was when I was thirteen that I found my favourite place. I was lost when I found it; trying to find my way back. Funny; I was so, so lost, and in the middle of being so lost I found that tree, and I no longer felt lost at all. Far into the forest, up on a ridge, there is a tree. The tree is so high that when you're at the top it is as if you can see the whole world. I had climbed it to see the way back, but instead I had stayed for hours admiring the view. Today I reach my tree and immediately begin my ascent up its rich red bark. Once I get to the top I finally let myself rest; leaning back against the tree's bough I exhale slowly. My breath comes out as a soft, white cloud, which curls and rises up above my head. It is so cold that the air is prickling my skin, stinging my nose when I breathe in. I close my eyes and let my thoughts drift to a faraway place. The branches are so thick that I can sleep on the tree without falling. I don't feel like sleeping, but in the end my eyelids always give in to the invisible weight that is pulling them down.

I wake with a start at the sound of Mockingjays singing loudly to each other. There is one perched on the branch above my head, I smile at it and then I realise that the sun is already half way up in the sky. I curse and climb down through the branches. I drop from the last branch and hit the ground running. There is no time to be quiet, no time not to alert every creature to my presence in the forest. I sprint until I burst through the outskirts of the forest and into the meadow. I pause for a moment, clutching my sides which are aching, then, ignoring the burning in my legs and the aching from my sides, I take off again around the back of town to the victor's village. As I run up the path towards the houses, which are just in sight, I smack into Haymitch.

"Karri Everdeen-Mellark, you're going a bit fast for a gentle morning jog," he chortles. I roll my eyes but give him a warm smile at the same time. "Getting into shape for young Caspian, are we?" He gave me a wink and a wicked smile to accompany.

"Oh shove off!" I snap and then I laugh with him. "Annie and Caspian get here today."

"I know that." Haymitch says grimly, "Tell your dad I'll be over for dinner. He invited me to join."

"You know it'll just be a right pity-feast! Everyone will be in mourning."

"I know, but I liked Finnick Odair, and your aunty, so I think I will be joining." Haymitch tells me sincerely, "Remember, Karri, it isn't an easy time for your parents. They lost many friends, Katniss lost Primrose and Peeta lost his whole family. Annie Odair lost the love of her life and the father of her son."

"I know, but Dad's family didn't even die during the two weeks."

"That's not the point, Karri, be nice to them, don't cause them anymore grief," Haymitch instructs, he then gives me another wicked smile, "That means no kissing Caspian Odair. He's too old for you." Haymitch laughs and gives me another wink. Trust Haymitch to make a joke out of that! I shake my head.

"See you, Haymitch."

"See you, Sweetheart." I jog the rest of the way home and decide I may as well go through the door rather than my window. No point sneaking back in now, not at this time. I slip in through the back door and collide almost instantly with Jaeger. His eyes narrow at me.

"Where've you been?" He asks suspiciously.

"Out."

"I ought to tell Mum," he replies.

"You wouldn't."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you heard her nightmare last night too." Jaeger's face twists into a sad, hurt look. "Sorry, Jae, that was low." He sighs.

"No, it was true. I heard the nightmare. She asked if you were up before, she wants to braid your hair before we go to meet the Odairs at the train station," Jaeger informs me, "I told her you were asleep still."

I give my brother a grateful smile, "Thanks, Jae." I head into the kitchen and Jaeger heads upstairs. Mum is sitting at the kitchen table slowly pulling apart a cheese bun and Dad is at the bench decorating a cake. I hop onto one of the stools and grab a shiny red apple from the fruit bowl. I turn it over in my hand and twist the top until it snaps off.

"Haymitch said he can come for dinner," I tell my dad, I bite into the apple. It is so cold that it hurts my teeth. Mum looks up from her dissected cheese bun.

"You've been out already?" She asks in confusion, "Jaeger said you were asleep."

"I just… I"

"There's mud all over your boots, Karri!" Mum notes. "What have I told you about going into the forest at night?"

"I'm sorry, Mum," I whisper. I looked down at my apple which has just one bite out of it in shame. The guilt builds up in my stomach and curse myself inwardly for not being a better liar. "Jaeger said you wanted to braid my hair?" I whisper softly. Mum smiles slightly at me.

"I did, if you want me to." I nod slightly. "Come up to my room then." I leave behind my barely touched apple and follow her upstairs and into her room. I sit down on the chair in front of the mirror and let Mum brush my hair and I watch as she twists it into the most beautiful braid, just like the ones she used to wear when she was my age.

"There you go," she whispers, "Beautiful." She kisses the top of my head lightly and looks back up at the mirror. I study her reflection and can't help smiling sadly, because I'm nowhere near beautiful compared to my mother, yet she will never be completely happy ever again because of the games that have scarred her life and haunt her dreams every night.


I would love to hear what you think of the first chapter. Just so you all know, the games aren't coming back, Panem is at peace, though as obvious in this chapter many people's mind and memories are not at peace. This story is going to be about dealing with grief, emotional scars and angst. It probably won't be very uplifting either and a bit dark at times. That's my main note. Please let me know your thoughts and next chapter you will get to meet Caspian Odair.

The Black Rosette