Buttercup (The Hunger Games)
"Katniss! Katniss!"
I look up to see the smiling face of my sister, Primrose. Her hair is golden-blonde and her eyes are blue. Like my mother. I try to swallow down the feeling of hatred for my mother.
But I am forgiving her. Slowly. Bit by bit.
"Katniss?" Prim's voice snaps me back to reality. "Look."
Then….I saw a mass of golden fur.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Prim beamed.
"What-wha-what is…It?" I say nervously.
"I've decided to call It Buttercup."
Then I realize what it is: A cat!
"Prim. I don't need another mouth to feed."
"But-"
"It's very impractical, if you ask me."
"But-"
"No."
Prim bursts into bitter tears.
Okay, maybe I should tell you something about this cat: it's ugly, smelly, dirty, and surrounded by…fleas. I'll have a hard time getting the stains out of her cotton blouse.
My mother enters the room. "What is-?"
"Mama, can I please, please, please, keep the cat?"
"I don't think your sister needs another mouth to feed."
My mother took my side! But it does NOT mean I forgive her.
Prim turns to me. "Please?"
I sigh. "Alright," I say in a gruff voice.
Prim's mouth drops open, and she runs and hugs me. "Thank you!"
I am going to regret this.
Meanwhile, my mother surveyed the cat-I mean Buttercup-with a critical eye. "I'll give it a bath, and use some herbal medicine to get rid of the fleas," she offers.
"THANK YOU!" Prim squeals with joy.
How will I describe what happens next?
So, my mother got the gross stuff out of Buttercup.
And when Prim wasn't looking, I tried to drown it. {But don't tell her that}.
So, with Buttercup in one hand and a bucket of water in the other, I was ready.
But it did NOT work. Buttercup hit the sides of the bucket, manage to topple it over, and crawl out, unharmed.
It is obvious: I will spend the next few years of my life with this incorrigible yellow cat.