I glance over at the clock on my nightstand. 1:36 am. I brace myself as another scream rocks the house. Upstairs, I hear my father trying to calm my mother to sleep. All I can hear is the tone of his voice, but I know that he'll be telling her the same thing as every other nightmare; "It's not real, Katniss. Remember that it's not real. It's over. Nothing bad can happen anymore. We won. Snow is dead. Coin is dead. The Games don't happen anymore…" It's always the same. I don't know what she dreams about, but I know it's in the past. It has something with the Hunger Games, President Snow, and the rebellion. It's all I know. I learned about the history of Panem in school, complete with the rebellion and aftermath. The one thing I don't know, however, is how my parents fit into all of it. My mother sent a note to the teacher excusing me from learning about all that. She wants to tell me herself, when she's ready. I try to respect that, but I'm getting impatient. I hope she tells me soon. All I know is that she and my father are both victors, and were both instrumental in the rebellion.
My name is Willow Mellark Everdeen, and I'm sixteen years old.
The next morning, I wake up at 6:00 on the dot, as usual. I fell back asleep pretty fast after I was woken up by my mother, and I feel well-rested. I dress quietly, careful not to wake my family. On my way out the door I check in on Rye, who is fast asleep in his bedroom. His day doesn't start until at least an hour from now.
I make my way next door, to Haymitch's house. Every morning, it is my job to check in on him, and get him set for the day. He's well into his seventies now, and everyone's surprised at his good health. He hardly has any problems according to the town doctor, although he regularly drinks way too much. Apparently this has been a problem for him his entire life, or at least since he won the Games. I'm pretty sure he pulled a stunt President Snow didn't like, so the people he loved were killed. How else would he have won? He's not exactly physically gifted.
When I walk in, I find Haymitch passed out on the couch, clutching a knife. He still doesn't feel safe enough to break this habit. His drinking and knife-clutching is like my parents' nightmares. None of them will ever feel completely safe.
I find my usual bowl, fill it with water, and dump it on Haymitch. As he comes to his senses, spluttering and brandishing his weapon, I set to work. It's amazing how much work the man can undo each day. Every morning, I clean his house. The next day, it's trashed.
Haymitch takes a shower, shaves, dresses, and eats. I wash dishes, dust furniture, wash clothes, and make enough food to last him through the day. When he is all ready to go, I ration out his liquor for the day. Every day, he gets a flask that will last him through the day if he's careful. By the end of the night, he's usually pretty drunk, but giving him a limited amount keeps him sober until dusk. It's the best we can hope for, because Haymitch could never cut out alcohol completely. He's literally addicted to it. When he had to go cold-turkey during the rebellion, he began to have hallucinations, and get mysteriously sick. He was able to function, but nighttime was debilitating. When I was born, my parents wanted me to know him as Haymitch, not the drunk next door. They compromised, and that's how I ended up here. When Haymitch tried to cheat, my parents stopped talking to him. I didn't think it would work, but he actually learned his lesson.
When I'm done my morning work, I walk home. There is a strange car outside, a limousine with darkened (and probably bulletproof) windows. I walk inside. Our house reeks of roses, for some reason. I step into the kitchen and see who my mother is talking to. I've never met her in person, but I know exactly who she is. The whole country does. She steps forward to shake my hand. "Rosalia Snow, victor of the Final Hunger Games. You must be Willow. Pleasure to meet you."
AN: Please review! I will try to update as soon as possible- there will probably be one more update this summer because I am going on a long vacation. After July begins, my Chapter 3 will not be published until the end of August. Sorry about this!