Disclaimer: I do not own the story nor the character depicted here.
Author's Note:
This story is from Katniss's and Peeta's daughter's point of view. Mockingjay does not tell you their children's exact age so I do not guess and it does not tell you their names and I do not care to make them up. I am not Suzanne Collins. So although it was hard to write this without their names I managed.
I walk down the stairs to see my brother sitting alone at the table. That's odd. My dad is always up before the two of us -and sometimes even Mom- to begin his baking.
"Where's Daddy?" I ask. I'm guessing that he already went out to the bakery which is fine with me. With Mom gone to visit Grandma it would mean that I would finally get to go out without all the lectures. My brother would be perfectly capable of taking care of himself. I'm nearly seventeen and he's only a few years behind me.
He looks up at me. "I haven't seen him." He shrugs. "He must have left really early this morning because I've been up for hours."
As if in response to that statement a scream shatters the atmosphere. My brother and I exchange a look for about half a second before bolting down the hall.
"Dad!" The chair my brother's sitting in flies out from beneath him.
"Daddy!" I scream bolting after him.
We crash into our parents bedroom and scan it until we come across the horrible that until now we've been protected from seeing. Our father is sitting on the floor just rocking back and forth, his eyes squeezed shut, drenched in sweat, and screams escaping from his pursed lips. This is what both him and Mom call "episodes". This is when we usually both leave the house for awhile and leave Mom to do her job as his partner. But Mom isn't here.
"Daddy?" I whisper.
My dad's eyes fly open to stare at me. His pupils almost nonexistent.
My brother rushes over to him, recovering quicker then me, and kneels in front of him.
"What do we do?" I whisper but it's drowned out as another scream begins.
"Get Haymitch!" My brother screams, looking at me over his shoulder. He's placed his hands on either side of Dads face, trying to bring him back to us. ""Go!" He yells again.
I run.
I run out of that house so quickly over to Haymitch's and at some point begin to cry hysterically wishing that my Mom was here. I wish she was here to take over. I wish she was here to make Dad feel better.
"Haymitch!" I yell bursting through the man's front door. "Haymitch!" I worry that I'm overreacting but somehow I know I'm not.
"What?" comes a frantic, thankfully sober, voice as he comes bounding down the stairs. He takes one look at my face and comprehension appears to sink in. "Your dad?"
I nod. The tears won't stop.
Haymitch pushes past me. The look that flashes in his eyes is the first that I've seen that resembles genuine concern. He really does care about my dad.
"Call your mother!" is the last things he manages to get out before I hear the front door slam. I'm still crying but I decide to listen to him. I need to talk to her. I find a phone and dial her number.
"Haymitch?" I hear her lovely voice ask.
"No Mom, it's me." I answer trying to hide the hoarseness in my voice.
It doesn't work.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Her voice is so comforting to hear but it only make me start crying more.
"It's Daddy." I choke around a sob.
"Wha- What happened? Where is he? Is he okay?" I can hear the confliction in her voice between acting calm for me and panicking over the man she loves.
"I don't know. He's at the house. He's having an episode." I wish I knew more. For my mom.
"Okay. It's going to be okay." It sounds like she's trying to convince herself more than me. "You're at Haymitch's?" She asks.
"Yes. Haymitch went over to the house" I whisper. It's the only way I can talk now.
"Stay there until he gets back." It sounds like she's putting on her mask to hide her worry. She knows I'm scared. "Where's your brother?"
"He's at the house too."
"…Okay" I can tell my mom doesn't like that. "I'm going to go try and get home as fast as I can, okay? You stay there, you understand? No matter what you hear."
I hate knowing what she means. "I understand."
"I love you." She says. Her voice is shaking.
"I love you too, Mom."
The phone clicks and I'm alone.
Sequel?
