A one shot for the Hunger Games Roleplay prompt of the week The Mellark Family, Blue. Enjoy :)
AU 8 years after Mockingjay. Peeta POV
When the waves come crashing down
When I watch the blue sparkling waves and my children running through them as they crash against the shore, I think of the day. The days I should say. When my mother would beat me, or whack me and my father would take no notice.
Flashback
"PEETA MELLARK!"
I slink over to my mother scared of what she will do this time.
She slaps me round the face so hard I stumble and fall back hitting my head hard against the wall. Salty tears run down my face as I struggle to stand under my mother's glowering glare. She stares at me waiting for me to say something so she can hit me again.
My father sits at the table tucking into a squirrel that Katniss brought. Never watching, never intervening as she hits me time and time again.
I slide out from under her grabbing the two loaves of bread that I burnt so carelessly moments before and run out of the house and too the pig trough.
Then I see Katniss hunched over against a wall holding a bundle of rags and soaking wet.
I decide what I must do and rip off the burnt parts then chuck the loaves at her when I'm certain that mother isn't watching.
She stares at them for a moment as if trying to take it all in and then grabs the loaves and runs off with them without even a word of thanks.
I will still love her though as long as we both live.
I turn back to the house to face the dragon mother with her next wrath.
End of Flashback
I shudder at the memory of my mother who is no more. I wasn't exactly upset that they died. I mean they never showed me any love except my father sometimes. My brothers ignored me and didn't even volunteer when I was reaped. I'm not sorry they did this; I never would have met Katniss without it.
I put all of this behind me as Rosie comes running over. She looks exactly like her mother except for my eyes which Katniss loves so much. Her brown hair is dripping with the blue sea droplets and she is laughing, probably at something Kai told her. This is exactly how I love to see her.
I wrap her in a blue towel and cuddle her close even though she is soaking.
"Daddy," she says from inside the towel. "Why do you Mummy have nightmares every night?"
It takes a moment to think over all the nightmares in the past and all the times Rosie or Luke have come into the room scared because one of us were screaming so loud.
"Mummy and I have bad memories from the past," I reply.
She seems satisfied with this answer and asks "And why do I have a grandma from Mummy's side but not from yours Daddy."
"Because your Grandma Mellark died when I was younger as did both your Grandpas."
"How did they die Daddy?"
"Mummy or I will tell you when you are older just like what we said about Aunty Prim."
"Fine," she frowns and runs back into the sea with the others.
I sigh deeply and think.
Who will tell her about all the troubles of our past?
And how the colour blue can be a blessing and a curse.