The Sky siblings didn't make it past the bloodbath. They didn't even try. When their bodies are returned there're only a small handful of people in attendance. Res, my brothers, and I all carried Gwen's casket while Warrick's friends from school carried his.

Alun Scaler, son of the late Benton and Gabby Scaler, speaks for both kids having had both in his class. After him Mother steps up and talks about the bravery these two had and about Warrick's devotion to his sister. How it has been a long time since she's seen such loyalty in a pair of tributes.

Once the funeral was over, Mother stayed very quite as she walked among the graves of the other tributes. There are a few she spends more time at than others, like Sorrel and Jenner from the thirty-eighth games. I've remembered or at least heard of some of the stories of tributes that made more than an impression on my parents.

Over the next few days I watched my Mother transform into someone I thought was lost forever. Every day she seemed to radiate life just as I remembered in my early childhood before Grandpa Jay died. Sure they'd be times where she'd stare off into some blank space for a few minutes, but she always got lost in her own world.

I remember that morning as if it was yesterday. Evy and I had the day off and we spent part of the morning picking the wildflowers as a present for my mother's birthday. We ran into Uncle Blane and we stopped to talk with him.

"She short-sheeted the principle's bed?" I ask unbelieving.

"Your father's idea. He dragged his brother and your mother into it as well. We were pretty stupid in those days. It was just the one time, and they never got caught. There were too many likely culprits and the principle would never admit to it. He ended up giving the whole school extra homework, but of course your mother didn't look at it as a punishment."

The roar of cars interrupts our laughter. Wherever they're going, they're in a hurry as they blare their horns for people to get out of the way.

"Don't turn left," Blane whispered.

But when they did, my heart dropped possibly dreading the same thing Blane was. The Capitol changed its mind on letting our family be whole. Or this had been the plan all along.

"Evy, stay with him. I'm going to find out what's happening."

Blane grabs my arm hard. "No heroics. If it looks bad, get out. I'll hide her."

I've never run so hard in my life, not even in competitions. What feels like an eternity passes before I can see what's happening, but I don't understand what's going on.

The first people I see are Valance and Lark holding on to each other. As I get further up the hill I see Mother on the ground appearing to be asleep. But there's some kind of machine connected to her body. Nearby Father watches in agony.

"Clear!"

Mother's body raises from the ground as whatever that machine is goes off.

"Still nothing," says a medic. He swears before adding, "I'm calling it. Time of death…"

My world comes to a sudden halt. What did he just say? "Mom? Mom!"

There was some temporary confusion as to my identity, but the Peacekeepers let me through. The medic looks at me. "I'm sorry, but she's gone."

Father is on the ground holding her tightly rocking her back and forth. Grandfather kneels beside him. He says nothing only stays near. Grandmother stays on the porch, tears falling from her eyes. She holds me tightly as my own tears begin to fall.

"We have to tell the others," I say. "Call Pepper. Ask her to get Aron and Clea out of work. I'll find Rotor."

"I'll call Pepper," says Lark. "Valance you'd better tell Alara before she hears about it on the news."

Grandmother lets me go. I take one last look at my Father who still refuses to let her go before running down the path. Rotor works on the same shift as my father, only he didn't have today off. By now he should be at his house, our Grandparent's old home, sound asleep.

"Rotor wake up," I say shaking him.

Groggily he gets out 'night shift' before rolling back over.

"Rotor, mom is dead."

His eyes snap open as he stares at me. "Not funny, Boron. I just talked to her an hour ago from Lilac's house. She was fine."

"I don't know what happened, but I was just up there," I say. "She's gone."

An hour later and we're all gathered together at Alara's home while Valance and Lark continue to answer phone calls to our home. Father stays with his mother, Grandfather has Clea's head in his lap as he gently strokes her hair as she cries out. Rotor stands by the door keeping to himself, Lilac and Cherry Peaks are near him but he has already refused their comfort. A pair of Aron's friends sit with him. Uncle Blane, his son Ron, and Res Braddock stand around. Evy and I take comfort with each other. As the healer's apprentice, Evy was up here twice a week for her lessons in caring for the plants used in the medicines. Mother was her teacher. It was how we met.

Aunt Pepper is still at her office making and answering phone calls. It doesn't matter how much mother's death has shaken her, she is still the mayor and the Capitol demands answers. When she is finished she promised to come straight up.

Grandmother coaxes Father into the living room. She asks for Rotor to come closer, but he doesn't want to move. At this point no one is forcing anyone to do anything.

"I think she knew," Grandmother confesses.

"Knew what?" asks Clea.

Grandmother looks down at the floor. "That she would die soon. She had an episode a few nights ago and I found her outside crying. She said she didn't want to go and that she wanted to stay here." Grandmother's voice cracks, "She said she didn't want to wake up."

After that Rotor left the house and I quickly followed. When I catch up he's by the edge of the fence. Slowly he slides against a tree as the tears come in waves, the first he's shed since I've told him the news. He's never been one to cry in front of anyone.

I sit next to him and pull his head to me like he'd let father do sometimes. We just sit there staring at the woods beyond the fence surrounding District Five.