The Next Generation: Chapter One: "Coming To Terms"

I knot the flowers together, the green stems coloring my thumbs. The Chain is about 8 primroses long, the blooms of yellow, white, pink, and purple looking like a rainbow against the evergreen grass. The Sun burns against my back, the slight breeze doing nothing to pause the heat. I got the Idea at school, watching the Mockingjays singing Rue's song at recess. It will look so pretty against my window and the lavender walls of my room. I'm adding the tenth one when I hear Mom's Voice: "Willow, honey? Where are you? We need to talk!" pouring out the Kitchen window. I sigh and lay the wreath on the rock next me and run across the meadow to the house, barefoot as always.

I enter the vivid kitchen decreated with Rues and Primroses, the smell of baked katnisses with gravy in the oven and Father's freshly baked baked bread in the air. I've always admired our kitchen, so much prettier than my friends. Mom sits on the bar stool at the Island, her dark hair a large wave against her olive skin and gray eyes. She smiles lightly at me. "You look just like her, Willow."

I nodd. Aunt Prim. I never met her, she was dead long before I came to the world, and I don't know the whole story, but when mom talks about her, her eyes get sad and mournful, full of love and fear. I don't look like her at all, (from what I know what she looked like) I look like mom, and her father. I have Father's bright blue eyes and mom's dark hair and skin. But mom inisits that I have the same face as Aunt Prim and same stance, "fresh a raindrop, ready to take flight.."

I sit down across her and say "Mom? What's wrong?"

She lets out a shakey sigh, and looks down at the Island, then back at me. "She was just 12, did you know that Honey?"

"Aunt Prim?"

"yes. You know about the Hunger games, right? They explained that in school?"

"yeah..."

The thought of what happend for 75 years makes me want to cry.

"Good. She was only 12 when it all started...you are old enough to come to terms to the whole story now aren't you? You are 12."

My eyes widen. *I finally get to know?* "Yes, yes-. Yes, I am ready."

She frowns. "I wish your father was here, but this my story. After all, she was my sister..." she let's out a small smile. "Your father has a story too, do you know it?"

"Which one?" I say

She laughs at at that. "He has a lot of stories, doesn't he? He's always been good with words."

"Mom...Is his 'story' the one of you and him falling in love?"

She laughs again, a rarity. "Yes, yes, it is. However, you have to be 16 for that one..."

"16? Mom!"

"Honey, me and him we were 16,"

"But-"

"Ok, maybe 14. But I have a story to tell. Are you ready?"

I let out a breath, preparing for the darkness. "Yes."

And a story it is. Aunt Prim was 12 when she had her first reaping. She was entered once. Mom did not worry about Prim getting called as tribute, that was impossible. But it was possible. And "Primrose Everdeen!" was called. Out of fear and love, Mom voluntered for her. When the war began, Aunt Prim was studying to be a doctor at District 13. When the districts finally attaked the capitol, it was chaos. At Snow's mansion, he had gathered all the capitol children into a circle armed with guards in the blizzard that froze the poor children. Mom tells me she still does not know why they are there, though proposes the idea of them being Snows "Body sheild" which is horrible. But if can kill 24 kids every year, a whole district, 12 district's hope, and the capitol's smartness, who knows what he can do? Then some parachutes came and blew up the children. District 13 nurses and doctors rushed to their aid, including Aunt Prim. And suddenly, they blew up again. All surviors and and rescures were killed instantly. Prim was no longer. Even though it was found Alma Coin was the one who killed them to make the capitol beleive Snow had killed them to get them on their side, and Mom killed Coin, She couldn't get over the knowledge of knowing that her best friend, Gale, had created the invention that killed her sister. Gale never told her wether he knew what Coin was using it for and after the war ended they never saw each other again.

I gasp, I had always assumed she had died from being captured and tourtured to death or something. This was way worse. I couldn't beleived I carried the namesake of a murdered sister. Well, aunt.

"Mom?" I say when she is finished.

"Yes, Willow?"

"We're safe...right?"

"Yes. Safer than safe. But we are human, so who knows?"

"ah."

Then she says something even more unexpected at dinner.