When The Canary Sings

May 13th

First Person Point of View: Becca Blue:

* 

Winter was over, and spring was here. The days grew longer and nights were shorter. Darkness was gone and replaced by light. The flowers sprouted out of the previously frozen Earth, and the grass in the meadow turned green again. The sky was a brighter shade of blue, and there were less and less clouds in the sky.

All the months of spring were good, it was an easy time. The ice thawed and it was easier to work outside. Not hot, not cold. I like everyday in spring, except for one. May 13th. 

May 13th is not my favorite day. It used to be, but now it's not.

 It's my birthday. When I was little, Mamaw used to buy me something special from the bakery, and when I was super little, like when mama and papa were around, they used to take me to the lake to swim, even though it used to be freezing.

Now, they are all dead, and my birthday is a reminder that I am not a little girl anymore. I've killed. I am far from little.

"You okay?" Will asks, and I turn my head. Earlier today he came to the house and asked Haymitch to take me somewhere. Instead of completely brushing Will off, Haymitch actually said yes! And then he told Will to bring him home before ten or else Will's head would be in a basket. Then he said something about not coming back with any hickeys, but that doesn't matter. Now, he's reading me through the forest, on a familiar path.

"Yeah," I say lightly, "just thinking," I smile, and he rubs my hand with his thumb. I lean my head on his shoulder as we walk, and he chuckles.

"It's hot out for May," he comments, and I nod, looking up at him. He's holding a basket in his other hand that's not holding mine.

"Where are you taking me?" I smirk, looking up at him, and I don't miss the faint blush that dusts his cheeks.

"I'm about to change your life," He laughs, quoting the song we performed for all the victors what seemed like ages ago.

"By all means," I say, swinging our hands back and forth, "lead the way."

And lead the way he does! He leads us to the very place I thought he would, the lake. The fresh air is almost overwhelming as we take it all in, out here, everything has a smell. Even the water.

"Will!" I whine as we put our things down in the shack, "you should've told me! I could've bought a bathing—"

"Already on it." He says, pulling the one Annie lent to me during my victory tour out of the basket. He tosses it to me and I catch it, but I stare at him for a little too long. He planned this? For my birthday? "Go change!" He says, and I walk into the shack to change.

Quickly, I pulled on the bathing suit and raced outside. "You ready?" I asked, and he laughed, shoving the food back into the basket. He looks up and he does a quick double take. His face is red from the heat as he looks over at me. "Wait—can you swim?" I asked.

"My pop's taken me here once or twice," he shrugged, "you'd be surprised at how many people like to break the law here." He laughed, "I'd be surprised if we don't see Everdeen out here later."

"Yeah, yeah," I say, taking a step onto the rickety old doc, with each step I take, it shifts in the water. I look over at him and wave him over.

He nods with that toothy grin of his, and reaches down, pulling off his shirt. I have to bite my lip and turn around because my face is so red. How?

It's red from the heat, I tell myself. It's red from the heat, It's red from the heat, It's red from the heat, It's red from the heat, It's red from the heat, It's red from the heat, It's red from the heat, It's red from the—