A Waking Nightmare (TNHID Book 2)

Chapter 7

Willow

I move away from the bedroom before someone realizes I heard everything.

So many answers.

Too many questions.

What did Dad mean when he said that Mom used to be friends with the president? When could she have had the chance to kill him? Why are they enemies now? What did he mean when he said he was hijacked? And what does he mean that she'll get another chance? Are they planning to kill him?

One thing is clear: my parents did not come even close to telling me the whole story of their pasts.

I turn onto my side and glance at the clock. The bright numbers show 2:01 am. I know that I should be resting, but sleep evades me. I don't feel tired at all. My thoughts are filled with these questions and the details of the conversation. Not to mention the reaping which is tomorrow... or today.

Does my mom want to die? The thought comes to my mind unbidden, the one question I've been trying not to ask. Obviously, I know that she's not happy. She puts on a brave face for me, but a happy person doesn't cry as much as she does. But even then, I never thought that it had become that dire.

I hear the floorboards creak outside my door, so I relax enough to feign sleep. I know that it is my dad without even looking. My mom wouldn't have made so much noise, and I heard her screaming earlier anyway, probably from yet another nightmare. I doubt she has recovered enough to check on me.

I wake up to the sound of her shrieks often. Almost every night is a nightmare for her. I know that she has a fear of falling asleep most evenings.

Dad comes closer and pulls the covers up to my chin, his hand reaching up to brush a stray strand of hair from my face. He kisses me softly on the forehead before receding.

I wait until I hear the door shut with a click before I risk opening my eyes. I have to use the bathroom, but I don't want to get up from the bed. The tenderness that my dad shows me time and time again fills me with warmth, and I am so cozy underneath the covers.

I finally let my eyes sink and welcome sleep.

➳➳➳

I begin to understand the problem my mother has with nightmares. Maybe I am just overthinking everything since my parents always seem to expect the worst. But I suspect that this nightmare won't be the last.

I begin to see my mother's hunger games, all of the worst parts of it. Only interrupted by the occasional moment of peace. And I am seeing it all through her point of view.

I see my Aunt Prim looking scared as her name is reaped. I never got to meet her since she died during the war between the districts and the Capitol, but I know that she was gentle and kind. And part of the reason that my mom has been so mentally scarred.

Then I begin to yell desperately, as though I'm afraid they won't hear me, "I volunteer!" I don't know most of the other details of the reaping, but I understand that my mom was dismayed when my dad was called. I skip past the good-byes, the train ride, and chariots. My mom only told me what might be important if I ever ended up in the arena. This does not include things like pretty dresses and nice hair.

Things resume during training. I watch as other tributes two or three times bigger than me flex their skills. And I feel fear for my life. Images flash past me again until my Dad's interview. I see him dropping the bomb that he likes my mom.

I was only told this because my dad wanted me to know about their love story, not just the violent aspects of the games. He believed that I ought to hear of some of the happier parts of their past, because it wasn't all trauma and pain.