You Are My Mockingjay- Watty's Finalist 2013

Returning Home

"Hello?" She says as she looks behind to find Katniss pulling her last few bags from the room. Slowly not to be obvious Clove keeps walking on.

"Hey Peaches it's dad how are you?"

Clove stalls and see's Katniss coming by. "You coming?" She says coming between Clove and the tiny hallway.

"Um hey." Clove tells her father. "I'll be there in a minute."

Katniss stops short and holds up her luggage handle in wonder. "Who you talking to?"

"It's my mom." She says as she lowers her phone from her ear.

"Oh cool, tell her I said hi." Katniss moves up a bit. "I'm gonna head on, see you at the car."

Clove cautiously nods as her friend walks quietly away from the halls. "Clove you there?" Said her father on the other end.

She picks up the receiver now and holds her phone next to her ear. "Sorry I'm here, I'm just getting ready to leave." A pause comes in from the other line, where Clove wasn't sure how he was to react to that since she never told him where she was.

"Where are you exactly?" He says softly.

Nearing the elevator she lets a old couple out as she enters in. "I'm at the Shire ski resort with my friends were just now heading home."

Her father chuckles a bit. "You mean to tell me now you've been out of town while I've been waiting to hang out with you? Oh Clove!"

Clove now has pushed the 1st floor button waiting for the doors to close. "Yeah sorry, it was kinda a last minute thing my friends and I had planned." She knew she had just lied to her father but it was the only way to get by without having to see him just yet.

"No worries just promise me when you get settled back home we can do something ok? I've really missed you."

By now the elevator doors open up and a new serge of people try to scramble in, as she pulls out. "Yeah I know dad, I know but hey have you talked to mom yet?" Just then Clove saw Macie German checking out of the hotel too as she walks by. Macie turns to Clove waving from the desk. She desperately wanted to say something but knowing that would be too hard to do, she just waved kindly back.

"Yeah um no not yet sweetie with my job right now it's been a little hard to. But I promise I will so when do you think you can come by, I'm not far from where you are. You know that house on Brentwood street?"

She knew exactly what house he was talking about. The house on Brentwood had been abandoned for over 6 years due to a fire that went off. "Um, I'll try but dad I got to go my friends and I are leaving now and I can't talk." Clove had to cut it short for she was nearing her friends and like her father said she wasn't suppose to tell anyone about their conversations. Besides it would only make matters worse if Cato knew she went behind her word. Without giving him a chance to respond she hangs up and slips her phone into her jean jacket.

Peeta was putting a pillow into the car when he sees Clove approaching. "Hey you want me to take your bags for you?"

Katniss then approaches Clove from behind. "So how's your mom?" She said carrying her cup of hot chocolate in her thermos.

"Um he- she is fine I didn't really talk too her much though." Katniss nods and starts walking around to the other side of the truck. Clove though hands over her luggage to Peeta as she then drew her attention to Cato and Glimmer who were walking side by side giggling away.

"Oh Cato your too much!" Laughed Glimmer as she grasped at Cato's right hand into hers.

"I'll see you around in a few days." He says as he slowly takes his hands out of Glimmers looking over at his car.

"You better or else!" Glimmer says as she frees her hand from his.

Cato laughs and heads over to his car with a big grin.

Clove rolls her eyes at the scene and jumps in as Cato approaches at his car door. "So you guys ready?" Marvel leaps out of the truck eagerily. "Yeah we are now with no help from you!"

Cato puts up his arms defensively with a big grin. "Hey I have to drive, if any of you want to be my guest." But no one said anything and just piled themselves into the car.

Arriving home the town seemed to be quieter then usual. Some houses Christmas lights were no longer lit and lots of houses that had company over were no longer. Probably for one everyone was exhausted from all the holiday events and would rather be back home.

"Mom, I'm home." Clove says entering at the front door. The smell of apple cider and homemade oatmeal raisin cookies brought a smile to her face as she puts down her bags by the door. "Mom, I'm home!" She said again nearing herself into the family room.

"Hey sweetie welcome home!" Grace says holding out a little plate of cookies in hand. Clove unravels her arms against her chest and hugs her mom around the neck. "How was your trip?"

"It was good we did a lot, how about you?" Her mother sets the dish of plate and invites Clove to sit down. "It was nice, grandma May came over for dinner a couple of nights and I mostly did some deep cleaning from the family party." She glances at her daughter who was grabbing a cookie from the plate. "So anything special happen?"

But Clove shakes her head. "Not really, we just did a lot of skiing, and hung around the lodge. Eventually we did our own things though towards the end but for the most part it was good." Taking the last bite of her cookie Cloves phone beeps.

"Sounds like your friends already miss you." Grace says as she kisses her daughters head before she heads back into the kitchen.

But in reality it was again her father sending a text: Lets meet up tonight, I'm free if you are!