Aloe Mellark: The Hunger Games Epilogue

Chapter 7:

"Morning, Allie" I spin around to look at my brother standing in the doorway, a handful of cookies in his fist.
"Morning," I reply, trying to slow my heartbeat down "how long have you been standing  there?"
"Long enough." He replied shrugging his shoulders.
"It's rude to stare at people, you know." I say, letting a smile escape my lips.
"Ya, but you looked deep in though. Didn't want to bother you." He says walking slowly towards me. He streaches out his hand and offers me a cookie. I take it and nibble.
"What's on your mind?" He asks, taking a bite of his cookie as he sits in the sofa beside me.
"Lots: President Paylor, The Games. Mom, Dad," I pause and look at Rye "you." He looks at me with confusion and wonder.
"Me?" He says in a high pitched voice. I chuckle, and take another bite of my cookie. I love dad's cookies. They can almost forget all your problems and help you escape to a wonderful world made of chocolate.
"Remember when we were kids, Rye?" I ask, gazing at my cookie.
"What part?" He starts laughing and takes the last bite of his cookie. "I'm 11, so technically I am still a child. We had lots of memories from when we were kids." I smile and look out the window, fiddling with the napkin in my hand.
"Remember when we went to the meadow for lunch that one time?" I don't have to say anymore. He remembers.
Rye was 5, and I was 13. Mom  and dad came back from the Hob and had a ton of food in a small basket. Dad came in and grabbed a blanket from the linin closet. They told us to follow them and we ended up going past the old fence that used to trap our family inside the gates. Rye and I walk for what seems like hours when mom stops and lies the quilt out. We are standing in a large empty lot. There is a really old she'd with all but one window broken, wood stacked in the corner and a fireplace. Cute. I run up to the house and look around and find a huge lake and some really pretty flowers. I pick a bunch and bring them to my mom. Dad bends over and plucks a small dandelion from the ground and hands it to my mom. She smile and gives him a kiss on the cheek. When the sun is about in the one o'clock section of the sky, mom calls us in to eat.
She sets out four plates and a small chicken. Dad grabs a bottle of water for each of us. We sat there in the field and laughed at funny old stories of mom and dad's childhood.
Mom told us that her dad taught her to swim in this very lake. Dad said that mom taught him to swim at their 75th Hunger Games. After we ate, we layer down and stared at the sky and tried to make pictures out of the clouds. Dad suggested they teach us to swim. Dad grabbed Rye and I stuck with mom and she taught us how to float, and do a doggie paddle. I loved to swim after that. We swam for  hours. By the time we got home, the sum was already setting beyond the trees of District 12.
That was, by far, the best day of my life. There was no way I'd forget it.
"Ah." He says, breaking me from my thoughts again. "Memories." He mumbles as he looks out the window.
"Ya. OK, I'm going to ask you something." I say. He looks scared,  but nods his head.
"I need you to be strong for mom and dad, ok?" I say, tears threatening to fall.
"Why? " He tenses.
"Becouse no matter what, one of us has to go into the arena." I say, trying to make it sound natural, but fail miserably. My tears finally fall. Rye tries to say something, but I inturupt.
"I am not letting you go to your death. There is a better chance of me winning anyways. Mom taught my to shoot a bow. Dad taught me to throw a knife." He starts sobbing, and I hold him in my arms for several seconds. " I pull away and look him in the eye and he tries to smile, but his sadness shows through his smile.
"Try to win. Maybe you can."
"Of coarse," I say shocked at the comment. "I am smart too you know. I can hunt, shoot, and am very stelthy."
"I know. But there are going to be how many more other Tributes there with you. Your chances against the careers are slim." He looks at the floor and and smile spreads across my face.
"I'll tell you what. You help mom and dad around the house, be good
and even if i do die, be as good as you can. I'll bring you a surprise from the Capital, but only if you are a good helper for the whole time i'm gone. Deal?" I hold out my hand, waiting for him to shake. He sits there, unsure what to do.
"Deal." He yells suddenly, taking my hand and pulling me in for a hug. The sound of my parents sturring, upstairs meant they were awake. 

And that ment another minute close to the Reaping.