marigolds in bloom [geebs/tom]

You didn’t think that any of them were coming home.

At least, that is what you thought when you decided to plant those flowers in the yard.

It was a simple idea really, you started it when Bella had ultimately been killed in the 78th.

You planted roses for her and sunflowers for Caine.

You couldn’t do it by yourself though, because the last time you tried to grow something on your own, the plant never rose from the ground, and the soil went almost barren.

Sure, that was a couple years ago, but its burned into memory, and you cant help but use this opportunity to at least try to get close to one of the other members that shared a space with you.

Rogue at first was probably the meanest of the bunch. She did not care about anyone, probably because she was left alone at a young age, but that did not mean she didn’t have some sort of personality in there.

It took you a while, but once you lost Bella, and then you both lost Ollie, things got easier between you guys.

You didn’t even try to hide what you were doing from Rogue, and instead, you walked up to her the day that Bella met her end and asked her to help you with planting flowers for the fallen tributes.

And she agreed.

---

And soon enough, next to the roses and the sunflowers, you planted orchids and tulips. One for Ollie, and the other for Charlie. Sure, Charlie wasn’t apart of your family, but Caine wasn’t either.

At this point, it was about remembrance. Solidarity in the fact that their lives mattered way more than what the capitol staked them at.

Rogue and you spent more time then you needed to together, but you didn’t care. Her demeanor was changing as more time passed, and dare you say it, you thought you were becoming friends.

But that was always going to be a loose term around here.

So instead of questioning anything, you simply admired the flowers as you watched them grow from the sidelines. You would plant them and Rogue would make sure that they bloomed, and by the time that spring came, they sprouted from the ground in uniform fashion.

Each time a new batch came up, you would pluck them and take them to either the Emberstatts or to their graves, whichever one needed them more. It didn’t help that you visited the spot where their bodies laid quite frequently.

You missed Bella more than anything though, and the only way you could feel even remotely close was to keep stopping by. And Rogue would call you an idiot for not trying to let go, but you told her that letting go was just not something you were ready to do.

They died in cold blood, and so their lives needed to be celebrated.

And if this is how they had to do it, then so be it, but you weren’t going to let anyone tell you anything differently.

---

And so when the current games was going on, you watched both of the tributes from ten go on each day, and you tried your hardest to hope that one of them was going to come home.

One of them was Enzo, the boy who liked to steal your hair clips from time to time because he felt like they looked better on him. And then there was Temple Jones, a girl that you did not know, but one that reminded you of Ollie’s quiet nature.

Days passed, and both of them were fighting valiantly to come home to your district, but that did not last. First Enzo then Temple. Both of them feel in similar ways, and you couldn’t help but cry for them.

But those tears would soon turn into flowers.

You decided that you would plant daisies for Enzo, a rather simple flower with vibrant colors adorning it, and then marigolds for Temple because there was something striking about them.

The anthem played and Rogue had already put them into the ground. All you had to do was wait for them to grow.

---

The finale ended, the girl from four winning the whole thing. But you were told to keep watching because there was a twist at the end of this games that hadn’t been announced yet.

Before you knew it, the news of 23 living tributes surfaced, but you could not buy it at first.

Because you knew that Bella should have been one of them.

But she wasn’t, instead, Temple Jones and Enzo both got a second chance at living, and while you were angry at first, you knew that Bella wouldn’t have wanted you to be so. It just wasn’t her time anymore, and that was just something you had to accept.

Then you heard that they were coming home soon, which amazed you because you thought that maybe the capitol would want to keep them all as play toys for their sick games.

But days passed, and the word of both of them returning shook you to the core.

---

You waited though.

It took a while for the flowers to bloom, but when they did, you couldn’t help but smile.

While time passed, you found out where the Jones’s household was, and you almost lost your center of gravity when you pulled Rogue out of the house you occupied in order to visit her.

You wanted to show her the fruits of your labor, well, and Rogues too.

So you went to the garden and pulled a flower or two from the earth it rested in and grabbed Rogues hand in the other as you made your way to Temple’s house.

You did not know if she would be home, but the hope was there, and that was more than enough to guide you while you ran blind through the district.

Rogue could bitch you out later.

---

And you stopped right in front of the place and pulled the marigold’s close. The vibrant yellow color almost blinding in the sun light. You looked up to see Temple Jones, in the flesh, and you couldn’t but get excited.

You walked up right to her, fearless as ever and nearly shoved the flower in her face. ”Temple Jones? You might not know me, but Im Marley Rose. Enzo lived in the same house as I did before he got adopted by the Emberstatts.” Your mouth raced a mile a minute, but you didn’t care, because you just had to show her what you had been up too.

”I know this is sudden, but can I show you something?” You questioned as hands began to run through your hair.

There was a high probability that she was going to say no, but that did not scare you from still continuing to ask.

Bella would have been so proud of the woman you were becoming.