Washing the dishes of death...

I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?

Azalea was walking out of her home. Her new home. Azalea's older brother, Nalin was out in the feilds working. Right now, Azalea was in charge of her younger siblings, Glen and Heather were running around in the yard-chasing a stray cat. Heather had wanted Azalea to adopt the cat, and as much as Azalea wanted to, Nalin had the final choice. The family of four coudln't affored a cat, they could barly keep themselves up as it was. There was no way that they could take care of the cat.

Azalea went down the steps leading up to her home, and down to the wash-bucket. It had just rained a few nights ago, so there was still water in the washbucket. Azalea looked down into it, and saw her reflection. Her face was greecy, and she needed a bath. But the plates needed to be cleaned to. The plates that would probobly kill her one day, because of all of the gunk on them. No matter how much any of the siblings would scrubb, some of the gunk would never come off.

Walking down the old dirt path was a familiar face. Azalea smiled, and said "Hello!" to a neighbor.

I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?

Azalea tried to give a happy smile as the boy grumply mumbled 'Hey'. Then she saw the boy's arm. "Oh, oh gosh! Your bleeding! Come inside, right now! Glen, get me a rag. Heather, go pick those flowers behind the house." Azalea put the dishes into the pt and then went to the edge of her yard. "Exuse me sir, but if you come inside, I can help you. My mother was a nurse, you know." Azalea said proudly. She was proud of her mother and father, even though they said something against the capitol.

I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?

"It's Azalea, Azalea Markett. Everyone in my family's named after a flower, Nalin, Glen Heather. My parents liked flowers."
Azalea led the boy inside, and told him to sit on a chair. Glen came in with the wet rag, and Heather came in with the flowers from outside. I took them, laid the wet cloth over the bleeding wounds on the boy's arm, and then went over to squeeze as much juice out of the flowers as they could. Azalea's mother had purpously grew these flowers in the back yard in case something like this would happen.

Azalea brough the juice from the flowers over in a small vial from their old house. The top was chiped, but it was still useable. "Careful, this will sting a little." Azalea wiped off the blood with the rag, and then slowly poured the murky green liquid onto the wound, guiding it back into the wound as some of it fell down the boy's arm. "Heather, go get me some of that gauze that's in our room." Her younger sister ran off into the back of the house.

I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?

Heather came back with the gauze. Slowly, Azalea wrapped the wound. She was quiet as she worked. After a while, she answerd the boys question. "Because, who else is going to be there when your hurt-it's got to be someone, right? Besides, I feel like I'm honoring my mother this way." Azalea gave a faint smile and looked at the boy in the eyes. "There, you should be all good now. Try to not use that arm for a day or two until it heals." Azalea had sort of developed a motherly insinct after her parents died.

I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?

Azalea went into the kitchen, and got out a loaf of bread. Nalin would be home soon, and she wanted lunch to be ready. She started slicing up bread, thinking about how to tell the boy about her mother and father. As she reached for the meat, she replied. "Well, you might have heard. My mother was a nurse and my father worked in the fields. They never really liked the capitol, but never actually said anything. Then, about four years ago, during a reaping, a little eight year old girl's name was chosen. My mother and father became very upset, and spoke badly about the capitol on live feed. Then, the next night, Peacekeepers had come to our house and burned it down. Me, my older brother, and these to," Azalea pointed at the twins that were looking at her guest with curiousity. "Survived the fire. I think that what my mother and father did was right. So whenever I help someone else out I feel like I'm honoring her."
By the time Azalea was done, she had finished making the sandwiches.

I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?

Azalea thought for a moment. "Yes, I think that I heard something about that. A random fire started during the summer, right? And it took a lot of lives?" Azalea decided to stop talking about it, she didn't really like talking about her parents death. She had guessed that this boy didn't like talking about his parents either. "You know what, I don't think that I ever got your name." Azalea thought that it was funny that he had asked her name, but she didn't ask him his name.

I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?

Heather, being shy, hid behind Azalea's leg. Glen, on the other had, was a little braver. "Hey, mister! You got that bad bo-bo because you were bad, you had better not hurt my sister!" Azalea quickly shoed the twins off to the table to eat their lunch.
"Sorry about him. He's a little...you know. A little to brave." Azalea sighed. "[coor=#FF99FF]It's hard to keep him in line.[/color]"

I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?

Azalea gave another sigh, as Gale pouted. Suddenly, the door opened and her older brother, Nalin came in. He looked tired, and was sweating. "Oh, hello, Nalin! This Luca. Luca, this is my other brother, Nalin." Azalea smiled. "There's lunch on the table. Your welcome to it to, Luca."

I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?

Azalea looked at Luca with consern. "No, you need to eat too. Trust me, we'll be fine." Azalea said with a smile on her face. She'd find a way to get more food. If needed, she'd some how find a way to hunt, and get over the charged fence. It had happend before, there was a tree branch that you could climb up on and make it over the fence. But only during night, which would work to her advantage.
"Now, eat that sadwich." She picks up a sandwich from the plate and hands it to him. Her brother, Nalin shrugs. "Hey man, once my sister puts her mind to something, you can't change it. Trust me, it's a big pain in the but to deal with." Azalea's face turned red, as she layed the sadwich on the table and looked at her brother.
"Hey, you jerk. That wasn't kind of mean. Now go take a shower." Nalin shrugged, grabbed a sandwich, and walked to the back of the house.

I work hard every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end I take home my hard earned pay all on my own -
I get down on my knees
And I start to pray
Till the tears run down from my eyes
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?

Azalea went over and put out a sandwich for Heather and Glen, who immidietly sat down and began to eat. Then she pulled up a chair, sat down, and began to eat as well. "Yea well, he's normally stressed out. I'm glad to see him like this. Something good must have happend." Azalea had to think for a moment the last time her brother had acted like this. It had been a while ago, but Azalea had rememberd it. It was the first day of the last year he was in school, when he met Marie Summers, his first true love. But, she had ended up being a big jerk, and Nalin had been devistated once he found out. Azalea began to smile, realizing that her brother had found someone else to love.