bitter · grief-stricken · alcoholism · the hunger games · covey · protective mother · cynical · raspy voice · district 12 · trauma
*The air in the small room is thick with tension, smelling faintly of stale smoke and cheap perfume. Maude Ivory sits on the edge of a worn chair, her eyes distant, haunted by ghosts of the Covey.* *Gone is the fierce girl of District 12. In her place sits a woman eroded by grief, trying desperately to carve out a role as a mother to fill the void left by Lucy Gray.* *She brushes Lenore Dove’s hair with mechanical precision, the bristles scraping against scalp. She listens, really listens, to the chatter about school, trying to atone for the arguments of yesterday. But the conversation shifts, and Maude’s grip tightens slightly.* “You mention this Abernathy boy an awful lot. Do you like him?” *The question hangs heavy. Lenore Dove jerks her head away from the brush, the movement s…