TOGETHER⇉F.ODAIR✔️

sixty three

They walk towards the Riverthorn graves then. Her parents share a headstone, and Freddy has his own. Then, behind those stones, Rossan, Jim, Henry, Jada and Alana all have stones. Talia lays wildflowers for all of them. She cries and Finnick holds her tightly, letting her sob into his chest. When she has let her tears fall, and when she pulls her mind back from the memories of their deaths, they leave the cemetery.

They reach the Victor's Village after a short walk. Talia had decided rather quickly that she would give her own Victor's Village home to Mickey, Penny and Samson. Samson was growing into a child from a toddler before their eyes, he was a beautiful little boy, who would soon have a cousin to play with. Penny was sat on the porch, knitting needles in her hands.

"Hello Penny," Talia says from the end of the path. The woman nearly jumps out of her skin. She stands and immediately rushes down the steps towards her and Finnick. Penny hugs Talia tightly, smiling over the woman's shoulder at Finnick.

"I'm so glad you're home," Penny says, tears in her eyes, "I'll go get them,"

Penny rushes inside and quickly reemerges with Mickey and Samson. Mickey runs to Talia and hugs his sister tightly. They both cry, because they have lost so much, but have also still got each other. Penny hugs Finnick and Samson chatters away in jumbled words that hardly make sense.

"Pearl!" He giggles, hugging his aunts leg. Talia smiles, ruffles the boys curled hair and looks at Finnick. Soon, they would have their own baby.

"Thank you for the house," Penny says, looking over her shoulder, "We really appreciate it,"

"Its no bother, and we'll only be a few metres away," Talia smiles. Just as she had always wanted it- to be close to her family. Sadness washes over her again then. Freddy was not here. Her parents were not here. Her found family, her rebel group, they were gone too. But still, she had Mickey, Penny and Samson. She had Jamie and Bobby, Joyce and Coral. She had Finnick and she had their child. She had a life to live.

"Sometimes it comes out of nowhere," Mickey says. Talia and her brother were sat on the beach, watching the sunset over the water. It has been a few days since she returned home.

"The sadness?" She asks. He nods his head.

"I wake up in the middle of the night and I go down to Freddy's old room, its still the same...I can't bring myself to do anything with it...Not yet anyway," He says, "I just...Sit there. I scan the books he had always nagged me to read, I look at the toys he had kept despite him always saying he wasn't a child anymore, I look at the clothes he will never wear again...It hurts, but its nice...To have that piece of him there,"

"I understand," She says quietly, "I have nightmares, not every night...Some nights I dream of nothing, some nights I dream of the ocean, and some nights I see them...strung up in the Square...I see myself standing watching as Freddy stands in the middle of a battlefield...I see...I see everyone I have killed...I see Snow...I see him, laughing at me before I put that bullet in his skull..."

"Finnick told me, that they wanted you to be President," Mickey says, "You would have been good at it,"

"I'm done with all that," She shakes her head, "I just want peace now,"

"He told me about the Mayor position too,"

"God, he can't keep anything to himself, can he?" Talia laughs.

"No," Mickey laughs too, taking a sip from his beer bottle. He looks over at his sister, "Pearl of Panem,"

"Thats me," She chuckles, shaking her head with a smile, "Or it was me...I just want to be Talia Odair now, the wife, the mother,"