They say that salt water heals all wounds.
Dahlia was inclined to believe that. After all, salt water was laced through tears as they were shed in grief and despair for those who had been lost along the way. Salt water eroded the weak crumbling stones of the cliffs, uncovering the newer stronger foundations beneath. And though the fresh scars stung painfully upon first contact, salt water had cleansed the wounds left behind from a lifetime of fighting.
They didn't know how long it had taken. Weeks, months, years... But the salt water of District Four had healed the Odairs of their trauma. And now they were free to live their lives exactly how they had always wanted.
A house right on the beachfront, a thriving garden of flowers, walks along the shore hand in hand, morning swims searching for shells. Everything they had ever dreamed of became their blissful reality. And the best part was getting to share it with their children.
The Hunger Games were abolished, Commander Paylor taking the reins of Panem and leading the districts into an era of unity and prosperity. Their children could finally be raised in peace, never knowing the horrors of war or the torture of killing just to survive another day. Because their parents had fought for a better world where they wouldn't have to send kids off to die. A world where the threat of the Games were just a distant memory. And, though both Dahlia and Finnick had lost the small family they had, they were able to create a new one all of their own.
Their firstborn, a daughter, who would never be saddled with the responsibility of growing up too early and caring for the rest of her family as Dahlia had done. No, Magnolia Odair would be given everything that Dahlia never had and more, the chance to be a child for as long as she deserved.
The young girl may have been the spitting image of her father, but there was no doubt that she had her mother's spirit through and through. After all, she was continuing the Blossom legacy of having a name inspired from nature, the flower magnolia which blooms on evergreen trees being Dahlia's motivation to pick up where her mother left off. But when the challenge of picking an appropriate middle name came about, Dahlia already had the perfect one in mind.
Magnolia Cove Odair, though everyone tended to just call her Mags.
Blonde hair, sea-green eyes and an unwavering sense of loyalty, it really was as if her old friend had been reborn in her daughter. Though Dahlia may not have known Cove Cresta very long, she got to know Cove Odair right from the very beginning. Got to watch her grow and explore her curiosity, smile and laugh as freely as she dared... Everything Cove never got the chance to experience. Everything Cove wished she could have given Annie.
Then when it came time to name their next child, a son, Dahlia had only one man on her mind. Her father, Alaric Silvers. A big name for anyone to possibly live up to, but she wanted to ensure his memory lived on in the family he had found within her.
Atlas Silvers Odair.
A beautiful blend of both Dahlia and Finnick's districts as well as honouring the man who helped the pair to survive so long. Dahlia was sure Alaric would've rolled his eyes and complained about the boy being partly named after him, but secretly she knew he would've shed a tear of happiness. Especially when he noticed that Atlas looked just like his mother, the woman he had raised.
Dahlia owed the life she lived now to the people that helped her get there and, once they arrived District Four, she finally got to mourn them the way they (and she) deserved. She laughed for them... cried for them... and then she lived for them.
In the seaside home she'd always craved with the family she never believed she could have, Dahlia stared out at the beach where her husband knelt in the waves. That was his way of remembering his lost loved ones, his way of being closer to them. He would close his eyes and feel the water flow through his fingertips and instantly smile, because he knew that Mags was there with him. It had been many months since he had last taken the time to appreciate the waves on his own. Partly because it was difficult to get time alone with two troublemaking kids running about, but the memories always resurfaced around the anniversaries of the Hunger Games.
"Mama!" The eager cry of her daughter snapped her from her admiring gaze, making Dahlia set aside the letter she had previously been reading and turn to see Magnolia and Atlas peering out at their father. "Is Papa alright?"
Dahlia could see the concern in her children's eyes, sea-green and obsidian black gleaming up at her with fear that no child should ever experience. The fear that their parents weren't as strong as they always thought they were.
Kneeling down in front of the two, Dahlia smiled softly as she cupped their cheeks. "Papa is fine. There is nothing for either of you to be worrying about." She reassured them, watching the smiles of relief spread on their bronzed faces. But still, they couldn't hide the truth from them forever. Their children deserved to know the horrors they had faced, the monsters they had slayed, the reason they still had nightmares of the past... Though that conversation would be saved until they were older and more able to understand why things happened the way they did. For now, she was content to let her children remain children. "Sometimes Mama and Papa have bad memories, and we both have different ways of cheering ourselves up. I like to spend time in the garden--"
"To feel closer to Grandpa Al!" Atlas cheered enthusiastically, already knowing the tales of his namesake off by heart. Dahlia could never deny them the knowledge of her family, the important people that her children never got the chance to meet. It was her way of continuing their legacy, ensuring that people would remember their names for generations to come. They would never be forgotten as long as their tales stories continued to be told.
"That's right, my little golden boy." Dahlia praised adoringly, pulling her son closer and nuzzling her face into his cheek with a bombardment of kisses. Atlas giggled and squirmed in his mother's grip, kicking his little legs out as Dahlia tugged him into her lap. Magnolia, delighted with the teasing of her little brother, joined in with the hilarity by poking Atlas' tummy and laughing at his reaction. Though Dahlia didn't let her daughter escape her attention, scooping Mags up with her free arm and giving her the same treatment.
"Mama!" Magnolia squealed, fighting hard to escape despite the stream of endless giggles leaving her mouth. By the time Dahlia relented her attack, she had collapsed backwards onto the floor with her two children piled on top. Euphoric laughter echoed through the room, both children feeling safe and secure in their mother's arms. They would never know the pain of fighting for their lives, never end up alone in this world like Dahlia and Finnick once had. Because they had parents who had fought for them, who had given everything to ensure their children would never suffer as they did. And they may never truly know just how lucky that made them in this world.
Eventually, once their hysterics had subsided and their breathing returned to normal, Atlas turned to his mother with hopeful eyes. "Can I go to the beach now? I wanna show Papa the shell I found!"
A beaming smile lit up his features, the same golden grin he had inherited from his father. And Dahlia could never say no when either of her boys gave her that happy innocent look. "Of course, sweet boy. I'm sure he would love to see it." Dahlia assured him, watching the smile grow impossibly wider on his face as he hopped to his feet. "Go and rescue your Papa from the waves before he swims off with the fishies." Atlas nodded eagerly and playfully saluted his compliance like an obedient soldier to his commander. Dahlia returned the gesture and dramatically declared, "Go forth, brave soldier, and return home a hero!"
"I will, Mama!" Atlas proclaimed, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to run out to the beach. Though he paused in the doorway, as if he had forgotten something, and turned to race back towards his mother. Once he reached her side, he leaned over and placed a sloppy kiss on her cheek, evidently something his father had taught him to do. "For luck." He explained proudly before loudly thundering off to complete the heroic mission his mother had set for him. "Papa!"
Shaking her head in amusement at her son's antics, Dahlia started to clamber to her feet until she noticed the quiet and reserved nature of her daughter. This was most unlike the Mags she had been blessed to raise, who was usually much more brazen and outspoken in her views. Concerned with her daughter's silence, Dahlia knelt down by her side and waited for Magnolia to speak when she was ready.
"I had a nightmare." Mags eventually whispered, her voice shaky and timid as she kept her gaze glued on the floor in front of her. "There was a monster on a throne and snow covering the ground, but everyone was pointing at me... They were saying that I was the monster."
Despite feeling her whole body go rigid at the mention of that word, Dahlia lovingly tucked a strand of her daughter's hair behind her ear and replied, "It was just a bad dream, Flower."
"I know, but..." Magnolia sighed in despair, finally lifting her teary eyes to meet Dahlia's motherly gaze. "It felt so real." Dahlia's heart sank at the pain on her daughter's face which so clearly mirrored the mental torment she herself had went through. It was so difficult to ignore the names other people call you when your own mind started to believe them. "I don't want to be a monster."
"You're not!" Dahlia argued fiercely before noticing the genuine fear in Magnolia's eyes and softening her voice. "You're not a monster, Flower. I promise you."
Magnolia seemed to accept her mother's word as truth, yet there was still a flicker of doubt in her mind. "But monsters do exist... Don't they?" She asked nervously, though it sounded like more of a statement than a question.
Exhaling in defeat, Dahlia opened her arms and allowed her daughter to instantly cuddle up to her side, as if a mother's embrace could protect the girl from all the horrors she knew was out there in the world. Planting a delicate kiss on Magnolia's hair, Dahlia smoothed her hand through the blonde locks that reminded her of her husband and realised that her daughter was a little too much like her. Though she was the perfect image of a District Four child, Magnolia was every inch her mother's daughter. Unfortunately for Dahlia, that meant the girl was wiser than her years and picked up on more than she let on. The burden of being the eldest daughter had been passed on, but Dahlia was determined to let the cycle end there.
"I wish I could tell you that monsters aren't real... but I can't." Dahlia murmured, feeling Magnolia's arm tighten around her for comfort as they clung to each other. "Because unfortunately, in this world, monsters can be found everywhere you look. But the monsters that are most feared are the ones that reside in our head, because they are the ones we cannot see. It's hard to defeat an enemy that lives inside you."
"So how do you do it then?" Magnolia questioned curiously, gazing attentively up at her mother as she hung on to each word. "How do you beat something you can't see? How do you beat something that's just a voice in your head?"
Dahlia smiled softly at her Mags, cupping the girl's cheek as she whispered her reply, "You stop listening to it." Magnolia's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but her mother's smile never wavered. "The more you believe in monsters, the more you feed them and the bigger they grow. But if you ignore them, eventually they start to lose their power over you and they fade away into the background. And then, one day you realise... you can't hear them anymore."
The explanation started to sink in for Magnolia the more she thought about it, though she wasn't sure how her mother seemed to know the answers so well. Almost as if she had lived through this before. Like she was talking from experience.
"I don't think I'm ready to fight monsters just yet, Mama." Mags admitted sheepishly, hanging her head in embarrassment for not being brave enough. But Dahlia had learned that knowing when to pick your battles was a greater strength than a weakness. Something that not even Dahlia herself had mastered in her years of fighting.
"That's more than okay. Because I'm here to fight your monsters for you." Dahlia announced proudly, knowing she would be by her daughter's side for as long as Mags needed her. Magnolia Odair would never have to fight alone, not with Dahlia and Finnick around. "I'm very good at slaying monsters, don't you know."
Magnolia burst into laughter at that absurd idea. Her mother? A monster killer? She didn't believe that for one second. Though she failed to notice the sly knowing smirk on Dahlia's lips. If only she knew...
"Well, why don't we fight off the monsters together?" Dahlia suggested, watching Magnolia ponder the idea for a moment before nodding eagerly in agreement. "Good, because they won't stand a chance against you and I."
Mags beamed up the woman she was blessed to call her mother, grasping around until she found Dahlia's hand and gripping it with both of hers. Then she squeezed three times, admiring the beauty of her mother's smile as it lit up her features. "I love you, Mama." She declared happily, grin widening as the woman returned the loving gesture.
"I love you too, Petal." Dahlia replied tenderly, eternally grateful to have been given the chance to create a family of her own with the person she loved most. But at the thought of Finnick, her eyebrows narrowed in suspicion and her ears strained to pick up any sound other than the gentle crashing waves. "Atlas and your Papa have been awfully quiet." She mumbled warily, ever aware of the mischief her two boys could get up to if she wasn't there to help. "They better not be hunting for more shells without us."
"They wouldn't dare." Magnolia gasped in horror, jumping to her feet and running over to the door to check. "They are!"
The sheer outrage in her daughter's was enough to make Dahlia have to muffle her laughter, though when Magnolia raced back to her side she was quick to cover up her amusement. "How dare they!" Dahlia exclaimed with equal amounts of indignation, holding her hands out to her daughter for assistance. "We must confront them at once. Help your poor old mother up."
Magnolia rolled her eyes at her mother's dramatics, but grabbed her hands nevertheless and started to pull. Though her willingness to help became weakened when Dahlia dug her heels into the ground and resisted Magnolia's attempts to haul her to her feet. "Mama, stop it!" She whined desperately, stomping childishly as she continued tugging at her mother's hands.
"Stop what?" Dahlia asked teasingly, laughing openly at her daughter's frustrations as Magnolia nearly yanked her arms out of their sockets.
"You're doing it on purpose!" Magnolia complained, bending at the waist as she strained to force her mother to her feet. As Mags leaned over, a necklace slipped out from the confines of her shirt and dangled down in front of Dahlia's face. The familiar golden sheen of Cove's dahlia pendant greeted her eyes, silhouetted by Magnolia's blonde halo of hair. And just for a moment, Dahlia saw Cove standing above her once more with that sunshine smile on her face. "You're a nightmare, Mama!"
You're a nightmare, Lia!
Dahlia grinned to herself as the echo of Cove's laugh rang through her mind, memories interrupted only by the giggle of her own daughter. The young girl who embodied the soul and spirit of the friend she had lost. There was no doubt about it. Cove had been given a second chance at life through Magnolia.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Dahlia chuckled, aggravating Magnolia even more as she grunted in exasperation.
"Mama!" Mags groaned once more and Dahlia decided she had taunted her daughter enough. She finally allowed Magnolia to drag her upright with an innocent smile, pay no mind as the girl huffed out, "Finally. Let's go!" Magnolia didn't want to waste any more time, quickly tugging her mother out of the door and stampeding into the garden. They passed the flower beds Dahlia had nurtured over the years, utilising all the gardening skills Alaric had taught her long ago. But Magnolia didn't dare pause in her stride as she raced past the rose bushes and patches of lavender. Instead, she threw a quick greeting over her shoulder, "Hi, Auntie Lav! Hi, Auntie Rosie!"
And the mother-daughter duo continued down past the perimeter of their land, where the grass met the beach. Up ahead, Finnick and Atlas were paddling in the waves with their heads focused on the sand beneath their feet. Finnick's arms were already overflowing with various shells and pebbles Atlas had found and passed to his father to hold, making the man look almost comical as he was bossed around by the young boy. Though Dahlia couldn't say much as she was also being ordered around by a child.
As the pair grew closer, the boys finally noticed their presence and turned to them with bashful grins. Magnolia, however, didn't slow down as she raced towards them, making Finnick drop the treasures in his arms in order to catch and swing his daughter around. "Woah there, hurricane Mags!" He chuckled softly, settling the girl securely on his hip as he placed a kiss on her cheek.
Magnolia just glared in disapproval, shifting her critical stare between her father and brother as she grumbled, "You went without us."
"You were taking ages. I didn't want to wait." Atlas whined in complaint, kicking the sand beneath his feet sheepishly until he spotted his mother. "Mama! I rescued Papa from the fishies!"
"Well done, young soldier." Dahlia praised as the two did another playful salute to each other and Finnick glanced between them in confusion.
Though he didn't receive an explanation for this behaviour as Magnolia squirmed to be put back down on the ground. He lowered her gently to the sand, ensuring his precious little girl was steady on her feet. And then Mags immediately charged after her brother, who was forced to sprint down the beach with a scream of fright. "You should've waited!" The pursuing girl yelled, chasing Atlas through the rippling waves as their parents watched on with fond smiles.
"We are raising two wild animals." Finnick commented, snaking his arm around Dahlia's waist and tugging her into his side.
Dahlia snorted at the accuracy of the statement before adding in her own observation, "We're raising rebels."
But neither of them exactly minded that, because at least their children were free.
"So, how are the Mellarks?" Finnick questioned curiously, referencing the letter Dahlia had received from Katniss that morning.
"They're doing well." Dahlia happily replied, thrilled that two of her closest friends had finally found peace with each other. "Katniss had the baby not too long ago. A daughter called Primrose."
Finnick glanced down at his wife, who was practically beaming with joy, and raised an eyebrow in speculation. "You seem far too pleased with this news. What aren't you telling me?" He questioned sceptically, knowing his wife well enough to decipher when she is withholding all the information.
Dahlia couldn't contain her excitement for much longer, bursting to share the news with someone. "Her full name is Primrose Blossom Mellark." She revealed ecstatically, eyes bright and full of life as Finnick gazed at her adoringly. Her happiness was infectious for him, prompting a matching smile to emerge on his lips the longer he stared at her.
"Guess it'll look pretty bad now if we don't go for a visit soon." He murmured, wrapping both arms around his wife to fully embrace her as he planted a loving kiss on her forehead.
"Yeah, they've made us look awful for not even considering their names as options." Dahlia mumbled guiltily, though she wouldn't change her children's names for the world.
Finnick chuckled under his breath and jokingly muttered, "Well, there's always the next one."
But Dahlia didn't laugh along with him. Instead, she grasped his hand and directed it to the flat curve of her belly, resting hers on top as she glanced up at him. "There is always the next one." She repeated softly, staring deep into his widened eyes as his mouth fell open in realisation.
"The... next one?" Finnick stuttered in disbelief, searching for confirmation that this was really happening. When Dahlia nodded with that broad beaming grin, his shock melted into delight. "I love you, little flower."
Then he leaned down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss, pouring every ounce of the love he felt for her into their embrace. Dahlia, unable to verbally return the expression of love, instead slid her hands down Finnick's arms and intertwined her fingers with his. Squeezing three times, as her mother had taught her and as Dahlia was teaching her own children, was the intimate way she communicated her love for her husband and family. Her way of keeping the Blossom traditions alive within the Odair name.
"We're not actually going to name our child Katniss or Peeta, right?" Finnick mumbled sceptically against his wife's lips, barely pulling away from her to check that they weren't actually being serious with those name choices.
"Oh God, no." Dahlia muttered, surprised that Finnick would think she was even genuinely considering it. She loved the pair, but she didn't love those names. Finnick sighed in relief, wrapping his arms tightly around Dahlia and rocking their bodies from side to side.
They could've stayed like that forever, content in their own little bubble while the world continued on around them. Alas, their children would never let them remain in peace for too long.
A wave of sea water splashed against their legs, forcing the two to abruptly separate and turn to the guilty culprits. Magnolia and Atlas were standing knee-deep in the tide, matching smirks on their faces as they snickered mischievously at their soaked parents. Though the amusement was quickly wiped from their faces once they noticed Finnick and Dahlia exchange a nod of agreement.
The two children immediately took off running, this time with their parents chasing behind them. Screams of laughter and teasing cries were heard echoing all the way down the beach as the Odair family played happily among the waves of District Four. Just two children undeniably loved by their parents and two adults undeniably in love with each other. Life had been a Game, and the Odairs were the eternal Victors.
They lived like wildflowers. Beautiful and free, always reaching for the light of the sun. Growing untamed and untainted by the shadows that sought to control them. Living as colourfully as they dared, flowing with the rhythm of the sea. But always remembering that black goes with everything, especially gold.
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𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆
can't actually believe this is over, but what a rollercoaster it has been. i started this fanfic on a whim, not expecting anything to come of it, and i can't believe the amount of love it has received. thank you so much to everyone who has read, voted, commented, shared, etc. you all mean the absolute world to me and i appreciate each and every one of you. at the time of writing this message, you amazing people have managed to get this book to over 3 MILLION VIEWS!! which is just crazy, so thank you.
i'm sad to be letting go of dahlia, she's basically become a part of me in these last few months. i did put her through a lot of shit but she and finn were alive and well at the end, so i think it's fair. i would also just like to apologise for any emotional breakdowns i've caused by the creation of this book. i promise it was definitely my intention.
anyway, thank you all and i wish you the best for this new year.
- madebyrach xx
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