Introduction
Thank you so much for taking the time to read the my own continuation of the Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games. Excerpt from Suzanne Collins's Mockingjay Epilogue.
They play in the Meadow. The dancing girl with the dark hair and blue eyes. The boy with blond curls and gray eyes, struggling to keep up with her on his chubby toddler legs. It took five, ten, fifteen years for me to agree. But Peeta wanted them so badly. When I first felt her stirring inside of me, I was consumed with a terror that felt as old as life itself. Only the joy of holding her in my arms could tame it. Carrying him was a little easier, but not much.
The questions are just beginning. The arenas have been completely destroyed, the memorials built, there are no more Hunger Games
The whole idea of this book is to introduce the children of Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen. From the Epilogue we see that the first child was a girl. In this book, Katniss is almost two months pregnant. They have just survived the 74th Hunger Games arena being destroyed, only to find out that the Games are not over. The Games have just begun. Thank you again for reading and now without further delay.
Part I
"The Shadows"
Chapter One
November 14, Year 92
My Dearest Lilly,
I must have spent hours here in the kitchen table trying to figure out how to start this letter. The erased portions of the beginning were excessive and well sorry about that. With your mom and I going into the Arena tomorrow, there is a lot that I want you to know should I not get the chance to do so. First know that I love you more than my life, always remember that. That everything that I did in this life, I did it for you and your mother.
Keep your head up high and always do what you believe in your heart is right. Smile as much as you can, and laugh at the silliest of things. Never let the sadness of life keep you down, always seek after the rainbows in life. I need you believe in the good of people, even if you cannot see it. Believe that love exist, and true love as rare as those in dreams do really happen. Where else can my love for you and your mother be, than in a dream? You are my greatest accomplishment and I know whatever you do in life, know this very simple truth. That I am proud of you, and that I love you.
My only desire is that I get to see you for the first time in a couple of months, but if I don't, I know that you will be a wonderful person. You desire everything in life, all the happiness, and all your dreams coming true.
Listen and take care of your mother, she loves you even if she cannot show you how.
Your Father
Peeta Mellark
It has been six days since I wrote that letter on the kitchen table of our old house in the Victor's Village. It was the day before we left to go into the arena on a mission for the New Capitol government. I couldn't sleep myself that night so I just got up and walked downstairs to the kitchen. Grabbing a paper and pencil I just started to write to Katniss, Lilly, and Thomas.
After losing Katniss's mother in the arena, we had decided to hike back to the District since it was only about a week hike. We had been walking for so long, and the food was so scarce that I didn't know if I would make it. Most of the time I would give her my food and well the letters were stuffed in my jacket pocket.
We were in high spirits when we finally made it. Where we finally saw the outskirts of the district, it brought a new found sense of hope. Making it back to our house in the woods by the lake, the smiles were on both of our faces. We were finally home, finally in our own home. Now in our house everything happens so quickly, and yet time is not even moving. Sounds just disappear and I feel that I have become deaf. I see her eyes of terror, and a fury that I don't think I had ever seen.
She smacks the vase and I see it hit and shattered into a million pieces. The flower just lies there surrounded by the shards of glass. It feels almost like our lives now, shattered by a single image, a single realization, that someone has violated our home with the nightmare of President Snow.
She told me the story, it took forever to get it out of her she didn't want to, and she kept it hidden away for so long that it angered her that I wanted to know. It was in the beginning of the war. She had just gone to District Twelve to see the destruction and finally in our house in the Victor's Village, in the library on a wooden table was a single white rose staring at her.
'It was there,' she says over and over. 'The flower, the stench, the thought that he was here was enough to make me run.'
Now in our house, there again is the rose staring at us in the face. The stench of the flower filled the place, and the memory of that man is now as fresh as the snow that is still falling outside. My first thought, my first concern is her. I see here there pacing and I don't know what to do. Walking over there she looks up at me, and I see the same anger, the same terror in her eyes, when she told me about the first white rose.
"How? Who?" she says. "How did they get in?"
The question of how is easy to answer. The house itself does not have any electrical security so therefore the doors are locked by old fashion door knob locks. The only security that we have is the fence, and that was placed for animals. The fence is not that high and there is no razor wire on the top.
There are many questions in my mind. Who would come in here and do this, and know that it was done before. Katniss mentioned that she told no one but me about the rose. The only other person that would know would be the people who placed the rose in our house in the Victor's Village.
President Snow is dead. I saw his body there hanging on the post still handcuffed when they trampled him. Even if he was by some miracle still alive, this was almost twenty years ago, he would be too old to even be alive or a threat, it has to be someone else. Someone in his inner circle that knew about this, they have to have planned this.
The more pressing question, how did they know we survived the arena? I start to look around the room, trying to find any sort of surveillance. I place my hand on her shoulder. She turns around and sees that my face has been quieted.
"Come on," I say. "Let's get you some air."
Her eyes widen and I know that she realizes what I am inkling. Her face is straight forward, expressionless.
I grab the door knob and open the door to the outside. Once we are outside I continue to walk her towards the lake. Finally at the edge of the water, I lean in and whisper.
"We have to be careful," I say. "Until we can make sure that there is no video or audio surveillance in the house. Someone had to know that we survived the explosion in the arena."
"Who do you think?" she says.
"No idea could be someone who knew Snow or part of his inner circle," I say. "But this much is true, we have to make a trip into the District to see what is going on, if anything."
She walks back to the porch and sits on the bench. She watches me as I walk over to the tool shed that we built just for an occasion as this. Opening the door, you find all the normal tools that you would find there. That is to the one who is not looking for what I am.
I go through the drawers trying to remember where I put that thing. Moving around the nails and the hammers, the screw drivers, and the tape measure, I find it in the back of the drawer.
"Ah hah," I say. "Was looking for you."
It is a little metallic thing that I had asked Beetee to make for us. It was after the wedding, before Katniss found out that it was his bombs that were the ones who killed Prim that day. Prim. The thought of her, and I cannot help but stop and close my eyes.
Walking outside, I place she looks at me as to see if I had found it. I nod my head yes and she stands to meet me halfway
"Does it still work?" she asks.
"Beetee told me that it would work for forty years," I say. "More than enough time no?"
I grab her hand and transfer the small little device to her hand. She feels around it with her hands and then finally opens her palm to see the metallic device. The top of which has a large round button that would turn on the device.
We walk back to the house and up to the porch. I stomp on my feet on the porch, masking the sound of Katniss turning on the device. The thing starts to glow and finally is a steady white light.
Opening the door she starts to walk in slowly as we were instructed before. She goes to the kitchen while I go to the bedroom with the packs. No reason not to get everything out of the bags. I unzip my jacket and quickly place the letters in my nightstand. The old clothes that we have, I actually leave it in the old bag.
"Think there is no hope for those clothes," I say. "Think I might have to burn them."
That is it. My pack is empty. All the medicine that we had received from Katniss's mother I placed it in her pack. I sit on the bed and finally undo the laces on my boots. Removing them from my feet, I let out of relief. Never had I wish to run around barefoot as I do right now.
She finally walks in, and gives me the all clear sign.
"How many did you find?" I ask her.
She opens her hands and shows me one.
"Any markings?" I ask.
She nods no.
"Audio only though," she placing it on the ground and stomping on it making sure that they know that we found it.
"Well if you didn't know we were here, they know now," I say.
She sits down on the edge of the bed right next to me. It appears that she is still in a state of shock and hasn't really let herself think about what is happening. I kneel next in front of her and undo her boots. Slipping them off her feet, I feel the warmness of her feet. Looking up she is just there looking at me. Her hand reaches down for mines. I meet it halfway she helps me up onto the bed.
"How are you?" she asks.
"I am okay," I say. "I should be asking you, how you are."
She shrugs.
"Nothing really surprises me anymore," she says. "My main concern is you and her."
I look at her confused.
"Her?" I say.
She smiles.
"I don't know why, but I just feel that it is a her," she says as she places my hand on her stomach.
"Lilly?" I say close to her belly.
"Feels like," she responds.
I lift my eyes to meet her and just smiles at me.
"Don't worry," I say. "If you are feeling up to it, we will go into the district."
She nods no.
"Tomorrow," she says. "We both need a rest."
She unzips her jacket and slips it on the ground next to mines. I stand and go to the closet getting the sheets and blankets for the bed. I hand it to her, and she asks me if I could make her something to eat. I say of course I would and walk over to the kitchen.
There isn't anything edible in the kitchen, the only thing we have is nuts and dried fruits. We would have to make a run for the wood for the stove as well as supplies for food.
Walking back to the room with the plate filled with nuts and dried fruits, she smiles before seeing what is on the plate.
"Sorry," I say. "Only thing we have right now."
"It's okay," she says accepting the plate.
We both lie back and just stare at the ceiling. The sunlight already disappearing, we would soon enough have to get the candles and lanterns. Good thing we still have the lanterns they gave us for the arena.
We were supposed to have gone to get supplies that day that we got back into the District. She turns over and pushes herself on one elbow. Grabbing a piece of dried fruit she places it near my mouth.
"No," I say. "You eat. You need to keep up your strength."
"Still trying to save me," she says.
I nod.
"It is what we do," I say.
She grabs my hand and interlaces her fingers with mines. Our rings just clink and we both know that it is what we wrote there that matters. On our ring together we have become each others reason for living.
