Dear Prim,
I see you everywhere. I smell your hair in the flowers that grow in the meadow. I see your wisdom in the eyes of the survivors. I see your innocence in the laughs of the children.
I even see you when hunting. I picture your face of delight whenever I shoot something, and how your face would light up whenever I brought home food. I see you, but you're not there.
Mum and I talk rarely now. It would break your heart to see us like this; but seeing each other reminds us both of you that it hurts. We used to try and talk on the phone regularly, but it pains us too much to try force conversation that was never really there. We are both still grieving, but I hope for your sakes that someday we can overcome the pain that is your loss and move on together.
They've erected a new statue in the Capitol of Rue, as monument to those lost in the Games. I wouldn't have known if Peeta hadn't gone to visit Effie in the Capitol for her birthday. It used to cause a lot of fuss for Peeta and me to visit Effie despite the new relaxed rules. I guess all it took was one look into our war-torn eyes and the guards would let us through. The Capitol's moved on now. People don't look twice when they see me in the street, but some 'war veterans' as we call them give me a salute when I walk past.
The tears are falling thick and fast now. I managed to write for 4 minute without balling. That's a new record for me.
I love you forever Prim.
Katniss
Katniss folded the letter in half, tears still streaming down her face. She delicately wrote the word 'Prim' on the front, the ink becoming smudged from her tears. While she was walking out to the meadow, the tears stopped. She became aware of her senses again while walking through the wood. When she arrived at the lake, Katniss could think.
"I love you Prim" Katniss whispered, as she kissed the page. She set down the paper on the water and gently pushed it out, watching as it floated out into the water and slowly sank. Katniss did this weekly, with the letters varying in length, but they tended to be longer whenever she got nightmares or Peeta had an episode. She never kept any letters or let anyone read them. She didn't need to.
The whole house reminded her of Prim. Even with Peeta by her side now, she would frequently have to wipe away a tear that had appeared on her cheek whenever she went into the kitchen, or looked in Prim's old room. It seemed like everything in her life contained a memory, a loaded gun, or a trigger. Whenever it snowed, Katniss was reminded of the unknown wisdom that Prim had which was discovered when Gale was whipped. Just walking through the District made Katniss reminisce of the walks to school with Prim, where she would often tell Prim to 'tuck in her tail, little duck' before tickling her and making her laugh. Even the beautiful biscuits in Peeta's bakery reflected the beauty and delicate nature of Prim.
It wasn't all angst and sadness in Katniss' life. No more would she have to walk through the District, looking at the innocent children about to be offered up for slaughter. No more would she look at heartbroken parents wailing in the street, crying over the loss of their child. No more would she see bones through clothes, malnourished faces, starving children. This had all ended with the Games, and every day remembering that she had helped to cause this positive change of events shined a light on her grief filled life.
Meeting with Haymitch also gave her hope. He had recently moved to the Capitol to have a new fancy job which probably involved doing very little and going to lots of parties. He claimed this was the reason his drinking problem had decreased, but he was fooling no-one. Katniss and Peeta both knew that it was because he got to spend more time with Effie, and even though his intentions were unclear, it didn't matter. He was finally happy again, and after all the trauma of the Games he deserved it.