I watch as the children gather to play in the square around the fountain of what used to be the Victor's Village. There is plenty of open space, and the grass is still green and lush from the spring rains. It is early summer and the weather is just right for being outside. The sun is shining, and there's a breeze to keep the heat from being too much.
The children have formed groups, roughly by age. They don't all come from these houses, I'm not the only one that watches kids sometimes while their parents work, and given a choice, these houses are usually where kids end up playing, because of the size, the well kept outside area, and the people living here.
All the houses have families in them now, after most of them sat empty for a long time. They were opened up to couples with young children a few years ago. At first, they were filled by people who had settled in the area immediately following the terrible time when so much was lost, but recently, a family moved in from what used to be District 1, coming here for opportunities as new things are happening. We are still growing 25 years after we all were forced to leave.
Katniss and Peeta are still living in the house that had been his after the 74th Hunger Games. They are the ones that started the rebirth in the neighborhood by giving Katniss's old house to Rory and his wife Jan when their previous house had started feeling small after the birth of their second child. I'm not sure if Katniss ever entirely made peace with Gale, but Rory is one of the first people she made a connection with, once she emerged from the cocoon she and Peeta needed for their recovery. Katniss and Rory shared memories of Prim and a love for the woods. He has a gift for bridging then and now in a way that was comfortable to her.
I'm one of the other people that they let in. Peeta and I had been good friends , almost like siblings, when we were young, and we reconnected in District 13, although the person I talked with there wasn't completely him. We became close again when he reopened the bakery. He helped arrange for Thom and me and our two kids to move to the house here in the Village. Katniss and I finally became real friends after that, when she had her first baby 7 years ago.
Katniss has always been so self-sufficient, she could do absolutely anything on her own. She still can, but now she's sometimes willing to admit she doesn't have to. She lets Rory's wife Jan and me watch her kids while she goes to hunt, if Peeta is at the bakery. They also know that the children are safe here when they have to deal with some of the things that still come up for the two of them.
The new couple, the Grandons, seem a little worried about Peeta and Katniss, though. Well, about Katniss. Everyone loves Peeta, the smiling baker who knows everyone's name, and always has a cookie for the kids. It takes a little longer for people to see how amazing Katniss is, but I can see how her behavior can look a bit strange to people that don't know her. One day, she'll be hovering over her children, not letting them go more than an arms length away while they play, and the next she'll drop them with me or Jan and head for the woods with her bow in hand. The forest isn't forbidden anymore, but it isn't really safe, either, and there aren't many people, and particularly many other women, that go in without a second thought.
The Mellarks are my age, and Rory isn't far off. Most of the other parents are younger, but the Grandons seem more like kids to me, even though they have 3 children of their own. They are settling in well overall, and are making friends with the other young parents. It's amazing to me that they wouldn't remember losing friends and loved ones to the Hunger Games. I assume their families lost people to the war, but they don't have scars the same way so many of us do- physical and mental ones. The Mellarks have more than their share of both. The mental ones take the form of nightmares, and sometimes the screams from these can be heard all around the Village. When the Grandons (or anyone else) ask about these, all of us tell them the same thing: Nothing to worry about, it's just that life hasn't been easy for either of them.
We never bring up who they used to be unless someone asks. The Grandon's still haven't. Katniss and Peeta have managed to stay out of the limelight since the 5th anniversary of the ending of the Hunger Games, almost 20 years ago. There was a woman that moved into the district a little while back who actually knocked on their door, looking for autographs. I don't know what Katniss said, but I haven't seen that woman back since. I'm glad that annoying pest doesn't live right here, although I'm sure she is nice enough. I just don't want my friends upset.
Katniss has been even less willing to meet Beth and Jopha Grandon than she usually is with new people, since she's wishing Haymitch was still there in his old house. She really misses having him around, but this neighborhood became a little too lively for him.
Today, Katniss left Rosemary and Sage with me while she went out hunting. I always watch them very closely, much more than I ever did my own children when they were that age. There isn't much trouble they could get into here, but it would destroy both Katniss and Peeta if anything happened to either of them. Now that she's returned, I let them out onto the green, where we can both watch them as they play. It's only very recently that she's been willing to let them do this without one of us immediately at hand. I suspect Peeta had something to do with the change.
Katniss is cleaning the animals she brought back from today's hunting. I can't imagine doing any of that, and I'm grateful they just look like food when I get them from her. She's very generous with what she gets when she goes out, and all through the District, people appreciate the fresh meat, even if it is much more accessible from the butcher than it used to be.
I notice a new game is forming, and I step out to listen to what's happening, to see if any redirection is needed. Katniss prefers games like tag. Good guys/bad guys puts her on edge, although Peeta, Rory and I have mostly convinced her that the roleplaying is healthy and that the action is safe. I'm not sure what Katniss can hear from where she is, so I'm trying to be extra aware of what is going on.
Today, a new game is being suggested by 7 year old Jay Grandon, who is trying hard to get a place as a leader in the group. I hear "Let's play Hunger Games! We'll each pick a district and we can be tributes. I'll be the boy from District 1". I freeze. I have no idea what to do now.
I hear a howl from across the way, and a wail of "NNNNNOOOOOOOO" as Katniss runs out of the house towards the children, grabbing her own and yelling incoherently at the other children, something about this not being a game. She smeared blood on herself in the rush to get out of the house. She still has the knife she's been using in her hand as she leaves the house, and she stabs it through her belt before reaching the group children. She looks like a crazy woman.
I dash out, along with many of the other adults that are around. The group of younger kids doesn't need much encouragement run to their own homes. Some of them stop to cling to the parents that rushed out of the house, others just run straight inside.
One of the older kids that had been playing a different game nearby takes off for the bakery to get Peeta, probably spreading the word a bit further than intended. I call to my kids, who have seen Peeta in distress, and hopefully are okay with handling this. I have them bring Rosemary and Sage into our house, where they often spend time when Katniss is otherwise occupied.
Most of the other parents talk quietly to their children as they walk inside, calming them down, reassuring them that Mrs. Mellark will be fine. I put my arm around the now sobbing Katniss and talk to her quietly, bringing her into her house. I've never seen her in this sort of state before- she tends more towards depression and withdrawal when things get bad. I've been around Peeta during his flashbacks, and I've seen how Katniss had touches him and whispers to him, calming him down, so I figure that's the best approach to take here.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Beth Grandon gesturing wildly to her husband, who looks like he is getting worked up and upset.
Peeta comes running, followed not far behind by other parents who have been at work in the town center. He makes straight for the house, asking me "Delly, what happened? Are the kids OK?" as he scoops Katniss into his arms and sits down on the sofa with her in his lap. I lean over and whisper that their two are at my house, and the new kid had suggested the children play Hunger Games. Peeta's muscles tense, but he nods firmly and directs his attention to Katniss. As I turn to head to the door, knowing I'm not needed here anymore, I let him know I'm going to go talk to the Grandons.
Things don't seem to have settled down over there, so I approach the couple. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Grandon. I'm sorry that you were upset by that scene. I want to reassure you the children were in no danger from Mrs. Mellark".
Mrs. Grandon bursts out with "How can you say that? I don't want that crazy woman anywhere near my children again!"
Mr. Grandon adds "We're considering calling the law and having her arrested".
I respond with "I can understand why you would feel that way. Can we sit down and talk for a few minutes first, to help you see where I'm coming from when I say there is no need to do so?"
The Grandons grudgingly let me inside, and into a well appointed living room that bears no resemblance to the squalor of the house as it had been under Haymitch. They leave the front door open.
I start by asking what they knew about what had set off the incident.
Mrs. Grandon answers "Jay suggested they play Hunger Games. I know they don't usually do that here, but it was one of the usual activities back at home. It's only a game!"
"How old were you for the last Hunger Games? The real ones?"
"We were both 4.".
"I'm guessing you don't remember much about the Games or the Revolution, but you must have talked about them in school. Does the name Katniss Everdeen ring any bells for you?"
The looks on their faces told me the name was familiar, but that neither of them really had paid that much attention in school.
"The Mockingjay?"
Realization hit both of their faces at once. "Her?" "Are you trying to tell us SHE was the Mockingjay?"
"Yes. Now, dig a little deeper in your memories. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the star-crossed lovers from District 12 in the 74th Games. The only year two people won the Hunger Games, thanks to a move on her part that got them both out alive, but made then-President Snow her enemy for life. At 16 years old. I'm guessing the two of you were becoming a couple at about that age, right?"
The couple nods. They still aren't quite sure where this is going.
"Now imagine for a minute the kind of nightmares being in the Games would bring. They were forced to fight for their lives. To kill other children. Then stretch to think about what happens next."
I knew that Peeta and Katniss valued their privacy, and had kept their story to themselves for all this time. I also knew they were planning to change this soon. I glanced to see if I was still holding the attention of my audience. I was.
"Life was rocky for them, since neither of them could really figure out their relationship. I didn't know until much later that President Snow had threatened to kill all of their family and friends if they didn't play up their romance. They were confused kids with the guilt of surviving, and the pressure of having to act to save the lives of everyone they cared about. They had very little chance to sort themselves out.
"One year after they went into the Arena, they both had to go back in for the Quarter Quell. This time, they weren't fighting with other children, but other Victors. And once again, they both survive, but she was injured and taken by the rebels that chose her- without asking or even telling her beforehand- to be their icon, the Mockingjay. He was taken by the Capitol, and brutally tortured in ways that I promise you don't want to know about.
"She was desperately afraid for him. The only concern of those that had saved her in District 13 was that she be an effective image to unite the districts. And it turns out she can't act. To make those segments you watched in history class, they had to put her on the front lines."
Both of the Grandons are nodding. They remember hearing some of this, of seeing made-for-TV documentaries that didn't always get the facts right, of discussions in school that were forgotten by lunchtime. Beth whispers "I thought the photos and clips of the Mockingjay were staged. I thought it was a story, made up to dramatize the events, to make them more interesting to us kids. "
I shake my head. "I knew them both. We were all in the same grade at school. Peeta and I were friends since we were small, he was like a brother to me. He was the nicest kid you'd ever meet, and he isn't much different now. I didn't really get to know Katniss back then. She was pretty intense about raising her younger sister, starting when she was 11 years old. She was the only one providing their family with food and supplies. I just looked at her with awe. I still do. Peeta was in love with her from the time they started school. Not many of us knew it, because he never once talked to her before they went to the Hunger Games together.
"Now think about this: In the Quarter Quell, their second Games, both of them went in planning to give their own life to save the other. Both of them planned to kill to save the other's life. They both had to follow through on that planning. It haunts them both, even now."
Beth Grandon shifts uncomfortably. There aren't many people that would commit to that kind of sacrifice, particularly not at 17 years old.
"District 12 was bombed off the map after the premature ending to the Quell. Thousands of people died, including Peeta's entire family. Katniss still carries guilt for that, even though she had no control over these events."
Now Jopha is starting to understand. He shifts uneasily, starts looking around, no longer focussing his eyes on me.
"Peeta was tortured to break the Mockingjay, to break Katniss. I saw her during this time, in District 13. She was pretty damaged already before she knew what was happening. When the pieces of Peeta were returned to her, she gave up all hope for herself. He'd been hijacked, his brain warped so that he hated her and tried to kill her.
A new voice quietly says "At that point, I developed a two part plan. First, kill President Snow. Second, to die myself. I was 17 years old."
All eyes turn toward her, standing in the doorway. There was simply a stunned look on the face of her audience. One that said they really couldn't imagine this happening to anyone, let alone someone they knew.
The new voice belongs to someone that bears very little resemblance to the crazed woman in the square. She's changed her clothing, washed herself off, brushed and rebraided her dark hair. She stands with her husband, with his arm quietly around her, looking small but determined. She is calm as she extends her hand.
Peeta says "This is my wife, Katniss Mellark, previously known as Katniss Everdeen, and for a while, simply as The Mockingjay. I'm sorry you weren't introduced under better circumstances. Katniss, meet Beth and Jopha Grandon."
Katniss shakes both of their hands with a firm grip. "I apologize for frightening you and your children.
"I swear to you that I would never do anything to hurt a child. I would lay down my life to protect one, and I have done so in the past. I lost everything in the effort to end the Hunger Games, to spare year after year of Tributes from facing it ever again, to stop that loss of human life, to give us a society free from the sort of dictatorship that Snow embodied."
As she said this, she reaches for her husband's hand, gripping it tightly. At the same time, there is a fierceness to her gaze, one that shows an echo of a Mockingjay leading a nation.
The young couple murmurs some awed apologies, not sure what the appropriate response is.
Katniss continues "I think you can see why The Hunger Games are a very sensitive topic for me.
"I wouldn't talk about any of this before, and we've been out of the public eye for a long time. Peeta and I had already decided to break our silence, and to tell our story publicly as part of the celebration for the 25th anniversary of the end of The Hunger Games."
Peeta picked up here. "As result of this war, Katniss lost several good friends, and she never has been someone to make friends easily. More importantly, she lost Prim, the sister she loved more than life itself, who she basically raised from the age of 11. For a while, she lost me as well."
Katniss took over again.
"I don't know what you learned in school. A lot of this didn't come out until much, much later.
Just before President Snow's planned execution, I found out the bomb that killed Prim as well as a large number of innocent children had been ordered by the President of District 13, slated to become President of Panem. This bomb was deliberately planned to kill children and look like the Capitol had ordered it. Not only that, but Prim had deliberately been put in the position to be hit by it. Once again, someone I loved was targeted simply to get at me, to try to break me and keep me from being a threat to what simply would have been a new dictatorship.
"President Coin wanted to run one last Hunger Games. With that, I realized that Coin was no different than Snow, and life in Panem would be no better under her. Shortly after that, I let loose the arrow that killed President Coin, rather than President Snow. I was still only 17 years old. I lost my sanity after that."
Peeta stepped back in. "We won't go into the details of her recovery or of mine. That's no longer part of history, but is our own story. Just let it suffice to say that we lost everything, including each other. We worked hard, found one another again, and saved each other. It's still rough at times, and you've just seen a piece of that.
"I promise you that she has more control of that knife she had in her hand than anyone else you will meet. She still uses her bow to hunt game, and the only way either her bow or her knife will ever be turned on a human being again is if a child is threatened.
"We've both had to kill before. Those people haunt our nights, even now, even though there was no other choice at the time.
"Everyone of our generation has memories of the Reaping, of waiting to hear if your name would be called, if it would be someone you knew, someone you loved.
"There are very few of us that remember being a child in the Arena, of fighting for your life against other children who just wanted to survive.
"That's why we need to share our story."
They pause long enough for me to know they are done. One look tells me that the Grandons aren't going to be asking any questions right now, that they have too much to think about.
"So we're all good?" I ask. Both couples had forgotten that I was still there. I'm rarely silent that long.
Murmurs of assent come from everyone.
Peeta says "We'd like it if you and your children came to our house for dinner tonight. I didn't get a chance to see what Katniss brought home from hunting this morning, but I'm certain it will make a good meal, with plenty to share."
Katniss's smiles as she looks at her husband, and then echoes his invitation. "How does roasted rabbit sound?"
Beth agrees. They set a time and we all go to spend some time with our own children, who are safe from the Games that were not a game, thanks to the sacrifices of many.
I wonder if, next time they hear screams at night, they will wake thankful for everything that was lost to keep their children safe.
One year later
It's a beautiful Sunday, and the children gather to play. Parents are out in front of the houses, enjoying the weather and the sounds of children playing. Once again, there is a child new to the community, and once again, the suggestion is made. "Let's play Hunger Games! I'll be the District 3 Tribute".
Peeta looks at his wife, and recognizes the tight grip on the railing of the porch. He's used it to maintain his control many times. She's holding it together, waiting to see what happens. He puts a hand on her, ready to step in to stop the children, to stop her, to comfort her if she collapses. All around the square, parents look up, trying to decide what they need to do now.
Then a voice comes from the group of children. The others step back, and the dark haired girl has a confidence that makes her look older and taller than her 8 years. She says "I'll be the Mockingjay, leading the revolution so that there will be no more Hunger Games." Her voice reverberates across the square as she asks "Who is with me?", and with a sweeping glance over the group, jogs away to another corner.
Most of the children follow her. Not all, but the ones that are left look a little dazed as well.
Peeta smiles at Katniss. All the adults are looking at her, there is no doubt that Rosemary is her mother's daughter.
Author's Note: I'm new at this, and feedback is gratefully accepted. I'll give a big Thank You to Titania (ct522) for her beta reading.
Thank you to everyone reading.