I reach out to touch his soft, satin skin, hoping for his strong and gentle arms to wrap around me as usual. Instead, I feel something rough and hairy, recoiling quickly. This new feeling is familiar, but also unknown and forgotten. The hair rises on my back as a hand smelling of pine instead of cheese buns, reaches up to stroke my face.
"You awake, honey?" the husky voice asks, as if he has said it many times before. I lay, motionless, waiting for something else to catch his attention, just so I have enough time to see if this is real. But I can feel his soft grey eyes glued to me, not wanting to miss the slightest movement.
He takes my small hand in his large one, and gently presses his lips to it. He lies back down, sighing, because the once vibrant and energetic soul is now hollow and useless.
Slowly, he rolls out of the bed and enters the bathroom. Just before he closes the door, I sneak a peak. I gasp, extremely confused. Then, it is as if I am floating on top of myself, or what should be me in the future.
I see the girl with that same, genuine smile that she always had in the woods. She seems almost untouched by the Capitol, something that I could never see true. I see her embrace her seven-year-old daughter and kiss her gently on the forehead. I see her laugh and enjoy every moment, when really, she should be fragile, weak and empty.
I see her play games with her children, Primrose, Ruella, Finnlan and Cinnel, not allowing herself to slip away as her own mother once did.
"Rose," she says gently as she runs after her daughter Primrose. She picked Prim's pretty and significant name for her eldest daughter, but calls her Rose, as Prim would be too painful.
"Mommy, you're it!" she says giggling. The others catch up now, Cinnel taking the lead.
"Run Ella, run!" Finn hollers as the mother slowly jogs up behind the four-year-old. She scoops Ruella up in her arms and spins her around, squeezing her tightly against her tired body.
"You're it Ella!" Rose says screaming and running through the woods. As soon as the mother puts her daughter down, she is running after the others.
Finnlan runs up to Ella and pretends to try and dodge the little girl reaching out to tag him.
"You better watch out Cinnel and Rose! I'm coming!" he hollers and it echoes throughout the forest. They all scream and laugh, running away from Finn.
The man with the rough, hairy skin, large hands and familiar smell wraps his arms around the mother from behind.
"You scared me, Gale!" she screams, startled. He just laughs in his deep voice, and lifts her chin to kiss him. She smiles through the kiss and stares up into his deep grey eyes. He presses his forehead against hers and closes his eyes.
Not for long though, Finn sneaks up behind them and taps his father on the shoulder.
"I guess this means I'm it?" he says jokingly. He chases after the four children and the mother follows along closely.
She leans against a tree and just smiles, probably admiring her beautiful, adoring and content family, wanting it to stay this way forever.
