Afterlife of Tributes

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow

Lay down your head, and close your eyes

And when they open, the sun will rise

Here it's safe, and here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet–

–and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay

And when again it's morning, they'll wash away

Here it's safe, and here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet–

– and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you.

Here is the place where I love you."

My body goes limp as the last notes of Katniss's song echo through my being. I feel calm and peaceful – more then I ever have in my life. I listen carefully, to hear if she will sing anything else, but I realize that Katniss has vanished. I open my eyes, but I don't see anything. The spear, once pieced through my stomach is now gone. I feel at peace, as if a load has been taken off my shoulders. I try to feel around me for the grass in the arena or something to hold onto, yet I feel nothing. I try to make out where I am but fail to come up with an answer. I am floating through darkness.

It hits me now. I am nowhere. I am no place. I am no thing. I am only at one with the universe. I am free.

I felt myself laying on grass as the wind brushed past me. I open my eyes and see that I'm in meadow surrounded by flowers of every shade of color. I sit up and glance around me. This wasn't the meadow in the arena or any part of it at all. I felt confused as to where I am, but also strangely calm.

Up ahead there was a field of orchards, similar to the ones back home in District 11 but they were different. Everything had a bright golden glow to it as if sunlight was radiating from its core. The clear blue sky lay up above me, lighter than any blue I've ever seen before. Everything had a heavenly quailty to it.

I don't know how long I stood there staring at the scenery around me. Time seemed to be meaningless here.

I realize that I'm not alone when I hear footsteps shuffling behind me. I turn and I'm taken aback by who I see.

A girl with red hair, a blue jacket and bright yellow pants stood behind me. The others that were nearby I recongized as the tributes who had died on the first day of The Hunger Games. I saw the girl from District 10 talking to the District 8 tributes and several others scattered about. The boy from District 4 was there too. He appeared to be one or two years older than I am. He had also died on the first day, strange since all the Careers usually make it and he hadn't killed anyone.

I stared at the redheaded girl in front of me, trying to figure out who she was. She didn't appear to be a tribute or any from the past. There was a girl from District 5 who also had red hair (Katniss always called her "Foxface") but the girl standing in front of me didn't look like her. Besides, Foxface is still alive with Katniss in The Hunger Games. She was really tall in comparision to this girl and Foxface was older than her, around sixteen or so. The girl in front of me was older than me too, but she appeared to be around fourteen and was a lot shorter.

"Hello," she smiled at me.

"Hi..." I said uncertain.

"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you," the girl said. "I'm Susie."

"Um...Nice to meet you," I smiled a little back. "I'm Rue."

"Susie! Susie!" A girl with tan skin and black hair in pigtails skipped over to her. "Hey," she beamed at me. "I'm Holly."

"And I'm Rue."

I didn't reconize Holly from this year's Hunger Games or from any past ones either.

"You don't have to worry any more. You will be safe here," Susie said.

I nodded. "Okay. But where is here?"

Holly laughed. "Well it's the afterlife! It's heaven!"

"Heaven?" I asked bewildered. "There's a heaven?"

"Why yes of course there is!" The blond girl from District 8 walked over to us. "That's were we go when we die. I'm Brooke, by the way, from District 8. And you're Rue right?"

"Yep! That's me!" I nodded. "From District 11!"

"It's very nice to meet you," Brooke said.

"Thanks, same to you." I wasn't sure what else to say to these strangers but they seemed friendly enough.

"Would you like to come with us? There's many things we would love to show you," Holly smiled at me.

"Sure," I nooded. "But I have one more question: what District are you and Susie from? And what Hunger Games were you in?"

They both laughed.

"Oh we're not from any District. And we weren't in any Hunger Games either," Susie answered. "Holly and I are from North America, it existed long before Panem was formed and was located where your country is today."

"But how are you guys here then?" I asked.

"This place isn't just for tributes, non-tributes can come here too," Brooke said. "If you look around you'll see plenty of non-tributes here too."

"Oh alright, I see." It made more sense to me now.

"So would you like us to show you around?" Holly smiled.

"Yes, thank you. I would love that," I smiled back.

As time went on in the afterlife, more tributes joined us. I never saw Marvel - the boy from District 1 who killed me or Glimmer, the other District 1 Tribute. I kept tabs on The Hunger Games and on Katniss to see how she was doing even though the others didn't understand why. Most tributes wanted to forget the whole thing ever happened to them.

My district sent her bread shortly after I was killed as a token of thanks to her. I watched with the other tributes, some were just as curious as me or with Susie and Holly. I made friends with some of the other tributes here and a few non-tributes too. They were all very nice, which suprised me. I guess I assumed that they would be mean or very tough since they were also in The Hunger Games, which now I think is ridiculous.

I watched my family's expressions after they had found out I died. The Capitol had picked up my body which Katniss had covered in flowers and after they removed the spear, they sent my body back home in a casket. My mom had buried her face in her hands and cried while my sisters hugged her and each other and did the same.

I wanted to comfort them and hug them and let them know I was okay, but I couldn't. And it hurt that I couldn't say anything to them.

Sometimes I wished they were here with me or that Katniss was too, but I know it's wrong to want that. They will continue living their lives until it's time to join me here and I didn't want to take that away from them.

I saw when the gamemaker's changed the rules allowing more than one tribute to win and Katniss went to find Peeta. A few days later, they called a feast and Clove was killed on that day, when Thresh saved Katniss. I never saw her in my heaven either.

Thresh joined us later after Cato killed him for killing Clove. The others welcomed him when he arrived too. I was happy that he was here with us but also sad that he wasn't able to make it home to his grandma. If Katniss didn't win I would have wanted him to win instead.

Katniss had made it back to the cave and gave Peeta the medicine for his leg. The only other ones left were Cato and Foxface.

Also during this time, I learned more about Susie and Holly too. Susie was murdered back in 1973 by one of her nieghbors, who lured her underground in a clubhouse to kill her. The same man that killed her murdered Holly too and a few others who were here.

Shortly after Thresh joined, Foxface joined us too. She had stolen some cheese and nightlock berries from Peeta when he wasn't looking, and ate them without realizing the berries were poisinous.

Cato died the same day (or night) after he was mauled to death by wolf muttations. He was still barely alive after and Katniss had to shoot him with an arrow so he would die.

He didn't show up here or did any of the other Career tributes except for the boy from District 4.

Katniss and Peeta won The Hunger Games shortly after. The gamemakers tried to change the rules again to get them to kill each other but they refused and pretended they were going to commit suicide with the nightlock berries.

This caused the gamemakers to change the rules again so they both could win and to prevent them from eating the berries. I was happy that Katniss and Peeta both made it out alive but I could see the Capitol was angry for what Katniss did. A revoltuion was about to start and I knew danger was headed her way. I didn't want that. I wished their was a way I could help her, but I couldn't. I worried for both of them.

I tried to discuss this with the other tributes but they didn't want to think about it. It made them unhappy to think of The Hunger Games or anything associated with it, so I kept my thoughts to myself most of the time. Not that I had anything against them.

I enjoyed my new life here. I had never felt so happy or peaceful in my life and I had so many wonderful new friends. As much as I missed my family, I knew I would be alright from now on. No more worrying about The Hunger Games or danger ever again. No one could hurt me now.

I was safe at last.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I've had this idea in my head for months and finally had time to sit down and write this today. I hope you liked it! :)