The Hanging Tree Caitie Johnson

1st Period

The dust stirred under her feet, her boots scuffing against the cold ground. In the distance, she could still see the hovercraft that had dropped her off, watching until it was just a blur in the morning sky. A speck in the haze of blue. Until it was no more.

The war was over. No one knew what to do with Katniss, the need of a Mockingjay gone, so they did the only thing they could do; they sent her home. Well, at least what used to be her home. District Twelve was nothing more than ashes and nightmares, Capitol officials cleaning up the dead and improving the town. They were trying to fix it. They were trying to make it livable to the citizens, but no one could forget what had happened here, all of the lives lost and homes demolished.

The losses were unforgettable.

Passing by her old home in the Seam, nothing was left. The clean up crew had been here already. The Hob was gone, the bakery, everything was no more. The only thing left untouched by the Capitol was the Victor's Village. Katniss walked into the small square and looked at the houses. No friendly warmth radiating from the windows, no smoke coming from the chimneys, no signs that there was anyone there. The steps to her house here had a thin layer of pure white snow, her boots leaving dark footprints on the stairs. The door opened smoothly and without a sound as she entered the house.

Each step Katniss took was echoed throughout the house that was too large for just her. The father lost in a mine accident so many years before, her mother unable to return to their old home because of all the bad memories, and her sister….

The memories of the sweet girl flashed throughout her mind. The joy on her face as the goat was presented to her. The pride in her voice when she spoke of the A she got on her test. The worried tone that she tried to hide so much when the Quarter Quell was announced. The ghost of the innocent laugh of a Primrose echoed throughout the house, bringing Katniss to her knees with her head in her hands. Tears spilled over her cheeks. One by one, ever tribute from the Games came down and haunted her, telling her it was all her fault.

Then came the screaming.

It was loud and clear, piercing her every thought. It was the scream that Rue had bellowed when the spear entered her body, the scream Prim had released when she saw Katniss, the scream of dying children as the parachutes exploded. It all became too much. Her own screaming began to mix in with the voices that haunted her.

By twilight, he voice had gone raw and she was an empty shell. Katniss manage to climb the treacherous stairs that led to her old bedroom and snuck under the silk sheets, not even bothering to change out of her day clothes. She was only able to sleep for a few hours before the nightmares overtook her dreams. Children dying. Lives lost. Homes destroyed. Her father in the mines as the coal caught fire. Mutts attacking. It was too much.

Tip-toeing down the stairs to not disturb the quiet, Katniss trotted into the kitchen and grasped the wall phone. With shaking fingers, she dialed the number to her doctor. He calmed her down and gave her simple directions to follow. Breath in, breathe out. Start with what you know, and work your way to the more complicated things.

My name is Katniss Everdeen.

I am seventeen years old.

I have survived the Hunger Games twice.

My sister is dead.

My father is dead.

My life is dead.

Why am I not dead?

By dawn, Katniss had reviewed everything there was to think about, all memories and conspiracies. Once the sun had completely risen, there was a knock on her door. Standing up from the floor, she cautiously moved towards it, not knowing what stood behind the threshold. Opening the door to a crack, before her stood the familiar face with golden blonde hair and eyes as light as the sky. Scars ran down his face from the fire and battle, but that could never conceal the smile that was plastered on his face. The smell of cheese buns was overwhelming and Katniss opened the door just slightly more, to show that she wasn't going to block him out, yet not going to let him in.

Peeta's voice was strong and without a tremor as he gave her a friendly yet simple greeting.

"Hello Katniss, glad to see that the Capitol let you free. How have you been?"

The words were so normal that they sounded alien coming from him. The boy with the bread. Her ally in these games. Her lifeline when it came to survival. A dandelion in the spring. Her response was raspy, still being hoarse from the previous evening.

"I've had better days. All you have to do is just keep the nightmares away."

They conversed no more as Peeta came inside the house, politely ignoring her appearance and smell. He went over to the stove and started to cook breakfast while Katniss set the table for two.

"Would you mind setting up two more plates? I invited a few people to have breakfast with us."

Katniss froze at his words. Yes, she did mind. It was hard enough having him in her company so soon after the war; she didn't want to deal with more human interaction. But Katniss wouldn't tell Peeta this. Instead, she set out two more plates and was just beginning to set out the silverware when another knock on the door reached her. Shooting a quick glance Peeta's way, she walked to the door and opened it once more. Standing there were two people she thought that wouldn't make an appearance in her life again so quickly.

Haymitch's skin was still getting over a yellowish tint, showing that he was starting to get used to being sober. He needed to shave and it seemed that he hadn't taken a shower in a while. But it didn't matter, he was like family, and seeing him was enough to make it okay.

Standing slightly behind him was a tall figure silhouetted by the sun, but his grey eyes still shined as he muttered quietly, "Hey Catnip." Katniss reached out to hug Gale in greetings when Haymitch loudly belched. Hearing footsteps, Katniss turned around and saw Peeta turning into the hallway, wearing an apron with a frying pan in hand.

He set down the pan and shook Gale's hand like a polite businessman would, and helped Haymitch carry in a large box full of liquor that he had brought with him. Katniss lead the unexpected group into the kitchen where Peeta had set up a feast of eggs and bacon, coffee and bagels, and, of course, huge mountains of bread.

All four of them sat down and stared at the food, no one making the first move. Katniss knew that she wouldn't be the first to grab something, even though the bread had an aroma that lured her in. Then, like he was trying to creep up on the food, Peeta slowly lifted a bun from the pile and set it on his plate. From there on out, the small group began to eat monstrous amount of food. Katniss sunk her teeth in a particularly warm piece of bread that was covered in a fine layer of butter and reached out to grab another when a thought occurred to her.

This was almost normal, and it was as if she was watching someone else experiencing this meal. A normal person with a normal life, it had a pleasant feel to it. Katniss wouldn't have minded living the rest of her life like this, meals with friends, no war, no nightmares, no Hunger Games. She wanted to forget her life all around

And it was almost like that.

Every Sunday, Gale, Haymitch, and Peeta would come over in the morning and have breakfast, clean the dishes, drink a cup of tea, and speak of small things, discussing the weather or talking about the shops that were being built in town. Katniss had dreamed of having a life like this where there was no need to worry about the games or the Capitol or cameras, and now that she had it, she realized that it was pointless.

What was the use of having a normal life when at night, horrors haunted you and the ghosts of the ones you loved won't leave you alone? Katniss tried the techniques that the doctors recommended, but none of them worked. She tried her best to appear as if everything was all right when Peeta and Gale were around, and Haymitch had given up sobriety long ago, so there was no need to worry about how she acted around him, but what about convincing herself that she was alright?

As the weeks turned to months and the months turned steadily to a year, things had not gotten better. In fact, they had gotten worse until there were times where sleep was non-existent and there was no reason to be happy, to keep on fighting the fight of survival.

Are you, are you

Coming to the tree

Wear a necklace of rope,

Side by side with me

Katniss stood upon a chair in the darkness of the early morning, the song ringing throughout her head. One final pull of a string and she stepped down, running her fingers through the perfectly crafted noose, her very own necklace of rope. She was going to leave this world and see the ones she loved again, and the idea enlightened her, pushing her with a determination she hadn't felt since the first Hunger Games.

As silent as a mouse, Katniss crept over to the kitchen counter and reached for a pen and paper. Scratching down her final remarks in blue ink, every person she lost during these games flashed through her mind.

Rue

Finnick

Maggs

Prim

Cinna

Madge

Strange things did happen here

No stranger would it be

If we met up at Midnight

In the hanging tree

Setting down the pen, Katniss stood back up onto the chair, tugging at the rope between her fingers. So fragile, yet powerful, the rope was the thing that was going to return her to her loved ones. She smoothly slipped the noose over her head and un-tucked her braid from under the knot. The twine was rough and like sandpaper on her baby soft skin.

The world slowed down as she took her final step off of the chair. Images flashed through her vision. Buttercup, the ugly cat that Prim had made her keep, Lady, the goat she had bought that helped her family when they were in need of food, Gale, her best friend, and Peeta…. Gale and Peeta.

Katniss's final thoughts were. "I couldn't survive without them. I couldn't survive without anyone."

If we met up at Midnight

In the hanging tree

The last thing she saw as she left this world was a beautiful Mockingjay that sat on her windowsill, gently singing a calm tune.

That morning, Peeta had gone to get Haymitch so that they could set off for Katniss's house. It was Sunday, which was the day where he, Gale, and Haymitch would visit for breakfast. It had become a routine over the time they had done these meals. It only seemed appropriate to have interaction with each other after all they had gone through.

To Peeta, things had been growing steadily better. Since the war ended, he and Gale had come to peace, both agreeing that it was Katniss's decision to make and when she was ready, she would tell them. Therapy helped with the nightmares of the dead. People had returned to the District. Things were looking better.

Haymitch told him that he would be over in fifteen minutes and Gale had always come by himself, so Peeta decided to head out early and make an extra dozen of the rolls that Katniss liked so much. Spring was in the air as the rough winter passed over. Flowers were beginning to bloom, the snow was melting, and the birds were singing their familiar tune that made him smile, though he had never been sure why. He himself was now humming the peaceful tune as he climbed the stairs that lead the Katniss's front porch.

Reaching for the doorknob, something didn't seem right. Normally, when he came to her house, Katniss could be heard moving around and setting the table, preparing for him to come, but today, there was only silence coming from the building. Slightly worried, Peeta opened the door and stepped into the entrance call.

"Hello? Katniss?" He called out for her, checked her bedroom, the study, all over the house. Finally believing that she had just gone out hunting earlier in the morning and had not yet returned, Peeta set off for the kitchen. Planning how he would cook the eggs, he stopped in his tracks when he saw what was before him. A dark figure was hanging from the ceiling, and at first Peeta thought he was having one of his nightmares, but this was only to real.

Forcing himself to take a step towards her, he noticed a note scribbled in blue ink on the counter. On it, there were only four words, but they were powerful to him nonetheless. Still clutching the letter, Peeta sprinted out of the house in fear and pain, tears streaking down his face as he let out a strangled cry. Gale had been on his way to Katniss's and Peeta ran into him.

Gale saw the expression on his face and got that cold, determined look that only came when he was protecting Katniss.

Using a calm tone that implied sympathy, he asked, "What's wrong? Are you having a flashback?"

Still unable to form any words, Peeta shoved the paper in his hands. It took a moment for Gale to process what was written there, and then he shoved himself away and started towards the house, screaming her name. The paper got caught in the breeze, and the last message was blown away, her words not forgotten.

Peeta finally understood the full meaning of what the letter had meant. The 74th Hunger Games were over, there was only one tribute. While the rebels may have won the battle, the Capitol won the war. It was over.

I've Lost These Games