Johanna
I look at the olive toned woman who holds the small infant in her arms, the small scar I'd miffed into her skull still stains her face, right above her slick dark brow. The man she loves takes the child out her hands, his ash blonde hair shaved almost completely off. He looks up at the dark grey sky. "Let's hurry." He insists, "Looks like rain." Annie speaks, her small toddler wraps his hand into hers, years of tears stain her face, her freckles and old smile marks still stain her face, Finnick told me he'd counted the small brick colored dots so many times he had finally just named each one.
I'd been by to visit them a lot lately, we'd agreed to this trip only because it was right, I never went out in public anymore, you could find me watching the people come and go from the trains, I'd stay hiked in a tree, a bottle of rum in my left hand a loaf of his bread in the others, I still woke up screaming, the dreams of Peeta's screams and my friend being charred by hot rain would come the most, I'd still find myself looking at the distorted mirror I'd crashed into pieces months before... whenever it rained, it was hard not to take a shard and end my life.
Haymitch had been forced to look decent for today, his hair hadn't been cut in months instead he just wore it in a nice ponytail, Katniss and Peeta had chased down a flock of wild geese for him to take care of, seemed right, now that he had other organisms that couldn't live off liquor and nightmares to take in.
Enobaria hands me the bundle of rue, we'd grown closer, she'd decided on going back to her normal look, it was a new world seeing the old enemy like this, we'd all been weakened, but were too strong to let him succeed in his dictatorship. I look at Mrs. Eveerdeen's sad face, Gale is there to support her old body, Haymitch lets Beete lean against him as we cross the grainy field, the fresh smell of spring makes me feel surreal, the winter had been normal, but this.. Was better.
The gleam of the large metal trumpet catches my sight, it feels so crazy walking towards a cornucopia, a large one with nothing but good things pouring out. We slowly walk; the world silent and soft. I look at all of the other remaining victors. Peeta with little Isabelle in his hands, Katniss holding her greying mother, Beete and Haymitch old and big eyed, Enobaria with her grey streaks of hair and Annie and James Finnick Jr toddling in her hands.
I examine the large metal structure in front of my face, I make out the names of all one thousand eight hundred twenty one people that died for justice, and my eyes read all of the dead tributes names. "Rue.", "Wiress.", "Finnick." I continue moving around the horn of plenty, a sweet smell falls from it, small green and purple weeds dance around my bare feet. I find the name. "Blight." The only person I could make myself care for, for over two years. I watch everyone else cry, they had added Prim and Cinna onto the metal, and they seemed right up there. "Clove.", "Cato.", "Cashmere.", "Glimmer." I continue to move around the golden horn, my eyes finally meeting all of the live flowers and plants that tangle inside of the warm metal.
I turn to find my frei- family with me. I hand Katniss a flower my eyes meeting her beautiful face. She's still young and envy worthy after all of these years. I continue down the line handing each being a flower. I take the last bright flower in my palm, a breeze catches them as we release them into the base of the horn. The rain begins to fall, for once in my life I don't think of how badly they tortured me, I only can stare at the beauty of the memorial and hope that I don't break down during all of this beauty, the names seem to glow as we walk back to the hovercrafts the hope is all around us now, Katniss's dark braid flies with the grey wind, her mother holds her grandchild, the joy that leaks from the children that will never know what hunger is almost moves me, I think of the games they will play, never having to worry about growing up to fast, they'd become the kids I watch play in my backyard, playing tag and chase the biggest kid with sticks... but there are worst games to play.