"Where's father?" An anxious voice wakes me, "Where are we?"

I bite my lip and rest my head against the window, choosing not to answer my daughter's question. Outside, there are trees filling every gap of the forest. I wonder if anyone has ever gotten lost amidst the dark green abyss with not even a crack of light slipping through the thick branches.

"Where are we, mother?" My daughter asks again. When I ignore her again, she repeats her question in a stern tone, "Where are we, Katniss Hawthorne?"

Hawthorne.

"We're going back home, okay? And don't you dare call me Katniss Hawthorne again. My name is Katniss Everdeen!" I snap at her, red faced.

It's a while before she asks another question.

"Why?"

"What now?" My voice is weaved with annoyance and frustration.

"Why are you two always fighting? Don't you two love each other?"

"No, we don't."

"But I thought two people only married when they love each other."

"Well," I say, biting back harsh and colourful words, "sometimes, people have to marry each other because they have to."

"Wh-"

"Enough with the questions, Sage," I say firmly and go to the dining room.


The train makes a short stop at District 11 and I go out for some air. My stomach has now knotted itself together and I feel terrible. The nerves that claw at me are almost enough to make me turn around and go back to District 2, go back to Gale. I clench my jaw. No, I won't go back to him. Not now.

"We better get on the train again before it leaves us here," a quiet voice says behind me. Sage pauses for a few seconds, looks down rt, "and I'm sorry for being so impolite before. For asking questions about problems I have no right to."

"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have been so impatient," I stroke her hair.


I step off the train and breathe in the familiar smell of fresh rain and snow. In the town below, it's loud and busy. People hustle around quickly, weaving in between crates and boxes others are carrying down the road. You wouldn't believe how much a place can change in just ten years.

"Welcome home, darling." I whisper.

Surprisingly, the Victors' Village had more than just three inhabited homes. I could see the smoke rising up from chimneys of three other houses.

We slipped through the unlocked door without anyone realising. Or if they did, they didn't decide to make it known. It was still the same. The same old couches, the same carpet, the same bench where Peeta used to bake bread and cheese buns, the same bench I stabbed with a knife.

"Drop your stuff on top, Sage." I gesture to the coffee table between the two couches where Peeta promised he'd love me forever. An all too familiar feeling washes through me again. Guilt. 'If it were a language, it'd be my mother tongue.' The thought saddens me.


I try Peeta's house first. But after seventy-two knocks and what seems like an eternity, I decide to give up. It's still in the wee hours of morning and I wouldn't expect him to be up anyway.

It takes nine knocks for Haymitch to open the door. He rubs his eyes and grumbles, "Back again are we, Johanna?"

"Haymitch?"

His eyes widen at the sight of me.

"Great. So without liquor, I'm going completely crazy." He yawns and shuts the door, muttering something sounding like 'you've gone mental' under his breath.

"Haymitch! You're not going crazy, it's really me," I shout and knock on the door again.

This time, it flings open quickly and he envelopes me in a warm hug.

"Oh Katniss, do you know how much we've missed you? We thought you'd dropped off the face of Earth," if I didn't know Haymitch better, I would've said he was crying.

He catches sight of the little brunette girl with grey eyes behind me.

"And this must be…" he trails off and I nod slowly, both of us not wanting to mention the incident that happened ten years ago.

Sage notices this and says, "I think I'm gonna go and wander around town. I'll be back soon," before she walks away.

I wait until she's an earshot away before asking, "When does Peeta normally wake up? I just visited him before and I don't think he's up yet."

"Do you want to go and see the others?"

"Haymitc-"

"They really miss you too," he continues, "your mother, Annie, Johanna, even Delly."


Annie is one who opens the door and squeals in surprise. She sets her child down and hugs me tightly.

"What's all the commotion, Annie?" Johanna halts in her tracks and she sees my face. Her eyes narrow in anger and she slaps me.

Well, she almost does. She stops her hand when it is a mere inch away from my cheek and pulls me into a tight embrace too.

"You infuriate me so much, don't you know that?" She shouts, "You can't just disappear and leave us without any form of contact and we don't even see you on television," then her voice softens, "we thought you'd died, Katniss. You can't do this to us anymore!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I whisper, to not just her, but also everyone else, "I just had to escape. From all the cameras, from all the reporters."

"We understand," a shaky voice comes from below the steps.

"Mother?" I turn around and that's when the tears really start slipping.

We hug each other. And in those few minutes, everything is silent. Nothing was heard. Not even the laughter and voices from town or the crunching of leaves or Annie's son's irritated sounds could be heard.

My mother is delighted to finally meet her grandchild.

"What's your name?" she asks.

"I'm Sage," my daughter at my face, "Sage Everdeen."

Everyone grins.


"Hey, um, where's Peeta?" I ask as we settle around the table for a feast.

Everyone looks around nervously and no one answers.

"Haven't you been watching the news, Katniss?" Annie's voice is shaky.

"No."

"Oh." She fidgets with the tablecloth.

"Annie, what's going on?"

"Um…Peeta's…," her green orbs are shining with fear as her teeth chatter out the next word, "dead."


A/N - Oh it's finallyyyy done. I hope you like it, hee! Sorry if there are any mistakes because I don't really pick up much when I proof-read as I don't like doing it and I don't have a beta, so...yah.

I might fall back into updating like every (one and a half) month(s) because school is starting up next week ugh. Okay, I'm bringing an old character back in the next few chapters. Anyway, have a great day/afternoon/evening/night wherever you are.

Hugs,
~KatnissxSwift