A/N: Only the epilogue left after this. . .I can't believe it's near over. . . :'(

Chapter Forty-Nine-The Beginning of the End

I fiddle with my hands nervously as Johanna and I head down the road back towards Beetra's house. People turn to stare and whisper as we walk past them in the street.

Is that Johanna Mason?

She's out of her house!

Who's that with her?

I pull the scarf up my face again and duck my head. Johanna walks beside me with confidence, as if she hasn't been a recluse for years now. She's told me to try and not think about my family, but it's hard. I don't know what's happening to them, Maurice and Kaliana in the Capitol as we speak.

"Hold on dad! Not every one can do this like you can!" My voice echos through my skull.

"Look Primrose, it's easy! Gale can do it!" Dad laughs. I look down at the mess that's supposed to be bread dough stuck to my hands and then to Gale's perfectly shaped dough that's already in the tin.

"Dad this isn't fair!" I complain. "Your helping him!"

"Me?" Dad mock gasps. "I'd never."

"Gale, is he helping you?" I ask Gale.

Gale grins and nods his head happily. "Yeah Prim! He helped me shape it and put it in the tin thing!"

"That's for selling me out buddy!" Dad says, pretending to be hurt.

"Dad, you weren't exactly being discreet," Gale sniggers in reply.

"I knew it!" I declare, pointing my doughy finger at him, "Tratior!"

Dad laughs at my accusation while Gale smiles smugly at me. Mom comes into the room while Dad's still laughing and lightly whacks him round the head. "Stop it Peeta," she chuckles.

"Yeah, because she takes after you," Dad says as he composes himself. "No patience and a temper with a short fuse."

"Oh real mature," I sneer, shaking my hand to rid it of the dough. "Is this even nessacary in life?"

"Making bread?" Mom says. "Oh yeah, it's always good to know how to make bread."

"Why though?" I whine, scooting out of the way as dad puts Gale's bread into the oven.

"It's just a good skill," Dad replies. "It helps."

"Yeah, well, I'm not skillfull," I conclude, dusting my apron. "I'll just be talentless thank you very much."

Gale hops onto the table and frowns at me. "Your not talentless Primrose," he says. "You just haven't found what you can do well yet."

"Says you Doctor. Mellark," I chuckle, ruffling his hair. He immediately tries to fix it.

Mom wraps her arm round me and tucks a stray hair behind my ear. "You'll find your talent someday Primrose, I can guarantee it."

"You can?"

"Definetly. Come here."

Mom pulls me into a warm hug. Gale, feeling left out, wraps his arms round the both of us. Dad smiles and joins in the group hug too.

This was the last happy family moment we ever had.

I shake my head, trying to get the memories to go away into the back of my brain as they're not wanted right now. I still haven't figured out my talent yet, although I haven't given up trying.

Gale working on becoming a doctor was great. Mom and dad were so proud of him when he announced it, and he is doing well. I mean, his chemotherapy has been working hasn't it? I mean, Zeb's been so much better since we started giving him it. Sadly, Gale can't work on improving it while he's in the Capitol. . . can't work on. . .it. . .

"He can't work on it!" I exclaim out loud. Johanna stops beside me and and frowns. "What?" she asks.

"Oh my god he can't work on it!"

"What can't who work on Primrose?" Johanna questions.

"Gale! He can't work on the chemotherapy if he's in the Capitol!" I exclaim.

"I think working on chemotherapy is the least of his worries at the moment," Johanna replies with a dismissive wave.

"No, you don't get it!" I insist. "Zeb needs it!"

"Needs what?"

"The CHEMOTHERAPY!"

"Why?!" Johanna exclaims.

"To bake a cake," I sigh sarcastically. "Why do you think he freaking needs it! He has Cancer! If Gale can't send it Zeb's going to die!"

"Hold on," Johanna orders, "Calm down!"

"I can't! Zeb's going to die!"

"We don't know that now Primrose, calm down, deep breaths," Johanna insists. "How does the chemo work?"

"With the severity of Zeb's illness and the uncertainty of Gale's work, he has to be given some at least once every four hours. Even if he misses one dose he's in danger of dying!"

"When was his last intake?" Johanna asks, still calm as ever.

"I don't know! About an hour before I set off to see you," I answer. "How long have we been here?"

"Two hours," Johanna replies.

"And it took me half an hour to get to you . . .that's three and a half hours!"

"Shit!" Johanna murmers, turning round and running down the road.

"Johanna wait!" I shout, stumbling after her. My heart starts beating a million miles an hour as my feet pound the dusty ground of the streets of District 5.

I trip on the steps of Beetra's house, skinning my knee and making it bleed. Johanna bursts into the house, immediately shouting for Zeb. She disappears off to the left hand side, where the basement door sits. I clambour to my feet and run into the house, slamming the door behind me.

"Primrose don't come in here!" Johanna shouts up the basement steps.

"Why?!" I shout back, going to the top of the stairs.

"Just don't!" Beetra's voice floats up weakly.

I contemplate going down but decide against it. I turn round to move out of earshot when I trip over my own ankle and fall down the stairs.

The world tumbles round and round over and over again, making me feel sick, until it suddenly stops and I hit my head off the floor, making everything go out of focus.

"Get her out of her!" I vaguely hear Johanna tell Beetra.

"No!" I snap, rolling onto my side and trying to make sense of the blurry images before me. I push myself into a sitting position and shake my head, focusing my vision.

I make out Beetra first. She's biting her nails and looking at something in deep worry. My eyes focus on Johanna next whose bent over. . .punching Zeb in the chest. "Wake up damn you!" I vaguely hear her shout.

"Zeb?" I whisper, crawling over to his prone body, lying in the exact same spot it was in when I left. Johanna stops punching him in the chest and covers his mouth with hers. My head still isn't clear enough to understand what's going on so I gently shake his arm. "Zeb, get up, we need to go," I whisper. "We need to go to District 7."

"Primrose, come with me," Beetra almost whimpers, grabbing my shoulders and trying to pull me up to stand.

"No," I protest, shaking her arms away. My hand is holding onto his upper arm in a death grip and that's when it hits me.

No pulse.

"Zeb," I whisper, leaning over and resting my head over where his heart is. No heart beat. . .nothing . . .

Just silence.

My eyesight slides out of focus again and I hear Johanna shouting and cursing over and over again, as if it's some new mantra, but she sounds far away. Miles away. I close my eyes tight, causing a few tears to fall down my cheeks, and stay where I'am. Holding on tight to him, wanting for his heart to start again, wanting for his chest to start moving again as he breathes, wanting for his pulse to beat. Something, anything.

But it doesn't happen.

And I'm left alone.

A/N: No words can describe how much I cried when I wrote this. . .