Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? Here's the epilogue! I'm not going to keep you all too long here so just go on ahead and continue reading. I'll put all the things I want to say at the end.
Like always, I enjoy comments, in fact I thrive off of positive comments and love constructive critique ones cause it shows an author that their readers are actually paying attention and enjoying their work.
Thanks for continuing to read this story! Virtual hugs and cuddles to y'all.
Disclaimer: I still do not own anything except any OC's that may come up, any world building that has not yet been officially stated by the books or the movies, and any plot points/structures that have not been used in the books or movies.
Warning: No beta, we die like Rue.
Epilogue: It's Not Over Yet
XXXXXX
Val stands there, completely dazed and unfocused as to what was happening around him.
Cinna finishes putting the final touches to the outfit he's currently being fitted with before Val's focus finally returns to the present.
He stares at the image of himself standing before him in the mirror.
He stood tall (but he's never felt so small before) with a healthy glow to his cheeks (that still showed signs of malnutrition that the Capitol technology wasn't able to get rid in such a short amount of time) and broad shoulders pulled back by a chest puffed out with pride (all in an attempt to stop the weight hanging on his back from pushing him down to the ground).
Val turns his focus away from his physical appearance to the suit that Cinna outfitted him with. It's a form-fitting three piece suit with no special features added this time, just slacks, a dress shirt, and a jacket. However, the colors of the suit are what really stand out about it. Various shades of red and orange dance across the fabric and when he shifts around a bit, the colors seem to move. It looked like he was wearing a suit of fire even though there were no actual flames involved. His hair is artfully slicked with a gel that seems to make it shine under the lights of the room.
"Finally back with me?" Cinna asks.
Val looks to him and tries to respond but his voice catches in his throat. He closes his mouth and nods.
Cinna hums with a look of understanding that makes Val's eyes prickle with unshed tears.
"Hey now, none of that," Cinna says as he reaches up to wipe away the tears with a silk handkerchief. "I trust my team to use the right kind of makeup but I'd rather you didn't test the integrity of its waterproof capabilities."
Val chuckles quietly before returning his gaze to the mirror. Cinna frowns at that and places his hands on Val's shoulders.
"Are you alright?" Cinna asks as he squeezes his shoulders in comfort.
Val swallows thickly before choking out, "I don't know."
Cinna nods. "That's alright. If you don't know, you don't know. But I'm sure you'll get there, one day."
"I hope so too," Val whispers in hopeful agreement.
Cinna smiles and pats him on the back. Then he perks up. "Oh! I almost forgot to say."
Val tilts his head in confusion as he turns to look at him.
"Congratulations, Val. You've done it," Cinna says.
"Done what?" Val asks, confused.
"You've changed the system or rather, taken the first step to changing it," Cinna elaborates.
Val frowns. "It doesn't feel like I've changed anything. If anything, it feels like I've made things worse."
Cinna shakes his head. "It may feel like that at first. Change is a rather terrifying thing after all. No one likes it no matter how necessary it is," he says reassuringly, "But true change is never surface deep."
Before Val can ask what Cinna means by that, Haymitch comes barging into the room with a flask in hand.
"Congratulations kid, you and sweet cheeks actually did it!" Haymitch says with a mixed tone of awe, disbelief, sarcasm, and was that a hint of worry?. "I'll admit, I had my doubts. I didn't think you'd actually pull it off but then again, there's something special about the two of you. Something that I can't quite put a name on..."
"I think fire might be the word you're looking for," Cinna chimes in.
Haymitch points at him while aggressively nodding in agreement. "Fire, yeah! Fierce, passionate fire."
Then his expression becomes deadly serious. "But fire can light up the world or burn it to the ground. So you better watch yourself from now on, boy," Haymitch warns, "Because you and that sister of yours have done something that won't be taken lightly here. I hope you understand that."
Val sucks in a breath, feeling like he'd just been punched in the gut. Because of course he understands. He understands, oh so well.
"I do," he finally says but his voice is barely louder than a whisper.
Haymitch nods grimly at his response, his suspicions about Val finally confirmed with those two words. "I've already spoken with your sister because she's more of the obstinate sort when it comes to fire and passion. And after talking in circles, it seems like she's also come to an understanding."
Val involuntarily snorts at that. Because it was just like Katniss to not care about the consequences of her actions, only the meaning of them, until the repercussions finally come to bite her in the ass. And despite all the trouble she's dragged him into, he wouldn't have her any other way. But still, that fear of her finally biting off more than she can chew nestles in his heart, alongside the guilt that he had dragged her into doing so.
"Hey, none of that. Don't you go spiraling on me, boy" Haymitch snaps, placing a hand on Val's shoulder and interrupting his train of thought. "Your sister knew exactly what she was doing and it was her choice to follow alongside you. Now the only thing both of you can do is keep your head down and watch your step."
Val swallows heavily as Haymitch squeezes his shoulder and allows Cinna to gently direct him out of the room. He zones out again as he's led to the stage where the crowning ceremony will commence. Each step he takes echoes loudly in his ears like the pounding of his heart as it races in his chest.
Only when a hand reaches out to hold his does Val snap out of his daze. He startles and turns to see Katniss looking at him in concern. He blinks as her appearance slowly registers in his mind.
She's in the same boat as him physically, makeup and technology used in an attempt to cover up the struggles she's gone through in the arena, standing tall with the help of high heels but an invisible weight sits heavy on her shoulders. The dress she's wearing is a sight to behold. It's completely gold with gold flecks artfully sewn onto it, making the whole dress shimmer with every movement she makes. The skirt has multiple layers made of silk and other fine fabrics and the bodice wraps around her torso with a few strips of cloth hanging off her shoulders that are tied together into a tasteful bow. Her hair hangs loosely instead of being down up into a braid or a bun, the dark brown waves tumble freely over her shoulders.
"You good?" she asks, threading her fingers through his.
The corner of his lips quirk up. "No," he answers truthfully, "How about you?"
"Same," she responds with a sarcastic grin. "But I think I'll get there, eventually."
He squeezes her hand. "I don't doubt that."
The siblings turn their attention towards the stage where Caesar Flickerman shimmies and dances his way across to stand joyfully in the center like the ring man of a circus.
"Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the Boy and Girl on Fire! The Hunger Games first ever dual sibling Victors!" Caesar proudly announces as he throws an arm out towards the side of the stage where they were standing. It's their cue to step out onto the stage.
The interview blurs by, neither of the siblings really registering what was going on. The only thing Val can remember was that Caesar never asked them about the berries. Oh, he asked them about everything else - about Rue and Clove, about Kai, about their separation and Katniss' betrayal, about their subsequent reunion and so on and so forth. But he never asked about anything regarding the berries.
It was like he was explicitly ordered not to ask them about it and that stuck out in Val's mind. It made the fear in his heart grow stronger and stronger as his mind raced with thoughts on what kind of game President Snow was possibly playing with them now.
Unfortunately, his question was answered when it came time for the crowning ceremony. Val and Katniss stood next to each other on the same platform President Snow stood on when he first announced the start of the Hunger Games.
President Snow stands before them in a pure white suit with a white rose sitting in his jacket pocket. He smiles at them with pearl white teeth that gleam menacingly in the bright light that shone upon them.
Snow removes one of the two golden Victor crowns with sharp edges on the top and perfect hexagonal shapes etched around the length.
He steps forward towards Katniss and she bows her head to allow him to place it delicately on her head.
"Congratulations, Miss Everdeen," Snow says with an undertone of something sinister that has the two of them tensing in response. "I do hope to be invited to the wedding."
"Thank you very much, President Snow," Katniss says, voice strained from the forced politeness she barely managed to dig up, "I'll see what I can do about the invitation."
Snow smiles at her and lifts her right hand up where he plants a soft kiss that sends shivers down her spine. She smiles tightly in response.
Then he steps back to grab the other crown and turns to Val.
"And congratulations to you as well, Mr. Everdeen," Snow says as he places the crown on top of Val's head. Then he leans forward and whispers into his ear, "Or should I say, Mr. Cato Evans."
Val stiffens as Snow leans away and steps back with a predatory smile. Katniss looks over with a concerned expression to which Val tries to give a reassuring smile but all that comes out is a grimace.
"Thank you, President Snow," Val manages to choke out as he smiles through the fear.
"I look forward to seeing what the two of you do next in the years to come," Snow drawls out with a predatory smile that makes the siblings feel as if they'd just signed a deal with the devil.
XXXXXX
Seneca Crane walks down the long white marble hallway adorned with elaborate white lamps and white roses placed in white vases. The only other colors are the gold rose and vine patterns that adorn the walls.
There are two Peacekeepers walking behind him.
A sense of dread grows within him but his denial of the situation before him allows Crane to continue marching on with the utmost pride inherent in every Capitol citizen despite the way he is being herded like a sheep for slaughter.
Finally, Crane and his mini entourage arrive before a set of large, white doors with elaborate gold metal handles that each Peacekeeper takes a hold of. They pull the doors open and Crane steps inside, taking in the contents of the room.
The room is empty of any furniture except for a small glass table and an empty glass bowl placed upon it.
An elaborate crystal chandelier with multiple layers of crystal threads circling its length hangs in the middle of the room. There are no windows and no other entry ways besides the door Crane just walked through.
Behind him, the Peacekeepers close the door with an ominous click. Crane turns around and steps back to the doors, placing a hand around the door handle and pulls.
The door refuses to budge, it's been locked from the outside.
The sense of dread grows, almost overcoming his sense of denial. Crane turns away from the door and slowly walks towards the bowl in the middle of the room. The closer he gets to the bowl, the clearer he can see that the bowl is not as empty as he first thought.
He cautiously looks over the rim of the bowl and down at its contents. His heart sinks into his stomach when he sees what it contains.
For the sight that greets him is a single black berry with a skin that shines ominously in the chandelier's bright light.
XXXXXX
The entire train ride back to 12 is quiet. No one says a word, not even Effie who couldn't stop gushing her congratulations when they had first stepped off the hovercraft upon their return from the arena.
A grim atmosphere hangs over every single occupant of the train.
Haymitch thumbs the rim of a small whiskey glass, its contents still untouched.
Effie twiddles her thumbs and glances around nervously. She's wearing a dark red dress that's not as dark as blood but not as bright as fire. Her makeup is also rather subdued, with only a bit of dark red blush, bright red eye shadow, and blood red lipstick.
Val and Katniss sit together on the couch, leaning against one another in support. Katniss is tucked against Val's side with her head leaning against his collarbone with her arms wrapped around his torso. Val leans his head on top of hers with an arm wrapped around her shoulders as his free hand rubs comforting circles on her knees that are pulled up and folded against his legs.
The train pulls to a stop.
They're finally back home.
Val and Katniss grip each other's hand tightly as they slowly make their way to the exit of the train car. They look to each other and take a deep breath (in, in, in, and out) before the door opens and they step out onto the platform.
Immediately the sound of clapping and cheers greet them. The siblings stare in surprise as it seems like the entirety of District 12 has gathered at the train platform to welcome them back home.
Their eyes dart around until Val's gaze lands on Prim who's waving enthusiastically and sending air kisses their way as she's held up by the waist of their mother who's smiling tearfully at them with a smile that Val had thought to be lost when their father died.
Katniss' gaze lands on Peeta who's been pushing his way through the crowd towards them until people finally get a clue and part to allow him a clear path towards them. Peeta picks up the pace, almost tripping in his haste until he's finally standing before Katniss who looks at him like it's the first time she's really seeing him.
She quickly throws herself at him and the two embrace, holding each other tightly as tears start to fall down their cheeks. Then Peeta untangles himself from her, much to her confusion. But that confusion quickly turns into shock when he drops down onto one knee and pulls a ring out of his pocket.
The ring is beautiful. It's a silver band of two thick vines with leaves adorned across its length wrapping around to meet in the middle where a small green emerald and orange topaz come together as the centerpiece.
She looks up to Peeta's face in disbelief. "Is this?" she asks, almost afraid that this was all a dream.
"Yes," Peeta responds firmly, "Katniss Everdeen, will you-"
"Yes! Yes! A million times yes!" Katniss shouts in glee as she throws her arms around Peeta and pulls him into a kiss.
The gathered crowd somehow cheers even louder than before as the two pull apart long enough for Peeta to slip the ring onto Katniss' finger before the two pull each other back in for another kiss.
Val watches, off to the side. A grin stretched wide across his face as he took in the scene before him. His sister receiving a small piece of happiness as if it were a reward for what she had endured the past few weeks.
"Welcome back."
Val jumps a little in surprise and turns to see Gale smiling at him. He settles down and smiles back. "It's good to be back."
Val turns his gaze back to his sister and Peeta who are now hugging each other as tightly as they can. The ring on her finger glimmers in the sunlight. He smiles softly when he feels Gale reach out and intertwine their fingers together.
"It's over now, Val. You're back home and you're safe," Gale firmly reassures.
Val squeezes his hand in response. His heart still sinking down despite the joyous occasion that's occurring before him.
Because even though they'd won the Games…
It will never truly be over.
And that's it. That's a wrap. The end of the first installment of my Hunger Games AU trilogy. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. It's been a real journey that's allowed me to improve my writing and finally get me kickstarted on finishing all the fics I've put on hiatus for way too long or allowed to sit on the backburner for too many years.
Thank you guys for sticking with me after all this time and I hope this fic was everything you've been hoping/waiting for. I will be taking a few years to write a bunch of other fics first before coming back to this series and writing the next installment aka Catching Fire which, woo boy. I've got plans, a LOT of plans, for it and Mocking Jay as well but baby steps, baby steps. So I hope you guys enjoyed this fic and will be interested in reading my other works as well. Until next time!