Iris

I can't believe they're letting me out of prison.

It's not that I think I did anything wrong. Sure, I was an accomplice in kidnapping Eidolon but it's not like he got taken anywhere. And I'm only seventeen. I'm surprised because I thought I'd never be able to catch another lucky break in my life.

Luckily, people seem convinced that I'm truly sorry for what I did. Probably because Régine's willing to vouch for me. The rebels love her. They think she's a good influence on me. She probably is, to be honest. A lot of people have tried to talk to me about how my grandfather was a terrible person but Régine is the only one I really want to believe. She's been through exactly what I've been through but even more extreme.

She knows I'm never going to move on from my grandfather unless I have someone or something to move on to. I need to be lured out of the darkness with the promise of something brighter.

Régine carries my luggage as we walk to her hotel room. I can't live in the mansion anymore. The new president, a woman named Paylor, has taken over and she won't let me live with her. It's a good thing that Régine was able to book a hotel room with twin beds, otherwise, I wouldn't have anywhere to sleep.

I waste a few hours sitting on the bed and watching cartoons, trying to feel normal. Then Régine asks me if I want to go out for dinner.

My heart flutters. "Is that a date?" I ask.

"Only if you want it to be," Régine says. "Do you?"

For a moment, we're both silent. I can feel myself blushing.

It's okay to tell the truth, Iris. Régine's a lesbian. She's just like you. She's not going to hurt you for it.

"I do," I say. "I've never had a girlfriend before. I just know… you're beautiful and kind and I want you to be my girlfriend."

"Your grandfather wouldn't want that," Régine says, quietly.

"Then he was wrong," I say.

Régine smiles. "I think I want to be your girlfriend."

I almost fall off the bed. I didn't expect Régine to actually like me.

"What about… your last girlfriend?" I stammer.

"Ageis wouldn't have wanted me to spend my entire life missing her. She'd want me to find someone new. I know why you're unsure. You've never let anyone love you before. But it'll be okay, Iris. You deserve to be loved."

She sits down beside me and kisses me. Joy rushes through me. I didn't realise a kiss could ever feel so warm. I'm used to love being a cold, controlled thing. I'm not used to this.

I can feel a blush rising to my cheeks as Régine pulls away. She takes my hand.

"C'mon," she says. "Let's get dinner."


Manel

Finally, I'm leaving the Capitol.

My trial went about as well as I could possibly hope for. The rebels know I did some terrible things but I did most of them in retaliation to Coin. So they sentenced me to twenty-four years under house arrest. They injected a tracker into my arm and sent me to District 4. It's the district most willing to accept me, since I bombed them the least.

Eidolon's coming with me.

He sits next to me on the train, his head leaning against my shoulder. Before the trial, we were both worried we'd be separated. But Eidolon can live with me for as long as he chooses. I'll be moving to Victor's Village, which is near where his parents live. He'll be able to see them again.

I feel my boyfriend's soft hair brushing against my neck and I feel truly happy for the first time in my life.

"Happy to be going home?" I ask.

Eidolon makes a soft murmur of assent. I feel like District 4 is the right place for him. I was worried that, if we were sent to another district, he'd be targeted for being the boyfriend of the man who bombed them. But Eidolon convinced me to stop bombing Four. He probably saved hundreds of lives.

He's a hero. I'm not. Sometimes, I think I'm a villain and I don't deserve Eidolon. But he's living proof that I can help people. Now I don't want to hurt people anymore. I just want to be a good boyfriend.

I squeeze Eidolon's hand. He smiles.

"Manel," he says.

I gasp. "Eidolon… you spoke!"

I watch his eyes widen with joy. "Manel!" he cries. "Manel! Manel! Manel!"

He kisses me and I'm overwhelmed with happiness. Eidolon said my name.

I must've really helped him.

"Can you say anything else?" I ask.

Eidolon opens and closes his mouth a few times and then shakes his head.

"That's okay," I say. "I still love you. It doesn't matter how long it takes for your voice to come back. I'll always understand you."

Eidolon kisses me again. I think about our future. Will he learn more words? Will he be able to talk to other people or just me? There's one thing I know for sure. He will always be kind and gentle and intelligent.

Eidolon's getting better but he'll always be the love of my life. That won't change.


Fawkes

The community home is surprisingly crowded.

The Capitol didn't have many orphans before the war. Now it has too many orphans for its community homes to cope. They peer through doorways, hoping that they'll look adorable enough for me and Binah to decide to adopt them on a whim.

But we've already made our decision. Binah and I are adopting a baby. I'm too young to be the father of a four-year-old. I'm not too young to have a baby.

I feel a little sad that I won't be able to provide any help for most of the kids here. The best I can do is set an example. With the war over, the news has mostly been following the rebuilding of Panem and what all the major rebels from the war are doing now. I've been interviewed many times over my plan to adopt a baby. I'm hoping someone else who's in a comfortable position like me will be inspired and adopt more of the children here.

The head of the community home is an orange-haired woman named Hestia Fennel. She has dark circles under her eyes that she hides with makeup. When we're allowed into her office, she already has the papers laid out on her desk. Zephyrus, the baby we're planning to adopt, is sleeping in a cradle beside her desk. There isn't enough space for all the orphans so a lot of the workers here have to share their offices with babies.

"Are you ready?" Hestia asks.

I look to Binah. She nods. "We're ready."

We go through the papers, signing where we need to sign. The only point where we need to pause is when we're asked whether want to change Zephyrus' last name to Katayanagi or Chau.

"Chau," Binah says.

"Really?" I ask. "You don't want to give our baby your name? We could go double barrelled."

"I want to take your last name when I marry you," Binah says. "My parents gave me this name and I love you more than I ever loved them. My parents always used to say 'Katayanagis do this.' and 'Katayanagis never do that.' I don't want to carry on the family curse."

"Fair enough," I say.

We fill in the last few boxes on the from, sign the last few spaces and the baby in the cradle becomes Zephyrus Chau. My son.

I have a son. I never thought this would ever happen.

I pick Zephyrus up and hold him in my arms. He wakes up and giggles, happy to have attention. Both his parents died in the bombing. He was too young to remember them but, judging by the way he cries when he's left alone, he misses being loved.

I can fix that.

"Hello, son," I say, softly. "You are the sweetest baby in Panem and I'm going to look after you."

We say our goodbyes to Hestia and carry Zephyrus out. The paparazzi ambush us the moment we step outside the community home's doors but we manage to escape in a taxi. I hand Zephyrus to Binah as the taxi drives us to the station, so she can have a turn holding him.

We're going back to District 3. It's where we both grew up. In the weeks we were planning to adopt, we moved back to Binah's house in Victor's Village and started baby-proofing everything. Binah's found a job as a computer technician that's pretty easy for her and pays a lot.

Binah smiles as she rocks Zephyrus in her arms. "Let's take you home, Zeph."

I lean across and give her a quick kiss on the cheek. She looks so beautiful. Her hair has been growing longer over the last few weeks, long enough for me to see black roots beneath the blonde dye. I can even see a hint of her white streak.

"Thanks for this," I say. "I love you."

"I love you too."

I think about all the things in my future that looked so impossible when I was trapped in the arena. I'm a father. One day, I'm going to be a husband. When Zephyrus is older and less in need of attention and Panem has recovered enough to start making films again, I might get my dream job as an actor. Maybe, in the distant future, I'll be able to have grandchildren. I could have a normal life. Recently, I've been finding I've been having nightmares less and less often.

But I can't stop thinking about what I've lost.

"I wish my parents knew they were grandparents," I say. "My grandparents never lived long enough to meet me. That's the Chau family curse. You have a child by the time you're nineteen but you never live long enough to see them have kids."

"You'll change that," Binah says. "If Zephyrus ever has kids, you'll meet them. This is the beginning of something great. We're going to make sure none of the terrible things that happened to us ever happen to this kid."

I know she's right. Binah's a protector. I trust her to protect this family. She always tells me I can find happiness wherever I look. I'm going to make sure we find happiness together.

I let the taxi carry me towards my future and realise how bright the future really is.


This is the chapter where everyone gets a happy ending. I knew from the start Iris and Régine would end up together. Régine understands the neglect that Iris has been through and how to help her move on.

I also knew that Manel had to be punished for bombing everyone but he also did a lot of good things. It would be cruel to separate him from Eidolon, especially after everything they've been through together. Also, Eidolon's recovered enough to be able to say Manel's name.

Binah and Fawkes are parents! They've always been focused on building new lives after the war. Now they've got their new lives ahead of them. Next chapter will be an epilogue of sorts.