Ahhh yes, the final chapter to this book. Again I would like to thank everyone for the reviews, I very much appreciate them and they keep me motivated to keep writing. I never really know what reading these will make the reader feel like, since in my head I've known what was going to happen the whole time, so the reviews let me know Once again, read and review, enjoy the ending.
-Rachel:
I'm thrown forcefully back into my cell, but instead of being greeted by the cement floor, I'm caught in Skitt's arms. He begins to loosen his grip around me to let me go but I grab his arms and keep them in place.
"No! Don't let go." I beg him, I've been alone for a month, and with my only social interactions I've been beaten. It's a welcoming feeling to have Skitt hold me close to him. He seems to either understand, or feel the same way.
"Okay." He agrees and continues to hold me as I tremble. He runs his fingers through what's left of my hair; it's a comforting and familiar feeling that I welcome. It makes me feel like someone does care about me, that I'm not forgotten. I rest my head on Skitt's shoulder and he rests his head back on the wall and sighs.
"What?" I ask him gently.
"I wish we could get outta here."
"We will, some day we will."
;;;;::::;;;;;;
I stop momentarily from my length of rope to listen to the deep rumble as another bomb explodes above our heads. She was right, about the bombing. Of course she was. She's saving us and we're just going to sit back and not save her. My mind starts to race and I do the only thing that will keep me from breaking down. I tie more knots. I tie until my fingers bleed red.
"Would you rather talk then tie your fingers off?" a voice asks and I look up. I don't recognize the boy in front of me, standing in my little square in this huge safe room that must be at least five miles underground.
"Who are you?" I ask curiously, I guess he can't be all too bad, if he wants to help me. He stretches out his hand.
"Gale. Gale Hawthorne, I'm a friend of Rachel's" he explains. I manage a little smile and shake his hand.
"Sure, why not talk." I motion for him to come and sit beside me.
For the next two hours Gale tells me about his life back in District Twelve, and I tell him about mine back in Four. We would've chatted a lot longer if it wasn't for Coin announcing it was lights out in five minutes. I didn't want Gale tripping over everyone to get back to his square in the dark.
My dreams are mostly of Rachel, being beaten, neglected. I wonder where she even is. In a cell? Alone? Is Skitt with her? I hope Skitt is with her, he'll take care of her, and he won't let her die of depression. I hang on to the hope that Skitt is with her, with this thought I sleep easier.
;;::;;
-Rachel:
I wake up to a sharp pain. I double over in Skitt's arms, he's instantly awake.
"What's wrong?" he asks in a worried voice.
I can't answer him as more pain comes, then it's gone.
"Nothin' I'm fine." I choke out. Soon I'm asleep again.
Later I wake up again, more pain. Skitt's awake again, worried more than ever. The pain goes away, and then it comes back, leaves, comes back, leaves, comes back. The tenth time it comes back it's too much to take and I know what's going on.
"Kevser." I explain to him in one word.
"But it's not supposed to come until later." Skitt protests. I glare at him.
"It doesn't know that, get someone!" I demand. Skitt's up on his feet soon, instead of screaming, which we can't scream. He bangs on the bars of the cell, I cover my ears, but soon peacekeepers are there. And then they're helping me out, taking me away.
;;::;;
Two long and agonizing hours later I lay on a table, my newborn son in my arms. I hold him close to me, not letting anyone else touch him, or hold him. For now, he's all mine.
I look into his blue eyes, they look familiar, they must be from his father, whoever that is. I was told its Finnick Odair, but it can't be. I would never voluntarily let that mutt touch me. But I can't ignore the fact that he does look so much like the mutt man. Same broad shoulders, same color eyes, same color hair, which he was born with a full head of. If, by some impossible way, the father of Kevser is Finnick, then I still love him more than anything. I'll always love my son.
"I love you Kevser. Happy birthday." I smile down at him. He looks so new, so clean. It's striking the contrast between our two bodies. He doesn't have a scratch on him. I'm covered in scars, in cuts, in bruises, in dried blood. His skin smooth as silk to my touch. My skin rough and battered to his touch.
The door opens and Caesar walks in, camera crew in tow. Of course, they want to show us to the nation. Caesar comes over and peers over my shoulder.
"He's beautiful Rachel, looks just like his father." Caesar says in genuine sympathy.
"Thank you." I grin at him.
Soon the cameras are set up and Caesar sits next to me, we're about to begin when I'm struck with fear. I don't want to do this. I glance nervously to Caesar.
"Can Skitt be in this too? I don't want to do this alone." I ask, no, I plead. Caesar nods. Minutes later Skitt walks in, he gives me a quick hug of congratulations. I even let him hold Kevser for a moment before I need him back to begin the interview. Skitt sits next to me, the red light goes on. I reach for Skitt's hand, because he's the only adult in the room who I'm positive won't hurt me.
;;;:::;;;;
-Finnick:
The big television in the safe room comes to life the next morning. I look up at it as the Capital symbol shows up. The words that appear shock me. "Kevser Odair: Born October 12" I freeze right there in my square, eyes locked on the screen.
I can't help the smile that spreads across my face when I see her on the bed. When I see the little baby wrapped in a blanket in her arms. My son. Our son. I can't help thinking how much he looks like her. His eyes are the same shape, his nose the same, his jawline.
Skitt stands next to her too. He also looks awful; no longer does he have his long waved hair. It's been shaved off, and by the scars on his head, they used a knife to do it. He doesn't look like the strong guy who went into the arena, no, he's bony and skinny. Little muscle is left on him. My eyes go down to see that he has Rachel's hand firmly in his own. Good, they're together; she's not going through this alone. Even though it looks like she's been getting the worst of it.
"So, Rachel, I think I speak for all of Panem when I say congratulations." Caesar smiles at her, she even smiles back.
"Thank you" she chokes out, her voice is hoarse and scratchy. It kills me to hear and see her like this.
"So, what's his name?"
"Kevser Peeta O-" her face contorts as she begins to tremble. Odair, why can't she say it? Why can't she say our name?
"Odair?" Caesar offers for her.
"No! He does not have that, that, that thing's name!" Her voice cracks at least five times as she screams at Caesar.
I feel myself drop to my knees. That thing's name! That thing. That thing. Her words play over and over again in my head. What is she saying? I'm a thing? I'm not even human, what have I done? What have they done to her?
"What's his last name?" Caesar is obviously confused. She seems puzzled over this for a second. My heart aches as I wait for her answer, whatever she says will kill me. The other victors are around me now too, as I sit on my knees, my eyes glued to her face.
"Mellark" she answers after what seems like eternity. I let myself fall back on my heels and I let my face fall into my hands. I begin to sob heavily, not able to stop. I feel a hand rubbing my back, trying to comfort me.
"It's okay Finn, they've done something to her, it's not your fault, it's not." Ceier whispers to me gently.
No one can comfort me though. No one in the room has ever had to listen as the girl they love calls you a thing. No one has ever watched as she seems to be physically hurt when someone says your name to her. No one has ever had to live with the fact that your wife thinks you child's father is someone who's been dead for two years. No one has been through this before but me. No one can comfort me. No one can help me now.
;;;;:::;;;;
-Rachel:
"Mellark" I answer after some thinking. Peeta, he must be the father of Kevser. It makes sense. The blond hair, blue eyes, broad shoulders. Peeta had all of that. And I loved Peeta, more than anything else in the world.
Caesar nods solemnly then says his goodbye's and wishes me luck. With that he's gone. With that Skitt and I are taken back to our cells. Only this time Kevser is with us too. Because really, they don't care about my baby, they just want to abuse us.
;;;;::;;;
-Haymitch:
With the help of Chaff I manage to get Finnick up to his feet and drag him over to a corner, where our little emergency meeting will be held. Soon Coin, Plutarch, and some other high ranking officials are there too. I glance at Finnick, he's curled up in a ball on the cold floor, his eyes shut to the world. He's broken. Again. The Capital broke someone who already was, they broke him to the point where he can't take seeing the world.
"Okay, some a medical team has informed me that they believe that the Capital has, or is still in the process, of hijacking Rachel." Coin gets right to the point, as always.
"What's that?" I ask solemnly to her.
"No one really knows, it's highly secret. Basically, what we think it is is that, say in her case, they show her a memory with Finnick involved, and then infuse her system with tracker jacker venom. Her mind would then make the memory scary, terrifying really."
"So Finnick just turns into a scary monster?" I'm confused.
"Not really, she would just see the memory as something good was going to happen before he turned on her. Beat her, used her, or killed someone she loves. That's most likely what she's been seeing. So now she just sees him as a threat, as something that's not human really."
It's heartbreaking even for me as I hear Finnick's low sobs. It's heartbreaking to ever hear a grown man cry. It's even worse when it's a strong one.
"So what now?" Finnick sobs out, barely audible.
"Now, now we make a plan to get them out."
I hope you enjoyed the ending. This way a tricky way to end the book but I think it turned out well. So just one quick question for y'all:
Should I write the story that's Gale x OC or Gale's Daughter x Peeta and Katniss's kids? I have, what I think to be, pretty good ideas for either story.
Thank you again for reading this book, your reviews mean so much to me, you have no idea how much I look forward to reading them when I post a new chapter and they always make me laugh