Chapter Thirty: Cana's Star

After a few weeks of obligated ceremonies and events, the cameras and reporters documenting Maize's every move finally packed up and left. Goldie had left with them, and slowly Maize's life was returning to as normal as it could be. Her family was trying. Baba and mama could not help or protect her from the night-terrors that plagued Maize's sleep, nor could they really take away the pain that the Hunger Games had inflicted upon her. Birch had taken to guarding her everywhere she went since Maize refused to just sit in the house -that didn't feel like home and probably never would because of what it represented to her- and instead started going back to work in the groves.

Her mama didn't work anymore, finally having the option to stay at home and care for her young children the way that they needed to be. Amla's pregnancy was progressing very well and it was now public knowledge that she and Thorn were expecting, though they were still hiding the date of conception. Her sweet cousin had come to visit her various times since Maize had arrived home, Amla was still working even though her hours were a lot more flexible and less intense since Maize was giving them a nice amount of wages to help supplement Thorn's income. Her baba was still working as well, mostly because he didn't feel right depending on his daughter, and because he'd been doing it all of his life and felt strange not working.

Birch, Piper, and Brier had also taken to shadowing her every step. Her siblings had missed her, and she them. But that didn't stop Maize from forcing the three stubborn children to wait for her at their old shack while Maize made the short trip to the shack where Cana had grown up in. Maize clutched the wooden star in her hand tightly, taking comfort in the necklace that her District partner had worn throughout their whole ordeal until his unfair death.

She hadn't had the opportunity to visit Cana's family until now. The copious ceremonies and non-stop video coverage had made it impossible for Maize to break away from the chaos until now. She was going to give a grieving family their son's/brother's token, it wasn't something that Maize wanted to be televised for the Capitol -his real murderers- to see. It would be like spitting in Cana's face. He didn't deserve that and neither did his family. By the time that she was in front of the door, her heart was pounding furiously behind her chest, and Maize already wanted to cry. She knocked.

Ollie, Birch's best friend, answered the door. He looked just like Cana, only smaller and younger. Her heart panged with grief. The twelve-year-old looked exhausted and grief practically cloaked his whole frame. His eyes were wide and glassy as he looked at her with disbelief.

"Maize..." he gasped, before throwing his skinny arms around her waist. She quickly wrapped her arms around him as well, internally grateful that the boy didn't hate her.

"Is your mother home?" Maize asked him softly as she rubbed his back gently. Ollie simply nodded, without moving before stepping back and shouting.

"Mama! Maize's here!"

She allowed herself to be pulled by the preteen into the living quarters of their shack. Cana's mother looked at her with disbelief, her face sagging with grief and gratitude as she took in Maize's presence. "I'm sorry." Maize blurted out before the woman could say something. "I'm so sorry. I tried so hard to- he wasn't supposed to- Cana should've come home." she stuttered out as tears began to escape from her eyes. "I'm so sorry that I came back- that he's not here. Sorrysorrysorry."

Cana's mother wrapped her up into a warm hug as Maize broke down in her home, "It wasn' your fault Maize. Thank you. Thank you for tryin' so hard to bring him back to me. For being there for my baby. Thank you." she murmured into Maize's hair. Real, body-shaking sobs began to escape out of her lips as Maize released a month's worth of guilt and grief into the arms of her friend's mother. By the time the tears had stopped coming and Maize was able to breathe in without letting out any more whimpers and cries, they had ended up on the dirt floor. She pried her fingers open and pressed the carved star into the woman's hand.

Cana's mother let out a surprised gasp as a tearful Ollie approached them to stare at the wooden star in disbelief.

"Cana's nyota." the woman whispered almost reverently as she brought it to her lips and placed a gentle kiss. "Thank you, Maize. Thank you."

Maize smiled wetly at the woman, "I promised I'd bring it home. Cana wanted you to have it. We made a promise that whoever made it out would take care of the other's family... There is nothing I would not do for you."

She was pulled into a hug once more. Guilt that she'd been steadily carrying with her since Cana's lifeless body had been taken by the Capitol slowly melting away from the care Maize was receiving at the hands of her deceased District partner's family.

"Asante. Thank you, Maize. Call me Auntie Cress, you will always be welcomed here."

Ollie pulled her into his own hug before she left and whispered gratefully, "Thanks for bringing a part of Cana home to us. Thank you for living Maize."

A weight had been lifted from her shoulders, even breathing was easier as she walked back to the Victor's Village with her siblings' hand in hand as they chatted about asinine things. For the first time since she had arrived back home, Maize slept throughout the entire night without a single nightmare starring in her dreams.

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