Darker And Colder

4.24: Letters (The End)

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Dear Willow.

I hope you are enjoying your stay in Europe. You know how proud I've been for you getting your place on the government and I know you will do well in the world.
I suspect you may have already heard by the time this arrives to you, but I'm sorry that you mother passed away in hospital on August 11th.
We had gone to a protest against the people that wanted to bring back our old ways. Me, your mother, Finnick and Annie, Johanna and Enobaria.
The funeral was today, and I'm sorry I didn't write sooner, but I couldn't. I've never been away from your mother in so many years, and I know I'm going to miss her.
When you next return I can take you to where she lies for the final time- beneath a Willow tree in the forest, on a small island in the middle of the lake. She was always scared of being underground because of what happened to your grandfather, and she had clearly seen enough fire for her lifetime, so it's not exactly the normal procedures they wanted to take.
All the people we know battled for it. The Capitol wanted her to be taken for a funeral in the Capitol and we spent a very long time explaining that we needed to have it here, in twelve. And we did.
You can get to where she lays on a boat, and Katniss is planted around her. I miss you, so whenever you can it would be nice to see you again.

That was two days ago I wrote all that above, and I've debated posting it, but come to the conclusion there was something else I needed to write.

The news is across all the screens across the country now, and it's showing some old footage from the war. I'm not saying you have to watch it, but you also aren't being pressured not to. That was in our past, and I think I need to let it go now. Maybe it might let you understand why we've been like we've been, Willow. Always hiding from the cameras, never talking to people that asked us about a lot of things.

The cameras took away our lives, and I didn't want to let them take away yours or Rye's.
I don't think I'm ever going to stop being angry at the cameras or the people that eventually killed your mother, but I know it's a reason I must face up to the cameras again.
I know you can make your own way in life, but I need to finish the path I started down when I was a lot, lot younger. I know now I need to tell the world that we cannot ever go through something like that again, and Finnick, Annie, Johanna, Enobaria and even Haymitch have agreed, although we had to tell Haymitch it may not be a good idea, considering how old he is now- 80 next week, I think.
I keep thinking about how it would have been Katniss's 57th birthday in a few months. We will all miss her, I know, but I want to tell you this:

Have an amazing life. Do what makes you happy, love good people and stay away from the bad ones. Have the happy ending everyone wants. Because now it's all I want in life to see you happy other than seeing all the people we lost once again.

I've never really believed in the afterlife, but I do for your mother's sake, and all the others that are gone.Never let the world take away what is yours, and hold it close.

See you soon, Your father, Peeta Everdeen-Mellark.

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The end.