Life Goes On

Chapter 1 : After the War

I do not own the hunger games!

*The end of Mockingjay*

Peeta and I grow back together. There are still moments when he clutches the back of a chair and hangs on until the flashbacks are over. I wake screaming from nightmares of mutts and lost children. But his arms are there to comfort me. And eventually his lips. On the night I feel that thing again, the hunger that overtook me on the beach, I know this would have happened anyway. That what I need to survive is not Gale's fire kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that.

So after, when he whispers "You love me, Real or not real?" I tell him"Real."

I see the morning sun. The light of the sun's rays shines through the curtains. The light is bright enough to wake me up. Peeta is still sleeping. Last night there were no nightmares. There was no screaming in the middle of the night to wake the neighbors, and no need to find shelter in Peeta's arms. I still like to feel the warmth of his body and listen to the steady beat of his heart. It's soothing and I believe it may help keep the nightmares away.

I head on into the bathroom and take my shower. The warmth of the water reminds me of the Quarter Quell. The way my body had released the toxins of the fog into the water. Normally Peeta is already wake and will join, but he's been so busy at the bakery, I don't wanna wake him. Between working all day and barely sleeping at night because of me, he deserves the sleep.

Today marks one year since the end of the war. Also a year ago since I lost my sister. I still remember how her lips formed my name right before Gale's bombs went off. The image is permanently engraved in my memory. So many lives were lost in the war. Rue, the man from district 11, Mags, Wiress, Finnick, Prim, and countless others. It's my fault they're all dead. Finnick and Annie's son Finn will never meet his father. Prim will never become a doctor. Rue will never get to grow up to be the wonderful woman she would have been, and it's all because of me.

I need to go hunt. We've been living off of Peeta's cheese buns for a week, but hey I'm not complaining. Besides, it will be good for me to get some air. I leave a note on the fridge so Peeta won't worry. The slightly cold November air hits my nose and I realize I'm going to need to bundle up. After returning inside, I exit the Victor's Village and head to where the fence use to be. After the war, they took the fence down because we had no need for it. I retrieve my bow and arrows that I still hide in the tree, then begin my hunting. I did pretty good considering I haven't been out hunting in awhile. I got three squirrels and a deer. Tonight I'll have to ask Peeta to make his deer stew.

I return home around 4 and walk in to Peeta in the kitchen. His back is facing away from me and I immediately know what's happening. Hijacking. As he clenches the back of the kitchen chair, he whispers, "Katniss, get out of here. I don't want to hurt you." But me being stubborn I refuse to leave and come to his side. Before I know it, I relive the same moment as when I first saw Peeta after his rescue from the Capitol. His hands firmly grasp my neck and everything fades to black.