The Epilogue - Katniss and Peeta

Newspapers and Letters.

*Willow's POV*

I can't get out of bed. The longer I stay in my bed, the longer I can live in the lie that my mother is okay. The longer I stay in bed, the longer I can trick myself into thinking that she's going to come home.

The longer I stay in bed, the longer I can forget that Flynn is not here anymore, and the longer I can forget that my dad is waiting for me downstairs.

The longer I stay in bed, the more he begins to knock on my door. And the longer I stay in bed, the longer I can hear his sniffles from behind my door.

He then walks in my room, and when I hear his voice, I start crying.

"Sunshine." He says, and I immediately begin to sob.

I knew this was coming, yet the reality of it all pains me. It hurts my mind in ways I didn't even know were possible.

I feel my bed shift slightly as he sits down on the edge of it, and I try to soften my cries—not stopping them but quieting them down.

"She wrote you a letter." He says, his voice breaking slightly. "There's a few of them."

"I—I don't think I can read it, Dad." I manage to get out in between tears. "I just want her back."

"I want her back too, Willow." He starts, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I would give anything for just 5 more minutes with her."

I don't say anything. My heart hurts too bad to say anything. I can't even think without hurting.

He stands up off my bed, and I can hear him place a piece of paper on my bedside table—which I assume is the letter.

Just as he's about to walk out of my room, I ask one more question.

"Is there blood anywhere?" I ask, my voice quiet and fragile. "I don't think I could handle seeing it."

"She didn't do it that way, darling." He remarks, a residue of tears on his cheeks. "She found a nightlock pill."

"What's that?" I sit up due to my lungs feeling like they're caving in on themselves. I take in a deep breath as I do this, trying to calm down.

"It's this pill made out of these deadly berries." He starts, not making eye contact with me. "She found it in the suit I had during the revolution."

His voice cracks, and my heart breaks because I know he's blaming himself for this. He has no reason to blame himself, but I'm guessing he is anyways. I'm sure the letter she wrote to him isn't helping either—I can't imagine him being able to read a letter about her last thoughts.

"I'm going to go to Flynn's." I say softly, picking up the letter from my bedside table. "I probably should read this, and I won't be able to do it without him."

"There's a few letters for him too." He remarks, still not meeting my eyes. "They're on the table."

I nod my head in acknowledgment, and I walk towards him before hugging him. He embraces me, but I can tell his arms are hesitant.

I know why they're like that, but I try to push the reason out of my head. He smiles down at me as I pull away, but I can still see the tears in his waterline. I flash him a fake smile and then I leave my room, heading down the stairs.

The house feels so empty without her here, and I don't know what to do. It's only been a day, and yet the entire house feels barren.

I wish my mom was here. I wish I could remember the last time I hugged her.

_

*Flynn's POV*

There's a knock on my door, and I call for her to come in—expecting my mother. To my surprise, it's Willow, and my mood is immediately brightened. I smile at the sight, her being a distraction from my dwelling thoughts on Katniss, and I notice envelopes in her hand.