𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀, 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁?
The horror of the arena is over, but Melanie's nightmare is just beginni...
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~•~•~•~ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐄𝐧𝐝 ~•~•~•~
Seven years later, Cato and I are still living happily in District 12. However, it's not just the two of us now. We have a girl who is almost four years old and a boy who is two. Cato knew that I wanted them so much because of the loss of my first baby, but it took us a few years to really be ready.
I am now 6 months pregnant with my third baby. Cato loved it so much when our two children were born that we couldn't stop at just two. Now the three of them are playing in their favorite meadow while I sit and watch them, keeping company with my belly-kicking baby.
Cato chases our daughter, her giggles infectious as she tries to outrun him. Our son toddles after them, his little legs moving as fast as they can, determined not to be left behind. I watch them with a smile, my hand resting on my growing belly, feeling the gentle kicks of our unborn child.
Cato catches our daughter and lifts her into the air, spinning her around as she squeals with delight. He then scoops up our son, balancing both children in his strong arms. They're all laughing, and the sight of them together fills me with a sense of peace and happiness.
Finnick and Annie also lead a similar life to ours - they have two boys. Annie was pregnant while we were at the Capitol and their first son is a little older than our daughter. Their second baby boy is only two years old, the same age as our son.
We are now allowed to travel between districts and sometimes either we go to District 4 or they come to us. Layla is also happy with her boyfriend, she sometimes comes back to District 12 to see us. She was the first to tell us that the Hunger Games are officially gone.
The questions are just starting from our daughter's side - she knows we both participated, but for now, that's the only thing we've told her. How do we tell them without scaring them to death? In kindergartens and schools, it is mandatory to learn about the Hunger Games, so Cato and I know that they should learn from us first.
I lean back against a tree, closing my eyes for a moment and soaking in the sounds of my family. It's moments like this that remind me of how far we've come and how much we've overcome to get here. The pain and struggles of the past seem like distant memories compared to the love and joy that now fill our lives.
I open my eyes to see Cato walking towards me with our children.
"Mommy, look!" Our daughter says, holding out a handful of wildflowers. "We picked these for you!"
"Oh, they're so beautiful! Thank you!" I say, taking the flowers.
Cato sits down beside me, placing our son on his lap while our daughter climbs into mine, careful not to disturb my belly. He wraps an arm around me, pulling me close, and I rest my head on his shoulder.
"How's my Melly?" He whispers in my ear. "Is our future daughter kicking a lot?
"How are you so sure it's going to be a girl?" I ask him, laughing.
"Just a feeling," He says. "Besides, she's already showing she's got a strong kick like her mom." I giggle and then our daughter presses her ear against my belly.
"Mommy, can we tell the baby about the Games when she's born?" She asks and Cato and I exchange a glance.
"Yes, sweetheart," I say. "But for now, let's enjoy our time together and be happy. There will be plenty of time to tell stories." She nods, satisfied with the answer, and snuggles closer to me.
Cato looks at me and nods to show me that I did the right thing. Sometimes I am not so confident in my actions as a mother and look to him for support. He likes being a father so much, and he was so worried that he wouldn't be able to handle it at first. Now I know Cato loves them as much as I do.
Seeing his reassuring nod brings a sense of calm to my heart. "You always know how to make everything better," I whisper, leaning into him.
"We're doing this together, baby. And you're an amazing mother. Don't ever doubt that." He replies with a smile.
"I love you, Cato," I say, looking him right in the eye, my head still on his shoulder.
"I love you too, Melanie," He tells me and kisses my lips softly. Then he pulls away, but his eyes stay on mine. "You know we'll always live with this in us, but we fight together. Maybe one day our nightmares will stop." I nod, my heart aching with the truth of his words.
"Maybe they will," I whisper.
I know that one day I will have to tell them about my nightmares. How they came and how sometimes I think they will become reality again. That's why I decided to make a list in my head of every good deed I've seen someone do. It's like a Game. Yes, for these seven years now it has become quite annoying to do it all the time.
But I know there are much worse Games to play.
THE END
Oh my God, I can't believe the book is over! I'm so excited but sad at the same time that their story has come to an end.
I hope you enjoyed all three books and I want you to know that they were written with a lot of love. Thank you to everyone who read, voted, and commented - I wouldn't have made it to the end of this story without you. You have been my motivation and I thank you so much for that!
