Deep in the Meadow

|33| safe again. Maybe.

Peeta and I un-gag and untie the Capitol Alliance in complete silence for a while, with only Selena's sobs ruining the quiet. She crouches by Oden's dead body spilling her heart out.

I'm in utter shock at what Oden had done. He got up with his hands tied and mouth gaged, then jumped on top of Selena to save her life.
I can't even fathom to imagine what kind of torture Selena is feeling.

West lays where I killed him. The pool of blood growing. I refuse to look at him again. Even though he deserved death for the fate of Panem, I still have a hint, the tiniest hint, of pity for him. I killed him. I've killed people before like Coin, Marvel, even Finnick.

Well, I put Finnick out of his misery.

But it doesn't matter who it is. I still feel guilty for taking their only worldly life.

"At least he's dead." I hear Selena choke on a sob finally calming down. At first I think she means Oden. But then I figure she means West.

"Yea." Is all Peeta says working on untying an older female with hair already graying.

Selena stands up trying to hide her emotional pain in doing so.
"We don't have time to sit around anymore. We've wasted enough. We have to get to the districts and get them all home. We're finally safe." She tells us oddly collecting herself all at once. But something about the last part hits me.

We're finally safe.

It makes me think of the four years after the rebellion and how me, Peeta, and everyone else thought we were finally safe.
I don't want to tell myself it's safe just yet. I don't want to be fooled again.

Before I know it, Selena is wiping the tears off her puffy red face as she walks to the large screen on West's desk, done wasting time, and with the press of a button, it turns on displaying the last thing West was watching.

The rebellion.

Peeta and I finish untying the last few CA members and they all stand, some thanking us. We jog to stand with Selena joining her right as things die down.

The camera shows the birds eye view of the Capitol city and the area in front of the mansion. I see the two large groups of districts, one scattered in the city, and the other still recovering from the battle with the mutts, spread out through the Capitol and finally done with the rebellion. I'm glad to see that the groups are still fairly the same size. The Capitol city group a bit bigger now.
Then I see the mutt army. Maybe half still alive. It hurts knowing they were powerless and controlled against their will, but there isn't anything I could do about it. If I told the districts to not kill them, the mutts would of went on a killing spree.
I notice that they are still in their wear-wolf mutt form.
"Shouldn't the mutts be changing back to their original form by now?" I ask a little concerned, glancing back at Janson who is just laying on the ground breathing.

"Give it a few minuets. West was only killed maybe 2 minuets ago. Plus, if the mutts were still a threat, they would still be killing right now." Selena answers sniffling a little.

Peeta looks relieved.
"The rebellion is over." He breaths.
"Let's not stay in here any longer. Let's get down to our friends."

I nod in agreement wanting to leave.

We let the Capitol Alliance ride down the elevator first and when they are all down at the main floor, we ride down in silence, joining them. Selena blends right in with them because of her matching suit.