CROSSPOSTS |FROM MY AO3|

MEADOW GHOSTS | TBOSAS/HUNGER GAMES

The meadow is green, with hints of colorful wildflowers, and the sun turns the grass almost yellow. Two people stand, just out of the shadow of a tree, watching. Nearby, a family plays, a young man and woman, and two small children.

"Wow," says Sejanus, turning his head to face the girl next to him.

"You're never one for eloquence, Sejanus. But you're right this time. Wow."

"Sixty-five years. Too long." He shakes his head.

"Better late than never, they say. It ain't over til the mockingjay sings."

"You're right. Look at them, they're almost happy."

The family consists of a woman in a yellow dress with long, black hair and olive skin, her face lined with frownmarks but for now smiling, a stocky man with dirty-blonde hair and a wide, kind expression. The little girl has his blonde curls but the woman's sharp eyes as she races across the field laughing. The boy is younger, barely past a toddler, with dark hair and chubby legs. The parents watch them, chastising them not to trip over a rock, or go too close to that creek, and they twine their hands around each others', talking quietly.

"Ow!" There's a shriek of pain, and for a moment, they are thrown back into the war zone, watching as people fought and killed and died. But this is only a little cry, the youngest boy having tripped over a jutting-out root.

Lucy Gray, all to her credit, is there in a heartbeat, and the little one looks at her with an expression of confusion and fear. "Who- who are you?"

She chuckles. "I'm Lucy Gray. Come now, nobody's going t'hurt ya. This is my friend, Sejanus."

"S'a weird name. Se-jan-us. Sounds... sounds like the Cap-tol names." He looks confused, like he's trying to form words.

"That's cause he's Capitol. Well, not really. He just lived there a while. Not all Capitol people are bad, y'know."

"Mamma says some of'em are. Says that they were mean to her and Papa and- and that's why sometimes he can't talk right for a bit. But I guess you guys're one of the nice ones. Like Auntie Effie. What district are you from, Lucy?"

She smiles, a little sadly. "Ain't from no district. I'm a Covey, we're travelers. Just took a wrong turn and ended up here in Twelve."

"Twelve's a nice place though," his sister says, wandering over to see what the commotion is. "Mama and Papa are here in Twelve, and Aunt Effie and Uncle Haymitch."

"Wasn't always," Lucy Gray says. "Back before..."

"That's enough, Lucy," Sejanus says, putting a hand on her arm. "Don't scare her. They'll learn when they're ready."

"Before what? Before the war? I hear Mama and Papa talking about a war sometimes, when they think I'm not listening. I can hear really good."

"Never mind that, now."

"How- how long've you been in Twelve then, Lucy Gray?" she asks, childlike curiousity evident on her face.

"Eh. Long time. No time. It's not nice, it's not perfect, but it's home."

If the children were confused, they didn't show it. "You should probably get back to your parents now, little ones. They'll be worried," Sejanus interjected.

"Good-bye!" the boy calls. "S'nice meeting you!" They run back to their mother and father, laughing and racing each other there.

Lucy Gray smiles contentedly. "They'll be all right here, won't they now?"

"Yeah. Yeah, they will," Sejanus agrees, as the noonday sun turns the meadow gold.