SIXTY THREE

REJOICE

Home.
The scent of the sea hit her as soon as she stepped off the train. Finnick was beside her, he felt it too, the tug of the ocean. The sound of the boats swaying in the water could be heard from here. The clearing up of debris had already began, those remaining in District 4 and some volunteers from the Capitol and District 13, were all helping to clean up the District. Luckily, the most affected area was the District Square, where a lot of the buildings had been destroyed.

The sound of seagulls cawing overhead made Talia smile. She was home. Finally, she was home. They walked from the station, through the Square. Jamie Kilen was stood with Bobby, who was making the permanent move to live in District 4. They were drinking lemonade, taking a break from their debris clearing job. The Square made memories Talia wished she could forget flash in her mind. Her first and second Reaping Days, the first time she came to District 4 after the war began, when she recovered her parents and Rossan's bodies and massacred those inside the nearby Peacekeeper base. Bile rose in her throat, but she swallowed it down. She places a hand on the wood of the stage, looking up at the shredded fabric that wore the District 4 sigil. Her parents blood had seeped into the foundations of that stage. It was painful to look at, but she wanted it to remain as it was.

Herself and Finnick nod in greeting to those they pass by. Coral and Joyce Harper were painting a rundown building, both of them sharing stories to those working with them. Talia smiles kindly towards Coral- they hadn't always gotten on, but when Talia had learned that Coral was safe and had been taken in by friends in the Capitol, she was glad. Glad for Joyce that her wife was fine.

They leave the District Square then, passing by the docks where the boats sit. It would be awhile before anyone ventured out to sea again, for now they were crab fishing near the shore or kayaking out slightly and lowering nets into the water. Children were playing in the sand on the shoreline, building sandcastles or collecting seashells. Finnick's lips curved into a smile, one day his own child would play on that very beach, without fear of one day having to face the Reaping, or potentially having to face the Hunger Games.

Talia squeezed Finnick's hand and they turned from the main path to go towards the cemetery. There were hardly any actual bodies buried in the cemetery as most District 4 people were sent out to sea, a tradition that had passed on from the old world, before Panem was even a concept. The cemetery was merely a place to go to mourn, to pay respects, to honour anniversaries. They visit the Odair family graves first. Finnick's mother, father and sister all have headstones here. No one has visited in years, even Finnick has not been here to see their graves. Finnick lays flowers at their graves, just some wildflowers that had been growing near the beach. He wishes he could bring them better flowers, give them a proper memorial that he could not give them when he was so young, so broken by their deaths.

They walk towards the Riverthorn graves then. Her parents share a headstone, and Freddy has his own. Then, behind those stones, Rossan, Jim, Henry, Jada and Alana all have stones. Talia lays wildflowers for all of them. She cries and Finnick holds her tightly, letting her sob into his chest. When she has let her tears fall, and when she pulls her mind back from the memories of their deaths, they leave the cemetery.

They reach the Victor's Village after a short walk. Talia had decided rather quickly that she would give her own Victor's Village home to Mickey, Penny and Samson. Samson was growing into a child from a toddler before their eyes, he was a beautiful little boy, who would soon have a cousin to play with. Penny was sat on the porch, knitting needles in her hands.

"Hello Penny," Talia says from the end of the path. The woman nearly jumps out of her skin. She stands and immediately rushes down the steps towards her and Finnick. Penny hugs Talia tightly, smiling over the woman's shoulder at Finnick.

"I'm so glad you're home," Penny says, tears in her eyes, "I'll go get them,"

Penny rushes inside and quickly reemerges with Mickey and Samson. Mickey runs to Talia and hugs his sister tightly. They both cry, because they have lost so much, but have also still got each other. Penny hugs Finnick and Samson chatters away in jumbled words that hardly make sense.

"Pearl!" He giggles, hugging his aunts leg. Talia smiles, ruffles the boys curled hair and looks at Finnick. Soon, they would have their own baby.

"Thank you for the house," Penny says, looking over her shoulder, "We really appreciate it,"

"Its no bother, and we'll only be a few metres away," Talia smiles. Just as she had always wanted it- to be close to her family. Sadness washes over her again then. Freddy was not here. Her parents were not here. Her found family, her rebel group, they were gone too. But still, she had Mickey, Penny and Samson. She had Jamie and Bobby, Joyce and Coral. She had Finnick and she had their child. She had a life to live.

"Sometimes it comes out of nowhere," Mickey says. Talia and her brother were sat on the beach, watching the sunset over the water. It has been a few days since she returned home.

"The sadness?" She asks. He nods his head.

"I wake up in the middle of the night and I go down to Freddy's old room, its still the same...I can't bring myself to do anything with it...Not yet anyway," He says, "I just...Sit there. I scan the books he had always nagged me to read, I look at the toys he had kept despite him always saying he wasn't a child anymore, I look at the clothes he will never wear again...It hurts, but its nice...To have that piece of him there,"

"I understand," She says quietly, "I have nightmares, not every night...Some nights I dream of nothing, some nights I dream of the ocean, and some nights I see them...strung up in the Square...I see myself standing watching as Freddy stands in the middle of a battlefield...I see...I see everyone I have killed...I see Snow...I see him, laughing at me before I put that bullet in his skull..."

"Finnick told me, that they wanted you to be President," Mickey says, "You would have been good at it,"

"I'm done with all that," She shakes her head, "I just want peace now,"

"He told me about the Mayor position too,"

"God, he can't keep anything to himself, can he?" Talia laughs.

"No," Mickey laughs too, taking a sip from his beer bottle. He looks over at his sister, "Pearl of Panem,"

"Thats me," She chuckles, shaking her head with a smile, "Or it was me...I just want to be Talia Odair now, the wife, the mother,"

"You know, deep down, that you're meant for more than that," Mickey says, suddenly serious.

"Maybe...But I'm tired, I just want to rest," She responds, shrugging her shoulders.

"District 4 still needs a mayor,"

"I can't,"

"You can. I seriously believe you could do anything you wanted to, Talia," Mickey replies.

She meets his eyes, he was smiling at her. She rolls her eyes and looks out at the sunset once again.

"Paylor will be President," Talia says.

Mickey sits towards, catching her attention, "We still need a Mayor,"

"I've never done-"

"Yes you have. You have been a leader, and who better can voice the wants and needs of District 4 than the Pearl of Panem?" He asks, he points at her, "You are the bravest, strongest, most stubborn person I know and you of all people could lead us, could express our opinions and get our District what we need,"

She contemplates his words, he was right. She had done everything she could for her family- but the rest of District 4 was always on her mind too. Her home. How she had snapped at the Capitol people for their fetishisation of her home, how she had wore her District number with pride, how she had introduced herself as Talia Riverthorn of District 4. Talia smiles at the sunset.

"Mayor Talia Odair," She tries it out. It sounds right.

"Mayor Odair," Mickey says, trying it out too. "You'll be a great leader, you were born to lead,"

"Maybe," She says, still not sold. "All I know is that I want to make District 4 a home for those who survived...I want people to be happy. I want the fishermen to go out to sea because they want to, and I want children to be able to have a real childhood, where they play and learn and live without the fear that one day they may have to face the Hunger Games, I want women to be glad to find out they are pregnant, and not feel panic and anxiety that they are bringing a child into a world where their son or daughter may have to kill other children just to survive. I want to help build a Panem that lets people be free. I don't want to be like Coin, I don't want to gain power through lies. I don't want to be like Snow, so drunk on my own power that I believe I have power over everyone. I want to be fair, just and kind,"

"You will never be Coin or Snow. You're a Riverthorn. You're kind and fair and just. Our parents raised us to be those things. You're brave too, you have seen war and death and ruin...You have been through hell and back and you survived. You, Talia Odair, survived it all. You lived. You will forever be etched into Panem's history, whether you take the role or not," Mickey says back, smiling, "So, Talia, do I have to start calling you Mayor Odair?"

She smiles to her brother, she can see their father in his features, can see their mother too. Finnick is carrying Samson on his shoulders in the background, they're walking out from the Victor's Village to meet them. She clasps the pearl around her neck that has been with her the entire time. For the first time in a long time, she felt truly free. The decision was hers to make. No one could force her. No one could stop her.

And so, a few months later when Commander Paylor was named President of Panem, Talia Odair was named Mayor of District 4. Talia, despite her previous wish to never return to the Capitol, travelled there to be sworn in. Plutarch was there, smiling as if he had known all along that she would take the position. Talia's name was signed on the agreements to abolish the Hunger Games. Her name was signed on the papers that meant the arenas would be destroyed. Panem became open, people could travel between Districts and the Capitol as they pleased. Talia had a memorial built in District 4 to remember Squad 589 but also those lost to the war in District 4. Her parents, Freddy and Rossan were added to the memorial as well as all those who lost their lives. It was hard, to be in charge of rebuilding a whole District, but she did it. District 4 thrived.

Fishermen went out to sea to feed themselves, not the Capitol- if they wanted to trade their fish, they could. Children learnt about the games in school, but they still had childhoods, they played in the sea, on the beach, in the streets without fear of turning 12 years old. Parents had money to buy clothes and food and little luxuries- they didn't have to ask their child to collect tesserae. The people of District 4 rejoiced under Mayor Talia Odair. She would always be the Pearl of Panem, the woman who made the white rose bleed red, but to District 4 she would always be the girl who wore the symbols of her District with pride, the girl who sacrificed everything to save her home, the girl who loved her district. Pearl of Panem, Saviour of District 4.

________________

The next chapter is the epilogue and then our journey through this book will be over!!!

so, with that, i'm gonna ask you this, if i was to write another hunger games fanfic who would you like to see it written for:

Peeta Mellark
Gale Hawthorne
Johanna Mason orrrr
would you like another Finnick fic?

~cupidlies
❤️