The Hanging Tree

I visited Prim's grave this morning. I took some of the Primroses Peeta planted outside our house. Buttercup came with me; I can tell he misses her too. My little sister, I still can't believe she's gone. She was ripped away from our world too soon. My only sister. I loved her so much. So did Mother. Peeta tells me it's okay, and I believe him because Prim is now with our Father. You are both safe in heaven.

Mother isn't doing very well. She hasn't been doing very well since Father passed, but now she's worse. I check on her every morning, taking some fresh bread Peeta bakes with me. She is suffering. We all are.

I'm now where the Hob used to be. Things don't look the same at all. Can I even call our home District 12 anymore? The war ruined everything. A light grey chalk is scattered all around, like a blanket of snow. Few birds sing as the day begins.

The only advantage is that the fence was removed. I haven't been hunting in a while. Probably because it's not the same without my hunting partner. Gale.  I can't even think about him anymore, without feeling sick. He killed Prim. The guy who was supposed to be my friend, ally, partner, he killed my sister. I don't even know where he lives. I guess that's a good thing. He could be in pain and waiting for me to kiss him again. Hah. I don't ever want to see him again.

I feel the summer breeze fall on my bare neck as I carefully lay down my game bag. I look down at my hands and examine my bow. It's the one Beetee made. So beautiful and delicate. A saying of his reminds me of why I'm here. "Thinking like your prey... that's where you find their vulnerabilities."

I pull out an ordinary arrow, and position it into my bow. Even though it's been half a year since I held my bow, I feel like it's a part of me and I cannot forget how familiar it is to me. I find my target, a squirrel. I aim, take a deep breath, gently pull back the string, and release. I hit the squirrel right in the eye, exactly how Peeta's father liked it.

As I walk up to collect the squirrel, it explodes into a thousand tiny pieces. I can hear the evil laugh that was in my nightmare. The bright light reflecting from this slight explosion, makes me cover my eyes. When the light has disappeared, I continue walking to see the remains of the squirrel.

Lying there, delicately, is a white rose. As white as snow. As white as Snow. President Snow. This is the exact thing he would leave. But he is dead! He must be. I saw angry men and women of the districts finish him. That was the end of Cornelius Snow.

Beginning to panic,  I run with the rose, collecting my game bag on the way back to the Victor's Village.

The beautiful snow is seen as a blur as I reach our house. I assure the door is locked the second I step inside, and I fall to the floor, with my back against the door. Realising the rose is still in my hand, my eyes widen and I throw it across the room. I let out a short scream.

"Katniss?" Peeta calls, unaware that I had returned home. As he walks into the hallway, he notices the rose by his feet and gives me an alarmed look.

Stepping over my game bag, Peeta sits next to me, comforting me. We sit for a few minutes in a comfortable silence.

I can't stop thinking about it. It can't be possible. But it is. I'm not even going crazy because Peeta saw the rose too. The rose is real, and so is Snow.

"Peeta... He's back, isn't he?"