Bonus Chapter

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Hey snowflakes! So the PITG/DOTG series just came to an end. Crazy, right? Here are all the facts that you should know about the making of DOTG...


1. Grey had cancer. That's what her illness was. The medicine she took was a form of chemotherapy that didn't cause any side effects.

2. Every. Single. Time. I talked about the willow tree, I would capitalize "Willow" out of habit. Then when I would write on my phone, it would auto-correct it to capitals. Old habits die hard.

3. When I created Ni, I intended him to initially be an alliance member. Then he was supposed to go crazy and turn his back on Chris/Ivan/Grey. It was my friend Lexi's idea to make him into Chris's sibling. That's why Ni (but not Chris-more explanation later) ended up being schizophrenic. I didn't want to completely abandon my original intentions for Ni. I wanted him to still feel like a bit of a loose canon.

4. The reason Chris found the willow tree so comforting is because that tree literally was grown off of Willow's life. Basically, imagine Willow being strapped down to a dentist's chair, covered in little tubes that are sucking out her energy, then that energy is being transferred into the tree. It was Luke's form of punishment. He faked her death to cause Chris pain, drained out all of Willow's energy to cause her pain, then used that energy to create a tree that was meant to bring Chris pain. That didn't work out, obviously, as Chris could feel her mother's energy.

5. In the beginning, I mentioned Willow's scars on her neck. A lot of people pointed out to me that she could've easily had those surgically fixed in Panem. Well, I had considered that. But think about who Willow is as a person. Would she even want to do that? No. Scars are a sign that you made it through. Willow wanted to embrace those scars, even if she hid them from everyone else.

6. I originally created Kiya (the girl who sacrificed herself for Grey, if you remember) to be Grey's lesbian lover. Then I decided that I didn't want to make the romance in my story lines cheesier than it already was. So I killed her off instead.

7. Luke is a sociopath, an anti-personality disorder usually linked to a lack of consciousness. This explains all of Luke's evil behaviors throughout PITG and DOTG. It also explains his extreme paranoia over the Tetrick/Talon/Willow romance in PITG, and his suicide at the very end of DOTG (Yes it was suicide).

8. That being said, Luke was not schizophrenic. In fact, neither was Chris. Ni inherited the schizophrenia from his mother and simply blamed it on Luke. Chris simply had a few negative reactions to a few negative experiences. She was not sick in any way, just very heartbroken.

9. Have you guys read The Great Gatsby? I highly suggest you do. It's amazing. The reason I bring it up is because Gatsby is not necessarily a likeable character. He is, in general, a good man, except he has an obsession and has no qualms about being involved in an affair. This also applies to Chris. I tried to portray Willow in PITG as a well-functioning pregnant women who did what she wanted (or who she wanted). Chris, however, was very different. Chris grew up in a privileged home under a much less corrupt Panem. Therefor, she was not as rugged as her mother. A lot of you, especially in the beginning, pointed out that Chris was a bit whiny. Here's my response to that:

Just because she is my protagonist, that does not mean she is a good person. That does not mean she is a hero. That does not mean she is some strong, empowered person who can do anything.

In fact, if anyone is the hero of this story, it's Raven. She's the one who pulled off the overthrowing of Luke and the saving of lives.

The reason I mention Gatsby is because some people may not understand having such a week character at the front of a story. Gatsby is weak for Daisy, and that is his demise. Chris is perfectly average. Maybe even below average. Yes, she still survives, but that's only because she had people who loved her. Her positive asset was that she attracted devoted friends.

10. So here's the deal with Willow. After Luke was taken prisoner by Raven, Willow had an opportunity to escape. She was being kept in a completely different space, so didn't realize what had happened. She just knew that all of the Peacekeepers were gone. Out of panic, she went into hiding. She had no idea that the games had ended or that Luke had been overthrown for three months.

So. That's all I have for you. PITG/DOTG is officially over. Which means that my time here on Wattpad is also over.

Thank you to every single reader. Thank you for every like. Thank you for every comment. I cannot possibly express to you how much this has meant to me. You gave me a voice when I didn't have one. You gave me the opportunity to become a better writer. You gave me a creative outlet when I couldn't find creativity anywhere else. I am so grateful for you, my little snowflakes. You will forever hold a warm place in my heart.

If all goes well in life, this will not be the last you hear of me. I hope that sometime within the next three years you will be able to walk into a bookstore and see my book on the shelf. Or maybe you'll be able to read my articles in a newspaper (journalism is my backup career). I hope all of you understand why I am leaving Wattpad. I've had a great time writing fan fictions, but I'm becoming an adult, and the need for me to be successful as a writer is increasing. As in, I need to actually make money somehow because in a year I will be moving out and going to college.

My account will stay open, so PITG and all of my other stories will remain available for you to read. I may continue to stop by every now and then. Keep an eye out for any short stories that I may post. No guarantees, but short stories break writers block, so I may have a few of those I can put up.

Also, there are still ways we can stay in touch. I have an instagram, a twitter, and a tumblr, all of which are under the username haileyredhead. More importantly, though, you should go to my website and sign up for email notifications (or follow me if you have your own wordpress account). The website is https://haileyladonna.wordpress.com/. It's a blog where you can read some of my other work and get some insight into my head.

Again, thank you.

I could say thank you a million times and I still wouldn't summarize my gratitude.

This is my final goodbye.

I love you snowflakes.

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