Pregnant in the Games

Chapter 28: In Memory

 Author's Note: A lot of you guys don't like Rayne because of the whole Titus thing. When you guys dislike a character in this story, it's usually because they're meant to be disliked, like Luke or Jessica. But Rayne isn't meant to be disliked! Luke is the one who killed Titus, not Rayne. Let's remember who the real enemy is. 

Did you see what I did there? Catching Fire reference. "Remember who the real enemy is." Haha! 

I had a few people telling me that they won't read this story anymore since Tetrick died. WHAT?! Oh my gosh. It's the Hunger Games. What did you expect to happen? Don't stop reading my story because someone died. I mean, if I would've done that when Rue died in the Hunger Games, I would've never read my favorite book in the whole entire world. 

One more thing! No, I am not okay with you using the concept of a pregnant girl in the Hunger Games. No, I am not okay with you using my Quarter Quell concept. Or anything merely like it. I have a lot of people asking and I just want to specify that it's not okay. If you want to use something else from my story, ask me and I will tell you if it's okay or not (I'll always expect credit if I say it's okay.) But no stealing my main story concepts, okay? For those of you who did want to use one of my main concepts, thank you for asking first. I appreciate it. 

I don't think I'll ever be the same again.

I fell like I'm being tied down by this rock. The rock is tied to my shoulders and my legs. I have to drag it around with me, every moment of every day. I can't cut the ropes. I can't release the rocks. All I can do is drag them along.

The night after Tetrick died, I stared through the tree house window, up at the sky. I watched as the anthem started to play and a screen appeared in the sky.  Tetrick's face, illuminating the night... I closed my eyes, unable to look any longer. 

I didn't speak a single word for the next week. I was either too in shock to speak or grieving too much to speak. Or maybe both. Losing Titus was awful. But losing Tetrick right after that, with almost no time to feel better has become too much for me. It's easier to be quiet. 

I didn't talk until Gale approached me. Many times in the past week, Talon, Gale and even Rayne would approach me with food. I would take it silently, with just a nod for a thank you. I would try to eat it, but I could never get very much down. Talon would come to me at night to sleep beside me. He knew that I didn't want to talk and made the smart move of not pressing me. 

But when Gale approached me, it was purely for comfort. He wasn't trying to shove any food down my throat. He wasn't trying to coax some words out of me. All he wanted was to be a good friend. He walked up to me and sat right beside me. Rayne and Talon were both outside of the tree house, so Gale and I were alone. 

Gale wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close to him. "I miss them, too," was all he said. 

Instantly, I was in tears and sobbing into his shirt. I've been trying to play it cool all week. I haven't cried too much. I've just kept a straight, emotionless face. It's easier to be emotionless. Then you don't have to feel the pain. But when Gale said those simple four words, it drove me over the edge. Everything came spilling out. 

"All of a sudden, the two of them were gone. Just like that. All it took was just one moment and suddenly we will never hear them talk again. We will never see them smile again. We'll never see them take a breath or blink their eyes. They're gone," I said, speaking for the first time in a week. 

Gale didn't reply. He just wrapped his arms tighter around me. A tear fell on my shoulder. He's crying, too. 

Finnick's POV: