ivy mortuus { disitrict 12 } fin

they were born in blood —

she and arwen were cut from their mother's corpse. she was found in the bathtub, the water clouded with blood. she was pulled out and carried onto a surgical table, then frantically operated on to save the children in her womb. when her mother ended her own life, she intended to take ivy and arwen with her. it has never fully set into ivy's mind that she was a mistake, an unwanted child. her mother thought no more of her than a parasite. annabelle would have gotten rid of them if she could have, but ivy's grandparents wouldn't let her. after hyacinth died and olive moved out, they were excited to have new additions — and new workers — to the family. but their selfishness cost annabelle her life.

ivy's mother killed herself, ran over her wrists with razors until all the life was drained out of her. she took up hyacinth's mantle after she died in the 74th — she was sixteen, too young, too fragile to sell herself to peacekeepers to keep them quiet. the grandparents, annabelle's parents, will still defend their decision. someone had to do it, they'll say. now that annabelle is gone, crimson keeps the peacekeepers in line, but through force and manipulation instead. ivy doesn't truly understand what happened to her mother. she only hears whispers from ridley, her caretaker, and the other living mortuuses. they think she's still too young to be told. every time she asks, she is always given the answer, "i'll tell you when you're old enough."

no one ever knew who her father was. her grandparents say it's one of the things that killed ivy's mother.

unbeknownst the ivy and arwen, annabelle took over hyacinth's job after she died in the hunger games. (even if they knew, they would never be able to comprehend such a dark concept.) she kept the peacekeepers quiet about the mortuus's dealings with sexual favors. ivy and arwen's father is one of them, but they both take after annabelle so much that it's impossible to tell who. they have annabelle's eyes and annabelle's button nose, but there is a slight red tinge to their hair, while annabelle's was black as night. she has always wondered about who her father is, even though ridley has assured her that she is better off without him in her life. she believes them, but it doesn't lessen her curiosity. to not know where she comes from leaves an empty space inside her, even though the peacekeeper who fathered her could never fill it. her aunt, ridley is all she has, the only parental figure she has ever known.

the peacekeepers themselves aren't sure. they seem to know that the mortuus twins was likely fathered by one of them. they whisper about the ivy and arwen, speculate who they belong to, but none are eager to point fingers or claim them. her grandparents said it doesn't matter anyway — peacekeepers are forbidden from having families.