Stars | Cato Hadley

Chapter Six

The 74th Hunger Games was never going to be treated like a Quater Quell, it was a last-minute decision. President Snow felt as if his power was slipping from his fingers at times. The last thing he wanted was another rebellion- especially if it meant he would no longer be a dictator. He and Seneca Crane decided to plan the 74th Hunger Games to be a bloody one. He wanted to remind Panem that he could take their children and murder them for fun. He wanted everyone to know who was truly in charge.

"Seneca, are you keeping an eye on the girl from District Twelve?" President Snow's voice was dark.

He hated the girl of fire for volunteering for his games. He hated what she represented. A spark. His whole kingdom was gasoline and Katniss Everdeen was the flame that would burn it down.

"Yes, sir, we are. A close eye. She will be dead when she sets foot in that arena." The man with the elaborate beard confirmed. "We are already planning to place a target on her back with the individual scorings."

President Snow looked at him as he handed him a white rose. A dastardly smile playing on his lips.

"Excellent."

...

Day three of training consisted of the tribute's final day to train with each other. Day four would entail that each tribute got fifteen minutes to train on their own for their individual scoring. Serena was talking District Ten through what each day would bring.

"Today is your last day of training with the other tributes. Tomorrow we have reserved times for each of you to train alone for more practice before your individual scorings. Those will take place tomorrow afternoon through evening. After that, we will gather around and see what scores you all have earned," Serena paused for a moment. "Then the next night will be the interviews with Caesar Flickerman. And then the games begin." Her eyes closed for a moment thinking about letting her tributes go. Serena had grown fond of this year's batch from District Ten. She wouldn't ever admit it aloud, but she did.

Serena's blue eyes darted from tribute to tribute. The woman wasn't as annoyed by the younger tributes as she made it seem. She had grown highly attached to Evelyn. The younger female tribute was innocent, too innocent for the games. It had taken Serena many lost tributes to realize how terrible the games actually were. The woman with crazy hair would admit that when she first stepped onto the stage to call names that she was excited but seeing Evelyn's scared face haunted her. Wren's hysterical crying echoed in her dreams. It had taken the escort of District Ten thirty-three years and two little girls to realize that she hated her job. The woman snapped out of her thoughts as Wren laughed at Evelyn.

Evelyn, the youngest girl, sat munching on waffles with gobs of syrup. Wren chuckled when the little girl almost got the sticky syrup in her black hair. With a mouth full of waffles Evelyn attempted to speak. "Wkddf jdi iam nos foos wiwhf anfi sijdifj?"

Edwin looked at her, "What on earth did you just say?" His red hair stood out against his pale skin. The little boy's freckles moved when he spoke. "You need to actually chew and swallow before you talk or you'll choke." Evelyn swallowed the waffle bite.

"I said 'What if we don't know how to use any weapons?'" Evelyn repeated. She moved her hair over her shoulder so syrup wouldn't get caught.

Ariana Galde, a previous victor, sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Then you're toast."

"Toast?" Evelyn grabbed a piece and handed it to the mentor. "Here! I grabbed you a slice!" she said with an innocent smile. Ariana did not have to heart to tell her she meant she was going to die. In fact, no one at the table did.