Stars | Cato Hadley

Chapter Twenty-One

Plutarch Heavensbee sat second to the head of the table next to Seneca Crane. Seneca wore a red suit as he prepared them for the finale of the 74th Hunger Games. The group of men discussed the idea of the muttations and a twist to shock the fans. The Capital was roaring with excitement as two pairs of star-crossed lovers; they constantly voted on which pair they wanted to win, but Seneca had other ideas.

"Gentlemen, is everything ready for the finale? The DNA of the dead tributes for the muttations? Did they get the collars right?" The man at the head of the table asked. A chorus of nods went around the long table. "Good. You are all dismissed."

Plutarch headed straight for the hospital wing. The nurse from earlier gave him a brief smile.

"Are they being looked after?"

"Yes sir." The older gentleman smiled. "Good."

...

"What's in the pack that was sent to you?" Wren asked as Cato had just opened the bag he had risked his life to get. He turned around with armor in his hands and confusion on his face.

"Shoulder pads?" he joked. "Armour." The brunette corrected.

"What would I need this for?"

Wren's hazel eyes sparkled with the answer. "Katniss' arrows. The armor will protect you from them!" She said and he pulled her in for a hug. The two looked outside at the darkness ahead of them.

"They must be ready for the games to be over."

A howl cut her off. More soon followed. The pair left the cave after Cato put the armor on and grabbed his sword. Wren slung her bag on her back and made sure the whips were at her hips. Within seconds the two were off.

Wren and Cato were running through the woods. Something growled in the distance and they heard a loud scream. Wren's hazel eyes met Cato's blue ones and they went wide.

"What the hell was that?" the girl yelled.

"I don't know!" Cato yelled back in frustration.

The two passed trees of all kinds as they ran away from the scream that broke out.

"Cato, where are we going?" Wren asked as a leaf smacked her in the face.

"I don't know." He replied and sounded like a broken record player.

Cato made a hard left and Wren was quick to follow. A growl was heard behind her and she glanced back. A giant wolf was chasing them. Wren's fingers wrapped around her right whip as she pressed the button. The whip unraveled itself as she hit the beast in the middle of its face. The giant dog yelped but continued to chase them. A cannon was followed by the same scream as earlier.

"The Cornucopia!" Cato said out of breath as he turned around and stabbed the mutt. Wren got a better look at it when it stopped moving. Its fur was red and its collar held a small 'ten.' Her eyes filled with tears.

"It's Edwin." The brunette told the boy next to her. A branch snapped followed by another growl.

"Run!"

Wren didn't waste any time. She and the boy from Two started sprinting for the open field that held the metal box. More growls came from behind her as she looked back. Her brown hair whirled behind her as she ran. Cato was right next to her as he panted. Wren nearly cried for joy as the field was in their sights.

The night sky held a moon that was bigger than she'd ever seen. The Cornucopia was under the moonlight as if it was being spotlighted. She and the blond boy continued at full sprint for the centerpiece.