CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

[from the grave]

THREE MONTHS LATER

It was later in the evening, just before dinner, when Shay and Cato were paged to the same drab conference room in which they watched the Victory Tour. It wasn't on their schedule like usual, and so it was taking away from their valuable mealtime. It must've been important.

The blonde girl had shuffled reluctantly the whole way there though. She was getting really sick of sitting in front of that holoscreen. Every time she did, they had some sort of information bomb dropped on them or were given horrible news.

When the couple walked in, they saw Thresh—once again—already seated at the table. Shay was sure the other former tribute was sick of seeing them too. Wordlessly, she and Cato took their seats across from him. It was reminiscent of her years in school, sitting in her assigned seats and waiting for the teacher to come in and tell them what to do. Only this time, she wasn't trying to figure out how to spell 'orange' or calculate random equations. This time she was being taught how to fight a war in which she wanted no part, yet with which needed to be involved.

Boggs walked in, this time alone and not trailing behind District 13's esteemed president. "Sorry to interrupt your day," he stated as a greeting in his deep, commanding yet also comforting, voice. He actually sounded genuine in his remarks though, unlike Coin. Whenever the president would flippantly apologize for interruptions or inconveniences to the three, she could never muster up enough empathy in her tone. Maybe Shay was just imagining it. Or maybe, the president's cold, golden-hazel eyes were equally as unnerving as the serpent-like president back in the Capitol.

Thresh's brow furrowed as he took in the commander. "Why exactly are we here this time?" There was a tinge of annoyance in his tone, something that Shay was able to pick out easily, but Bogg's didn't seem to notice. Or he did notice and just didn't mind.

"Our source in the Capitol said that the Quarter Quell was going to be announced tonight," he said. "Coin insisted you be present to watch."

"Of course, she did," Cato mumbled under his breath. While Shay was looking at Boggs over Thresh's shoulder, she swore she saw the quirk of a smile on the District 11 boy's face.

The holoscreen came to life and statically showed the Capitol logo while they waited for the broadcast to start. Finally, the anthem played signaling the start and when the final note trailed off, President Snow took the stage, the picture of purity and righteousness in his perfectly tailored suit. A simple wooden box sat on the podium beside him. Snow began his speech, an amended version of the same story they played before every Reaping, recounting to atrocities of the Dark Days.

But Quarter Quells were different than the usual annual Hunger Games. The yearly battle to the death was a reminder of the freedoms the districts had lost. Quarter Quells were somehow even more dastardly, causing the districts to suffer to a further extent. Just when the monotony of their typical tragedies became too much, every twenty-five years the Capitol decided to spicy it up. They made the districts choose their tributes, doubled their tributes, in the previous Quarter Quells. What would it be this time?

"And now we honor our third Quarter Quell," President Snow announced, getting to the grand announcement, the reason why everyone was watching. Pulling out an envelope marked '75,' he opened it without hesitation. "On the seventy-fifth anniversary," he read, "as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol…"

"No," Shay whispered, already mentally finishing Snow's thought. She couldn't believe it.

"… the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors."

But Shay could believe it. Katniss and Peeta both got out of the arena alive and now the Capitol had to rectify that mistake. It was all rigged.

The Quarter Quells were supposed to be predetermined from the moment the Hunger Games were instated. To have a punishment for the District 12 victors so conveniently at the ready, the only obstacle being the fragile wax seal of an envelope, was just too much of a coincidence to be taken seriously. Snow changed it. Though, why would the Capitol play by the rules when they had the power to change them?

"She's going back in the arena," Shay announced, breaking the silence as the holoscreen returned to the Capitol emblem.

She met the eyes of Thresh and Cato, the two on the same page as her. "And it's either Peeta or Haymitch that's going in with her," Cato added.

Shay nodded, "But, Katniss is the true target. They couldn't just kill her. She's become a symbol. Killing her now would just make her a martyr. It would fuel the rebellion, not extinguish it. By playing that this was all some weird, predetermined twist of fate… Snow gets to kill her without making it a blatant execution."

Thresh nodded. "And he has some of the most skilled killers to act as his firing squad," the dark-skinned boy continued. He was right. The rest of the Victors would be equally motivated to get out alive, and they were just as skilled as the most recent Victors—if not more so, thanks to their multiple years of mentoring tributes and navigating the rough seas of Capitol society.

"You're all correct," Coin said, entering the room. "Excuse my tardiness. I had to meet with a few others about this recent development." There was that insincerity.

"Why was this so important for us to know?" Cato questioned her, narrowing his eyes. It was a room full of people with some of the worst trust issues on the planet. Of course, Cato was immediately suspicious. "You're planning something. What is it?"

The three former tributes locked their eyes on the silver-haired woman before them. Boggs stood silently to the side, waiting for the president to take the lead.

Coin clasped her hands behind her back and walked to the head of the long table. The holoscreen blinked off when she reached her spot. "We knew this was coming. That the Quarter Quell was going to reap from the existing pool of Victors. However, we had been planning a Capitol insurrection since long before the name 'Katniss Everdeen' was ever called out on a stage. You all are proof of that."

"What do you mean?" Thresh pressed.

She sighed. "When our hovercrafts pulled you from the arena, it was more than we ever could've planned for. It was only to be a practice run. To see if it was possible to bypass the Capitol's security for their biggest spectacle of the year. It was by the discretion of the crews manning the hovercrafts to go through with trying to rescue you. I was against the decisions, but obviously, it worked out for the best." She gave the three of them a wry smile.

Knowing that Coin never planned on rescuing them was nauseating. In some ways, it was nice to know that they didn't owe her their lives in that respect. But it also meant they were expendable. They were never part of some grand plan or scheme to overthrow the Capitol. More like a happy accident.

"However," Coin continued. "As unplanned as your rescues were, they have offered us a solution to our present problem.

"Katniss Everdeen, as you all know, has become a rallying point for the districts. The Capitol has been attempting to sully her image for months now, to get the districts to dismiss her as the face of their uprisings. But they have failed. This is the ultimate opportunity to turn the tide in our favor. To come for them on their own territory."

Shay straightened in her seat. "Okay. So, you infiltrate the Quarter Quell just like you did the 74th games. That's all well and good but what do you actually want from us?"

"Shay," Coin started, a cat-like grin stretching at the corners of her mouth. "You, Cato, and Thresh are the first of a string of failures on the Capitol's behalf. They failed to kill you and therefore the hope that you represent. You are the ghosts that will haunt them to the end of time, risen from the grave they tried to put you in. The three of you will be running point during this mission.

"You'll be infiltrating the Quarter Quell to save Katniss Everdeen."

The Ghosts, as the three of them were now referred to, were isolated from the rest of District 13 after Coin revealed her plans to them. No longer did they train with the likes of Lottie and Cobare during the morning and then go their separate ways after lunch. They were with each other round the clock.

If Thresh hadn't been sick of them before, Shay knew he definitely was now.

She was a little sour about this new arrangement. The blonde girl felt as if she just fell into a rhythm with her schedule. She finally felt like her muscles didn't ache with every mile she ran and sit up she did. She finally felt like she and Weylan were making progress toward being real friends. And she finally felt like she was getting somewhere with Dalton, the man no longer questioning her competency every waking moment she was in his presence.

But now her schedule had been scrapped and her progress had come to a screeching halt. She rarely saw Weylan anymore let alone the reclusive Dalton. The only times she did was in quick passing or briefly at mealtimes.

She knew that Cato felt the same about being separated from Lottie and Cobare, the camaraderie he started to build with them had since fallen to the wayside when other duties were put at a priority.

They had rigorous training, every day up until midday, then there were strategy meetings and planning in the afternoons. Everything had to run smoothly, the meticulous details needed to be memorized. If there was even the slightest hiccup, the entire operation could fall to ruin.

Cato excelled, obviously, in the hand-to-hand combat as well as some other areas thanks to his Career academy training while it took Shay and Thresh a little more time to catch on. The hulking blond teen was made for this, forged for battle like the weapons District 2 manufactured for the Capitol. Shay was witnessing just how true his previous statement had been: the citizens of District 2 didn't just make weapons; they became them too. It was a fact just as true for Cato as it was for many others in his home district. And it was a fact she knew he hated.

Overall, Shay couldn't shake the familiarity of her new life. It was like deja vu. Almost a year had passed since she was reaped, only a few months away from the event that would officially start the 75th Hunger Games. Then she realized why it was all so familiar; they were just training to enter another arena—another Hunger Games. The Games to end all Games.

The soldiers replaced the trainers. Wartime strategy meetings replaced whispered conversations with mentors and escorts. And eventually, once all the pieces were in place, propos—a nickname for propaganda films—would replace interviews on stage with Caesar Flickerman.

After weeks of her new training regiment, Shay began to feel the brunt of it. She hadn't quite gotten to this level during her individual training with Boggs before being assigned the new mission, and her body was revolting against her. Her muscles tightened painfully, and her nerves burned. At one point, Cato had hurried her to a bench on the side of the room after a long, endurance run when it seemed like her legs were going to give out from under her.

It was after that day when she noticed yet another change to her schedule. Twice a week, she would meet with Weylan to resume her physical therapy.

Shay didn't know who authorized the change, as she could never bring herself to ask for help. She didn't want to seem weak or appear that she was complaining about the work. But she had her suspicions that Cato had something to do with it when she told him about the change and he—very poorly—feigned surprise.

"You know," Weylan started as the two of them wrapped up one of their sessions. "Coin was reluctant to send you back to me."

Shay's eyebrows furrowed. She was pulling her drab, gray jumpsuit back over her upper body, ignoring the reflection of her scars in the mirror by the door. "Why?" she asked, dreading the answer.

Weylan leaned against the counter, his eyes flickering to a monitor in the corner of the room before swallowing thickly. "Forget it. I shouldn't have said anything."

Shay expected to feel fear when he was overcome with sudden reluctance. The same fear that her family or her would've felt speaking out against the Capitol when she was back home in District 10. The way she felt when whispering traitorous words to Cato in the arena. But instead, she felt anger.

Why was Weylan reluctant to speak his mind? Wasn't this place supposed to be better? To strive for better? But all Shay saw was more censorship and oppression. It was just softened, like looking at it through rose-colored glasses.

"What, Weylan?" Shay asked again, her voice hard and insisting.

Weylan sighed. "She," he amended in a whispered tone, not daring to say Coin's name again aloud. "Thought that the physical therapy wasn't moving along fast enough. So, she had inquired about getting you new medication. Something that would lessen the pain enough to keep you going without needing my help."

The words left unsaid sounded the loudest in her mind. Because if you're not in working order, you're useless to her.

Coin needed her to be a Ghost. She needed her to be an obedient little soldier at her beck and call. Whether her soldier was half-out of it on morphling or other pain medication didn't matter as long as Shay was compliant and functioning. It wasn't necessary for her to think and make decisions. She just needed to follow orders.

The blonde girl was silent for a while before she thanked Weylan and left for her room. She knew Cato would be there waiting for her as he always was after her sessions. The whole walk there, she was fuming.

She entered her tiny room in a huff. All it took was Cato to ask what was wrong and the words fell off her tongue in a rushed—probably nonsensical—fury. He sat and listened with apt attention, letting her rant and vent. He shared her anger but knew that she didn't need someone to join in her rant. She just needed someone to confide in.

"After all this time, going along with her little plan and she wants to pull this! 'You are the ghosts that will haunt them to the end of time' bullshit," Shay continued, huffing out breaths between sentences. "She acts like we have nothing to lose just because we're 'dead.' We still have families. We—," and just like that, the thought came to her, stopping her mid-sentence and paralyzing her like a bolt of lightning.

Cato's anger dissipated as he watched her own anger shift to worry. "Shay?" he called out her name, trying to shake her from whatever concerning thought came to her.

"The minute we enter that arena, we're risking our anonymity," she said finally. "The Capitol would know we're alive. I mean, sure, they know we're missing after not having recovered our bodies. But, going from missing-and-presumed-dead to definitely-alive-and-a-threat are completely different." Her breathing grew heavy again as panic flooded her veins. "Althea, the baby, Dani, everyone… they could all be at risk if I do this. I-I can't. I can't risk their lives for this."

"Then don't," Cato told her reassuringly. He stood from his seat on the bed and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her. The tightness of his embrace was grounding, bringing her back to reality and slowing her breathing. Subconsciously, she nuzzled into his chest and wrapped her own arms around his waist, accepting the comfort. "There has to be a way to ensure their safety and still be able to help with the Quell mission. And if there isn't, then fuck Coin and the rest. Your family is your priority. You owe Coin nothing. She showed her hand when she admitted to not rescuing us on purpose."

"Thank you," Shay sighed into Cato's chest. "For everything." She pulled back, giving him a gentle smile before leaning up to brush her lips against him softly.

He kissed her back and when they separated, he leaned his forehead against hers. "Anytime."

Shay stormed down the hall to Coin's office, a fire lit in her that would make Katniss jealous—or maybe not.

After taking some time to think about it, the blonde girl knew that she could not in good conscience fail to go through with the Quell mission. Too many lives relied on District 13's efforts succeeding. For better or worse, they were the lesser of two evils. She thought of Leif and Rue, two young lives that had been lost to the Capitol's sick form of entertainment. She thought of Kraven, who she should've been able to grow up alongside but was never given the chance to. And she thought of her niece—or nephew, but she had really been leaning toward niece recently—whom she hadn't even had the opportunity to meet because of her supposed 'death.' Shay knew she would do anything for that baby, anything to ensure their safety and prosperity.

If she didn't go on this mission, and for whatever reason Katniss Everdeen was not rescued, then whatever rebellion District 13 was planning would end before it ever began. That would mean the Capitol remained in power, and the Hunger Games would continue. Punishments would follow the failed insurrection and the suffering would increase. Sure, her pessimistic thoughts may seem far-fetched, and she may be thinking too highly of herself in believing her involvement would have such an impact. But there was always the 'what ifs' and that was enough for her.

Knowing in her heart that she had to go along with this mission meant she only had one choice: help Coin while also ensuring the safety of her family. And that meant bringing them to District 13 and out of the Capitol's reach.

"I need to talk to you," Shay demanded, barging into Coin's office without knocking. It probably wasn't the best tactic when she was about to ask for something huge, but Shay knew that if she was shy about it, then she would back down and never fight for her own agenda. Taurus called her "little mouse," alluding to her cautiousness and quiet demeanor. But she was done being quiet.

Coin, to Shay's annoyance, didn't look surprised to see her. "Shaylin," she greeted evenly, waving her hand to the empty seat across from her desk. "Please. Have a seat."

Shay's eye flickered to the empty chair for a split second before ignoring the request completely. No, she needed to remain standing. It was paramount if she was going to stay focused and not lose her nerve.

"The Capitol will realize the extent of our involvement after we help you with the Quell," Shay stated. And Coin nodded in agreement.

"Yes. A risk on your parts, but also something we are hoping for. We want to flaunt their failures in front of them. That's not possible if they don't know you're there." Shay was glad she wasn't denying the risk on Cato, Thresh, and her behalf.

The District 10 girl was satisfied with this start. "Well, if it's a risk for us, then it's a risk for our families, right? The Capitol could use them against us as leverage." Coin nodded again. "I'm not okay with that."

Again, Coin was not perturbed by this admittance. "I assumed that you wouldn't be satisfied with leaving your family vulnerable while you actively participate in a rebellion. So, what would you have me do?"

Her willingness to open the subject for debate was unexpected by Shay. But now was her opportunity to bargain for her family's lives. "You've been training us, day-in, day-out, for this mission. You need to test if we're actually getting any better... if we're prepared. Send me to District 10 with a small group. I'll get my family, and I'll get out. We'll remain completely undetected. You could do the same for Thresh with his family. Cato with his," Shay reasoned. "Because if we can't break into the districts to pull people out, we don't stand a chance of getting into that arena."

Coin stood from behind her desk. Shay tried not to drop her gaze when Coin's golden-hazel eyes met her own cornflower blues. She would never get over the predatory gaze like she was staring into a hawk's eyes. With a small, diplomatic smile in place, Coin broke the silence after about a minute. "You've given me a lot to think about, Shaylin." Ugh, Shay hated the way she said her full name. It was a poor attempt on Coin's part to appear overly polite. "You've made some excellent points. I'll speak with Boggs and some of my other lieutenants and hopefully, I'll have an answer for you by tomorrow."

Shay could do nothing else but nod and exit the room, trying to retain the same confidence she had when she entered. Coin hadn't agreed, but she also hadn't shot her down. The blonde girl would accept the answer for the time being, but only because she had to. She pleaded her case and now it was time for Coin to deliberate. If she pushed the president further, then any possible chance of agreement could evaporate into thin air. So, until the president came to her, all she could do was wait.

Thankfully, by dinner the following night, Shay got her answer.

She was going back to District 10.

This part (aka Part Two) of the story will have a lot of time jumps as the first few chapters are 'filler-esque'... The early chapters were very character-centered, focusing on Shay's issue out of the arena. Now, this chapter was more exposition on some of the original content I'll be exploring before they infiltrate the Quell. In short, I personally find this chapter a little boring and slow (also why it's shorter), but necessary as it sets up a lot. I'm just excited to get to the missions!

Anyway, despite my feelings about this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it for the most part. Hopefully, now that this one is out of the way, I can refocus on this story. Lots of reveals to come!