A/N: Hey guys, I have a special surprise for you all. Read on to find out.
I'm in the meadow watching an older version of myself chase a little boy; his hair is as blonde as Cato's. The child is laughing; he is as free as a bird, unknown to the world of the Hunger Games.
"I'm gonna beat you Mummy, I'm gonna win" He shouts out to me. The boy is my son. I have a son. How could I bring a child into this world which may in time lead him to his death? The boy stops running and jumps up and down in the air.
"I won, I won." I sneak up on the boy and grab him in my arms. The boy squeals in delight, laughing harder
"Mummy's got you now Wade" His name was Wade. The name was perfect.
"Daddy, help me" Daddy? Who is he calling out to? I turn around still holding Wade and Cato comes into view. I put Wade down and he runs over to Cato. Cato is flashing a massive grin.
"Hey, kiddo" He pulls Wade up onto his shoulders. "Is mummy attacking you?" He asks walking over to me
"Yeah, but guess what?"
"What?"
"I beat mummy in a race?"
"Really, you beat mummy in a race, no-one ever beats mummy" Cato put Wade down again.
"I know, but I did" Wade runs off again across the meadow
"Not too far okay Wade"
"Cato-" I interrupted by him when he pull me in for a kiss. Soon we both pull away from lack of breath.
"Well that's a fine way to greet me" Cato smirks at me
"I know, I thinking of making it a regular thing to do when I see you. How is he?"
"Energetic as ever"
"And the baby?" Cato says placing a hand on my stomach
"We're both fine, even better now that you're back" I lean back in to kiss him, but the scene changes. Instead of the meadow, I'm in a hospital giving birth to my second child. I'm in a lot of pain by the looks of it. Cato's next to me holding my hand which I seem to me crushing with all my strength.
"Okay I need you to push. On the count of three, push as hard as you can. Ready…1…2…3…Push!" I'm screaming loudly.
"I can see the head, just one more push Mrs Stone. OK 1…2…3…Push!" The screaming fades and the sound of crying is heard instead. The nurse wraps my child in a pink blanket and hands her to me.
"Congratulations Mrs Stone. You've given birth to a healthy baby girl." She's beautiful. And she has Cato's eyes, like Wade.
"Look at her eyes Cato, ice blue like yours."
"I know, she's beautiful" The scene blurs and changes again. I'm in a crowd of people in the town square in 12. The reaping. Jessica is standing next to me. Her reaping isn't for another three years but this is Wade first reaping. I'm scared for his life. This is the very reason I didn't want kids. I didn't want them to be part of the Hunger Games. It's the 90th Annual Hunger Games. I'm expected to Mentor this year like every year with Haymitch. I couldn't bear the fact if I had to mentor my own child and possibly watch him die.
"Now for the girls, our female tribute is….Sarah Wilson" A blonde walks nervously up to the stage. She looks to be about fifteen. I will try my best to keep her alive.
"And now for the boys, our male tribute is…Wade Stone"
"NOOOOOOO!" I wake up screaming again. My child was entering the Hunger Games. It takes me a minute to realise it was a dream-turned nightmare. I don't have a child and I'm in the Hunger Games. By the light of the sky it looks to be dawn. I want to go back to sleep but I'll just have another nightmare. I lie in my sleeping bag until sleep takes me again.
Line Break
A burning light was shining in my eyes. Was I dead? No, I could hear voices in the background and I could open my eyes slightly. Where was I? Definitely not the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games! The memory came back to me instantly. I was going after Katniss to apologise. Katniss! Was she still alive? What was happening in the arena? I pray that she and Clove were sticking together in the event that the Career pack ever split up.
"Cato, Cato are you up. Can you hear me?" I had no clue who was speaking to me
"Does it look like he's awake Haymitch?" Enobaria. I knew that voice anywhere, but why was Katniss' mentor Haymitch here. I groan and slightly open my eyes fully. I take in my surroundings quickly. A blank white room. One word, no two words come to mind; Capitol and Hospital.
"Yeah see, he is awake."
"Not before, he was…"
"Oh will you two shut up?" I groan again. My head was really starting to hurt. I try to sit up and fail epically.
"Careful there boy" I try again slowly, successful this time.
"Why am I in the Capitol Enobaria and why is Haymitch here?" I ask rubbing my sore head
"You're dead, well not really. Panem thinks you're dead. You died in the Hunger Games. Haymitch and I had devised a plan to get both you and Katniss out of the Hunger Games alive. We've run it past the GameMakers and Snow who is content with it and is allowing it. Our plan is to bring out you and Katniss but still going by the whole one Victor rule. Part one of our plan was pretending to kill you off. Now part two is making sure, Peeta and Katniss make it to the final two and then we'll pretend to kill her off as well making Peeta Victor and bringing out Katniss alive as well. It is a very well-thought out plan"
"So you mean, both of us can live together?" I ask. I was ecstatic. We had a way out. Sure I wasn't pleased about Peeta becoming Victor, I would much prefer Clove but ehh, if Katniss comes out alive, that's all that matters.
"Yes. Brilliant isn't it?"
"Genius. But I have one question. The berries you sent me. I thought they were nightlock?"
"No they only look like nightlock to convince the Capitol. We're doing the same thing with Katniss. We know she'll eat them if it means being with you. She'll think that she's joining you in death, but she is really joining you in life."
"But where will we live after the Games if we're supposed to be dead?" I ask confused as to how they will answer this one.
"Here in the Capitol. You can never go back to you district. Of course you're families will come out here to live with you, but no one must know of you being alive. Only the Capitol. They loved you two, so founding out you're alive will really excite them. Besides what happens in the Capitol, stays in the Capitol. They won't tell anyone on the outside."
"Great, what is happening in the Hunger Games right now? How is Katniss?" I was really anxious now. Haymitch's face sunk. Something was wrong and I wanted to find out.
"What's has happened? What's wrong?!"
"Nothing's wrong. It's just that Katniss is really taking your death hard. For the past two days, she's been crying, and yelling insults at Peeta but at night she wakes up screaming and crying. This morning she woke up screaming 'no'"
"Oh, I hate pretending to be dead." I dropped my head in despair. How I wish I could grab Katniss from the Games and be on our way.
"Don't worry Cato; you'll be together again soon. We just need to have the other tributes killed off and then we can reunite you two. The sooner the better"
"Alright, let's go. I want to see what is happening onscreen. I want to see her for myself."