Hi, everyone! I've decided to write this SYOT in parallel with my other fanfic Love is the Deadliest Weapon. They are both set in the same AU, so you'll find some references, which I will explain at the end of the chapters. Divine Punishment is about the 76th Hunger Games. For further info about my AU and submissions, see my profile.
Enjoy your reading :)
Present day
Falcon Smith (51)- President of Panem
A light rain is falling over the graveyard- a manicured green lawn with white tombstones aligned all over it. The ground is slightly sloping and, in the distance, you can see a lake shrouded in mist. A rather beautiful place to be a place of death and sorrow. Some parts of the graveyard are still condemned… a year has passed since the end of the war, but the signs of the destruction brought by the rebels are still visible. I feel a lump in my throat. Those rebels didn't respect anybody, not even the dead! This awareness makes my duty even more necessary. As new president of Panem, I cannot let the districts get away with what they have done. I have to convey an important message to the entire nation, and this message will be the 76th Hunger Games.
Regardless of the rain, I'm wandering about the tombstones till I find what I was looking for. In fact, I stop in front of a simple white gravestone. No decorations, just a name in gold letters. GORGO SMITH… and below it… BELOVED WIFE AND MOTHER.
"I'm here again, my love," I greet her, as if she could reply. I lay a bouquet of mimosa on her grave. "I don't know how you can stand its scent, but it's your favourite flower, so I thought you would appreciate this modest gift," I go on.
"She certainly would," says a voice behind my back. I turn around and see Ismene, my sister-in-law. She's wearing a white coat, the same colour of her umbrella. Some raindrops stopped on her long eyelashes, giving shine to her pale green eyes.
"Ismene… how you doing?" I ask her.
"Excited about my new job. A great responsibility, but I'll do my best to be up to it," she answers, getting closer to shelter me under her umbrella.
"I know you will."
She smiles. "And what about you, Mr. President? How you doing?"
I smile back. "Mr. President? We have already switched to formality, have we?"
"Seriously… how do you feel, Falcon? Are you ready for your new responsibilities?" she asks, holding my arm. I can see some genuine concern in her eyes.
"Don't worry. I came to visit Gorgo just to remind myself of my mission… I'll stay strong for her and for every Capitolite who suffered because of the rebels. I don't know whether her vile murderer is still alive *, but with their leaders executed and the Hunger Games looming over them, the districts won't rise up again, that's for sure!" I reply with renewed ardour.
She nods. "The execution of all their leaders was certainly a blow to them," she agrees with me.
I bring back to mind the images of the execution. It was a sunny day… a sign from the Heavens, the odds were in our favour. It took place in the main square. For the occasion, a stage had been set up for the authorities. On the buildings all around the square, flags and banners with the seal of the Capitol… an attempt to hide the destruction brought about by the war. But it was also an attempt to give Capitolites the confidence in the new government they needed. The authorities reunited for a historic event… it was definitely a message of hope. One by one, the condemned paraded in front of the stage, handcuffed but not bandaged, so that I could see their faces from my seat. Peeta Mellark, too shell-shocked to realize what was happening. Haymitch Abernathy, too drunk to care. Even Alma Coin had lost all her bravado. And then I saw her, Katniss Everdeen, the Mockingjay. Her entrance triggered boos and yells from the crowd, and peacekeepers struggled to silence it. Katniss Everdeen had lost everything she could lose, yet her gaze was still defiant. I will never forget that gaze. Her grey eyes full of hatred and anger… she was like a ravenous tiger in a cage, powerless but threatening. Anyway, the execution took one second, just the time to load the rifles and shoot. The list of the condemned was long, so they weren't executed all at once. There was also Plutarch Heavensbee on that list- betraying the Capitol as he had done was unforgivable-, and some of the past victors like Johanna Mason. Her attitude surprised me, too. When she made her appearance, she was smiling, she seemed relieved. But I didn't care. Just one shot, and everything was over also for her.
"Falcon?"
I'm dragged back into reality.
"Everything ok?" Ismene asks me, worried.
"Yeah… I was just thinking about the past," I answer.
"Don't thing about the past, think about the near future. We'll make the 76th annual Hunger Games memorable… together," she says with a wide reassuring smile.
"That's for sure."
So, this is the first chapter. What do you think of the execution scene? Actually, it's the first time I use the characters of the books, do you think they're likely?
*Gorgo Smith worked as peacekeeper in District 2, she died in the Nut. She's mentioned in Love is the Deadliest Weapon chapter 2.