You've got it all, you lost your mind in the sound
There's so much more, you can reclaim your crown
You're in control, rid of the monsters inside your head
Put all your thoughts to bed
You can be king again
The Killer
The knife glistened in the silver moonlight. Blood dripped from the length of the blade to the handle, then down to the ground. Spots on the carpet slowly turned a deep crimson color. The killer smiled to themself, pleased with their handiwork. Their hands were stained red, as well as their arms and even some parts of their face. They weren't disgusted by the blood. Instead, they wore it like a battle scar. A sign of victory, triumph.
As for this fool, he's out of the way for good. They looked down at the dead body of President Coriolanus Snow, no remorse in their eyes, not even a hint of lament. He held no importance in their life. He was just a pawn in the way. He wasn't needed in the bigger picture, in the plan they had been formulating for weeks and weeks now. In the darkness of the room, they could just barely make out the multiple wounds covering the deceased president's chest and neck. The last stab, one aimed directly to his heart, was fatal. President Snow had died only moments after.
The killer had thoroughly prepared for the aftermath. They were quite confident they wouldn't get caught. No one has to know it's me who killed him. Let his murder be forever a mystery. They would clean the knife of any blood later on, and then dispose of it somewhere no one would ever find it. They had covered up their tracks well. All would be taken care of by sunrise.
The digital clock on a nearby nightstand read three o'clock. They stood from their kneeling position and shot one last satisfied look at his dead body on the floor. Eventually, someone would find his body, maybe one of the Avoxes who came to wake him up. By then, the killer would be far from the scene of the crime, and most importantly, far from people's suspicions. It was unlikely anyone would think they committed the crime. They were just about the least likely person to do it.
Slowly, they pulled their black hood over their head as they exited the room. It was silent all around, almost so soundless they could hear crickets. There was a window at the end of the hall, from which faint light came through. Just before they went down the spiral staircase and made their escape, the killer paused there for the briefest of moments. Their cold eyes stared out the glass, to the little lights shining in the Capitol. Most people were asleep, so there were only a few. Still, some remained on.
A final, cruel smile appeared on their face for the last time. As they carefully moved away from the window, being sure not to make a sound, they were happy for the first time in days.
Oh, Panem. You have so much to learn.
A/N: So this is a new idea I've been playing around with. This is the first book to a new SYOT series called Manipulation. If it wasn't already obvious, this is going to be a murder mystery. This story will be the 84th Hunger Games, in a universe where Cato won the 74th Games, so everything continued as normal. On a side note, this will have slower updates than "A Spell Broken," because I want to focus more on school and family than Fanfiction. But it will still be updated probably at least once a week. Just know it's not my first priority. I have the plot for the entire series all planned out, however, so you can count on me finishing this. I'm excited to start working on it. Rules and the tribute list will be on my profile. Don't forget to review and submit, and I hope to see all your tributes soon :)