Prologue
President Hayle sat in his office chair, chin resting on his desk, supporting his chin, doing nothing but thinking. It had been three months since Parle had died, so why wasn't he over her? He cried about her every day. She'd died in a freak train crash- to no fault of the Capitol, of course, and the conductor had been immediately fired. The conductor, indeed, had been the only survivor. Parle had been pregnant with their baby, who also perished in the accident. He could hardly bear to think about it.
Every day he was forced to look upon the families of happy parents and many children. They were poor, but happy. He was rich, but devastated. None of it made any sense! He deserved to be happy, not them! Parle deserved to live. He stood up suddenly, thinking of a solution that would satisfy all of his needs, breathing heavily. The new Quarter Quell had been an issue for a while. He still had to come up with it. The one that had been previously prepared was rubbish. No wood. It had already been tried; and had lead to a rather boring season of uneventful deaths. No, that wouldn't do. His idea would lead to great entertainment. He walked briskly out from behind his desk and to his secretary, Mallie Trinket. She leaped up, her spotted skin giving the illusion that her body was waving. "Mallie, please arrange for a press conference this afternoon, and for it to be broadcast live. I have a marvelous idea for the Quarter Quell."
*I know it's awfully short and mysterious, but the rest of the story is from Burnet's point of view, and I had to get this in! More coming soon!