Prologue

Not every soldier who is called a Peacekeeper is an oppressor of the people of Panem.

Well, some are, like Head Peacekeeper Romulus Thread. Soldiers like him are hard bent on dishing out swift and stern justice on a platter, with lashings of a long whip and executions by firing squad as the side dish. Want fries with that? I don't think so. The only fries they would dish out would be immolation, death by the hand or should we say, nozzle, of the flamethrower. Such servants of the Capitol think and assume that every person in the large anarchic Districts, filled with rebellion and hate, has the potential to commit felonies and spark riots that would bring the nation down as a whole. They have no mercy for anyone and they take satisfaction in seeing the 'guilty' scream in agony for his or her crime.

Most Peacekeepers don't even shed a tear at the poverty of the Districts. Abusing the poor and the needy would be the hobby of some, like Head Peacekeeper Cray. He used to be one of the brightest and the most outstanding of his kind, but when you live in the squalor and misery of a dusty coal-producing District, you will surely do anything to lay your hands on money, despite the fact that you at least receive a standard salary while others outdoors literally bath in their blood and sweat to get a single dime. My, the hard times people had to go through! Cray misused the power and the rank that had been bestowed by the good graces of the Capitol by forcing young gals in poverty into prostitution. With him as the lone customer. Had he not been replaced by Thread, more girls would have been deflowered before the time came, contaminated with shame and disgust. That is no how a true Peacekeeper would act and behave. Cray clearly lost his mandate to remain as a keeper of the peace when he called his first girl to his bed.

A Peacekeeper, no matter the circumstances, must abide by all regulations and principles enforced by the Capitol and by his or her superiors. He must not terrorise the people by means of rape, extortion or injustice. Instead, each and every soldier in white must conform to their duties as guardians of Panem, soldiers who stand before the entire world to represent what it means to live with dignity, respect, honour, courage and freedom. I am glad such corrupt and wicked Peacekeepers like Cray have been disposed off. If only Thread were to use his no-nonsense policies with a hint of mercy, he would have done a better job without the entire District covering in fear and obeying the law out of respect instead for the purpose of saving their wretched lives. Well, then the Rebellion came. The second one, that is.

I am disappointed that the Peacekeepers were willing to fight against their fellow brothers and sisters despite the fact that they were serving a tyrant and a monster, who ordered that children be killed in the Hunger Games, to punish generation after generation for the sins of their fathers. If you do not treat your citizens with respect and provide for them policies that could make them happy and satisfied, how do you expect to run a productive country? Although Peacekeepers should not defy the Capitol with all its authority, maybe they should rack their brains and think about the future of their country if the Hunger Games were to carry on. Peacekeepers, as citizens of Panem, should serve the people first and the government second. For countless leaders including President Snow have proven to be mere humans who make mistakes. They cannot be depended on entirely. The people are the ones who determine the road which Panem is going to take. Any government who rules Panem must know that. Surely a yearly tournament sporting barbarism and bloodshed would only serve to draw Panem closer to its downfall, just as it did to North Korea, where its rulers ruled with a bullet to the head rather than an iron fist. At least the true people of Panem won with the help of the Mockingjay, and now Panem is at its best. The Peacekeeper force continues to be a top-notch force of excellence and bravery to this day, with many of its abusive policies overturned and more pacifist notions induced.

As I said, not all Peacekeepers are monsters. Some like Peacekeeper Darius who tried to stop Thread from flogging a youth to dead. One dead youth for the crime of illegal hunting wouldn't do any good. Illegal hunting is a crime out of desperation to provide for a hungry family, so Peacekeepers should at least show a little mercy. Darius had a heart of gold. He mixed in well with the locals, no matter how poor they were and in return, he lost his tongue. Now as a living sacrifice, he lives a better life in District 7. Such soldiers, guardians of Panem should be looked up to as heroes and not as traitors or cowards. They should be given their due and what they deserve.

I am Abel Wilson, and I am the first Head Peacekeeper of Panem. I saw the nation born out of chaos and darkness, just like a baby. I saw it take its first steps and matured into a powerful nation. I stretched out my hands to guide it in its infancy and I hope those who come after me to become Peacekeepers will continue to watch over Panem, nurture it and strengthen it in times of weakness. Although I am in stasis in a dismal chamber concealed under the mansion of President Snow, I am still conscious. I know and I see the deeds of those who have came and went. I am watching. I am listening. I am waiting.

When I decided to go against the old corrupt government of North America, I swore to myself that I would form a better nation, a safer country where everyone could have food, homes, families and fruitful lives. That is why this country was named 'Panem', meaning 'bread'. No one in Panem would ever go hungry. Or so i thought, until the Mockingjay lit the spark.

This is the story, of my past.