The Capitol, 4 years earlier
Seneca
I stared into the bowl in front of me. Once again, Snow had underestimated me. This was getting boring, his tireless attempts to kill me were all the same. I knew this room, and everything in it, it was where Snow had first tried to get rid of me-he called me to this room, where he sat and watched two Peacekeepers slash my throat and hands until they were red with my own blood. I had experience though, he had forgotten that.
Before I was head Gamemaker, I was in Katniss and Peeta's situation-one of the final two tributes in the 65th Hunger Games. The other was Syla, the one who had come with me from my District-District 4. I had always had something for her, but I wasn't sure if she ever noticed me, and here I was, in the arena, about to kill her or kill myself. Unlike Katniss, she didn't hesitate. She ran towards me, pointing her knife at me. I turned and ran, so far that I got lost. Then suddenly, she leaped from behind me and I fell to the ground. She held me down, and prepared to kill me. At the last minute, I grabbed my spear lying beside me and threw it above me. It was only when the cannon was heard did I realise I had killed her.
I hated myself after that. I couldn't get it of my mind that I was a murderer. Suicide was something that I thought about day and night, for once it became entirely plausible that I would end my own life. When I was alone, I would throw myself against the wall and use a bread knife to slit my wrists. I sat on my bed in anger and misery then cry myself to sleep. I lived like this for months, self harm and depression, until I decided I would start again and live in the Capitol. I had the money, and I definitely wasn't welcome in my district. So I rented a flat in the Capitol, and got a job as a Gamemaker. President Snow hated me, because I was a tribute, and a potential threat. He tried to kill me multiple times, but my quick mind and survival skills got me this far, so they wouldn't fail me now.
The door had been locked behind me, but I knew there was a key in here, somewhere. It took me sixteen hours of searching and destruction of a few walls and floorboards to finally find it-a small, brass key hidden behind a panel of the ceiling. Don't ask me how I found it or why it was up there, but anyway, I just hoped it was the right one.
Since the death of Syla, I've always kept a knife with me, small enough to stay hidden, sharp enough to do some decent damage. I knew there would be guards on the other side of the door, if they tried anything, they would be dead. But my prime target was Snow, if he was dead, I was finally free. The key turned in the lock and the door creaked open, no guards here, in fact, there was no-one anywhere along the corridor. I held my knife out, both for defence and a warning I was armed, I didn't want to kill anyone unnecessarily. The lights flickered above my head as I carried on along the corridor, and up the staircase. There were three doors to my left, and four to my right. Living in here for five years had it's advantages, I knew this place inside-out. Around the corner, there were guards everywhere, I knew I was near the President's office, good, because I didn't feel like walking much more. They saw me and just stopped, but not for long. Within ten minutes, two of them were dead, five were half-dead, and three had ran away to get help or to save their lives, probably both. I kicked down the door, for a dramatic entrance, and Snow was sat at his desk, astonished.
"Congratulations, Mr. Crane, you've escaped from a locked room, found a knife and killed two men. What do you expect to do now? Kill me as well?" Snow tried not to seem scared of me, but he didn't do a good job of it.
I held my knife to his neck, "that was my intention."
"And do you realise you will have to kill every guard, every Peacekeeper and every Gamemaker until you can kill me without getting killed yourself? Okay, you will kill me. You and what army?"
"Thirteen Districts of at least a thousand people each."
Snow said nothing.
"You better watch out, or you'll have a second revolution on your hands. And this time, you won't win."
Snow said nothing.
I turned and headed for the door, but Snow stopped me.
"Okay Crane, I'll make you a deal."
"I'm listening."
"I will let you do as you wish, I will let you rule Panem if you want, then you can stop the Hunger Games, and unite the districts or whatever you want to do, if..."
"If?"
"You kill Katniss Everdeen."