7. A special boy

For the victor of the seventh Games we have prepared something peculiar for our reader. We've been searching through the databases of all districts' and Capitol City's municipalities since this thesis' project was approved by the University's dean, mostly to find out information regarding the victors themselves. Some day it occurred that, while looking through the pages of old books and trying to put together the bits of remembrance that the districts could offer, we would encounter in the Capitol Library's computer a file that contains all names of past Head-Gamemakers and their subordinates that served during the formers' career. It was as easy as expected to fish out the name of the Head-Gamemaker for the seventh annual Hunger Games from the innumerous documents the computer: Antoine Grandfrard, fifty-seven at the time, born and raised in the Capitol. The reader may ask themself what good would knowing who set up that year's Games be to us, but it actually really helped us through the research: although former Head-Gamemaker Grandfrard was obviously dead by the time this thesis was started, however, we decided to expand our horizons and look for his relatives's names and contacts, presuming that it could be of great aid for our reconstruction of the history of the Hunger Games and their victors.

Grandfrard's relatives were, for the most part, either dead or had disappeared from Panem's recently new reconfigured borders, as it is the case when we try to find and deepen the matter on what is left of the Capitol's past élite. Which is a shame for us, considering that the Gamemakers' relatives had full access to every area of the Gamemakers' Quarters, and allegedly were there during the Games, as it was use for Capitol citizens that were "in the spotlight of fame" thanks to their own relatives. But there is always a 'but'. It turns out that, even after the Second Rebellion, Antonius Grandfrard had a granddaughter still alive by the end of it, who is living now in the deep parts of the Mirror, a desert wasteland in the surroundings of District 5 (it is noteworthy that District 5 was one of the districts that showed to behave in a "milder" way towards the Capitol refugees that had escaped from the city during or after the Rebellion).

We couldn't reach the woman by calling her, and nobody in the Capitol remembers her or her ancestors anymore. It was clear that we had to go find her.

On the day after our discovery, we left for District 5 on a morning train that arrived three hours after our departure. From the train station of the district, we started asking the locals for a way to reach the Outback, seeing that it is by general knowledge a pretty hostile territory to wander. We managed to convince an old man, that upon our request being made immediately replied with another question: ya want to go to Emily's, clear? He also asked us what was the purpose of our visit, and when we told him, he seemed a little annoyed at having to give help to those who "wanted to dig up the sad past of our nation", but he agreed to guide us anyway behind a cash offer from us.

After another two hours of walking through the nowhere of the Mirror, we finally reached this really small and run-down cottage. The man who accompanied stayed with us when we knocked on the door (he said that "we would thank him later"), and an old woman with pink hair and grey eyes opened it afterwards. The man proved himself to be really helpful indeed, as the woman did not even want to try to listen to us when being asked if she could give us an interview regarding the seventh Hunger Games, but eventually agreed as the man threatened the woman that he would have the mayor Ismael sign an expropriation decree to throw any "dirty capitolite" out of his district. And so, we obtained the woman's permission to enter her home and be able to interview her.

Below is the transcript of the interview. It is led by the undersigned signatory of the thesis, Ptolemy Everlock, while Ms. Emily Grandfrard answers the questions presented. (Abbreviations: Ptolemy Everlock = PE; Emily Grandfrard = EG). The interview took place on May 15, 79 A.T.T.

DOCUMENT 07:INTERVIEW_WITH:EMILY_GRANDFRARD

PE: On behalf of the community of scholars of the Great University of Panem' Studies, I thank you for granting us this interview.

EG: All right, but let's hurry. I want nothing to do with the Capitol.

PE: Let's get started right now, then. Please, can you introduce yourself?

EG: I'm sure you already know who I am.

PE: It is just a pure academic formality for the purposes of useful references as sources. I have to ask you to answer the question presented.

EG: I understand… My name is Emily Grandfrard.

PE: Age and place of origin?

EG: I prefer not to answer this question.

PE: I'm sorry if we are making you uncomfortable, but I have to remind you that you have signed the contract for the release of this interview for academic study purposes. In spite of it, you are forced to give me answers to the questions I am presenting you.

EG: You said right, "forced". Why did you come looking for me? What more could you want from me?

PE: Please, ma'am, cooperate with us. We won't bother you again after this interview.

EG: ... I'm 88 years old, and I'm originally from Capitol City. I started coming here in 5 since 9 A.T.T. for weekly trips, due to "family problems" which forced me to leave the Capitol for short periods of time, moving here permanently just before that damned arrow... you know what I mean.

PE: Just speaking of family, we know that your grandfather, Antonius Grandfrard, was a Head-Gamemaker for the Hunger Games, specifically during the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, all of which took place between 5 A.T.T. and 8 A.T.T. Do you remember anything of those years, even though more than seventy years have passed?

EG: You're talking about a very distant time... I don't understand how my help can help you. I was only fourteen in 5 A.T.T.

PE: Are you sure you don't remember anything? We also know that after Mr. Antonius Grandfrard was promoted to Head-Gamemaker, his whole family moved to the Gamemakers' Quarters, remaining there for the duration of your grandfather's office.

EG: That's true... they were times of change, but satisfying. Everyone in the Capitol looked up to us. We were the flagship of the Capitol company, and everyone envied us. I remember having some bullies at school who have never bothered me since. The teachers also helped me a lot and favored me. I assume my brothers received the same treatment...

PE: I guess, as Antonius' granddaughter, you and his relatives, both young and old, could see everything that the official residence for the Gamemakers had to offer. Do you remember anything particular you saw or heard during the summers when the Hunger Games were held? Especially in relation to the seventh Games, if possible.

EG: Why exactly those Games?

PE: As I have already announced, we are working on an inquiry into the history of the Hunger Games and the victors of the various editions, and we are investigating those Games specifically in this moment. I take it you remember something that happened at the time if you had this reaction.

EG: ... I won't talk about those Games.

PE: Please, ma'am, try to understand the importance you are having in this university research operation. We need your help.

EG: (you won't leave if I don't tell you everything anyways)

EG: ... I remember myself as a sixteen year old wandering the corridors of the fifth floor with my brother Marcel. I remember that this was the floor dedicated to camera checks in the various districts, and that we sneaked into a room, laughing.

PE: And what did you see inside the room?

EG: I saw… the huge screens filming the Reaping. I remember children being chosen to become assassins. I remember the parents weeping, knowing they would never see their kids again. I remember District 2, caught on camera as a boy and girl, one more muscular than the other, volunteered for the Games. I remember a beautiful young blonde woman from District 9, who allegedly died a week after being chosen as a tribute. ... and I remember him.

PE: Who are you referring to ma'am?

EG: Searious. Searious Sham, from District 4. The victor of the seventh Hunger Games. His wonderful face looking at the crowd after becoming a tribute for the Games.

PE: Is it a familiar name to you?

EG: Oh, if it is familiar… He had caught my attention for sure. He was pretty good looking, you know. At school everybody would talk about the boy, they would make comments – of appreciation, of course.

PE: And you were among these people, ma'am?

EG: What do you mean?

PE: Well, did you "appreciate" him?

EG: … It is a bit more complex than it seems to be, Mr. Everlock.

PE: Are you implying that there is something more to what you thought of him?

EG: Well, I had actually met the boy. I once went to the Zoo with my brothers and my parents, a few days before the start of the seventh Games. It was just a field trip, I remember it was a Sunday – a way to spend some quality time together with my family. We passed by the cages where the tributes were put: the two tributes from 2 had challenged each other as to who would resist more while hanging from the bars of the ceiling in the cage; then there was District 3, the boy, laying unconsciously on the floor of his own cage, not moving an inch, nor seeming to breathe (Note: the male tribute from District 3 for the seventh Hunger Games actually died two days before the Games took place due to complications of asthma). Right after District 3, we passed by the cages of District 4, and there he was: olive skin, blonde hair, ocean eyes, tall and well-built, it didn't really seem like Searious had been a tribute, more like a guest star of the Hunger Games. I, along with my brother Graze, were stunned by his beauty. But he went away eventually, taking interest in the cages containing the tributes from 10. I stayed right there.

PE: Did you interact with Searious Sham?

EG: I did… in a weird way, if you will, for us former capitolites. I went up to him, and I asked him how he was doing.

PE: Did you get any response from him, ma'am? Usually, most tributes from outlying districts were not used to look for interactions with any Capitol citizen, or they would avoid them, back in the days of the first editions of the Games.

EG: I don't remember exactly what he said. He smiled, that's for sure, and then asked me the same thing back.

PE: What happened afterwards?

EG: Unrealistically, we started talking. This, until late evening – fortunately for me, my parents and my brother were roaming the zoo in all its width, and didn't notice I was speaking to a tribute, since it was prohibited at the time for anyone not part of the Hunger Games' staff. No matter in particular, we discussed literally anything. He told me about District 4, about his own family, mother and brother, mentioning the latter was crippled. I told him about life in the Capitol, what my routine was, that he had become really famous in Capitol City, amongst young and old, men and women, anybody. Then came the time for me to go, but when I was about to leave, he reached my arm through the bars of his cage, and looking at me with his ocean eyes asked me to come back the next day.

PE: What did you decide to do?

EG: I couldn't refuse. Just imagine being the only girl in your class to have ACTUALLY met a tribute, one of the most famous in the moment – I would be considered a star at school. And he seemed so kind, so benevolent, a real good-looking gentleman… Plus, he had also told me that the victor from his district had never come visit him or his partner. I would feel too bad if even I had left him on his own.

PE: So you started going to zoo more often, I suppose.

EG: Correct. Every day, in the late hours of the afternoon, for five consecutive days I would go visit Searious at the zoo. Sometimes I'd bring him leftovers food I had saved from lunch, or a book, so that he could distract himself, or even an umbrella, although he never used as it never rained in July of that year. He would thank me and call me 'Em', winking at me in the process, while I would blush only like a fool does. We kept on talking, but we had reached deeper topics by that point: he told me that he never wanted to volunteer for the Games, but he had to save his brother, that was reaped instead; I told him that I constantly tried to make my father proud, although he would never notice my efforts; He told me that I reminded him a lot of his beloved cousin, who had died because of a rebel bombing in 4 in the early A.T.T. We would also speak about how we liked each other, that we wish there was another way for us, and that we were glad to have met. And then…

PE: Then what, Ms. Grandfrard?

EG: The night before the Games I went to visit him one extra time. He was crying behind the bars, and I sat on the ground next to him and I would try to comfort him, tell him that he could make it. I told him that I would speak to my grandfather and tell him to keep an eye on Searious – you know how these things go, how it's never really "just" what you see on the screen, how sometimes there is a little help involved from someone who looks after you. After he calmed down, I wished the odds be in Searious' favor. But when I was getting up, his hand reached me once again – however, this time his mouth did the same, and although the bars were dividing us, Searious managed to give me a kiss on the lips. Told me he "had to do it at least once".

PE: Oh my… it seems like you were caught up in a bad situation. How did everything unfold by that point?

EG: I was beside myself with that kiss. I had butterflies in my stomach and I had them for at least the entire duration of the Games, and it seemed impossible to me that what I thought was the most beautiful boy in the universe had feelings for me. But...

PE: -But the Games had yet to occur, right?

EG: I did what I promised him. As soon as I left the zoo, I ran to the Gamemakers Quarters, even though it was late at night, and knocked as hard as I could on my grandfather Antonius's bedroom door. Fortunately, he opened it, even though he looked very confused by my insistence, and he asked me for an explanation. Obviously I didn't tell him anything about my encounters with Searious, least of all about the kiss - I already told you that I was forbidden to have relations with the tributes - but I tried to make him understand how special that boy "seemed to me", and that it would be a pity if "no one paid any attention to him". My grandfather understood what I meant, and he told me not to worry and go to bed, that the next day would be a great day. My grandfather was a man of magnanimity, and he was always willing to help those in need, so he accepted, agreeing that Searious was indeed "a special boy". From there, the rest is history.

PE: I guess your help was key to Searious Sham's victory.

EG: You may well say that. By the time the seventh Games were about to begin, Searious already had a good lead over the other tributes: a good variety of weapons and items, including tridents and fishing nets, had been placed in close proximity to the podium Searious stood on, allowing him to enjoy with ease as soon as the gong sounded. The Games lasted relatively little, for the first time since the beginning of the Hunger Games the duration was not even a day. During this time, Searious eliminated most of his opponents by trapping them with fishing nets and impaling them with his trident. Not even the boy of 2, the last one left with Searious, managed to get the better of the latter when he tried to run after him to pierce him with a sword, as Searious threw the trident he was holding from a distance of at least six meters, hitting him full in the chest and thus winning the title of victor.

PE: I can't understand why you stubbornly refused to talk about Searious Sham and the seventh Hunger Games in the first place. It seems that everything went as it should, a perfect ending to this story-

EG: *sigh* Unfortunately, everything didn't go as it should. Indeed, from then on everything went down the drain ...

PE: Please elaborate, Ms. Grandfrard.

EG: Capitol City was celebrating, it had an excellent new victor, deserving of the success it enjoyed when he was accompanied through the streets of the city to interviews, CapitolTV broadcasts, meetings with top politicians. And I was so happy that Searious had won. I had succeeded in my attempt to save that seventeen-year-old boy. And finally we could live our relationship openly in the light of day. I decided that I would take the opportunity to fully confess my feelings to Searious, and the occasion would be at the celebration party organized by my grandfather Antonius in honor of Searious, in the official residences of the Gamemakers. I plucked up my courage, and decided that I would.

[pause]

EG: It was the third day since the end of the Games, and I hadn't seen Searious since they started. I had not yet been allowed to speak to him in public. Not bad, I would have done it that evening. After getting ready and putting on the best dress from my closet, I exited my bedroom in the Gamemakers Quarters and made my way to the dining room, where I was to receive guests along with my brother Graze, including the new victor. But Searious didn't show up.

PE: What do you mean, ma'am? At the time it was impossible to miss a social event involving The Hunger Games, I highly doubt Searious Sham hadn't turned up.

EG: I was wrong, in fact. I waited for him for an hour and a half, greeted the ministers of the Ravinstill government, their families, and even the President himself, but no trace of Searious. Then I had the damned idea of trying to ask my grandfather if he knew where Searious was, and so I went looking for him in his room, where he was still getting ready.

PE: Go ahead.

EG: I took the elevator up, and in a few minutes I was at my grandfather's bedroom door. I knocked and said it was me, but got no answer. I knocked once more, and as I did I noticed that the door wasn't quite closed. So I decided to peek to understand why my grandfather wasn't answering me. I saw what I never wanted to see.

PE: What did you see, Ms. Grandfrard?

EG: ... It was him. Serious. He was going down on my grandfather. While the latter encouraged him to continue. I've heard him say that "help must be repaid", that Searious was "a pretty boy", that every victor is really "owned by the Capitol". Searious didn't argue, and continued to do his job, while my grandfather Antonius took advantage of who I had strong feelings for.

[pause]

PE: ... I am very sorry for what happened to you, Ms. Grandfrard. You have my full understanding.

EG: The truth is that understanding is of little use to me, then as now. I hated my grandfather, and I hated Searious too, as I ran through the corridors of the Gamemakers Quarters dripping with tears. Adding insult to injury: I couldn't say anything to anyone, I didn't have the authority. For my own good, I decided to remain silent and keep quiet about what I had seen. Sometimes reputation is worth more than feelings, and I figured that was the case. And so, I spent the following years watching from a distance as Searious became my grandfather's little toy, in private and in public, until that bastard finally died of old age, leaving the man I thought I loved wounded in his honor and soul.

PE: Do you think it was the example of Searious Sham that laid the foundation for the "dating industry" that started under the Ravinstill government?

EG: Maybe, or maybe not. I know of many government officials who took advantage of both tributes and victors - I won't leave you with more details than these - long before President Ravinstill began giving work "appointments" to his victors. Suffice it to say that Searious was certainly not my grandfather's only toy. He was only the first victim.

PE: I would say that the interview can end here. Thank you for your precious collaboration, Ms. Grandfrard.

EG: Now go away, and never come back.

[End of DOCUMENT 07]

We dedicate this chapter to Madam Emily Grandfrard (10 B.T.T. - 80 A.T.T.).

Thank you for the tremendous help you have given us.

Rest in peace.