Emerald Kiesler, District 1
"Real love, real love
Real love makes your lungs black
Real love is a heart attack."
Big Thief, Real Love
"How long does he have left?" The boy's mother asks me.
The hardest part of my job is diagnosing someone with something terminal. Thankfully, there have been less and less people dying in my surgery since the war had ended. Unfortunately, the end of the war doesn't put an end to heart problems and the boy recovering from his recent heart attack has a ticking time bomb in his chest. A small but vital cluster of cells that just aren't doing what they're supposed to do.
"Ten years," I say, "But that's only if he eats well, exercises, avoids smoking..."
"Is there any treatment you can give him?" The mother asks, dark eyes brimming with tears and desperation.
"There's an operation he can have, a transplant, but it's only available in the Capitol. You know the Capitol don't pay much attention to us."
"I think I can get their attention." The boy - Emerald - says, quietly. He's been silent the entire time, most likely in a state of shock. There's something dangerous in his eyes. I'm tempted to call up the peacekeepers and report a suspicious comment but decide to let it slide. The boy probably isn't thinking straight.
Emerald and his mother both leave, their faces grave. I expect to see them again very soon, as Emerald's diseased heart slowly kills him and I fight a losing battle to keep him alive.
I don't expect to see him the next day, volunteering for the Hunger Games. I didn't even know that volunteers were allowed. Nobody's ever been desperate enough to do it before.
I'm even more surprised to learn that our female tribute, Garnet Weiss, is Emerald's girlfriend. The idea that someone would want to compete in the Hunger Games is bizarre enough, let alone compete against someone they love.
But the biggest surprise is when Emerald picks up a spear and starts killing other tributes. It's less that he's strong enough to fight and more that he'd want to. I'd assumed that he'd volunteered so he could die on his own terms rather than let heart disease slowly claim his life.
When he takes out his seventh opponent, I wonder if he's actually trying to win.
When it's just him and Garnet remaining and he spears her through the heart, it's clear that he is.
In the final moments of the games, Emerald turns to the nearest camera, tears in his eyes.
"Do I have your attention, Capitol?" He asks, "I volunteered because I have a life-threatening heart condition. If you want to prove that you are the merciful rulers that I have believed in since I was a baby, please let me have a heart transplant. Otherwise, this'll be the Hunger Games that nobody wins."
For once, I'm not surprised at all that the Capitol give in and give Emerald the transplant he needs. All the news I hear from the Capitol seems to be about how great a victor he is. So handsome, so athletic, so loyal.
But the word on the street tells a completely different story. District 1 hates Emerald Kiesler. They hate how callously he'd killed his district partner.
He comes to me a final time after his return from the Capitol. Not because he's experiencing any problems, just to thank me. He gives me a slice of cake wrapped in a napkin that he'd managed to smuggle out of the Capitol. I'm slightly amazed. He got the Capitol to give him cake?
I thank him for the gift, not quite sure what else to say. It's hard for me to look him in the eye, knowing what he did. I'm not sure whether Emerald's choice to volunteer for the Hunger Games was brilliant or terrible but I know that his decision to kill his girlfriend without even batting an eyelid is purely terrible. I think he knows as well.
Emerald Kiesler may have cured his heart condition but he'll never find a cure for his guilt.
Here he is, the first ever volunteer. Emerald's not a fully-fledged Career but he'll play a pretty important role in District 1's inclusion in the pack. He's also the first tribute to try to play the crowd, even if sponsors don't exist yet.
