Emily Yeast, District 9

"Now I do as I please and I lie through my teeth.

Someone might get hurt but it won't be me."

Bright Eyes, Take It Easy (Love Nothing)


Coriolanus Snow, acting president of Panem, was looking for a victor.

His election campaign was perfect, his rivals almost completely crushed. Yet there still seemed like more he could do to win people over. Over the last eight years, he'd worked to transform the Hunger Games from a dull, dusty piece of mandatory viewing to a glitzy, glamorous publicity tool.

It would be wasteful not to use it.

Flicking through detailed files on all the tributes, the day before the interviews, Snow found a boy who caught his eye. Briosh Clarke from District 9, the tallest tribute this year. Since Snow's puppet in the gamemakers had told him the arena would likely be another natural one this year, it would be easy to get a tall, athletic boy from a rural district to win.

Just to make sure that Briosh was the right choice, Snow took an elevator to the ninth floor of the training centre. But instead of finding Saloven Field, who he'd been searching for, he found a pretty girl with caramel-blonde hair curled up on one of the sofas, watching a film. He recognised her as Emily Yeast, the female tribute this year.

"Excuse me, Miss Yeast, do you know where your mentor is?" Snow asked.

Emily hurriedly turned off the TV and curtsied elegantly. "President Snow, what an honour! My mentor's at a party."

Snow silently cursed his own forgetfulness. Saloven Field had got engaged earlier that year, the first victor to do so. While he'd been so busy with his election campaign, he'd forgotten that Saloven had been planning a high-profile stag party - and that he'd been invited.

"I'm sure I can help you with whatever you need." Emily offered.

"I came here to find out what your district partner is like, whether or not he'd be willing to support my campaign. I'm considering sponsoring him." Snow said.

Emily wrinkled her nose with disgust. "Master Clarke? Absolutely not. He's the worst rebel I've ever met. I'm willing to support you, if you're interested."

Snow remembered what he'd read in Emily's file. She was a mayor's daughter, raised in luxury but with a head for politics. He'd overlooked her because her privileged upbringing was bound to be her downfall in the arena. But the more he thought about, the more he realised that it would be totally possible to rig her to victory. After all, the last victor in a natural arena had been a rich girl with a talent for climbing trees.

Snow said his goodbyes and hurried to the elevator, sensing an opportunity for good publicity that was slipping away with every minute that he ran late for Saloven's stag party. In the limo on the way there he made a couple of calls. The first was to Emily's stylist, requesting for them to incorporate white roses in her interview outfit. The second was to his old classmate and right-hand woman, Io Jasper. Io had already proved very useful in getting district tokens - a single item from home that a tribute can take into the arena - approved.

Now he gave Io an ultimatum. If Emily Yeast won the games, Io would have a fast track to the position of head gamemaker, which would almost certainly be open next year. Snow was tired of Volumina Gaul being alive and ever-present. If Emily Yeast died, a certain secret about Io's younger sister - one that was guaranteed to ruin her career as a stylist - wouldn't be a secret anymore.

It was only when Snow was watching Emily Yeast charm her way through the interviews in a gorgeous, white and gold dress, his mind still a little hazy from Saloven's party, that he realised that she'd probably lied to his face earlier. She'd thrown her district partner under the bus to gain Snow's favour.

She was a natural politician.


And so we return to the short chapters. I remember writing my first draft of this. I was at my Granny's house and feeling lethargic, as one often does at their granny's house. I was so stuck for inspiration, I ended up naming a character after Glee - a show which I have a long and complicated love-hate relationship with. Looking back, I had to cut a lot of it (including the Glee reference) because it didn't feel that relevant. In terms of writing long chapters, the 10's definitely peaked with the Fourteenth Hunger Games. Things will pick up when we reach the 20's, with the Quell just around the corner and some pretty exciting things happening to President Snow.