President Snow, I thought, recognizing him now from TV. What does he possibly want from me?
"What kind of problem?" I asked, trying to stay calm.
"A big problem," Snow said. "I'm sure you remember stealing that candy."
"I didn't steal it," I said firmly.
"Perhaps you didn't," Snow said. "But either way, you were supposed to get punishment."
"In other words, I was supposed to die," I said.
"Yes," Snow said. "But you didn't get that punishment, did you? You were stood up for."
"Yeah. And?" I said.
"Hope," Snow said.
"Pardon?" I said, not understanding at all.
"You were given hope," Snow said. "The people of District 12 were given hope. Hope is a very dangerous thing."
"How so?" I asked.
"Hope can destroy," Snow said. "It can ruin the Capitol."
"Right," I said. "Skip to the part where you explain why you and I are here."
"Be careful who you order around, Miss Ellint," Snow said. "I am the most powerful person you will ever meet, and I could kill everybody you love with a snap of my fingers."
I gulped, suddenly realizing that it was the President I was talking to. He was the most powerful person in Panem, and he could surely kill my family. After all, he did already kill Elissa.
"Now," Snow continued. "The reason I am here is so I can warn you. The reason you are here is to know that you have caused a problem for me, Miss Ellint. You have caused hope. And people will cling to that hope with everything they have and it can destroy Panem."
"What are you asking me to do?" I asked.
Snow leaned forward on the chair he was sitting on.
"What I'm asking you to do, Miss Ellint, is to stay out of trouble," he said. "Make people believe that you won't cause any problem. And you won't cause any problem if you want your family to live."
"I won't do anything bad," I said, swallowing.
"You better not," Snow said. "Your family's lives depend on it."