My mind rushed back to the ill-fated day four years ago when my teacher announced that an accident had occurred at the mines. I was the first one at the scene but the last one to leave. Even after everyone else had gone home, I continued to wait among the ruins, refusing to believe that my father was gone, willing him to come out from underneath all the debris that littered the ground. But he didn't.
I kept thinking that he would come home one day. That perhaps he had really been hiding out in the woods at the time of the accident. In my mind, he was safe and sound, just really far off in the woods and slowly making his way back home. But as the days went by, I gradually learned to accept that he wasn't coming home, and that I had lost him forever.
"Oh no, Mrs. Mellark, mines rarely blow up by accident. Not in Panem. You see, we have a perfectly built system of underground grenades installed in the mining part of town. They work much like pods would in a Game. They can be activated at any time," he said with the patronizing leer on his face growing ever wider. "All it takes is the push of a button."
"But why…" I trailed off unable to finish my question. I suddenly felt weak and light-headed.
"To send a message to the citizens of Panem— that the Capitol is powerful and secure and is only getting stronger. The officials of the government feel that the districts need to be reminded of this every now and then. It has proven to be quite an effective method of persuasion in the past."
A message? That's what my father's death was? And the dozens of other miners that lost their lives in that same incident—their deaths were nothing more than a small element of a cruel stunt made to remind us that the Capitol controlled every part of our lives.
"But, of course, all this can be avoided as long as you follow the rules that are transcribed in that book and fulfill your obligations as a Victor. Your obligation as a Victor is a simple one—to bear children. A task that shouldn't be so hard to do, seeing as how you're madly in love with your husband. Imagine what an honor it'll be to give up your children for their first reaping. You and your husband can train them. They'll be the most skilled and most celebrated tributes Panem has ever seen. For every Game they win, they will only be adding to the glory of your family's name. You will go down in history as the mother of Victors, the creator of a line of champions."
The creator of a line of murderers would be closer to the truth.
"But it is up to you to make that choice. You see, I am a generous man, Mrs. Mellark, which is why I am willing to give you a generous offer. If you agree to comply with this demand, I guarantee that your sister will be exempt from ever having to take part in a reaping again. I'm giving you the most generous offer you can get; so what do you say? Will you accept my offer?"