Without missing a beat, Cora said, "It marks every twenty-fifth anniversary of the Games. A variation of the regular version would be held as a poignant reminder of those we've lost in the rebellion."
"Thank you, Cora." Snow gave her an indulgent smile, then addressed the group at large. "Yes, when Dean Highbottom and Dr. Gaul conceived the Hunger Games, they had stipulated this very clause in the laws. Everyone knows what the Games are for, but humans are forgetful, complacent creatures. Let something go on too long without change and it loses its purpose. It is the last thing we want for the districts to regard the Games as a mere chore, an obligation, or anything less than what it truly is—a deserved punishment for their own actions. The dean and the doctor have anticipated this, and their intentions for the Quells are clear:
"We are never to let the districts forget what their uprising has cost Panem. This periodic affair serves to ingrain and rehash the price of disturbing our peace.
"Ironically, my predecessors had not the same foresight to prepare for even the first Quell, and now that they're no longer with us, that responsibility falls to me—or, as I'd like to think, us, because we're a team here. A team I am very proud of, especially given what we're about to pull off. So, please, everyone, give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done."
Some people thumped each other as suggested. Others burst into rapturous applause. Lilith clapped along, unable to believe they were less than two weeks from the reaping. When the room quietened, Snow resumed.
"Now that we are practically set for the twenty-first, I would like to pick everyone's brains and gather some ideas on how we might vary the regular version to achieve the goals Dean Highbottom and Dr. Gaul have set for us."
Lilith felt more than saw the shock around her.
"We're not doing this right now, of course," said Snow, chuckling at their reactions. "Take the weekend to mull it over. I don't need any formal or written proposals, though I'd appreciate as much detail as you can muster. I'll have Lilith arrange for us to reconvene next week. Meanwhile, it seems like a good time to knock off."
It was barely five, but with their superior beaming over them, an excited murmur readily spread over the Gamemakers.
"I'll see you on Monday," announced Snow, and it was like someone had turned up the volume dial.
Slotting her pen back into place on her binder, Lilith collected her water bottle and lingered by Snow. It wasn't until they were almost at his office when she felt confident she could be heard without shouting or leaning too close.
"Sir?" said Lilith, and he glanced around, his hand paused on the door handle. "Is there a Hunger Games rule book I should know about?"
Snow smirked. "You recognize a fellow dictionary when you hear one, do you?"
She shrugged, unfazed by the jibe.
"Takes one to know one."
Still smirking, he nodded toward the door. "Come in."
From one of his shelves packed with folders, Snow plucked out a thin booklet as if knowing by heart its location and handed it to her. Tape bound, of regular paper size and quality, and no less flimsy than a magazine, it felt more like she was leafing through a lab manual. Emblazoned in huge but simple serif block letters was THE HUNGER GAMES, each word its own line, centralized on the otherwise plain cover. But no, at the bottom of the page, in the same font but of normal typeface and much smaller print, she noticed two names, one on top of the other:
Casca Highbottom
Crassus Snow
Her eyes immediately flew up to Snow—Coriolanus Snow—but his expression was impassive.
YOU ARE READING
HEART OF GOLD | CORIOLANUS SNOW
Fanfiction[ Updates every Wednesday & Saturday ] The blood has barely dried, the arena barely locked. It's only been a few days since the Twentieth Hunger Games declared its victor but preparations for the twenty-first are already underway. Not only is Corio...
