Origins of a White Rose: A Hunger Games FanFic

Epilogue

"—and so our budget is up 23% as long as District 7 produces 23 thousand tons more than they did last year."

I began dozing off.

The numbers were meaningless now.

"Uh, President Snow?"

"Yes, yes," I said. "That's all very good. Increase individual production quotas by 10% for each worker and I think we can reach that goal."

The board of trustees, otherwise known as uptight men in suits, looked at me funny.

My personal screen began flashing red.

I tapped it once, trying to act casual.

Shooting in District 1. One confirmed seriously injured. Threat level: 3.

Cassia.

"Is this meeting over?" I asked. "I'm afraid some emergency business has come up."

"Of course, sir," the head trustee said.

I stood up and nodded before exiting the room as orderly as I could.

As soon as I was in the hall, I took off running to the private office.

"Get me in touch with someone from 1!" I shouted to the secretary as I threw open the doors to the office.

It only took a second for a masked Peacekeeper to appear on the screen.

"I need the name of the wounded person," I demanded.

"Cassia Luxeri," the Peackeeper said. "She's been taken to the local hospital. The doctors have confirmed that the wound will be fatal. She's been given 12 hours to live."

I couldn't breathe.

"Thank you," I said. "End call."

His face disappeared on the screen.

I sunk to my knees.

"Oh, God," I cried. The tears wouldn't come but my voice was shaking.

"Call me a hovercraft to District 1," I ordered.

"Order received. Hovercraft incoming in 2 minutes," an automated voice said.

My brain was pounding.

I rose to my feet, pushing open the doors to the lobby of my office.

"I'm going to District 1," I informed my secretary.

"Yes, sir. Did you want me to join you?"

"No," I said. "No security detail either. There will be enough Peacekeepers as it is."

I kept walking out of the office and straight to the roof top.

A hovercraft was waiting.

As I boarded, I gave the captain the instructions to fly straight to the District 1 hospital.

My mind was in a panic.

I pulled up a holoscreen from within the hovercraft, replaying the day's events as well as speaking to the secretary of Panem's security.

"What do we know?" I asked. The ceremony looked to be going normally. Cassie stood off to the side, her eyes on a boy in the crowd. Did she know him?

"Cassia Luxeri was shot with a stolen Peacekeeper weapon at 12:12 pm today. The weapon was registered with a low-ranking Peacekeeper who has since been reprimanded. The assailant was a teenage boy, brother of the other District 1 tribute, Vine," the secretary of security reported.