Damien Brand's POV – Head Gamemaker

"Mr. Brand, the president is ready to meet with you. If you will walk this way please. He is waiting in his office." The president's assistant informed me as she pointed down a hallway.

I nodded silently as I walked down the hallway. I didn't know why I was here nor did I want to be here. This was the year of the sixth Quarter Quell, the one-hundred fiftieth Hunger Games. This was an important time of the year and the Games needed to be grand! I didn't have time to waste: I needed to be working on the arena and meeting with my fellow gamemakers. I shouldn't be going to talk with this useless oaf of a president!

Perhaps my meeting with the president could be about the games, but I doubt it. President Verich Draven was the kind of person who seemed to not give a shit about anything. I have no clue how the man even came to his position! I realize that he is popular with the general population, as he spends most of his time out in the public, making a mockery of pretty much anything, but he is a poor politician who has done nothing to improve the quality of life in Panem. He's a disgrace to the government that he represents!

The sooner I get out of this meeting, the better. Then I can get back to my passion – arena design and construction. I've been working as a gamemaker for the past forty-two years. I had started as soon as I completed my studies at eighteen and quickly grew to love my job more than anything. This would be the second quarter quell that I directly worked on. This time, however, I was the head gamemaker. Everything had to be perfect. Everything was going to be perfect! This year's games would be my magnum opus!

After making my way down the hallway, I entered the president's office. President Draven was sitting down in his desk. He was a tall, muscular man who appeared bigger than his desk and the office in general. He was playing with a knife in his left hand as I walked in.

"Ah, Damien. Have a seat." He said absent-mindedly, not even glancing in my direction.

I snorted as I took a seat in front of his desk. "I didn't realize we were on a first-name basis."

The president immediately slammed the knife on to his desk. I suppose that was an attempt to startle or intimidate me, but I did not flinch.

"Ah, Damien, I've been president for four years now and we've been working together ever since on the Hunger Games!" He commented with a loud laugh.

"What do you want?" I asked impatiently with an eye roll.

President Draven frowned in response to my question, but he also stared at me intently. It felt as if the man was glaring at me.

"My, you seem irritated today Damien. Usually you try to be more subtle with your distaste for me." He commented as he picked up the knife again with his right hand. He began to play with it again, tossing it back and forth between his right and left hand.

"The preparations for the Quarter Quell are underway. Forgive me if I seem a little stressed about them. They're kinda a big deal here, you know." I respond with another eye roll.

"Oh yes, I agree. One hundred and fifty years of Hunger Games! That is actually why I called you here." He replied.

"Seriously?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

The president stopped playing with his knife. He gripped it tightly as he stared at me intently. He then chucked it at my head, barely missing my head. The knife impaled on the door that was right behind me.

My eyes widened in shock as I turned my head to face the knife in the door. My heart was starting to beat irregularly and my breathing became harder. Did he just try to kill me?

"Just barely missed you…I guess I could work on my aim more! Need more practice!" President Draven laughed cheerily. I turned to face him, surprise evident in my eyes. As soon as he realized I was looking at him, his laughing stopped. His eyes tightened and his mouth turned into a scowl. "Look, Gamemaker Brand, I realize you don't like me. I don't like you either. Your comments about me in your interviews during the election nearly cost me my seat! My reputation with the public is nearly perfect with the exception of your public distaste for me." The man's glare intensified. "Believe me, I can kill you at any moment and I would honestly enjoy it. The day you die will be one of the happiest days of my life."

He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out another knife. My eyes widened further. Shit…this can't be how it ends! Not now! Not before the Quarter Quell…

"The only reason I never personally killed you after I became president was one for one very simple reason. Can you guess what that is?" He asked me curiously.

Realizing that I was not in danger of dying, I sighed in relief. A few seconds passed before I answered his question. "Is it because of the Hunger Games?"

"Indeed. You are probably are aware with your fame. The Games that you have designed as Head Gamemaker have been the most exciting ones in years. The capitol citizens have been thrilled! They are even calling you the best gamemaker of all time! You clearly have a lot of fans." The president noted.

I snorted at that. Bah. Perhaps I enjoyed the little 'fanclub' that developed for me thirty years ago, but I'm a sixty year old man. Why do I still have fans? I'm married and I already have grandkids! I don't need any more people in my life, let alone anyone in my 'fanclub'.

President Draven stood up and walked over to me. He then placed the blade of the knife at my neck. Immediately I felt my breathing become harder.

"We need an extravagant Quarter Quell. It'll have been seventy-five years since the districts tried to rebel during the Third Quarter Quell. It was handled appropriately before anything drastic happened, but I can't help but be paranoid of something like that happening again. I want this year's Quarter Quell to scare the district citizens into quiet subservience again. The arena needs to be deadly. The competition needs to be fierce. And the deaths of the district children need to be glorious."

The President removed the knife from my throat. "If this year's Games is exactly what I want, I suppose I can forget about all of the political attacks you have made against me in the past four years. But can I trust you to create the perfect Hunger Games?"

Perfect…Hunger Games?

The fear I had about losing my life had completely vanished. A grin quickly developed on my face. This was nothing more than a challenge to me! A normal man may have been intimidated by the pressure of the president's threat, but I was no normal man. I really was the greatest gamemaker that Panem has ever seen! I have been working on arenas for the past forty-two years. My life has been dedicated to creating perfect Hunger Games arenas. This year would be no exception.

This challenge would be my inspiration. This year would really be my greatest work!

"You can trust me." I answered immediately. My grin intensified. I'm sure I appeared to look maniacal.

"Excellent!" President Draven smiled at me as he walked back to his desk. He sat down happily and started to toss his knife back-and-forth between his hands. "I just wanted to make sure you would do your best."

I nodded. Presuming that was my dismissal, I proceeded to get up from chair and was preparing to leave the room.

"Damien, we aren't finished yet. I had something else to inform you." The president commented.

I turned back to face him. Making a mental note of the president's dislike for me, I resisted the urge to eye roll and sat down again.

"I was simply going to inform you about the twist for this year's Quarter Quell. I'm making the announcement in one week, so I'm sure everything will be pretty chaotic after that! I just thought you would be interesting in knowing beforehand." He informed me.

"Really? What is it?" I asked. I attempted to sound indifferent, but my voice betrayed my attempts and conveyed my curiosity.

"Well, I am going to say this to you: the district children will not know what the twist is. This year's twist would discourage most tributes, even careers, from volunteering so I'd rather they not know until moments before they are sent into the arena. They won't find out what it is until their interviews." President Draven explained.

I nodded in understanding. "Then what is this twist?"

The president's face developed into a wide, sinister grin. The sight of it actually made me shudder slightly. "We are going to observe the interactions of the reaped tributes and their visitors before they board the train as well as investigate into their personal lives. From our investigations, we will pick one person, the most important person in their lives, and then tie their lives together. When the tribute dies, so will the person that is most important to them." The president's eyes widened, as if realizing something. "I guess that means the death toll for this year's Hunger Games will be forty-six, won't it?"

This Quarter Quell…no one is safe. This is the first time where the lives of people not in the arena are at risk along with the people inside it. This will bring out fight in tributes that has previously not been seen. The stakes are higher than they have ever been!

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "Oh my god! This really is going to be the best Hunger Games of all time!"

Well hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the prologue chapter for my first story, Burn to the Ground. This is something that I have been planning for a while and I'm excited to finally start this!

That's all I really have to say for now. I'll be back later with an update! Send in your tributes please! I am so excited to start this and I can't wait to see what you all think of my plans! I'll see you all later!