Prologue 1: The Presidential Mansion

92 NE*

Three months after the 92nd Annual Hunger Games

President's Quarters

The mansion was silent, but the newly found peace was not unwelcome. The silence was to be expected, as not many of the mansion's residents and staff chose to be awake at nearly two in the morning. A lone woman in her mid-thirties sat awake in what was now the President's quarters. Her advisors had offered to command some Avoxes to move her belongs to a larger space. The section of the mansion that for nearly seventy years had been known as the quarters of President Coriolanus Snow could have been hers, but the woman had politely declined. The idea did not quite settle well in her stomach. Those quarters, though more luxurious than her own, were the site where Panem's longest reigning president had taken his last breath. The woman was certain she'd feel too haunted by Coriolanus's memory to catch any hope of sleep. Besides, these quarters, including the bathroom with the bubbling jacuzzi, the closet with enough clothes to last at least six months, and the fluffy king-sized bed with its satin sheets in which the woman lay, were comforting to her. She had, after all, lived here for thirty-one years of her life.

The day had been understandably hectic, as it was the new president's first official day on the job. The president believed she should have melted into her pillows with exhaustion, but regardless, she had been unable to sleep. Thus, she sat propped up against the pillow mound instead, reading an old article on her tablet.

18 June 75 NE

Head Gamemaker Betrays Panem

Newly appointed Head Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee committed treason this past Wednesday when he failed to supervise the finale of the 75th Annual Hunger Games. Instead, Heavensbee was discovered on board a stray hovercraft, along with District Twelve victor Haymitch Abernathy, and several other delinquents.

"Heavensbee's motives were unclear," President Snow reported after the incident, "but he has proven to be a traitor to the nation of Panem. He and the other passengers aboard the hovercraft have been exterminated."

A new Head Gamemaker will be selected by President Snow in plenty of time for the 76th Hunger Games. In the meantime, Panem citizens are asked to be on red alert for additional signs of traitorous acts. Report any suspicious activity to the Panem Department of Peacekeepers and Public Safety. In addition, stay tuned for any Presidential Addresses that may occur in the near future.

Sighing, the president closed the article. That wasn't the full story, she knew. Plutarch Heavensbee had been plotting a rebellion, and along with Haymitch Abernathy, the rumored leader of rebels from District Thirteen was suspected to be on the hovercraft and had been working in cahoots with Heavensbee and the other rebels. Even if she wasn't, Alma Coin was still likely to be dead, or at least severely weakened, as District Thirteen was secretly bombed not long after, suffering a major loss of population. District Twelve was also severely punished for the acts of its only remaining victor and the rebel known as Gale Hawthorne, who was also known to be aboard the hovercraft. Laws became stricter there, and Peacekeepers were told not to show any mercy towards the citizens. The population hovered at an all-time low for the district, at about 6,000, having lost just under a fourth of the population at the time when Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won their first Games. The president was unaware of these developments though, until about ten years later when she was old enough to learn fully of the events, at least in the eyes of Coriolanus Snow.

Despite the former president's actions to kill the Mockingjay's rebellion before it even started, rage and riot still bubbled in the district like an unattended pot of boiling water. Since the end of the 74th Hunger Games, riots had sprung up across Panem. District Eight had been the most violent, even going so far as to attack Peacekeepers. Their determination had not been able to be broken, no matter how much punishment was brought down upon them. In the other districts, little sparks of defiance flared up at every opportunity the rebels could find. The acts were small, but impactful nevertheless. Malfunctioning technology from Three. Frequent power outages from Five, ones that only affected the Capitol, of course. Trains driven by conductors from Six with missing or damaged supplies. Labor strikes in District Seven. District Eleven, known for being extremely oppressed with the highest number of Peacekeepers in control than any other District, had been taking more risks than ever before, committing a wide range of traitorous acts from shipping rotten produce to the Capitol to vandalizing their Peacekeepers' residences, even burning them to the ground. Even a select few renegades in for the most part loyal Districts One and Two had stirred trouble against the Capitol. Only District Twelve, ironically, had remained silent. Without their Mockingjay, they were helpless. District Twelve was ridden with disease and starvation, its citizens too weak to even plot a rebellion. In fact, District Twelve still remained victorless, all four of its victors dead. Without a mentor, the tributes felt hopeless, and none had survived past the top eight.

Even seventeen years after the death of Katniss Everdeen, the fire could not be put out. Not completely. The president was very much aware of this, try as the Capitol might. She knew life could not go on like this. Coriolanus Snow believed he had the districts under control, but the new president disagreed. She wouldn't go as far as to say she was wiser than the former president, but she did admit something needed to change. If the citizens of Panem were allowed to carry on as they were, there would be more rebellion, more death, more destruction. The president had no doubt that the nation would crumble beneath her feet if she didn't make a change, though she wasn't sure which direction to take. However, she refused to be known as the president who brought Panem to its knees. No, she would be remembered for keeping the nation united. How she could do that remained a mystery to her. No matter what happened though, the president needed control, craved it even. The president knew she needed allies. She just wished she knew who she could trust.

Reaching over to her nightstand, the president delicately picked up a double picture frame containing two familiar, yet so unknown faces. On the left, a young man with muddy brown hair stared at her solemnly, his pale blue eyes full of wisdom. Besides him, a woman who seemed to be a near-mirror image of the President with her dark mahogany brown hair showed off her smile. The main difference, the president noted, were their eyes. The woman's eyes were a warm honey brown, while the president's were as cold and icy as her father's and grandfather's. The woman the president knew never smiled that brightly, though. The president couldn't remember ever seeing her mother smile at all, for that matter. The president's memories of her parents were so vague, but somehow their presence in the frames were comforting. Though they were strangers to her, she still felt their connection to her. It was an odd feeling, if the president was to be frank, but welcoming. At the same time, their legacies puzzled her. Why had they left her? Her mother committed suicide after her father's death, the president was told as a teen, but why? Her father had been so young. For a Capitolite to pass on so youthful with so much potential in their lives was a rarity. It didn't make sense to the president, not at all.

"I hope you're proud, Mother. I hope this is what you would have wanted for me, Father. I like to think you'd be encouraging me right now if you were still here. I promise you, though, I will do my very best. I will not turn my back on my people. I only wish I didn't feel so alone."

Gently, the president kissed each photo before lightly setting the frames back on the nightstand. Then, the president clapped her hands twice to shut of the light. Pulling the covers up to her chest, the president heaved a deep sigh and allowed herself to sink into the pillows. Hoping to catch at least a few hours of sleep tonight, President Celestia Snow closed her eyes. She had a long road ahead of her.

*A note on the years: Instead of making up a year that The Hunger Games series takes place in, I decided it would be easier to start anew. N.E. starts for New Era, and starts the year of the first Hunger Games. Therefore, this prologue takes place a few months after the 92nd Games. It is important to note that the rebellion was not carried out. More about the 75th Games will be discussed by it's victor.

Author's Note: Hi, I'm Dreamer, and welcome to my SYOT! I hope you've enjoyed this prologue and are now interested in submitting! If so, continue on!

As you may have noticed, this SYOT is a Quarter Quell. This, of course, means there is a twist. The twist will be officially announced next chapter, but since you need it for your submission, here it is: "As a reminder to the rebels of the countless children who were made orphans during the rebellion, parents with at least one child eighteen-years of age or younger will be sent into the arena." Please keep this twist in mind when submitting your tribute.

Because I don't want to make this A/N incredibly long, as it's starting to be already, the form and guidelines are on my profile. PLEASE submit by PM only and keep your PM inbox open. I want to be able to contact you if I have questions. I'm sorry, guests, but I am very unlikely to accept tributes through reviews.

Here is a list of tributes so far. For an updated list, see my profile, as the lists in the chapters won't be updated as often. I will add tributes I really like right away, but don't be discouraged if yours isn't on the list imediately. They are not out of the running yet. Please don't nag me about when your tribute will be added, though.

Tribute List:

District 1 male: Valor Acosta, 39 - Kate-the-Great-and-Powerful

District 1 female: Open

District 2 male: Justus Fiore, 34 - CelticGames4

District 2 female: Open

District 3 male: Open

District 3 female: Open

District 4 male: Open

District 4 female: Open

District 5 male: Seamon Deveir, 42 - youngpatriot

District 5 female: Open

District 6 male: Open

District 6 female: Open

District 7 male: Open

District 7 female: Open

District 8 male: Open

District 8 female: Open

District 9 male: Open

District 9 female: Open

District 10 male: Open

District 10 female: Lil C., 26 - Wetstar

District 11 male: Open

District 11 female: Open

District 12 male: Open

District 12 female: Open