The 'Flower of Panem' or 'The Angel of Mercy', Seraphine Reza is the jewel and pride of Panem. One of their most treasured victors in the history of the Hunger Games and a favorite of President Snow.
While she smiles, comforts and plays her part ev...
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"A few months ago tragedy struck District 5 and tonight President Snow holds a Memorial Ball paying tribute to those the fallen and injured."
The blank faced and stern anchor-woman on the screen shuffled some paper and carried on reading. "Fires of Nero have reportedly claimed over a thousand lives and more, still counting as reports come in, marking it the biggest disaster in recent history."
"Reportedly this is not the first fire at Nero but the third. Since the commission of the plant, there have been three fires in total. The first incident occurred nearly five–to–six decades ago when the plant was first being built during the first Quarter Quell."
"The casualties then were minimal and amounted to fifty-seven lives being lost while the second fire—considered to be the deadliest at the time, took the lives of over three hundred. After the second fire, Nero's doors were promptly shut by the former Minister of Energy and the current Director of New Hope Orphanage, Cassius Allard."
"Why Nero had reopened again is a mystery and many in Five have said to have protested prior to the supposed reopening."
"Extra Peacekeepers were called then to bring in order and were successful even helping out when the fire initially broke out. However, claims from survivors of the third fire state otherwise with some accusing the Peacekeepers and subsequently the Head Peacekeeper of being the instigators of the fire."
"No word from Minister Thistlewood himself; we do have word from his camp that the Minister is currently busy tending to his sickly sister, former Consul Tamora Astbury. Once Again, Director Cassius Allard has criticized Minister Thistlewood and more updates are coming soon."
"Our thoughts are with the entirety of District 5 and its people in these trying times." The woman shuffled papers again and put them to the side. "And in these trying times, Panem stands as one." She stared at the camera as the screen cut to black before it was covered by the flag of Panem.
The past few months after the incident at Nero, the fires were all they ever talked about. It was the biggest tragedy Panem had seen in modern history—making it hard to brush it under the rug.
Amusing how just because the tragedy could no longer be hidden, they had to 'honor' the victims yet meager compensation was given to their families was not enough to make up for the losses. Instead, they pretended they cared, holding a memorial ball for the fallen even though their families or survivors weren't invited.
Hypocrites, all of them, that's what Sera thought of the people around her. The birds of the Capitol—the Capitolites—though for once they were not dressed in jewel tones but in somber shades of dark colors, mostly black.
Of course there were exceptions.
President Snow was one key exception alongside Minister Thistlewood, Director Walston, Porter and a few Senate officials. Porter stuck like a sore thumb from the rest of the victors in a navy-gray floor length ball gown with white embroidered roses.
