chapter twenty-seven

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—— FIRE ON FIRE
chapter twenty-seven: quarter quell

     LILIA CONWAY SAT ON the couch between her mother and Maya Holloway, their hands intertwined with hers

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LILIA CONWAY SAT ON the couch between her mother and Maya Holloway, their hands intertwined with hers. Across from her, Finnick and Annie were seated close together, their fingers locked in a tight grip. Mags sat beside them, silently knitting as she hummed to herself.

It had been a month since Lilia arrived back home in District 4, and today was the day President Snow was going to announce the special significance of the 75th Quarter Quell. The atmosphere in the room was heavy with tension as they waited for the broadcast to begin.

"It'll be okay, Lilia," her mother assured her, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

The girl nodded, although she didn't believe it. Something in the conversation she had with Cato, and knowing that Capitol wouldn't let them off easy...she knew something was going to happen.

Suddenly, the sound of the Panem anthem from the television signaled the beginning of the broadcast. President Snow's face filled the screen, his lips curling into a thin smile.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Citizens of Panem. This is the seventy-fifth year of the Hunger Games. When the charter of the Games was written, it dictated that every twenty-five years, there would be a Quarter Quell, to make fresh for each new generation the memory of those killed by the rebellion against the Capitol..."

Lilia watched on the television as Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Head Gamemaker, handed Snow a single envelope, marked "Third Quarter Quell". Slowly, the man broke the seal and opened the envelope.

"As we come to the end of another year, we mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the rebellion. And in keeping with the traditions of our great nation, we announce our third Quarter Quell."

The blonde girl felt a shiver run down her spine, her mind racing with a thousand horrible possibilities the Capitol had come up with for these Games.

"As a reminder that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of the Capitol," Snow continued, pausing for dramatic effect, "on this Third Quarter Quell Games, the male and female tributes are to be reaped from the existing pool of victors from each district!"

Lilia's eyes widened in shock. The room seemed to close in on her as her eyes focused on the television screen. She could hear the gasps of her family and friends around her, but she couldn't move.

"And in a special twist," Snow added with a cruel smile, "the four victors from last year's games will automatically be entered as tributes!"

"Katniss Everdeen."

"Peeta Mellark."

"Cato Hadley."

"And Lilia Conway."

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