"In District Two, maybe that's true." Her voice dropped low, barely above a whisper, though her words were crisp and clear. What she was saying was risky, and she knew it was dangerous to say such things in her office, since it was very likely bugged. But it had to be said. Cal had to understand. "It's not like that in the outer districts. In places like Nine, Ten, Eleven, the people never wanted to be Tributes, no matter how glamorous we tried to make it seem. Those people never got volunteers like Two did. Those people were forced to give up their children. They didn't have a choice."

Carefully, she reached to touch his forearm, a reassuring gesture in the midst of his sniffling, and her eyes fixed on the locked door behind him, just in case. Slowly, she locked eyes with Cal again, searching his for some sign of depth or understanding. "These new Tributes never asked for the honor of competing in the Games. They aren't being willingly sacrificed. In fact, most of them barely understand the history of our world, or why the Games are an important reminder of our past. How can they be expected to happily participate in our customs when they don't even understand them?"