Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. It all belongs to Suzanne Collins!
Mousetrap
The 110th Hunger Games
Roar Part I
You held me down, but I got up
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder gonna shake the ground
Mikra Vode, Daughter of the Head Gamemaker (15)
I scurry down the steps, prepared to answer the door, which someone is outside ringing impatiently.
"Coming, coming!" I yell repeatedly. You'd think that living in a house with four other people, I wouldn't always have to be the one answering the door day in and day out, wouldn't you? Well, you would be mistaken. Granted, currently myself, Caelius, and Mifoe are the only ones home, but they should be a little more considerate, shouldn't they?
By the time I throw the door open, I am already huffing in exasperation at my brother and sister, when the man outside winks at me.
"Hello, sweetheart."
He has nicely kept, soft looking brown hair, and sea green eyes which keep looking me up and down. he taps his dress shoe on the threshold.
"Well, sweetheart? You are going to invite me inside, aren't you?"
My eyes pop open and I start to tremble, shaking my head no.
I slam the door in his face with a loud, clack.
For a second, I just stand there.
Then, I start to shriek, and dash of the stairs, pushing open Caelius's bedroom door.
"Caelius! Help! Help! Call the Peacekeepers! Call Mommy! Call Daddy! Do something!"
Caelius, it seems, has just woken up. Mommy is not going to be happy to return home with Daddy from their time at the president's house to plan this year's Hunger Games arena, that Caelius has been slacking off and sleeping late.
"Caelius, do something!"
"What, what?! What happened, Mikra?"
"Th-the man!"
"What?"
I take a deep breath in an effort to calm myself down. "The doorbell rang, so I went down to answer it, and there was this mildly attractive looking man standing there. And he kept calling me 'sweetheart' and then he asked me if I was going to let him in!"
I launch myself into my brother's arms, beginning to sob.
"I don't see what the problem is here."
"Caelius, don't be stupid! He obviously saw me in the streets or something, and with Mommy being Head Gamemaker, the creeper was able to track down our house, and now he's come to rape me."
Caelius throws me out of his embrace - quite forcefully, might I add - and doubles over with laughter. "Mikra, you idiot!"
"What?"
"No offense, Mikra, but no one in their right mind would want to have sex with you of all people."
He continues laughing, and I walk over to the mirror on his wall, examining the glitter I just got had streaked into my hair.
Did they not do a good job with the glitter? I think for a second, before returning to the task at end.
"Clearly the man at the door does."
Caelius starts to laugh even harder.
"Mikra, didn't Mother tell you anything?"
I cross my arms on my chest. "What do you mean 'anything?'"
"I mean anything about this year's Hunger Games . . . about the arena she has planned . . . about the exterminator she hired to experiment with the mice in the basement?"
My mouth falls open in shock and I begin to shriek. "THERE ARE MICE IN THE BASEMENT, AND NOBODY TOLD ME TO GET AS FAR AWAY FROM THIS HOUSE AS I POSSIBLY CAN?! MICE! MICE!"
I carry on shrieking, and Mifoe, my little sister, overhears the screaming about mice, and the door pops open once more, revealing her small, boyish frame. She wears a huge grin on her face as she watches me scrambling about the room, unsure of how to handle the current predicament.
"Did somebody say mice?" her brown eyes pop open against her tan skin as she bounces up and down in excitement. "Where? Where? Can I see them, can I see them, can I see them?!"
I scoff, disgusted. "Mifoe, honestly, I cannot even believe that you are my sister, you are so gross sometimes."
Mifoe cocks her head to the side. "Why thank you, sister dear."
I shake my head at her disapprovingly, but Mifoe only grins in contempt.
"Mikra, go let the exterminator back in!" Caelius puts in - he must have heard me slam the door in said exterminator's face . . .
"Ew! I'm not getting anywhere near that filthy rodent man! You let him in!"
"I'll let him in," Mifoe eagerly volunteers, flying down the spiral staircase before I can protest that Caelius should be the one opening the door.
Caelius and I tentatively trail behind our sister, residing at the top of the stairs, as we watch Mifoe open the door, revealing the exterminator posed perfectly naturally, as if it is every day he rings the doorbell to a Head Gamemaker's mansion and has her daughter shut the door in his face while screeching at the top of her lungs.
"Ah. You must be the youngest Miss Vode," the man takes Mifoe's hand in his and kisses it lightly. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Clearly, your sister does not have as good social skills as you do." I huff at that, but Caelius shushes me. "The name's Spyro Pruette. Has your mother informed you that I would be stopping by to uh . . . for lack of a better word, simulate her newest arena invention."
"No," Mifoe says casually. "No, she didn't mention it . . . at least not to me. It's possible she told Caelius though, being as he's the oldest in the family. But who cares about that. Can I see the mice? Please? Please? Pleeeeease?"
"Well sure, I don't see why not."
I whip around, meaning to get out of any sort of vicinity of whatever disgusting rodents this guy - Spyro - has with him, but Caelius grabs my arm, turning me back around.
"Wait," he whispers harshly. "Don't you want to get a hint at what the arena will be. I mean, being the children of the Head Gamemaker, you'd think we'd get to know before the Games, right? But Mother always refuses to tell us and we have to wait to find out with everyone else. Maybe this Spyro guy will give Mifoe some sort of unintended hint at it."
"Fine," I grumble. Because I do agree with him that I am always curious about what sort of arena Mommy is planning.
Spyro opens up his jacket and unslings a heavy sack which had been slung over his arm from beneath the jacket. I wonder how he got it to fit in there without popping out.
"What's with all the cheese?" Mifoe asks. "Hey, can I have some?" Without awaiting a response, she reaches her hand in. "Ouch!" She emerges with a bloody finger.
Spyro curses under his breath.
"I suppose I'm not supposed to harm little girls on the job, now am I? . . . Well, technically I am, but not the daughters of the Head Gamemaker."
Mifoe shrugs it off. "Doesn't hurt." My sister always says that when something does hurt her. Her eyes widen and she stares into Spyro's. "But what was that for? What does finger traps or whatever those were, have to do with mice?"
Spyro sighs. "You know what, Miss Vode. I probably shouldn't be telling you this, should I? But I think I will. Your finger was just caught in a mousetrap." He takes a deep breath. "This year's arena is designed to trap the tributes; to push them back every time they think they have finally reached their own personal cheese."
"Wow. Wow, thanks Spyro Pruette. Mom never would've told me all of that!"
Caelius and I exchange a look of excitement.
Speaking of our mother, a familiar shiny orange hovercraft comes soaring into view off in the distance, Mommy and Daddy landing a moment later.
Mifoe gives Spyro one final wave of appreciation and wonder. Caelius and I disperse to our own bedrooms before Mifoe dashes up the stairs two at a time. We wouldn't want her to know that we have been eavesdropping.
Roar by Katy Perry
Well! Here it is! Emmy SYOT numero dos! I hope everyone was satisfied with the prologue :D I really love writing Capitol people, and Gamemaker's children are no exception! As you can see, they are three entirely different personalities. Like, for example, Mikra calls her parents Mommy and Daddy, Mifoe calls them Mom and Dad, and Caelius calls them Mother and Father. But that's just one little detail :)
There was nothing much about president Balthazar in this chapter, in fact, he was not even mentioned, but if you're curious as to how he became president and how the Hunger Games started up again after the rebellion, feel free to check out Part I of the prologue of Heights (just scroll down to the second half)
So yeah, everything regarding submissions is on my profile! :D
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, read the rules I have posted before submitting, as the reservation/submission system will be different this time around and it is very complex because I just like complicating your lives like that :D So make sure to read everything on my profile before creating your character!
Like I said in my author's note in the last chapter of Heights, I will be doing the two stories AT THE SAME TIME. So no, I am NOT NOT NOT abandoning Heights, I just think doing two at a time will keep me more interested in each one.
I'm looking forward to all of the excellent tributes I'm sure I will receive :D
Hopefully, you can drop in and leave me a quick little review if you have time (or a nice long one, if you're feeling generous xD)
Aaaaaannnndddd now for the questions!
What do you think of Caelius, Mikra, and Mifoe, the three Head Gamemaker's children?
Which of the three of them (Caelius, Mikra, or Mifoe) is your favorite and why?
I made the arena pretty explicit, but you can give me your thoughts/ideas about it please :D
How was my writing in this chapter?
That's all for now, everybody :D I can't wait to receive all of your wonderful tributes!
