Maia Evander, Capitol Citizen (Age 20)
Click. Click. Click.
I tapped my long, blue nails on the mahogany table, and looked around the barren room once more in a vain attempt to occupy my mind. Juno was ten minutes late, and while I understood she had significant matters to deal with, I naturally deemed her absence rude. Although she was the one interviewing me, she knew I could get her fired with a flick of my diamond-adorned wrist. Surely she was smart enough to remember that, after all, it must take serious brains to earn the title of Head Gamemaker in less than a decade.
And this was my first job interview. I never needed to worry about my income, so as I reached my late teens I decided to spend much of my time partying like a typical rebellious adolescent. Then the repercussions snapped me back into reality. I was foolish, but now I finally was doing something with my life and my intelligence.
All of a sudden I heard high-heeled footsteps approaching. I looked up at the doorway, and there she was. Juno Alexis, the Head Gamemaker, looking rushed and exhausted. Her usually straight hair was oddly unkempt, and instead of the typical, elaborate Capitol fashion, she only wore a black dress.
"My sincerest apologies, Miss Evander." She said, stepping into the small room and pulling out her chair. "Your soon-to-be coworkers are showing a new level of inept. I had to correct each and every calculation regarding the Reaping odds. If they can't handle mundane tasks such as this, I don't know how we'll make it through the Games." She sat down with a sigh.
"As long as you had a reason to be late it's fine, I guess." I told her. "I truly hope to improve the overall productivity of the Gamemakers." I launched into the speech I wrote beforehand, hoping to get it over with. "I was in the top ten percent of my class at the Academy, and as a teenager I assisted my father in the preparation of his public statements, and I earned a perfect score on my History of Panem exam, and I have an IQ of one hundred and thirty-one,"
"Child." She interrupted me, her voice ringing. "I have no doubts. I verified all of your credentials the minute you approached me at that party. This interview isn't about that."
I stared at her. What did she mean?
"So why am I here exactly?" I didn't intend to come across as irritated but I flinched the moment those words left my mouth. I needed to contain myself.
Thankfully, she seemed unaffected. "We're here to discuss… you."
Oh, of course I couldn't ever be treated like anyone else. I fought the urge to roll my eyes into the back of my head. I tensed up, and I felt my heart rate increasing. "Why?" I asked, faking an air on nonchalance.
"We want you on our team. You're a capable individual." Juno explained, making gestures with her hands. "However, some have qualms concerning your past."
"Are you talking about-"
"The… incidents a few years back. The scandals." She nodded, confirming my dread. "Listen, Miss Evander, I know you're skilled enough for this position. Far less talented Gamemakers have dedicated their entire lives to this craft. However, if I don't prove it adequately, your father could take away my job, or even worse, execute me. This is not my willing choice. My life is on the line here."
"I was a stupid seventeen-year-old." I explained, seeing red. I felt my emotions beginning to rise to the surface but I kept them suppressed. "I wasn't thinking about my future. You would go mad too with an upbringing like mine."
"Ah yes, the difficulties of being the President's daughter. The richest young lady in Panem." Juno raised an eyebrow, her voice bitter and dry. I must've struck a nerve and I cursed myself silently. She was a bitch, but she was a bitch who held the keys to my childhood dreams, and if I displeased her she'd send my hopes down the drain in the blink of a thick-lashed eye. Besides, she didn't know shit about me anyways.
"So, let me get this nice and clear. The only reason I'm not a Gamemaker yet is my dad?" I snapped. "You know perfectly well I ditched that piece of garbage over two years ago."
"If I remember correctly, didn't he legally disown you?"
I sputtered. "Excuse me?" It was the truth but she wasn't nearly inner-circle enough to be given access to that information.
"If you were more… well behaved, or less insolent, you would've been a Gamemaker the minute you graduated. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that your actions are the only thing in your way. Perhaps if you refrained from such acts of irresponsibility under the gaze of the public eye two years ago this would be easier on you."
"Fine!" I exclaimed, my cheeks turning pink. "What can I do to prove myself? Kill twenty-three kids with my bare hands? Pledge my undying allegiance to the Capitol on live television to the entire fucking nation?"
"No, none of those." She looked into my eyes. "This is my proposal. We have four weeks until the Ninety-Fifth Hunger Games begin. If you can design and construct an original, fully-functional arena in that time, you will earn the career of a Gamemaker. If you accomplish this, your father nor anyone else will ever question your competence again. If you cannot, the position will go to another applicant and this year's Games shall take place utilizing the arena already prepared." She extended her arm across the table and waited expectantly.
She had to be kidding. An entire arena in less than a month. It was impossible, or at least pretty damn close to impossible. It couldn't be done unless I spent every waking second working my ass off with a generous dose of luck. And if it didn't work out, I could never be a Gamemaker, all because of a stupid past mistake?
I never hated being the President's daughter as much as I did in moments like these.
"Fine." I told her, shaking her hand. "Challenge accepted."
I didn't know what I just got myself into.
A/N: Hello, all! My name is Summer, and like many of you dear readers, I'm an aspiring writer. I suffer from seasonal depression that manifests in the summer (or, as I like to call it, summertime sadness) because I simply have nothing to do, so I've decided to take on the task of writing a SYOT during my break. I'm extremely excited to see how this story goes, and I can't wait to see all your tributes! Thank you for reading, each view means the world to me and the fact that someone would spend their free time reading my work makes me happy. The tribute form is in my bio, and I'll write reapings as soon as I receive submissions! (However, you will not be able to PM me until 8:45 AM Eastern Time as I just now set up this account! My apologies!)