There was a word for what Essie was feeling, that abject terror running through her, nerves jumping all over the place. She just didn't know what that word was, terrified just didn't cut it. In fact, perhaps there was no word for it, maybe she was just too scared. after all, you didn't go to meet the President of Panem ever day. Just as they rounded outside Snow's office, Izlandi began to talk.
"Nervous, Messessia?" Izlandi snapped, noticing Essie's jittery gait and biting of her lips.
"Petrified."
"Honesty isn't an...practical trait in a gamemaker, Massessia."
"Huh?"
"I'm saying, that you should say what pleases, not the truth."
"You want me to lie?" Izlandi stopped and gripped Essie's shoulder tightly.
"This isn't about purety Massessia. This is about survival, and in this game, you do whatever you can to stay alive." Essie's mouth hung gaping at the woman infront of her, but Izlandi jumped back as the doors opened and a woman walked through.
Artemis snow was beautiful, there really was no other words for it. Her hairs was as black as a ravens, shining with iridesent blues and purples. A complexion as clear as alabaster and smooth as silk. Her nose was a perfect button shape, with in Essie's opinion, a magnificant slope. Her eyes were like windows into the spectrum of the sea, blues and greys, greens and purples, the navy shades flowed through oceans of turquoise notes and ice blues trickled into pools of emerald flecks in a sea of indigo that faded into his deep, ebony pupils. Who knew what those eyes had witnessed, they pierced right through her but Essie stared back until the saw the corners of her mouth lifted into a cruel grin.
"So then Izlandi." She smiled at Essie, showing pearly white teeth, but it wasn't a nice smile. It had a cunning, angry edge, "Who is this?"
"This is the least...useless of my new Junior Gamemakers."
"Least useless?"
"She came up with this years twist, if you could call it that."
"Least useless?"
"Yes, least useless."
"Interesting." Snow turned her scrutinizing gaze onto Essie, it felt as if Snow was taking her apart bit my bit, scanning each part, then chucking it back on, "So, what is your name."
"Essie, Miss."
"I don't do nicknames, would you call me Arty?"
N - n - no." She stuttered in return.
"Exactly. So I will call you Massessia."
"How do you know my name?"
"I'm Artemis Snow, I know everything." Essie didn't doubt she was lying, "So Massessia, Izlandi says you came up with a twist. Tell me"
"Well, I thought that, you wanted the tributes bleeding manically so..."
"It isn't rabid metal spikes is it?" Snow said, looking increasingly bored.
"No. It was there would be gifts for the tributes, laid around the arena, randomly of course. But there are clues to get to them, shown on the screen in the arena force field, like the faces of the dead are. These clues are related to the tribute they are meant for, meaning that to get the gifts, you'll have to ally or take interest and make friends with yuor allies. To get secrets from them, then when you have to brutally MURDER your allies it will be worse. Because you'll know them." Snow seemed to consider it for a second, thoughtfully tapping her foot on the floor.
"It's an interesting twist, I've never heard of one like this. It could be interesting, such bloody and miserable deaths. I can taste the success." Snow smiled, relishing in the ruthlessness of the idea.
"I - I guess. Lot's of death, lovely, lovely death." Essie supposed Snow could hear the distaste in her voice, because suddenly the President had spun around and was facing her. Eyes blazing and murder flashing through them.
"Was that mercy I detected in your voice there, Massessia."
"Uh."
"Are you being merciful?" Snow's voice started Essie trembling.
"N-"
"I hope you aren't being...merciful Massessia."
"I - I wasn't."
"I truly hope not." Essie trembled and looked to Izlandi for help. But the Head gamemakers expression was emotionless, "Because I don't like the merciful. The merciful don't...survive here."
"They don't?"
"No, so I will ask you one more time. no stuttering, so mumbling, Are you merciful."
"No. No I am not merciful."
"Good. Leave now, I have some things to over see." With those parting words, Artemis Snow swept back into her office, the electronic doors closing with a soft click. Essie let out a soft breath of relief. The meeting was over and she was still alive, but barely. She stayed there, breathing in and out, waiting for her heart beat to go steady. When in finally did, she straightend up and looked at Izlandi. The woman didn't wait up and started walking down the hall at a clipped pace.
"What did I tell you Massessia? I hope you've learnt you're lesson now."
"I."
"Go back to your apartment, it's the third hall in the Snow block. Here's your key." Izlandi flipped a key in Essie's direction, "It's an early start tomorrow, be awake. We have plans to go over, reapings to plan and an arena to see."
"Uh...Izlan-" But the head gamemaker was already gone, leaving Essie floundering on her own.
A/N
Hey guys! New chapter, wooo. Anyway, this one we meet Artemis Snow! Isn't she mean, isn't she harsh, isn't she sadistic? Anyway, the tribute list is up on my profile, but there are still some spaces! So send in your tributes, but make sure I haven't got thier district. Please use my rubric or the tributes won't be considered.
Question Time!
1. So we met Artemis Snow today, the president what do you think of her?
2. Izlandi was surprising to day, or was she? What do you think?
3. What chapter should I do next? The D1 reapings? Or another Capitol one?
Starlight
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