"Everyone fears darkness. Me? I crawled from the deepest folds, relishing every moment."
Wester Regalus, 63
President of Panem
Sifting through the multiple essays and applications, Wester's eyes skimmed past the lines and lines of neat words. He didn't give a crap about the filled in forms—after all, the Head Gamemaker position was to be assigned by he himself. Forms and applications would give the hopefuls too much power, even if it were fleeting and false. Wester already had his final two choices: Aurelius Dens and Rya Lupus. The former was a loyal-to-the-end-but-naive person, unable to betray... or fully reach the full potential of Head Gamemaker, while the latter was a huge history buff, but a woman.
Sure, women were important and all, but they just didn't hold high positions with even a little bit of power, lest the public, clinging on to the tiniest shards of gossip, believe that there was something going on between the two. Yet after Junius was rigging the games, perhaps he ought to assign the harsher to create the arena. And what was more harsh than the history of the nation of Panem, before it was Panem? They would pass it off as a myth, of course—citizens could definitely not know of other civilizations and the wealth they lived in, as it might have led to more rebellions and modified strategy of the rebels in the past.
Straightening his already impeccable tuxedo and bow tie, President Regalus rang for an Avox to call Rya in.
When a crisp knock at the door sounded, he assumed it was the Avox with the woman, but it was only her alone, standing in a business skirt and blazer.
Did she think it was brave of her, to come alone and without a witness? Or is she just naive and doesn't know what I do with people like her? he thought. Wester had been the original one spreading the rumors—the better to strike fear into the residents of the districts' hearts—but legitimately didn't care for the "pleasures of life," so to speak.
He introduced himself first. Though normal protocol was for the guest to acknowledge the host upon entering, Wester felt like making his name known before the other showed more power, and so he went with that strategy.
"Good afternoon. I am President Regalus." The two already knew each other, so this was a mere berating statement to the woman, showing that he thought nothing of her. Higher-ups like him needn't dabble in such lower-Capitolite business.
Rya accepted his hand for a shake. She shook firmly and her grip was hard, so Wester responded with his full strength, crushing her delicate hand in his own, expecting a scowl or other negative expression on her face. But she just smiled innocently and brightly, and Wester felt like he had made a mistake.
"I'm Rya Lupus. Nice to meet you."
"A pleasure," he replied. "I have called you in today because I am assigning you to the recently vacated Head Gamemaker position. Your arena idea, plan, and layout are due a month from today, during the annual meeting. Dismissed."
He jerked his head towards the door after seconds passed and she didn't respond.
"Dismissed," he stated again, louder than before.
At last, Rya replied, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Mister President, I have the arena already planned out, Sir."
Weater's eyebrows knit themselves together as he furrowed them. "Did I not make it clear: the meeting is precisely a month from now. You are dismissed now, or I will have an Avox escort you out."
She stood her ground. "A month from now, my crew—" Wester sighed. Her crew?
"They're not 'your' crew," he mocked. "Those Gamemakers are mine."
"Possessive much?" she muttered under her breath as the President glared at her. "Apologies, Mister President. It's just that this arena idea is large and will take months to create. Allow me to present it to you now."
He gestured a yes, expressing his discontent by staying silent and unmoving. But as she continued with her arena idea, his original plan to stay impassive and unimpressed had to be abandoned for the slightly easier plan of not showing his emotions.
"Ancient Rome, in all its glory, was both a terrible and amazing place," she began. "Terrible, due to its many faults, including structural ones, and amazing for its military prowess and architectural feats.
"The arena idea for the fifty-seventh Hunger Games is a replica of how Ancient Rome was at its peak. Due to the restraints of arena size, I would only be able to include choice monuments. They include, the Colosseum, for its gladiatorial battles which the Hunger Games are like, in a way; the aqueduct system, which will allow tributes to have water... with a price; and," she hesitated before plowing on, "the Roman Forum, which we will station real Avoxes in."
"That's never been done before. We just cannot have Avoxes in an arena."
"And why can't we?" she challenged.
"I am the President, Rya." He purposely used her first name—it was how people in the Capitol referred to children while doing business, and Rya was a young woman, around the age of twenty-five. "And whatever I say, goes. I run the entire country, so I run you."
"Mister President," Rya began, "I feel like the adding of Avoxes is vital to this arena. In Ancient Rome—"
"Stop your going about Ancient Rome. I'm not a young and untried person," he hinted, "so I know our history and which things are likely to work, and which things are likely to fail."
Rya's head tilted to one side. A look of understanding crossed over her face. "Ah, so you think that Avoxes will be too unpredictable and uncontrollable. You think that I'm manipulating you."
Wester internally frowned, focusing his outside expression on staying stoic and blank. Was he really that easy to read? Years of ruling Panem with an iron fist had made him hard and insusceptible to people like her. He was losing his touch.
He responded, "No. You haven't added any explanation of why the Avoxes would add anything to the arena."
"And you haven't added any explanation of why the Avoxes would not add anything to the arena."
Finally, something that he could call her out on and save face. "Rya, you're getting this all wrong. Young people," he began, almost wanting to add on 'like you,' "often make that mistake. Because you are the one giving the proposal, you must defend your own idea, not attack my own—not that you could ever touch it, of course."
"Fine, then." Her feelings were as clear as day on her face, and for the second time, Wester felt like he had made a mistake. Head Gamemakers were supposed to cower under him, not defend their own ideas and challenge his superiority and opinions. "The Avoxes would be stationed in the Forum, as shop owners. They would be instructed a basic trading system. They would also deliver sponsor gifts to tributes, but only if they're in the Forum or if they're critically wounded and unable to move. This would add a twist in sponsoring and the Victor would truly deserve to be Victor; it wouldn't be someone who had spent their time hiding and getting sponsor gifts."
She had hit the spot there. After last year's disastrous Hunger Games, with Cranola from Eleven winning, six years after Haymitch from Twelve won, the Victor system needed to be changed. But the one thing Wester hated the most was giving in. So stubbornly, he replied, "So be it. But the Capitol citizens need to like it."
"I'll have the arena, blueprints, and mutt designs delivered tomorrow. Believe me, you'll love them." She left.
He didn't want to "believe her," as she simply put it. Any mess-ups, anything that didn't succeed, would be blamed on him, or at least, he would get the fallout from it. Wester was under a lot of pressure. So the only thing left to do would be to harden, to turn stronger. Like a diamond. And to bring down the others with him if he fell.
A/N: And that concludes Prologue #2. I've already gotten a lot of amazing submissions, so I'd like to thank you all for that, and for all the reviews. Constructive criticism is something I'm always grateful for. :) I also love writing in 3rd person past, so I think I'm going to continue doing that throughout the entire story.
So... what do you all think of the arena? I have so much stuff for the arena planned that's not even revealed yet, and I don't plan to review it until the tributes find out. Also... I have the updating schedule for prologues on my profile, along with the in-progress tribute list there. Next chapter, we're going to get more information about the arena and just the Head Gamemaker in general. I still need more tributes, so I hope you all will join! :D
Veni, vidi, vici,
Tigress