President Laomedes Augustus
President's Mansion, Capitol
A week after the Ninth Hunger Games

The clouds are nowhere to be seen, the calm air blows soft breezes through the shrubs and flowers of the garden, the scent sweet like honey. The sun is just right, only touching the skin lightly like a warm blanket and nothing more. He could hear the melody of birds as they tweet and sing their song.

He takes a sip of coffee, disliking the taste and he adds two more sugar cubes into his mug. He stirs slowly and looks at his beautiful garden. Laomedes is truly living the life of peace. He was nervous and dare he even think scared at the idea of the Hunger Games but now it's ingrained in the minds of everybody in Panem. He watched his wife as she cuts a few flowers before going back to him. A kiss to the cheek conveys more love than words could ever give.

"What's wrong?" She says placing the flowers into the glass vase in the middle of the circular garden table. "You look unhappy, are you not satisfied with what you have amassed?"

"I am, it's just. We need the Hunger Games to be bigger." He says to her.

It's true, he had singlehandedly pacified the districts and was successful in eliminating the rebellious district Thirteen in the process. No other President in the history of Panem had successfully united the districts, although he knew that the districts were not truly pacified. Unrest and rebels still ran rampant in certain districts. Sacrificing their children certainly didn't help either but they should be grateful that it's only two per year, at least.

He was a benevolent President, or that's what he liked to think. District One and Two have now enjoyed victory along with Seven, Nine and Four. Their districts are prospering with the abundance of food he had given them. Reports of the starving in these districts are going down.

"It's the ratings isn't it?" Hera, his wife, asked him as she sipped her own tea, admiring the garden.

"Yes!" Laomedes declared disturbing the serene scene. "It's not televised, not the actual Games itself, it's only filmed, and mass produced into the districts. Only certain events are televised, I think we need this to be mandatory."

His wife seemed to think for a bit before she lets her teacup down on the table. She takes a bite out of her cake before looking at the cloudless sky. She enjoyed the warmth and Laomedes looks at her as if waiting for whatever it is she was about to say.

"What you need is a team," she started. "A team that can effectively do all that for you."

"Will you be that team?"

"Me?" She laughed at his face. "I came up with the colosseum, I don't want to be involved any more than that, darling. You need to hire someone for that mantle. That I'll help out in."

Laomedes stroked his greying beard, he took a sip of coffee as he thought of how he was going to advertise this position. He needed to iron out the creases of this occupation, and how he was going to somewhat convince them into slaughtering children year after year.

"We need to get started then."

"Started on what?"

"Advertising my dear Hera."

With that Laomedes headed back inside his mansion, leaving his wife alone in the calm breeze and soothing aroma of the garden. He didn't even bother finishing his coffee, from now on he would be free of the burden of planning a Hunger Games every year.

Rexton Price
President's Mansion, Capitol
Ninth Hunger Games' Victory Tour

The night air cooled his nerves.

He was all alone in the garden, the celebration for Flash Gladstone's victory was well underway. He disliked parties, let alone socialising but then again why was he picked to become this new secret project that the President had advertised?

He didn't want to apply at first, his best friend at the time coerced him to do it. Completing two degrees from the prestigious Capitol University had helped him get the edge to this secret project. He had asked questions, sure, but all came out vague.

Rexton Price was certainly lucky to be given an opportunity but then again, he didn't know how lucky he was in the first place. He sighed, the champagne he was handed at the start of the party still in his hand, barely drunk. Being alone in the cool wintry air is what he liked the most, but he can't help the feeling of dread enter him as questions begin to flood his head again.

Why was he picked? Is there something going on? Will he be able to live up to the expectations?

More questions he did not know the answers to. The guests inside were loud and obnoxious as they gorge and drink themselves to oblivion, President parties were wild, but he never knew they were going to be this wild. He excepted that from Club Valentino's but not the actual President.

Speaking of, he had seen President Augustus maybe once and no more. He wondered what had happened to the man. He wanted to speak to him, to ask him the same questions he had asked at the interview.

"Rexton Price?"

He turned around at the voice, it was a Peacekeeper. Dressed in white, standing up straight and looking imposing. He froze at first as he downed the champagne. He nodded his head slowly and he was asked to follow the man or woman, it was hard to tell in the dimly lit balcony of the mansion.

He was led away from the noise and the commotion; the constant chattering of the guests into a small hallway. All filled with portraits of various faces he could only remember as previous Presidents of Panem. The walls were white, almost creamy in colour, and the carpeted hallway equalled that. It's like he had walked into snow, fresh snow, almost untouched.

"This way please." The Peacekeeper stopped in front of the tall brown wooden door.

He marvels at the beauty of it all before it opened slowly, he could remember the inside of the President's office like it was yesterday. The brown wooden desk contrasts the stark white of the office. Even his bookshelves and the book themselves are white in colour.

The light is very dim, the moon doing most of the work at illuminating the room. His eyes quickly dart to the President sitting at his desk, his eyes look at him with what he can only describe as a mixture of pride and intimidation. His wife, Hera, stood by him dressed in a white ballgown. She nodded her head goes to leave for the party.

"Mr. Price." Augustus gestured for the seat in front of him. "Take a seat please, we have much to discuss."

He gulped, there's no other way to go but to follow the order, if he can even call it that. He takes his seat and waits expectantly at what the President is about to say.

"You were hired, let's see, almost four months ago now and yet you don't know why we hired you, is that accurate would you say?"

"Y-yes, sir." He says and Rexton cursed himself to speak more fluently, why was he nervous suddenly when earlier he was as calm as the night air?

"Well, I'm about to disclose to you what your new occupation would entail." He smiled, although it put chills within Rexton's whole body. "Let me start by saying congratulations again. Over three hundred applicants and you were chosen for the job; a dual degree in engineering and architecture, how marvellous."

"Thank you, sir." That's all he could respond, he tried his best to fix his plain black tie around the white collar. All he wants to do is loosen it up a bit because he feels like he can't breathe. "I worked very hard to achieve those."

"I'm sure you did, but enough about that. The reason you were hired." He started as he pulled out a file from his drawer, Rexton could see the stamp marked 'classified' clearly on the brown folder.

He took the folder and he flicked through it casually, it displayed victors all the way back to Leroy and to the latest. Although it was just their pictures, there were more details about the arena more than anything and he could see the detailed plans and blueprints of the colosseum.

"Rexton Price, from this day forward, you will now oversee and organise the next Hunger Games and all future Games after that." He announced and Rexton's eyes seemed to bulge out of his sockets. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

He didn't want that calibre.

"It's-It's an honour, President Augustus."

"Good." He said. "Take the file, muse over the winners and weapons, I'll give you six months from now to come up with an arena."

"Yes, sir."

"And I don't want it to be a colosseum. I want this to be spontaneous and new, something that can cause the excitement in the Capitol but still put the fear in the districts. You got that."

"Yes, sir."

With that he took his leave. The brown 'classified' folder in his hands. He was led back into the ballroom by the same Peacekeeper. He was stopped by a few other people, some he recognised as important and others were just there to question why he was here. He guessed that his job is still in secret.

He made it outside of the mansion, the valet already with his car keys. He thanked the man as he moved his way down the limestone staircase he bumped into a man who seemed to curse him before apologising. Rexton didn't even notice him as he stumbled slowly, he was about to apologise when he realised it was none other than the victor himself: Flash Gladstone.

"Oh, shit, sorry man." He said as he stood up. "I didn't mean to be in the way, I just needed to get out of there."

"I know the feeling." He told him, he smiled, and the boy smiled sheepishly too. "Oh, hey congratulations on your win."

"Thanks."

"It must be such a great honour to be the third victor in your district."

"Yeah," he replied coolly. "I'm delighted, listen I'm going to go back. Balas and Jasper must be looking for me already, I've been gone too long."

"Okay, well it's nice meeting you. Oh, I'm Rexton Price, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you as well," he shook my hands before he traversed up the steps and disappeared behind the large door.

He thought him quite rude, but at the same time, the man, or maybe boy, looked conflicted as he mentioned the Games. His resolved stuttered for a moment but Rexton ignored it as he made it into his car, sleek and black, and carefully placed the brown folder on the passenger seat. He loosened his tie and took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.

The planning process begins now.

He pushed the front door slowly, making sure not to disturb the sleep of his friend and roommate. The lights were all turned off, save for the lamp at the desk where he usually draws blueprints. He must have forgotten to turn it off on his way out, he was in the process of redesigning what was the tribute residence from his previous occupation.

Now that he had the prestigious title of 'Gamemaker' he now had no time for his previous job. He would have to phone the company to quit. The lights suddenly all turn on and his eyes flinch from the sudden invasion of his eyes.

"Well look who the cat dragged in!"

"Elbert!" Rexton all but screamed. "I was trying to be quiet for your sake."

"I wasn't even sleeping, you know I haven't been sleeping well lately." Elbert, his friend, best friend, scoffed as he moved his way to where Rexton stood, he couldn't help but grab the folder that was held in his hands too.

"Hey!" He goes to reach for it, but Elbert was already by the beaten down couch as he flicked through it.

"What is this? Blueprints of the Colosseum? Wait…" He started as he looked from the file to Rexton that still stood by his desk. "Is this your job now? Are you part of the Government now?"

"I don't know how much I can say, but I read the file and it said I could hire, or need to hire, people to help realise this arena."

"Arena? What are you talking about?" Elbert was confused as he flicked through the file once more.

"I'm a Gamemaker."

"That sounds stupid and made up."

"No! It's true!" Rexton defended as he rushed towards Elbert, taking the file as he sat beside the man, who flicked through the last pages of the file and showed his friend.

"'Hire as many people as you need to'" Elbert read aloud. "Wait. You're going to be in charge of the Hunger Games?"

"Yeah, I guess you can say that." Rexton looked at his friend sheepishly. "And I need you as my right-hand man."

"I'd be honoured to." Elbert said without hesitation.

It's no big surprise that Elbert was a big fan of the Hunger Games. He had lost family during the Rebellion as well as the Dark Days. He had watched some of the Games and he owned the discs of all the previous Games to date. Rexton, however, was impartial. He was orphaned at birth, his parents he did not bother looking for, there was no need to.

He met Elbert during their time at University. After the war and the Hunger Games were installed. President Laomedes made it free for anyone to attend university, the years of extravagance and ostentatiousness began the day Leroy Ramnes had won the very first Hunger Games.

"I met Flash Gladstone tonight." Rexton suddenly said.

"What!?" Elbert practically shouted in excitement. "You should have started with that instead of giving me a job, which I am grateful for by the way, but Flash Gladstone is way better! What was he like? Is he as good looking in real life?"

I don't really know how to answer those questions. I guess I could answer truthfully, the few minutes I interacted with him was like talking to an iceman, he seemed alright I suppose. He looked alright, a little worse for wear but he still had the same angelic features as the other two One victors.

"He's cool, and yes he's good looking, I suppose." I answer back, I'm sure he would meet up with victors in the future. "Alright, we don't have time to talk about victors, we need to plan this event."

President Laomedes Augustus
Newly Designed Tribute Centre, Capitol
A few weeks before the Tenth Hunger Games

"Well look at this place!"

President Augustus wanders the pristine white control room of the tribute centre, the screens are all turned off for now, and there are a few workers fixing last minute computers and machines. The room is an oval shape, computers and desks ran the whole length of the room. There's only one exit and that's where he had entered.

The entrance leads directly to the main desk, elevated from the rest of the computers. He overlooks the rest of the other Gamemakers, Rexton Price would therefore be the Head of all the other Gamemakers.

"Now where is my Head Gamemaker anyhow?" He announced to no one in particular.

And as if on cue, the very stressed and very messy Rexton Price had stumbled in, his suit a dishevelled mess and he could tell that he had not had anything to eat. He was followed by his Vice-Head, someone he did not know of but trusted that Rexton would pick the right people for the job.

"President Augustus!" He seemed to be surprised despite giving the man several notices of his visit. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I'm just here to check up on you, the Hunger Games starts next week. I hope what you have in store for the whole of Panem is worth all the money I had poured in."

"It will, sir." He reassured him. "I know it will, there are a few surprises in store to celebrate a decade of the Games. I think you're going to like it, and I have something that will generate money into the Capitol funds also, this idea was given unto me by my trusty Vice-Head, Elbert Korando."

"Very good. Now take me a tour through this control room of yours."

"Very well, if you follow me to the master control, AKA my desk." He led Laomedes through to the desk. "From here I can see all the statistics of the tributes, the big screen directly in front of us all will follow all twenty-four tributes, even if they stay in groups."

"And this will be televised?"

"It will be sir, mandatory and all!" Elbert answered from behind Rexton. "We have taken the liberty of attaching a few thousand cameras in the arena, used the latest in cloaking devices for other cameras and employed drones to follow the tributes, wherever they may be in the arena."

"Speaking of," Laomedes turns towards Rexton. "The arena, what will it be this year?"

"I feel that it should be a surprise," Rexton announced, "It will surely help build up the excitement if the President himself does not even know of the arena."

"I understand that, dare I say I am excited myself!" Laomedes replied. "Any other surprises?"

"A few in the works, there is a separate room where the mentors sit and watch their tributes, we have employed a system where the mentors can help out their tributes in the arena. A sort of sponsor system if you'd like."

"And how does this work?"

"Our citizens of Panem will be able to sponsor their favourite tributes, we have selected several survival items as well as high-priced weapons as sponsors, their mentors can therefore ask us, the Gamemakers, to send their tributes what they think they need." Elbert began to explain and Rexton joined in.

"For example, you want to sponsor the Two boy, you liked him from the Reapings, which is also now televised, and you give your money through the national exchange of the Capitol Central Bank. The money accumulates until the Games begin, which their mentors can therefore use when the tributes are in the arena."

"I like it, so this gives the other districts a chance at winning, which should hopefully quell their rebellious tendencies."

"There aren't still rebels within districts, is that right, sir?" Elbert asked and Laomedes can only respond with a nod. "I see."

He couldn't help but see the man scrunch up his hands as he tried to supress his anger a little. He sighed, letting all the bad air out as he looked forward again with a straight face. Rexton looked to his friend before he continued.

"We have also hired top Capitol stylists and designers and assigned them to help tributes look a little more appealing. We are also going to use the Colosseum as a stadium, for interviews-"

"Interviews?" Laomedes asked.

"Interviews." Elbert confirmed, finally relaxing back. "Statistics tells us that the Capitol loved the end of the Games interviews, so we had the idea of putting it at the front. The stylists will provide the tributes with the lavish lifestyle they could have and also look appealing for the Capitol, they can therefore garner sponsors for themselves."

"Fabulous. Dare I say, again, that I am excited for these Games. Well I'll leave you fine duo. I simply cannot wait for the Games to start now."

"Neither can we."

Cade Valentine, Owner of Club Valentino's
Club Valentino
Last Day of 81st Hunger Games

Who would have thought that going through it alone in the Hunger Games had its own perks? Julia Aquilla of Two had used her extensive training from the Nut, the Peacekeeper regiment, to win the Games. It was the last day of the Games, there were only two people left at this point.

But enough about her, Cassandra had just walked into my office, who looked furious, and slammed what seemed to be her phone on the oaken desk. I had a right mind to tell her off, but I can see she wasn't in the mood for playful banter.

"How may I help you Ms. King?"

"I read your newest post." She said to me.

"What post?"

"On Flash Gladstone? Which showed very little of him by the way. It's all about this Rexton Price."

"There wasn't much to talk about Flash."

"So, you just shafted him and talked about this Rexton person?"

"Well I can tell you that his sister never joined the Hunger Games and would go on to marry someone and make more Gladstone legacies that would certainly die in the Games, or whatever."

"You sound bitter." Cassandra teases but she still looked furious.

"It's just that Flash Gladstone sounded more different from the earlier accounts, but something changed, and I couldn't find out why." I said exasperated.

"Maybe there's going to be more when we uncover the other victor's stories, look what you're doing is great." Cassandra tells me. "Freedom of information is good. The current President had redacted all information from the people, so it's your job to spread that to the masses."

"Yeah, yeah." I just say and take a swig of the whiskey I was nursing prior to Cassandra walking in. "Cabel Link is already working really hard for me, allowing me to publish these articles without the Capitol government tracking me down."

"And that's why you cannot waste this opportunity."

Cassandra walks away from me, she doesn't say anything else as she disappears behind the doorway into the loud club scene. The club is full, all anticipating Julia Aquilla's victory. Her only opponent being the Six boy, who seemed unstable from the very start.

I need to start researching about this so called 'special first decade Hunger Games'.