And we're off to visit Flamiken! Everyone's favorite Gamemaker. Now, she's a tad different in this story just because she hasn't evolved to be against the Capitol yet. Right now she still believes that what she is doing is right.

It would have been a beautiful morning if it wasn't for the screaming coming down the hall, and the fact that her alarm hadn't gone off on time and she was going to be late. But neither of those were things she could fix. Well actually, she could change the fact that a baby lived in her house. All she had to do was kick her tenant out. But she couldn't exactly kick Carley and her baby out since Carley was some sort of relation to Flamiken, like a cousin or something to that effect. It wasn't like she needed the money, not with her new job of Head Gamemaker, the dough would be rolling in soon. Soon enough, Flamiken would be living in the Penthouse of one of the most expensive towers in the city. It had been her dream ever since she was a child, and now she was finally getting closer to having that dream realized.

Flamiken went over to the mirror and brushed her long locks of flaming red hair. Some people had no idea where they had gotten their names from, but she did. She knew exactly why she had been named Flamiken. And one day, her name would make a statement. She would burn on long after she was gone. She would make sure of that.

Twisting up her hair in a powerful high bun, Flamiken grinned at herself in the mirror. With a slight dab of red lipstick and a quick touch of blush, and she was good to go.

"Good morning Flamiken," her cousin, or something to that effect, said. The baby was sitting in its highchair playing with cheerios. She wasn't sure if it was a boy or girl. "Say hi, Pai," Carley said to the baby. It just cooed. It even had a unisex name that could go either way.

Stupid parents couldn't give their child a name with a meaning nowadays. The twenty four children who had been picked this year had quite a variety of names. There was that girl with her name shortened to a boy's name. Then there were the District 3 kids who both had names that could go either way. Flamiken wasn't actually sure which one was the boy and which was the girl. Not that she really cared. There were more important things to worry about. Least of all were the twenty four children and what their names were. She'd learn those soon enough though. But really, each year she had to learn twenty four new names just to get rid of twenty three of them.

She wasn't exactly a motherly type of person. Even watching the children on screen was way too close to comfort for her. Even though Flamiken was an older sister, she kept her distance from Tami. Tami was such a clingy little child, loved to follow her big sis everywhere, much to Flamiken's dismay. Actually, Flamiken was surprised that her sister wasn't a Gamemaker….yet.

"Can you get Pai's milk? Silly child dropped it again," Carley asked as she bustled around the kitchen. Flamiken glared at Carley's back. Flamiken wasn't the mother. It wasn't her job to do things for the kid. Flamiken had enough children to deal with already. She didn't exactly want another one on her plate.

Flamiken left the house without bothering to say goodbye. She'd see Carley and Pai soon enough anyway. It got annoying having to say hello and goodbye all the time when she knew perfectly well that she couldn't get away from them long enough where it had any meaning.

Flamiken got on the hover craft and headed to the Capitol building where she worked. From an early age, most Capitolites wished that they would one day work there. Not many of those dreams actually came true, but for Flamiken, it had. The hovercraft came to a stop and she got out, smiling to herself as she looked over the edge, the force field keeping her from falling off. The Capitol was always worried about safety. The city was bustling as the citizens hurried around trying to get to work on time, or trying to get their youngsters to school. Flamiken was so glad she didn't have to worry about making sure a child actually went through the doors and headed for class. There were many days when she herself never actually sat down at her assigned desk because she would much rather be somewhere else that didn't involve learning about the Districts and their jobs. But her school days were long over with, and now she was pretty much forced to go to work. At least she had a job that she loved.

She pulled herself away from the edge of the roof and headed into the elevator that would take her to her floor. Her high heels made a comforting clattering sound as she headed down the long hall that led to the inner room where Mrs. Vanegaurd sat at the desk. Mrs. Vanegaurd was a young thing. Well, younger than Flamiken. She was basically the secretary, and the only one with the power to open the doors to the Gamemaker Hall of Fame, as Alidia so tenderly put it.

"Good morning, Ms. Myzer. I have the tribute information sheets for you right here." Sharyl's voice was cool and crisp like always. Flamiken went over to grab the sheets. It was just a brief overview of all the tributes that had been chosen yesterday. It would be very vital in deciding how they would go about their plans for the arena. Flamiken nodded at Sharyl in thanks and headed towards the door. Flamiken had never been much of a talker and hated how Sharyl would always start gossiping up a storm. So Flamiken usually just went right on through without bothering to stop. This time she had to though, since the door wouldn't budge. "The door's broke again," Sharyl said. The amusement in her voice was plain to hear.

Flamiken bit back a bitter retort, something that was very difficult for her to do. She was tired of how that darn door was always broken. The Capitol was rich, yet they couldn't bother to get a working automatic door. Poppycott.

Sharyl pushed herself up out of the chair and waddled over to Flamiken to open the door manually. Sharyl was very, very pregnant, and absolutely loved being fawned over, something that Flamiken was above. There would be no cooing coming from her. Absolutely none.

A loud and familiar noise came from the far end of the hallway and Flamiken sighed. Great, it was Wendetta, and she was not above fawning over the pregnant Sharyl.

"Good morning!" she shrilled as she ran over to Sharyl and put a hand on the belly. "My, you're getting so big!"

Flamiken tried to open the door herself, but it wouldn't budge, and the other two were ignoring her. Great. She was late for the Gamemaker meeting, and who knew how long she'd be stuck with the gossiping ladies.

"So, when are you due? And what are you going to name him? It is a boy, right?"

Sharyl smiled, "yes, our second. We were hoping for a girl this time around, but oh well, there's always number three!"

"Sharyl-" Flamiken didn't get a chance to finish her question though.

"Why, that's marvelous, simply wonderful. You and Mr. Vaneguard are wonderful parents."

"Sharyl, please, can you open the door."

"Oh, sorry, Flamiken," Sharyl waddled over and put in the code, and it swung open easily. Flamiken glared before hurrying through and running into the Gamemaker wing. Wendetta did not follow. She always took her own sweet time anyway.

"You're late," Volouth said accusingly as Flamiken opened the door to the conference room where the others –minus Wendetta- were waiting for her. A huge screen lined two of the walls. Each screen held twelve separate sections, and each section had a number from one to twelve. There were numerous rooms in which to watch the children. This was just one of the many.

"Damn door was broken again," Flamiken said in explanation, the others just rolled their eyes. "So, shall we get started?"

It was time to discuss the twenty four children and find out who they would target with what mutations and tricks. After all, it wouldn't be smart to send a snake after a child who loved to play with them, as they had found out three years ago. The boy from 7 had befriended the snake and got the snake to kill all the tributes left and ended up winning.

They turned their attention to the first section where two names were being shown: Victory Clemmings and Zephyr Cage. Cameras at all angles were trained on two children. Well, not really children, since they were both seventeen. They were both quiet, minding their own business. The girl was staring at a piece of paper in her lap while the boy was concentrating on the scenery outside of the train.

"They'll both be great careers," Alidia said with a smile. "I can't wait to see them in action, because that boy just seems ready to kill! And that girl, there's something about her itching to be let out."

"She's hot," Volouth said as he licked his lips, earning him a playful smack from Alidia. Flamiken rolled her eyes. Seriously, they acted worse than the tributes sometimes. "I'm so glad I picked her."

"Picked her? What do you mean?" Easha asked. Damn, did that one ever pay attention during Gamemaker sessions?

"Come on Easha, get with the program. Remember, we secretly rigged some of the reapings so children of victors would be chosen. Volouth always chooses the children whose names will be picked."

"And he always chooses the hot girls," Alidia put in.

After they were done fully discussing the District One tributes, they moved to District 2. The tributes representing that one were Tallulah Neith and Castiel De la Vega. Once again, Volouth was drooling. Weren't career girls supposed to be brutish and ugly? But so far both of them were fine looking, able to get the boys to stop and stare. Flamiken couldn't wait to see them in the arena. Neither of the girls so far looked like they'd be able to go more than a day without a shower.

"Now we're in for a real treat this time around. Castiel being the son of Roman, he's bound to give us a show," Alidia said. She had always had a thing for the evil tributes. "And that girl, Tallulah, she looks all sweet and innocent, but I bet you underneath all that glamour, she's going to be a real killer."

"Oh, I hope so."

The District Three tributes were the ones that Flamiken wasn't sure who was which gender. The names were shown Fiver and Cord. But really the girl could have either name.

"Fiver sure likes lively," Volouth said, and Flamiken knew at once that Fiver was the name of the girl. Because there was no way Volouth would remark on the guy like that. "I can't wait to see her in action. You know what I would like….two hot girls kissing, that's what I want. Think we can swing that this year?"

"Eww…" Easha squeaked. Flamiken decided to ignore both of them. She had a feeling that she would be doing a lot of that during her time as Head Gamemaker. Not one of her strong suites.

"The boy seems weak," Alidia pointed out.

"He's probably really smart though, coming from three."

"Not as smart as District 5 and 6 tributes. Now those children are usually geniuses."

Flamiken let her fellow Gamemaker's discuss Cord's brains while she took a closer look at the Four tributes.

"How about two guys kissing Volouth?" She asked as she watched Pontus and decided that he played for a different team than most guys.

"You know, I much prefer two girls actually, thanks for the choice though. Now, if you and Alidia want to kiss, then be my guest."

Alidia's silver eyes sparkled mischievously and made a sudden move towards Flamiken. Volouth licked his lips in anticipation. Flamiken rolled her eyes, oh the things she did to keep the others entertained. Wasn't this why there were the Games? Alidia closed the distance between them and looked up. Volouth was very eager. Alidia swung around towards him.

"Nah, that's alright," Alidia said smoothly as she headed back to her seat and Flamiken breathed a sigh of relief while Volouth pouted.

"You're no fun."

"What about Kendra," Easha asked, for once stopping the off-topic conversation and bringing it back on topic.

"She doesn't seem like a Career at all, so we'll have to test her skills," Volouth said, "Plus, I've seen prettier, she seems too tan and fake."

They moved on to District Five where both tributes were blown off as blood baths. District 6 consisted of Lyrah Henley and Albacore Lockheart. The tributes were both with their mentors on the train, unaware that there were cameras watching them and that their every move was being analyzed by the Gamemakers.

"She's actually interesting," Volouth said, "she's not drop dead gorgeous like the others, but just look at the way that she holds herself, she's not scared at all. I like her."

"I agree, she seems sure of herself, not overly cocky, and just the right amount of determination. I think she has a small chance," Alidia said thoughtfully. "She'll get a good amount of sponsors, especially with the fact that so many of her relatives have already died in the games. She has a small pity factor, but not too much."

"The boy seems able to hold his own as well…though who in their right mind names a boy in 6 after a fish is beyond me."

They watched the two Sixes for a few more minutes before moving on to the Sevens.

"Now Jo, she's going to be amazing," Volouth said tenderly. "I chose her for a reason. One, she has a hot mamma, and two, she's hot as well."

Jo was sitting on the train with her arms crossed while her mother was talking. Jo was one of the many children of Victor's, but the only child of a Victor in 7. One of the many reasons that she had been chosen for her name to be rigged. And her mother was going to be Jo and the boy, Linden's, mentor.

Jo didn't look happy by that fact. Which child would? Knowing that your own parent was responsible for your life or death. Jo's mother wouldn't be surrounded by friends and family, praying for the safety of her daughter. No, instead she would be in the mentor box making excruciatingly hard choices.

Flamiken was going to have to have a talk with all the people who were mentoring their own children, 'cause there were quite a few. She would have to remind them that they were not to play favorites.

"You know, we haven't had a romance blossom in the arena in quite a few years, I think it would be fun to get two of the tributes together. It's an "aw" factor." Alidia was all about the romance. Drove Flamiken insane. In the games, there was no such thing as love. Actually, most of the time she thought that there was no such thing as love period. She had yet to be proved otherwise.

"Ooh, that would be wonderful," Wendetta squeaked as she swept into the room, the door banging shut behind her. Flamiken groaned, so much for peace and quiet. "He's cute," she remarked as she saw Linden on the screen, giving his rapt attention to Roma as she went over ideas for how Jo and Linden should act while at the Captiol.

"She's a smart woman," Flamiken remarked about Roma Richemont. "She'll do whatever is in her power to get her tributes far, and this time, her daughter is a tribute."

"Has a Victor's child ever won yet?" Easha asked, pretty much because she was too dumb to actually pay attention to the winning tributes.

"Not yet," Flamiken replied, "but it might happen this year."

The Disctrict 8 tributes were Hannah Matthews and Charles Aviston.

"Hmpf, weakling," Volouth commented about the girl. "She'll be dead in no time at all. Just look at her! She's skinny, like hardly any meat on her bones. She's won't last a minute."

"Wanna bet on it?" Wendetta asked. The Gamemakers liked to bet on the tributes, in fact Flamiken was surprised it had taken them this long to get a bet going. "I bet you that Hannah turns out to be the craziest one in the arena."

Volouth chuckled, it was deep and almost evil like. "You're on." The two of them shook on the bet and Alidia wrote the bet down in her little notebook.

"What's that in his hand," Flamiken said, bringing their attention to the boy, who wouldn't stop starting at a small thing in his hand that was wrapped in a chain around his neck. The others shrugged, "well, find out. I want to know what the significance is. Remember, we need to know these tributes inside and out. We want to know their fears, their strengths, everything about them so we can destroy them!"

The others cheered. Flamiken smiled. This was more like it! They were pumped up now and they always did their best work when they were excited.

"I bet you that Flamiken looses it before the day is up," Alidia whispered to Easha. Flamiken ignored them and headed over to the screen with the tributes from Nine. "I bet she's a bloodbath," Alidia said of the girl. Only Easha was stupid enough to bet on that one. A week of taking notes would go to the loser.

"Now the boy….he seems way too smart to be in Nine," Flamiken said as they watched the boy solve math problems without any struggle. "And the smart kids never win anyway, because they don't know their way around weapons or fighting."

"You never know, he might end up surprising you," Wendetta pointed out. Flamiken needed to stop giving opinions that Wendetta would voice an objection to.

"Doubtful, but we'll see," Flamiken shrugged and they headed to the next screen. District 10, with Chameleon and Roan. They were on the train, Roan was very, very close to Chameleon and she did not look comfortable in the least. The mentors and escort were ignoring the children, talking in whispers as they planned how the tributes should act. Probably didn't even realize that Roan had Chameleon in a very compromising position.

"Hey, you'll like this Volouth," Alidia said, looking up from the information sheet with Chameleon's name written on it in bold letters. "She's a twin!"

Volouth looked at Chameleon with excitement. He loved twins, he had this speculation about twins and whenever one twin was reaped, he always played with the twin to see if his speculation was correct. "And she's a hot one, too!" Volouth exclaimed, practically drooling up at the screen. "Identical twins?" He asked Alidia.

She nodded, and if it was possible, his grin got even wider. "Perfect," he said, flashing his sharp teeth. "She's mine. No one else better mess with her."

"What about District 11?" Easha said, pointing at the screen where the girl was staring at the plate of food in front of her, as if she had never seen that much in one location before. The boy was shoveling food into his mouth as fast as he could. He would have a stomach ache within an hour. But the girl hadn't even touched her fork yet.

"What about it?" Alidia said, "District 11 is usually a very weak one, I doubt that they will get very far, they hardly ever do. Just like 12."

"The boy for sure," Flamiken said, looking thoughtfully at the girl, "but the girl looks like she might have a spark to get her through."

Volouth was flipping through Chameleon's information sheet still and completely ignoring their discussion of 11. "You know, it says that Chameleon has some sort of disorder…her and her twin sister both have something wrong with them…this will make things even better!" He was like a child in a candy store for the fist time.

"Well, this looks like an interesting batch," Flamiken said, turning away from the screen. "We can do some fun things with them, and give Panem a show to remember." The other Gamemakers looked on as Flamiken stood in front of the television staring at them. The screen was giving off a glow, making her red hair even more noticeable. It seemed like it was about to catch on fire at any minute. That was Flamiken, she had a flame that wouldn't go out.

Do you still like Flamiken in this chapter? Can you see the same person who burnt down the 53rd arena in this woman? This is who she was before everything happened during the 52nd and 53rd games. And does anyone remember who the Vaneguards are?

~*Misty*~