Gluttony Springs (19), Citizen of the Capitol

I grab some popcorn, munching on it as I turn on the television. No one has dared to sleep, with how quickly the Hunger Games has been going. It seemed like if you weren't watching constantly, you'd miss a death, and no one wanted to do that. It was the best part of the Hunger Games, watching to see who would live and who would die.

My favorite, of course, had been Prodigy Mallord. That was, until she lost her head and started doing her fling with Sapphire Riddle. Hopefully, Clark was going to be decent enough to call her family out on it, ask what was going through their daughter's head!

Relaxing into my cushy bed, I watched the opening credits roll, and then the program began. Clark Hallen took the stage, bringing up with him two people—a father and a daughter. The girl looked almost exactly like Prodigy, only she was blind.

"Ah, that's just a shame…," I muttered, before shutting up. Clark had started to talk.

"Alright, here with us today is Prodigy Mallord's father and sister. Let's give them a hand, folks!"

He paused, allowing everyone to cheer. The girl looked nervous and blushed, bowing her head slightly. Her father, on the other hand, couldn't look prouder. It was as if he was being declared the Victor of the Hunger Games. After the applause died down, they took their seats, and the questions began.

"I'm sure you're both familiar with how this works," Clark began, "I'm going to ask you two questions. One of these will be about your home life, while the other will be about the Games! Exciting, right?"

He laughed as Prodigy's sister—words on the screen identified her as Helena—nodded eagerly. "No, I'm afraid that doesn't count as a question! But, tell us about how Prodigy prepared for the Hunger Games. What's home life like?"

Helena grew still, while the father, Reynold, launched into this huge speech. It was the usual one that parents of Careers give—talking about how hard Prodigy worked every day, and how he was certain she was going to find success.

"You didn't do any unorthodox methods to help your daughter prepare?" Clark pressed, leaning forward slightly in his seat.

The father chuckled slightly, before launching into yet another explanation. "Well, I would put lemon juice in her eyes if she didn't try hard enough. Or maybe, I'd force her head to stay put in a bucket of ice."

Clark laughed awkwardly, as if that type of stuff was normal. But it wasn't normal. It was amazing! It's so impressive, that someone could have that type of dedication to the Hunger Games. It's surprisingly, honestly, that he wasn't a Victor himself.

"Well, that sounds….great! Now, there has been some controversy regarding Prodigy's relationship with Sapphire Riddle…I'd like to hear your thoughts on this, Helena."

The poor little girl looked so frightened, yet then she visibly relaxed. "I don't get why it's a big deal."

Clark waited, expecting her to launch into a more elaborate explanation. The little girl seemed to realize it and she frowned, trying to find a better way to explain it. "People do that sort of thing in the Hunger Games all the time. They're just lonely."

The father winced, as if the words had physically hurt them. "I think what Helena means is…"

Clark held his hand up, causing the father to fall into silence. "I think that's a very noble thing for you to say, Helena."

She shrugged, as if it didn't matter at all. "People are human, even in the Hunger Games. Humans need humans."

Clark nodded, standing up and walking the pair of them out. He came back Nept Riddle, an old Hunger Games Victor, father of Sapphire Riddle and the late Nic Riddle. It was awesome, having her in the arena the year after her brother had competed.

"Hello, Nept!" Clark grinned, "It's been a while since I've seen you. So. Your daughter is a bit of a favorite to win—but I think, what we all want to know, is what's life like without Nic?"

Nept frowns sharply, almost looking identical to Prodigy's father. I grinned, watching the ripple of emotions wash over his face. There was definite hurt, yes, but also damaged pride. He coughed slightly, trying to put himself together before getting to the task at hand.

"It was hard, Clark," Nept said plainly, "You train your kid, thinking they can do it…And then they fail."

"They fail?"

"Yes, they fail," Nept stated. "I don't think I'll be able to look anyone in the eye if the same thing happens again—being a Riddle used to mean something."

Clark nodded sympathetically, recognizing that it was time to change the topic slightly. A sad Victor didn't make for good press at a time like this—it was time to get pumped! Time to scream and shout! The Hunger Games was bloodier than ever before! Who knows, maybe a tribute could be…No. They wouldn't let a tribute die during the interviews!

"What do you think of Sapphire's progress in the Hunger Games?" Clark asked, leaning forward slightly. "She's got a decent kill record, as well as a budding romance."

"Manipulation," Nept blurted, "She's going to get close to that girl—Prodigy—and kill her."

"Are you sure?" Clark asked, hoping for something more than a blunt answer. Nept held his gaze, not wavering in his brevity.

"She's my daughter," he replied, "And if I'm wrong, then she's not my daughter anymore."

As if it was a completely logical statement, Clark nodded. I frowned, hating the way that some of these families could act towards their children. It was like only here, in the Capitol, would they ever receive love and recognition.

"Nept Riddle, former Victor and father of Sapphire Riddle, everyone!" Clark announced, shaking Nept's hand and guiding him off the stage. They had to keep these interviews brief, due to the fast pace of the Hunger Games. No one minded.

When Clark returned, a familiar public figure was with him. It was the Mayor of District Twelve, who often found himself talked of in the tabloids. He was the center of several scandals, and the attention had only picked up since his daughter was reaped.

He was a rather ugly man, too. His hair was hardly there anymore, and he couldn't even afford a personal stylist. I wrinkled my nose, shoving more popcorn into my face at the same time. I wanted them to skip past this—I had a feeling we would have a Victor soon, anyways. The Family Interviews were almost useless at this point.

"Here with me now is Lux Wolfsbane, father of River Wolfsbane!" Clark announced, though it wasn't like no one knew who Lux was. Lux winked and blew some kisses into the crowd—disgusting. It was fortunate that his daughter looked nothing like him.

Some people even speculated that she wasn't actually his daughter. I liked to pretend that was true, as it made me feel a bit better for supporting her every now and then with sponsor money.

"Lux, I've got to know. How is River so…River?" Clark laughs, smiling in a friendly manner.

Lux shrugged, as if he didn't even know his own daughter. "She was always paranoid. I guess she must have trained herself or something—our butlers were very kind to her, most of them knew a thing or two."

Clark nodded, "Well, she looks like she might be our Victor! She's got this awesome scheme going on with the poison, killing tributes and running off. No one seems to notice she's doing it, either. It's a real throwback to Cypress Junos."

Nodding, Lux doesn't seem to have much to add. I'm becoming more and more convinced that he doesn't even know River.

"How do you feel about all of that, all of that trickery?" Clark questions, leaning forward again in his trademark pose. If he leaned much further forward, he would fall off of the chair.

"It's a way to survive," Lux answered. "I taught River that she can do whatever she needs, as long as she's able to live to see the next day. Other people exist to be used."

Clark nods, looking a bit uncomfortable. I know what everyone is thinking, of course. Lux doesn't know how to not encourage the tabloids—tomorrow, there'll probably be another feature just on him!

Maybe, actually, maybe that's what he wants. It hadn't occurred to me before, but he seemed to have a talent for putting his foot in his mouth.

"I'm glad she's manipulating them," Lux continued, "It's the proper way to do it. She's going to come home and I'll be prouder of her than ever before. It's not her fault if the other kids fall for it, is it?"

"Well, no…It just goes against the honor of the Hunger Games, wouldn't you say?" Clark prodded, smiling sweetly as always. He was such a looker, too!

"I wouldn't say that at all," Lux laughed, "If anything, it's in line with the very spirit of the Hunger Games!"

Everyone felt better once Lux was off the stage, and Arko's nearly identical twin was on. It was as if Arko had escaped the arena, just to be here with us! It was great, having him be the last boy in there, as he was rather good looking. None of the girls in the arena seemed to notice that, though.

Well, of course, this one had white looking hair—the very opposite of Arko's.

"Hello, Arko," Clark teased, "Wait, I mean, Damon! For all of you at home who don't know, this is Damon, Arko's twin brother."

"Hello," Damon said timidly, waving awkwardly. He was very rigid and forceful, yet nervous as well. It made for an odd mixture.

"So, what's home like for you, eh, Damon?" Clark grinned, clapping Damon on the back gently. He flinched slightly, looking like he had been struck.

"It's rather dull," Damon sighed, "Everyone is stupid and slow. There's no one to talk to. Honestly, being in the Capitol has been a breath of fresh air."

"Well, it must be! I've heard District Thirteen positively reeks!" Clark laughed, clowning around and miming what looked like someone dying from an odious smell. Damon didn't laugh.

"Indeed…," Damon paused, his accent becoming less and less noticeable, "Well, it continues to be boring. My brother is off in some insane arena, fighting for his life, and it makes hardly any sense to me."

Clark nodded, "Yeah, we get that a lot. But you know, if you look into the history of the Hunger Games, it's really great stuff! Helps me understand it, and now, I can't get enough!"

He laughed, yet it felt strangely forced. "Anyways, Damon, what do you think is going to happen when that countdown ends? Will your brother survive?"

"Probably not," Damon said bluntly, "The odds are simply not in his favor. I could pretend to have some burst of brotherly love and go on about how he has what it takes, but I simply don't know if he does. I'm unfamiliar with his strengths and how they would apply to this situation."

Clark stayed silent, unsure of how to react to that. I didn't blame him at all. I would have acted the same.

"Of course, I'm joking," Damon smiled, breaking into laughter. "Of course he's going to win! He's my brother, what do you take him for?"

Realizing what was going on, Clark started to smile again, joining Damon in laughter. "You're awfully confident in him. He's got some really tough competition."

"I've seen worse," Damon said, suddenly turning sour. "May I leave now?"

"Don't sound so desperate!" Clark exclaimed, faking offense, "Well, he does have a point. Let's get back to some live footage of the Hunger Games, shall we?"


Prodigy Mallord:

Ribbon Layfayette: stabbed accidentally with a trident by Sapphire Riddle (D4)

Avalon Argo: impaled with a lance by Arko Bleau (D13)

Scipio Masca: knife thrown at the heart by Emiliana Vincere (D3)-BB

Emiliana Vincere: throat slit by Arko Bleau (D13)

Mika Litz: skull shattered with a mace by Emiliana Vincere (D3)-BB

Sapphire Riddle:

Caspian Cavaliere: killed with a knife to the back, thrown by Avalon Argo (D2)-BB

Marlene Rosenthall: stabbed in the stomach with a trident by Sapphire Riddle (D4)-BB

Jeremy Carath: shot with an arrow by Avalon Argo (D2)

Soxalia Chia: killed with a knife to the neck, thrown by Emiliana Vincere (D3)

Morgan Blake: neck slit with scythe by Prodigy Mallord (D1)-BB

Aria Mallows: hit repeatedly in the head by Natalie McDoe, skull broke (D8)-BB

Benjamin Romulus: stabbed in the back with a scythe, left to bleed out by Prodigy Mallord (D1)

Natalie McDoe: poisoned by River Wolfsbane (D12)

Jaspe Hallindale: head cut off with a scythe by Prodigy Mallord (D1)-BB

Ivy Montina: stabbed by River Wolfsbane (D12)-BB

Emyrus Lapworth: stabbed by River Wolfsbane (D12)-BB

Amya Kessim: beheaded with an axe by Ribbon Layfayette (D1)-BB

Jango Trian: stabbed in the head with a sword by Natalie McDoe (D8)

Abrielle Miyo: stabbed with a trident by Sapphire Riddle (D4)-BB

Lotus Hakoda: slaughtered with a trident by Sapphire Riddle (D4)-BB

River Wolfsbane:

Shiloh Iscani: speared with a trident by Sapphire Riddle (D4)-BB

Cylana Ellis: poisoned by River Wolfsbane with datura flowers (D12)

Arko Bleu: