Lucian Sterling, 39: Head Gamemaker
I'm back in the control room when Draco comes in. I'm guessing he's finally finished the final write-ups on this year's tributes. I haven't seen them yet, so I'm itching to see what I'm working with.
"So, Draco, what do we have this year?" I ask.
"Well, Lucian, we have quite the interesting group this year," Draco says.
"Let's not waste any more time," I say. "Let me see what you got."
"Alright, just one second," Draco says. He pulls out a tablet from his backpack and connects it to the main screen in the control room. The seal of District 1 is displayed, then fades to show the stage. The camera focuses on a blonde girl with icy blue eyes, the trademark District 1 look.
"Annese Dior, eighteen years old. Lives with her mother and younger sister. Her father was an abusive drunk, but he died two years ago. She's not very well-liked amongst her peers, so if she remains a member of the Career alliance, she'll probably be the one causing the problems," Draco says.
"Sounds like a real bitch," I say. "She'll be great entertainment for the ones who love drama."
Next, an athletic-looking boy with tan skin and dark hair and eyes appears onscreen. He's wearing horn-rimmed glasses, an unusual accessory for Career tribute. Draco provides the summary.
"Cyrus Velaz-Ruiz, also eighteen years old. He lives with both of his parents and two older brothers. He's well known, but not the gregarious type. He's very academically gifted as well but has problems with communication. He probably won't be leading the Career pack."
"To be honest, he looks like a total dork," I say. "He'll have to prove himself in training if he wants to be taken seriously."
"Ready to move on?" Draco asks. I nod my head, not taking my eyes off the screen.
The seal of District 2 flashes on the screen, then is replaced by an overhead shot of the district's Square. The camera then zooms in on a girl with straight black hair and dark eyes. She almost looks uninterested, like she doesn't want to be there. I'm sure she volunteered, but why?
"Ancatha Adrienez, eighteen years old. Lives with her mother and father. Her Training Academy records say she's injury prone, having suffered from several minor injuries and a nasty spinal injury a couple years back."
Okay, it's a decent write up, but no explanation as to why she volunteered. Looks like I'll have to do some digging myself.
Ancatha's image is replaced with that of a heavily muscled boy with green eyes and curly brown hair. He appears to be much more enthusiastic about volunteering than Ancatha.
"Alto Keenwood, seventeen years old. He is an only child and lives with both parents. His Academy records are quite disturbing. He's extremely aggressive, going as far as to injure several of his classmates. He also despises anyone weaker than him. Most analysts are predicting that he'll finish with the most kills this year."
"Classic sadistic bully tribute, every Games needs one of those," I say. "Let's see what District 3 has to offer."
District 3's seal is displayed onscreen, then fades to show the gloomy, dilapidated Square. 3 is the first non-Career district, so the mood there is much darker than it was in 1 or 2.
A tiny girl with blonde hair and gray eyes appears, looking like she's in another world. She's so small that she looks too young to even be eligible for the Reaping.
"Artemisia Carnation-McIllroy, twelve years old. Lives with her two adoptive mothers. She's a very curious child, always craving adventure. However, she is very competitive and views everything as a competition. Our audience doesn't have much faith in her either, if she figures that out it'll be her mission to prove the doubters wrong."
"That's exactly how you prove the doubters right," I say. "She won't be making it far. Next tribute."
Artemisia is replaced by a skinny boy with tan skin and black hair. He looks scared to death standing up on stage.
"Elecc Linux, fourteen years old. He lives with his mother, father, and younger sister. He works at a small appliance repair shop. He was diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age and struggles in school because of it. He's had problems with bullies ever since he started school, and it has taken a toll on his self-esteem. He isn't expected to make much noise in the arena."
"I don't expect him to make much noise either, Draco," I say. "Let move on to 4."
The seal of District 4 is displayed on screen, then fades away to show the clean, bright Square. This image is soon replaced with that of a girl with black hair and brown eyes.
"Cece Sandwell, eighteen years old. She lives with her older sister. Her parents pretty much gave her the cold shoulder, so she's hoping that she can win the Games to earn the approval of her parents."
"She sounds desperate. I love the desperate ones. They'll do anything," I say, thinking about all the fun I'm going have with Cece.
Next, a boy with light brown hair and blue eyes is displayed. He has a confident smile plastered onto his face.
"Jason Lager, eighteen years old. He lives with both parents and two older sisters. He's very popular in his Academy, and was it was the Academy's unanimous decision to name him designated volunteer. However, he does have a tendency to be quite impulsive, so you could use that against him if you want. He's already the Capitol's favorite and is the analysts' pick for Victor."
"This Jason kid sounds like a real threat," I say. "What a great way to wrap up the Careers."
With that being said, the screen displays the seal of District 5, which fades away to show the Square and the surrounding desert landscape. This is then replaced by a girl with pale skin and fiery orange hair.
"Alice Seville, seventeen years old. She lives with two other orphan kids. She's the illegitimate daughter of Taylor Lennet, one of the wealthiest men in District 5. However, Taylor refuses to acknowledge her existence. Alice has tried to connect with him on several occasions only to be rejected. She also made quite the scene at the Reaping, refusing to shake her partner's hand and kicking over the girls' Reaping bowl. Let's just say she isn't that popular amongst the Capitol audience."
I don't like her one bit. Her little episode at the Reaping has already put her on thin ice. One more screw up and I'll have her blown sky high before the countdown starts.
Alice is replaced with a boy who looks like he could be her brother, with pale skin and red hair. He's young, but he isn't look scared at all.
"Tomaz Wellflower, twelve years old. He lives with his mother and father. He had a brother, but he was killed by peacekeepers at the age of 15. Tomaz's parents blamed him for his older brother and their favorite child's death, and rarely ever interacts with him. His brother's death took a toll on him, leaving him with some symptoms of PTSD."
"Tomaz will be a fun one as well," I say. "I can't wait to break him."
Tomaz's face is replaced with the seal of District 6. The seal then fades away, showing the largest Square in Panem, made to hold the largest district's population. The cameras then focus on an angry looking girl with box braids and dark brown eyes.
"North Freemont, eighteen years old. She lives with her mother in the projects of District 6. She's also a member of a street gang called the 6 Mob. She has a track record of getting into fights, most of them with rival gang members."
"So Ms. Freemont thinks she's tough," I say. "It'll be fun proving how soft she really is."
North's face is replaced with a strong looking boy with well-kept curly black hair. Despite looking physically fit, he looks terrified, hyperventilating and eyes brimming with tears.
"Taj Pavonis, seventeen years old. He lives with both parents, brother, and sister. He's quite the athlete, being a skilled basketball player. However, he has quite the dark side. He allegedly burned down a man's house and the headquarters of his father's former employer."
"I'm guessing he wants to appear weak," I say. "I'll play his little game."
The seal of District 7 is displayed next, followed by the tree-lined district Square. The cameras focus on a girl with curly hair and emerald green eyes.
"Piper Cullen, seventeen years old. Lives with her handicapped father. Her mother died in childbirth. She works at one of 7's many lumber yards, providing for both her and her father. Piper isn't the most well-liked girl mainly because she's so occupied with caring for her father."
I'll have fun messing with that relationship.
After Piper, a dark-skinned boy with black hair is shown. He looks young, but he has the composure of a much older tribute. What is up with these stone-faced little kids?
"Tyler Lockette, twelve years old. He lives with his large family, a mother, father, and four siblings. He has a clean record and actively stays out of trouble. Our analysts have found that Tyler is teetering on the lines of being intellectually gifted but has a history of being taken advantage of because some social difficulties."
The seal of District 8 flashes on the screen, then gives way to the dirty, rundown Square. A girl with black hair and dark brown eyes appears, looking quite shocked.
"Azo Cashmere, sixteen years old. She lives with her father and two younger sisters. Her father is Paxton Cashmere, a well-known designer. She works with him in his shop. Azo is a very quiet girl and shies away from the spotlight."
"She may be quiet, but we're not letting her fly under the radar," I say. "Let's see her district partner."
A plain-looking boy with brown hair and brown eyes dominates the screen. He appears shocked as well, but not as much as his partner.
"Isaak Monroe, fifteen years old. He lives with his father, who has been a widower for eight years. In addition to losing his mother, Isaak lost his girlfriend Lauren in last year's Games. He's shown symptoms of depression as well, most likely stemming from the deaths of two loved ones. He has a close relationship with the Kingstons, with them being a surrogate family."
It sucks for Isaak that he had to go through so much, but it's great for me. More material for me to use against him in the arena.
Isaak's image is replaced by the seal of District 9, which transitions to the district Square. After this, a petite girl with short brown hair and blue eyes is shown.
"Avena Mayes, seventeen years old. She's the fourth child out of five in her family. Other than working out on the fields, Avena doesn't spend much time with her family. She spends most of her time with a girl named Teff. Our records show that Avena is quite clingy and suffers from separation anxiety whenever she isn't with Teff."
"You said she's seventeen?" I ask Draco.
"Yes, sir," he answers.
"She doesn't look any older than fourteen," I say. "She probably won't be a major player this year. Next tribute."
A boy with curly hair and dark brown is displayed, looking like he's just seen a ghost.
"Cannoli Cartwright, thirteen years old. He lives with his adoptive parents and works in their bakery. Cannoli's a bit of a slacker, and only really cares about playing soccer. He's quite the skilled player too."
"Well, kicking a ball around isn't going to get him anywhere in the arena," I mumble as the screen's display transitions to the seal of District 10. A tall, slim girl with dark brown hair is shown. She looks absolutely furious standing up on stage.
"Kaliah McFulton, eighteen years old. She lives with her parents and two siblings. Her father is 'heat seeking' Bill McFulton, a former bounty hunter. Kaliah is known around District 10 for her hair trigger temper and tendency to get into fights."
"Another fighter like that 6 girl," I say. "She'll be fun."
Kaliah's face is replaced by the visage of an equally angry-looking boy with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes.
"Kaven Brock, fifteen years old. He lives with his parents and is an only child. He's been a problem child his entire life. He gets into fights, breaks rules, and is generally an all-around nuisance."
District 10 is angry this year. I love it. Hopefully they'll spice things up.
District 11's seal is displayed next, followed by an overhead shot of the Square. The camera zooms in on a girl with curly black hair and a scar on the right side of her face.
"Niobe Anicello, sixteen years old. She lives with both parents and has no siblings. Niobe has quite the history. She works as part of an orchard's night crew where she keeps birds and other pests from eating crops. They're required to keep a count of each animal they kill, but Niobe and a few other workers would steal the birds they killed, most likely for sustenance. Niobe's father took the lashings for her, but she was struck with the butt of a peacekeeper's gun when she tried to get them to stop, resulting in the scar you see on her face."
A thief. She could cause a lot of problems based on her sneakiness alone. After Niobe, a strong-looking boy with black hair and brown eyes appears on screen.
"André Barley, eighteen years old. He lives with his parents and is an only child. He's currently in a romantic relationship with a girl named Chloe Fields. André is a very passive individual and likes to avoid conflict."
"Make a note to put him in as many confrontations with other tributes in the arena as we can," I say. "He can't stay passive if he wants to win."
Draco scribbles what I just said into his notes as the screen displays the seal of District 12. The Square of the final district is old and gloomy, much like the rest of the district. The cameras focus on a small girl with olive skin and dark brown hair.
"Eris Kalking, twelve years old. She lives with her mother and stepfather. When her mother remarried, Eris moved from the Seam to the merchant sector. She still hasn't warmed up to her stepfather after several years and is viewed as a cold-hearted person by her peers."
So, the little girl wants to be cold-hearted? I'll show her cold-hearted.
The final tribute shown is a tall boy with curly brown hair. Out of all the non-Career tributes, he looks to be the strongest, which is odd for District 12.
"Callum Selkirk, eighteen years old. He lives with his mother and three siblings. His father died in a work accident seven years ago. Ever since, Callum has been caring for his younger siblings in lieu of both his father and mother, who has been forced to work longer hours."
"Well Draco, looks like we've got quite the interesting bunch this year," I say. "I can't wait to see what they do for us."
Hey guys, I'm back with a Capitol interlude chapter. I hope this shows you more of Lucian's personality as well as some more background information on the tributes.
Questions:
What do you think of Lucian's opinions of the tributes? Do they match yours?
The next chapter will be the goodbyes. Check my profile page to see which tributes will have a POV.
Until next time,
Ty