Aemil Frowiss

Head Gamemaker of the Saturn Games

My basement isn't really a basement per se. I know I call it that, but it's just a cover up name. In reality, it's a small closet, hidden behind a large wooden cabinet, invisible to a plain human's sight. And I don't use it like a basement or closet, it's actually where I hide my Silphium stash. If anybody found out I had such a prolific amount, I'd either be raided and shot, or rewarded with a life long vacation in prison. It is extremely rare and highly sought after all. I could sell it all and have enough money to retire at age 29. But I won't, as I have a crippling addiction to injecting it into my body.

If it weren't for Silphium, I'd never be where I am today. It gives me the creativity and intelligence I need in life. Every time I take a hit, I'm transported to a wonderland where I receive all my artistic visions, which I use to design and program arenas. Without it, my ideas would be a lot more...boring. After all, the arena I pitched to Fabian was designed under the influence and it was what got me the job.

Silphium is also why I purchased this shitty run down log cabin at the edge of the Capitol anyway. It was cheap, as nobody would ever want to own a hellhole like this, except for a druggie who was trying to lay low for a while. As soon as I had finished my job in the city, I dashed away to here. I had a couple of weeks before my Saturn Games duties started again, so I thought it might as well spend it relaxing and enjoying myself, right? But nope, it's already been destroyed after a couple of days.

I had never expected this to happen. I had passed out in a comatose (probably) earlier this morning, when an annoying incessant loud knocking woke me up. I tried to ignore it, but it was never ending, so I had no choice really. A harpy of a woman seemed to be on the other side, gaunt and underfed, insane looking with her ratty brown straw hair and scared eyes. At first, I assumed she was a District lady who had somehow infiltrated the Capitol. Then I assumed she was some sort of delusional crackhead, after she told me she was running from a dangerous group of people who wanted to kill her? So my natural reaction was to hide her, as I thought her paranoid fantasies were entertaining and I wanted to see more.

But once more, I've been proven wrong! There really is a group out there, willing to kill this lady who's practically skin and bones at this point. What could be so terrible

about her, that they'd need a massive crowd of people to hunt her down?

Every inch of the cabin is a complete mess. My face drops into a gasp of horror as I realise what they did to my disgusting second home. The furniture has either been overturned, ripped up or pushed about, my plants are all now dead after being rooted out and all the content of my draws and cabinets have been taken out and spilled everywhere. Dirt, mud and glass is everywhere. It'll take me a lifetime to fix this place up again.

The woman emerges from my closet, with a terrified look too. I could see tears well up in her eyes, as she notes the condition of the house. "I'm so, so sorry…they're a group of monsters. They'll destroy anything in their path just to get to me. I should have known what they'd do to this place too."

I ignore her, taking a walk down the corridor, looking at the smashed picture frames. Wow...they must have really done this out of spite. What the fuck would I hide in a picture frame? How could it hide this woman? This cottage isn't an elaborate maze with a bunch of tricks and traps.

"I'm so so sorry." She said, following behind me, as I muttered curses.

"Please shut the fuck up and stop apologising." I shout back, tracing my hands on the walls. My beautiful hellhole...gone...destroyed...ruined…I really feel like I should care more about this. I just feel emotionless when there isn't any Silphium in my body...maybe I should take another pill quickly, before she notices. I went to take some when we were hiding, but the old lady hit me. She should mind her own business and be thankful I was even hiding her.

The two of us make it to the living room, where we sit on the faux bear rug, in front of the roaring fire. They were nice enough to turn that on for whatever reason. Maybe they were cold from the heavy storm outside. Speaking of the storm, I wouldn't be shocked if a bolt of lightning strikes down and burns the house down, knowing my luck today.

"Look, I'm not asking for much, but all I need are some answers." I say in my usual monotone voice.

"I'll answer as much as I can, Aemil." She responds, shaking slightly still. I can see how clammy her hands are, as she tries to rub them off on the rug. She's still crying immensely, occasionally hiccuping once every while. So I pass her a tissue box, which is one of the things they ignored.

What do I ask first? There's simply too many options. "Well, who are you? Why were you running? And who from?"

"I can't...can't say my real name, sorry." She says, looking away from my stare. "Just call me...Agatha."

Agatha is a shitty name to choose for yourself, but sure, I'll call you that. "Ok, Agatha, now answer my other questions."

"Now, please don't judge me, but I was running from the army...I'm somewhat of a criminal in their eyes, but I've done nothing wrong, I promise." Agatha drops that bombshell out of nowhere, as if it's just something you do in your everyday life.

"Criminal? You aren't a serial killer, are you?" Oops, that just slips out.

Agatha shakes her head. "No, no! I can't even fathom hurting somebody like that. All I did was…" She pauses for a second. "I'm a bit of a...political opponent, which is illegal, as you know."

"Political opponent? Should I recognise you then?" I ask, as I really don't. I'm not really that engaged in the current political affairs and state of the country, as I struggle to remember all the details. I can only name the big names, which probably isn't some insane bat like Agatha. And if I did know her at some point, I've probably forgotten about it due to this Silphium.

Agatha shrugs. "I thought you would, but I'm glad you don't. It's much easier this way."

I think for a few seconds. I guess that's true, if we're looking from her angle. But I'm still out of the loop. "Geez, you must have been really fuckin' big for those dickheads to be chasing you then."

She frowns. I see her grab a tissue from the side, which she dabs her eyes with. "I'm big to them still. Most people have forgotten about me, but they haven't. I'm too important to certain subgroups of people, so they can't forget about me."

God, all her vague talk and skirting around the real topics really isn't helping at all. I know she's probably doing it for her safety, but I'm now a part of her troubles too, so I should get to know what's going on too, right?

"So what, have you been in hiding or something?" I ask, which she nods too. "For how long?"

"For almost a decade." Agatha says, with a bittersweet smile. The light reflecting in her eyes and tears make them twinkle. It almost makes me feel bad for a second, though I'd feel a lot worse if she wasn't responsible for the destruction of my home. "I just keep...moving around, never settling down anywhere. Because if I settle down, they'll either kill me, or everybody around me. And I'm not killing any of my new families again."

"They killed your old family?" I ask, disgusted. She can't stop the tears anymore, as I notice her body shake even more. "I'm sorry...to hear that…"

I try to pat her on the back, pulling her into a hug. But it doesn't help. All it does is make my clothes wet, as she cries even more. I can't look at her face, as I feel a lot more empathetic and awkward now.

"And they'll kill you too." She chokes out. "Which is why I'm going to leave as soon as I can."

In truth, I'm somewhat relieved. I value my life too much to give it up for her, no matter how bad I feel for what she's going through. "I'm going back to the city home too. Where will you go?"

Agatha shrugs, looking even more dejected now. "The city too, I assume. I want to get to the Districts, but that's not possible at the moment. I don't have the supplies or means to get across that large mountain."

"I don't either, so I can't help you with that, love. I can take you back to the city if you like. But that's probably the best I can do."

Agatha thinks about it for a second. "That'd be very appreciated, thank you." She smiles, pulling me into a tighter hug. I don't know how to respond, so I awkwardly hug back. I guess I'm escorting her now then?

Aurelia Ozment

Former President of Panem

Sometimes, when I've had a little bit too much to drink, I really start to miss home. Being able to sit by the warmth of a fireplace, surrounded by the laughter and love of my family and friends is a sensation I'll never get to experience again, but it's one I can't help miss. I can never go back; that's just the sad reality I have to face.

But the fresh forest air is enough to bring me back down again, grounding me to reality. It's one of those small things in life that I can appreciate, that helps keep me fighting and surviving. It distracts me from all the things I miss from my old life and helps me find things to love about my new one. Something as small as that might seem insignificant, but now that I've lost everything, I can't help but fall in love with all the tiny things I'd usually ignore.

And I have to appreciate it now, as it'll all be gone again soon...I'll be on the move once more, with a blank slate and hopeful smile. Who knows what I'll find to love in my new life? But while the prospect is exciting, I'm dreading the journey. I'm ready to settle down and rest my old soul now, for the remainder of my life...but that isn't a possibility.

I've had to leave my new family and my new home again. I thought it was safe in my friend Balbina's summer cottage, but they still managed to find me. Wherever I go, I'll never be hidden. President Scuttle will always be hunting me down, to capture me and torture me for the 10 year's of rebellion knowledge I have. He tried to assassinate me when I was in power and he'll keep trying now.

And even worse, I'm now with a strange looking man, Aemil. They destroyed his cabin because of me, but I'd rather that than them killing me or him.

Seeing Aemil getting in and driving his car, with his dyed pastel purple skin, tinted sunglasses, tattoos of streaks of different bright colours and curled white mullet is just...strange...I have to keep reminding myself that the people of the Capitol are changing when I'm not there. Doing all these silly things to your body is becoming the norm now! Oh, how times have changed. My parents would have screamed at the sight of somebody like Aemil, but now it's applauded!

Would my parents even recognise me though? I still look vaguely human, but all this surgery has changed me...I wonder how they'd react to me, right now.

I also wonder whether Aemil's just following the trends, or changing himself to cover up the side effects of all those Silphium drugs he's been taking. The purple dye covers his saggy yellowing skin, the sunglasses hide his bloodshot eyes and his mullet wig hides his balding head.

Thinking about it, it probably isn't too wise to let him drive. But I can't drive either...so it's the only option I have. He makes me hide in the boot, where I can't be seen. Luckily, I'm small enough to have a little bit of leg room, but it's not much. It's annoying but oh well.

"So, Aemil, where do you work?" I ask, curiously. I don't know much about him, apart from that he's rich enough to own two homes and a worrying amount of drugs.

"Know the Saturn Games?" He says, keeping his eyes on the bumpy road. I shake my head, not liking the sound of it. "It's like some...Hunger Games sort of game, for the Capitol kids. They can run about in a virtual reality world, killing each other like the little shits they are. But they don't die at the end of it, because we'd have all the pissed off parents moaning at us if they did."

Huh? I really don't like the sound of this. One of my main policies was to try to end the Hunger Games, though it failed before I could fully pass it through. I didn't have the power to keep it going and the further along it went, the more people rioted.

The Hunger Games are cruel and barbaric. To even think of making a parody of the games is disgusting.

"So what have you got to do with them?" I ask.

"I'm the head Gamemaker. I applied to be the Gamemaker in the actual games, but they turned me down, pshh. But I get more power here, as I get to design the virtual world and help pick the theme for the year."

As petty as I sound, I think it's good you didn't get in. But I don't say that, as I don't want to upset the person driving me in the middle of nowhere. The last thing I'd want is to be walking out in the open, all vulnerable.

"So what's the theme for this year?"

Aemil doesn't respond straight away. "We had a year hiatus, so it's going to be like a soft reboot. So the theme is like, starting anew? It was some sappy bullshit but that's what old Fabby wants. But it let me get real creative too. I had to dig deep down to get the games to an acceptable state. The Silphium helped."

"How incredible."

"You sound amazed." Aemil snarkily responds, which I giggle too. "Anyway, it's my turn for a question now. When you went running from Scuttle or whatever, why did you come to my house? Why didn't you hide in your own one? It's been on my mind for a while now."

I frown, not sure where to start. "Well, I was staying at my friend's house for a bit, while I planned out my next move." Oh, how I miss Balbina already. I don't know if I'll ever be able to see again…

"I was out on a walk in the forest, when she called me, about how she saw a large number of soldiers deployed in the woods. I foolishly went too far and wouldn't have been able to get back to her house soon, so I knew I had to go hide elsewhere. And I didn't want to endanger her either."

"But you were willing to endanger me." He mumbles, tapping the driving wheel.

"It was a risk I had to make." I coldly say, not feeling ashamed about my actions. It was either him or Balbina. I knew who I was picking. "And your house was the first place I found."

Aemil takes a sudden swerve, causing me to knock into the side. Owch. "What would you have done if I reported you?" I don't answer, as I don't want to think of it. It doesn't have to be mentioned.

"How did they even become aware of you being in the forest?" He asks, bored of the silence.

I shrug. "It could be anything. Somebody could have seen me when I was on a walk. Or that friend could have betrayed me and tipped them off. It's not that important. If I keep thinking about it, I'll just drive myself crazy."

He shrugs. "Fair enough."

We ride for a little while, until we can see the skyline. Ah, it's actually...somewhat beautiful. I'm not much of a street rat, much preferring nature, but it's nice to see home after being gone for so long. Maybe I can start anew, find another surgeon and settle down, even if it's just for a little bit. Or I could attempt to run away to the Districts, like I was planning to. Even if my options are limited, I'll find a way to survive. I'll keep on fighting, no matter what Scuttle wants.

Thanks for reading this chapter! Here we meet some more important side characters, Aemil and Aurelia (who's also Agatha.) Aurelia was the president before Scuttle, who stepped down after a close assasination attempt and Aemil is the head Gamemaker. They'll also be appearing in the next prologue, which'll help set most of the side plot into motion, along with President Scuttle.

We've received 3 submissions so far, two girls and one boy, which is great! Hopefully we can receive some more, as I know many people have reached out about how they're planning to submit.

The deadline is Saturday April 17th, so there's still two weeks! Thank you again!