Julian "Jewels" Smith (23)
Victor of the 145th Hunger Games
It is the day before the reaping, the day before another 23 kids will be sent to the arena like lambs to the slaughter. Normally, I wouldn't really worry too much about The Games, but if the tribute I'm mentoring were similar to the boy from last year, I'm pretty much done for. Everyone knows how the Victor from the previous year - Priscilla I think her name was? - Won by killing literally no one, and that was only have been possible if the Careers are weak-ass bitches who aren't capable of doing anything productive. Hopefully the tributes this year are a more entertaining bunch.
This year, the escorts are arriving a day earlier than usual to explain the twist for the Quarter Quell. According to the Capitol, it's important for the Mentors to know what exactly is going on to better prepare the tributes. That's one thing I agree with them on, we need to know what exactly this whole 'risk' thing is so we can help them come up with a plan. Seems easy enough.
District 1's escort, Annelie Pressley, walks up to me and Esmeralda, the other mentor from District 1, and sits in a velvet colored couch across from us. "Well, well," Annelie says with a flourish of her hand, "Shall I begin?"
Esmeralda looks up from her fingers and gives the absurdly dressed woman a smirk. "You better. Or I will skewer you with my fork."
Esmeralda Mattea… I've tried getting with her several times, but every time I've tried she's threatened me with various kinds of gruesome deaths. I doubt she'd do anything, though, because everyone knows just how affected she was by her Games. She killed 10 people – 3 in the bloodbath, 4 others throughout Days 2-5, and in the Finale her fellow Career tributes, including her district partner. We've known each other all throughout childhood, but ever since her win 3 years ago she'll no longer speak to me, and if I ever confront her she'll just give me the bird and walk off. She was probably just hit by her Victory stronger than I was.
"Jewels! Jewels, are you paying any attention to a word I'm saying?!" The shrill voice of Annelie shook me out of my thoughts and I looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.
"Huh..? Oh, you were explaining the Quarter Quell, weren't you?" Esmeralda flicked me on the shoulder and I flinched. "Or… Maybe you weren't?"
Annelie gave me a disapproving glare. "No, I was just going to do that now. Are both of you paying attention now?" She leaned forward and looked us both in the eyes. I good-naturedly nod at her, while Esmeralda just rolls her eyes.
"Just go on with it already." Annelie perks up and sits up so straight and tense in her chair I'm surprised her back isn't breaking.
"Let's say that there was a chance of you becoming stronger, or of having greater speed, or of being temporarily invincible. You would all grab for the chance right?" Wow, this new escort is a much better conversationalist than the last one, all she ever did was complain about mahogany. Wouldn't anyone go for that?
Esmeralda seems to have understood quicker than I did, even without further explanation. "So, basically, you can-"
"Please be quiet and let me finish speaking," Annelie demands. "Along with these positive buffs, will be plenty of negative buffs as well. Your muscles can be weakened, your accuracy can be lowered, and you can even be killed. Would you still take the chance?"
That was a good question, but I have a better one to ask first. "How do you… Get these 'buffs'?"
Annelie shakes her head at me and sighs. "Why won't any of you let me run my spiel? You," she points at me in disgust. "I expected 'Panem's Favorite Brother' to actually be a better person. And you," she points at Esmeralda, "are just plain disrespectful. Just because you killed a lot of people doesn't mean you're better than everyone else!"
Esmeralda sticks her middle finger out at the escort and storms out of the room. "Be sure to tell me what happens," She tells me, right before the door is slammed shut.
I look to Annelie and give her a pleading look. "C'mon. Just continue your thing." She gives me a bright smile and continues her explanation.
"To answer your question, Jewels, these 'buffs' are obtained by shattering gems. Isn't that ironic? Because your nickname is Jewels, ha-ha!" Annelie laughs at her own joke and, just to seem like a good person I laugh too. It wasn't that funny.
"Okay… Care to explain a little more? You just break gems, and you get stronger or weaker? Is there a way to identify between the two? I mean, I'd guess not but-"
Annelie shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know, maybe if you were smart enough you can figure it out? Or maybe there's a device, or maybe it's both," Annelie leans in closer to me and whispers something in my ear. "Do you want to know a secret?"
I nod, and she smiles. "I wouldn't trust any device or gem you get from the cornucopia. Just some inside information the Head Gamemaker told me. Just… don't tell anyone, okay?" I nod again, and, pushing the escort's face away from my ear I stand up.
"Thank you for the information. I guess I'll see you again tomorrow, am I right?" Annelie stands up and pulls me in a tight hug.
"Yes, you will." She then left the room.
I wonder what the tributes are going to do. Obviously, I'm going to tell them to not trust the cornucopia, but can I even trust what Annelie told me? She has no reason to be honest with me. I guess I'll just think this over a little over the course of today.
So... Here is a POV from the one Victor that was submitted, so a quick shout out to the victor of panem for Jewels... I hope I got him right, I read your story but I feel I didn't get him quite right. Oh whale.
I'm going to be writing about the sponsor system here now, so if you want your tributes to make it far in the Games getting sponsor points will be a huge help to your tribute!You can obtain points by doing the following:
Submit a Tribute: 150 points
Submit a Mentor: 75 points
Submit an Escort: 50 points
Tribute Dies: 100 points
The Capitol's Favorite Tributes: These won't be happening until later, but once I get all the tributes I'll upload a poll where you all vote for your Top 3 favorite tributes! So the tributes who score highly there will be earning some amount of sponsor points (I don't know how many yet).
These are the things you can buy with your sponsor points:
Food: Tell me what kind of food you want and I'll tell you the cost, between 50 and 150 points
Empty water bottle: 15 points
Full water bottle: 30 points
Flashlight: 120 points
Matches: 90 points
Sleeping Bag: 175 points
Medicine: Tell me what medicine or first aid supplies you need, and I'll tell you the cost, between 30 and 300 points
Sword/Axe/Spear/Trident: 350 points
Thowing Knives (10): 200 points
Bow: 200 points
Arrows (10): 150 points
Iodine: 100 points
Device that tells what gem has what ability: 1000 points
Map of the Arena: 250 points
Rope: 50 points
Wire: 50 points
Night vision goggles: 300 points
Tent: 400 points
Instant-Death Poison: 350 points (about 3 doses)
Small backpack: 200 points (Includes 5 random items)
Medium backpack: 300 points (Includes 7 or 8, depending on what they are, random items)
Large backpack: 400 points (Includes 10 random items)
I know that this isn't exactly all the things to get from sponsor points- if there's anything in particular you want your tribute to have, PM or review and I'll tell you the cost :)
Oh, and one more twist? The cost of everything increases by 5% each day that tributes are in the arena... So if you want to get something expensive better get it quick!
I'm going to try this out: Questions for this chapter?
1.) Did Jewels seem okay? I feel as if I've made him bland, and I wish I captured his personality better :(
2.) Any improvements I should make to the sponsor system? Tell me now, and I'll correct it because I want to have a good beginning to my life!
3.) What do you think about the Quell twist in general?
Maybe drop a review down below? I'd love to know your opinion, especially if it's constructive criticism!