At first, she hadn't realised this is what she had always wanted.
Sure, she loved the games. She did, she loved them- there was nobody more informed than her on the subject, and her friends went to her if they ever needed to know the latest theories and suspected arenas. She loved the games.
But being a part of them? That had never occurred to her until now.
Sisyphia's mouth was dry as she made her way through the wide paved streets of the Inner City, making only cursory greetings and kisses to those she passed. Every reflective surface had become her tool for anxious checks and re-checks of her hair, her makeup, her clothes. Every re-check confirmed the same thing- curling pink hair offset with lime green contacts, a tulle skirt and bodice to match the colours. Her nails had been perfectly re-done at her morning nail clinic, and she had styled them gold to match the curling tattoos on her fingers.
She flicked another glance at a gambling emporium's window, squinting past the lights inside to make out her appearance in the glass. Her image was distorted by the glitzy lights, and she gave up and moved on, picking up her walking pace incrementally as she rounded the corner to see the Games Headquarters courtyard.
Only a few hundred metres from City Square, the Games Headquarters courtyard was the central focal point for the creation of the games; a busy courtyard of black granite with inlayed brushed steel to form the seal of Panem.
On the left of the courtyard, a primarily steel building with no windows, inlaid with lines of lights glowing from its surface. The Creation Centre was the technical powerhouse, the home of the gamemakers.
On the right, a building resplendent with lights shining from its mostly glass walls formed the City Studio, home to Caesar Flickerman's shows and the bulk of the Games' televisual output. Already people were gathering for Flickerman's first official Games show- on any other year, Sisyphia would be there with them. Instead, she walked on, across the seal of Panem, to the Training Center.
Backing onto City Square and the Headquarters courtyard, the Training Center was the jewel in the crown of both; a towering skyscraper above the Capitol, shining glass and matte steel in sharp relief. It was the pride and joy of the Capitol, and it was Sisyphia's destination.
As she walked to its theshold, nigh-imperceptible flickering lasers scanned her irises. A soft tone sounded above, and the wide doors to the Centre slid open. Candy-coloured and lace-decorated, Sisyphia crossed the boundary from observer to participant.
A young man at a desk looked up at Sisyphia's arrival. He minimally raised an eyebrow at the candy-coloured woman in the foyer.
"Escort interviews, right?"
"That's right, yes- ah, Sisyphia-"
"Yeah. I know." The man returned his gaze to his computer screen. "Take the elevator to floor five, first door on the right."
Sisyphia was not one for unnecessary anger, but she wasn't one for being ignored, and made absolutely sure the man knew her presence by flouncing to the elevator, tulle skirt bouncing at her steps.
She made her way to the fifth floor, and came to the first door on the right; unassuming, soberly set within the corridor.
Sisphyia took a deep breath, opened it and stepped through.
Then looked down at the void beneath her feet.
Screaming, she immediately jumped back across the doorway, staring down at the void she had stepped into. When her adrenaline left her, it was clear it was only farce- a crystal clear glass floor showed the way down to the ground.
And at the other end of the room with the glass floor was set the interview table.
Sisyphia bit her lip. The terror of walking across a glass floor five stories up in a skyscraper made her want to give up, to go back down to the man at the desk and demand another room for her interview. But she had come this far, and Sisyphia was not one to give up so soon. With a tiny squeak of fear, she slowly and carefully made her way across the glass room, sinking into the chair like her life depended on it.
In front of her, opposite the door she had entered, three men entered the room. She stood up hastily, only slightly swaying with the nausea of looking below, to greet the men as they sat opposite her.
"Sisyphia Maurice," she greeted them with the admiration she felt the men deserved. "I'm here for-"
"-The escort interviews, we know," replied the first man, sitting down without being asked. "Lexus Valerian. I'm the head of the Technological Innovation Commission for the Capitol, but this year I'm the new tech head for the Games."
"Oh, I know," Sisyphia gushed. "You've been Panem's Most Eligible Bachelor for three years running."
Lexus winked with glittering blue eyes, pushing up his spiky silver-dyed hair. "Don't need to tell me that, babe. A little birdie's told me I'm in the shortlist for year four."
The man next to him smiled with overt professionalism, one sculpted blue eyebrow raising. "And which little birdie is that?"
Lexus returned the raised eyebrow. "None you can afford, Flickerman."
At that, Caesar Flickerman casted a quick glance at Sisyphia, and his perennial smile dropped a tiny increment. He was about to speak when the final man in the room spoke up.
"If we can return to the matter at hand?" He smiled and offered a hand to Sisyphia. "I'm Seneca Crane, Head Gamemaker. I understand you've been interested in escorting our tributes?"
As Sisyphia tentatively left across the glass floor, the three man waited for her to leave in silence. The door shuts with a soft click, and Lexus sprung from his seat, loosening his tie and walking in aimless circles across the glass floor.
"If we have another interview, I'm going to quit," Lexus groaned, stretching out his arms. "I have too much work and too many pretty fans to be doing this shit."
Flickerman remained seated, looking through a slim manila file. "Blow-up dolls don't count, Valerian."
Lexus turns, a cocky smile on his face. "And you'd know, Flickerman?"
Flickerman returned with his trademark professional smile. "Well, I'm always hoping to learn from the expert. Tell me, do you use your engineering prowess for the dolls, or do you actually do any work around here that utilises your talents?"
Lexus waved his hand boredly. "A little of column A, a little of... designing the entire arena and everything in it." He faced Flickerman head-on. "Other than looking pretty for the camera, what do you actually do around here, Caesar?"
"Mask your incompetence?"
Lexus made a sudden violent motion towards Caesar, but before he could move any further towards him Seneca Crane stood up. The mediating force suddenly making itself known in a senior position, Lexus stopped still.
"Let's not get off-subject here, okay?" Seneca asked, rounding the table and plucking the file from Flickerman's hands. "What did you think of her?"
Lexus shrugged. "Pretty girl- a bit airheaded."
Flickerman raised an eyebrow again. "As if that's ever been an issue."
Crane shook his head. "She went across the glass floor without much trouble; she seems like a good candidate."
Lexus nodded. "Determined, I'll give her that."
Flickerman sighed. "There's not all that much competition, and none of them showed as much willingness to go across the floor. I think Maurice is the one." The concession surprised the other two men in the room, but went without comment.
"She's the girl?" Lexus questioned.
Seneca gave a final look at the file. "She's the girl."
The men nodded and left the room, crystal glass leaving no trace they were there.
Sisyphia Maurice is the creation of Anna Blake- with thanks to them.
One Capitolian space has been filled, with one remaining- many tribute spots are also available. Good luck to anyone sending tributes or Capitolians.