Prologue 3 - I Almost Snapped


Daniel Ranger - 24

Photographer

"Beauty comes in many forms.

Gotta catch 'em all."


Snap!

I adjusted the lens and brought the camera back up to my face. I'd never had a job like this before! I'd admired these types of pictures from afar for so long. I was honored that Sabrina reached out to me for this. We'd been best friends in primary school, but I haven't seen her in years. I'm surprised she remembered me. The girl's a big shot Gamemaker now too, who would've thought!

"How are the pictures coming, Daniel?"

I turned around to see Sabrina walking towards me. She was fiddling with the leaves of a tree. The tree was anything but normal. The leaves were a vibrant pink, and the trunk a bold magenta. It somewhat resembled a cherry blossom, but was a completely different shade.

"They're actually turning out really great!" I exclaimed. "Did...did you really build all this?"

"Me? Oh, no," she replied. "I didn't build it. But I did design it. Came up with the idea all by myself."

"Wow..." I said. "I've been a Hunger Games enthusiast since I was a small child. In all my years I've never seen an arena like this."

"That's because I haven't been a Gamemaker until this year."

I smiled as she ran her hands across the trunk. Her eyes were lighting up. I could tell that she was impressed with how well the builders brought her vision to life.

Every year, the Capitol Press releases a Pre-Game Magazine. It includes information on all the Tributes as well as a sneak peak of the arena. That's what I was hired to take pictures for. I have been running a small photography business since I graduated High School, but I haven't gotten many jobs and was nowhere near famous. Due to this, I was shocked when I recieved an offer from the Gamemakers themselves to take photos for the Pre-Game Magazine.

"How did you do it?" I asked as we walked side-by-side along a pastel colored creek. "Come up with this, I mean. It feels like I've walked straight into a fairytale."

"The greatest Magicians never reveal their secrets," she said with a smile. She paused and turned to look into the water. "But I'll make an exception just this once."

"Oh?" I asked. I leaned over the creek with her.

"I was inspired by this book," she said. "It reminded me a lot of what the rebels are trying to do." I clenched my teeth at that. I hate the rebels. All they're trying to do is ruin the perfect world the President has in place. We're thriving. We don't need a battle. "I knew I needed to scare them into submission," she continued. "So I based the arena off the world that was portrayed in the book. Though most of it was my own imagination, of course."

"That's brilliant!" I exclaimed. "But how exactly do you plan to scare them?"

"That'll come in time, Danny!" she said, grabbing my arm. "Just wait until you see what I have in store! These games will go down in history, I'm sure of it!"

"That's-"

Snap!

My words were cut short. That wasn't a camera snap. That was a fabric snap. I watched, panicked, as my camera broke free of the ring around my neck and fell into the creek. My blood ran cold. That camera was a gift from my Mother before she passed away. It was the last thing I had left of her, and I treasured it dearly. How could this happen!?

"No!" I screamed, lunging for the creek. Sabrina pulled me back.

"Daniel! What are you doing?! You're going to get wet!"

"My- My camera!"

The world was quiet for a moment. All you could hear was the roaring of the water that had once been a gentle creek. Sabrina slowly opened her mouth.

"Look again."

Startled, I looked into the water. It was calm again. And in my reflection...was the camera. Intact, around my neck.

"I had no idea that camera meant so much to you," she said.

"I never told you that!" I said.

"But now I know," she said with a sigh. "I didn't turn off the special technology before you came in. I wanted to see if it would work."

"If what would work?" I asked, nervously.

"We've been working on an intense simulation that shows the tribute's greatest fears," she explained. "It's supposed to read their emotions and even memories to find out what it is, then replicate it in an extremely lifelike simulation. It was my idea - a fun fantasy world that secretly housed a nightmare."

"Sabrina..." I said. "That's even more brilliant!"

"What?" she said. "I thought you'd be mad at me! You know, because I made you think you lost your camera and..."

"It was an amazing experience," I told her. "I never realized how much this silly little camera actually meant to me. You showed me that I treasure it more than anything else. And I'm glad I know that now. A moment of adrenaline is very much worth the lifetime I'll have of keeping this in good shape."

"I'm glad you like it!" She exclaimed, a glowing smile adorning her face. "I can't wait to see it in action!"

"Me either."


A/N: Hello and thank you for reading yet another prologue chapter! It looks like Daniel and Sabrina might have a thing for each other, but we'll have to wait and see where that goes. There is only one more prologue chapter before we get into the Reapings! I'm very excited, as this final prologue will finally reveal the identity and mission of your favorite mystery, Y.X.X.

There are a few slots still open, so feel free to submit a tribute!

Until next time dear readers, I wish you a good week!

- Rascal Ratface