Puer Begonia, 28, Interim Head Gamemaker

The Presidential Palace

July 15th, Year 75

An Avox shut the door behind Puer Begonia as she exited the president's office. The sound of the door echoed around the halls of the mansion intimidatingly as Puer quickly made her way to the exit, escorted by two palace guards.

Puer kept a stone-cold expression on her face as the openness of the walls around her threatened to swallow her whole. She focused on her walking, and tried to ignore the clicking noises her pink heels made on the marble floors, and dimly aware of the scuffs that the old things were probably making on the tile. Her palms were growing sweaty from the nerves, and she had to fight not to wipe them off on her nice rose-colored suit. Instead, she clenched her hands into fists, her oval shaped nails nearly breaking the skin.

Puer wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry. This was the opportunity of a lifetime, but even now, the bodies of Plutarch Heavensbee and Seneca Crane swung in the breeze on live television, with the heading "Disgraced Gamemakers Executed by Hanging" scrolling below. She had big shoes to fill, or rather not fill, if she wanted to avoid that same fate.

One would think after five years of being in charge of a deathmatch, she'd be used to seeing death by now, but there was a stark difference between viewing death through a screen and having it hit home. Just yesterday evening, she had spoken to Plutarch. Now, he was dangling from a noose, displayed on the Avenue of the Tributes for all to see, for her to see once she arrived back at the Tribute Center, alongside the former Head Gamemaker. Publicly, it was because of the disaster that was the Third Quarter Quell. A quick Games combined with the controversial rule change, the clock mechanism malfunctioning and a hovercraft crashing through the arena sealed the Quell's fate as one of the worst Games of all time.

However, Puer knew the truth. Plutarch was executed for treason. Seneca was executed for failing to prevent it, and that scared Puer more than any disaster.

President Snow's words still echoed in her mind. "You have displayed a strong sense of loyalty, and you have proven to have a good head on your shoulders. I will be in need of both in the days ahead."

Small compliments that seemed so large coming from the most powerful man in the world, who knew exactly what that loyalty had cost.

He was testing that loyalty even further by giving her that promotion.

Finally, one of the palace guards wordlessly opened the exit door and Puer swept through it and towards a waiting car. The city air was hot and filthy, but compared to the stuffiness of the Presidential Palace, it was a breath of fresh air.

Puer pulled open the passenger car door and tried not to throw herself into the seat. She quickly closed the door, having to reopen it and shut it again when it didn't catch the first time, and clicked her seatbelt into place. She then leaned her head back against the headrest, covered in leather imported from District Ten, and sighed, brushing strands of pink and blonde hair away from her hazel eyes. She really needed to get it done again. It was becoming such a mess, and she couldn't afford to be a mess. Not anymore.

Her older brother, Caelus Begonia, immediately got the car moving. "Are you alright?" he asked, glancing at Puer momentarily before turning his eyes back on the road.

Puer decided that it was best to cut to the chase. "Snow wants to make me interim Head Gamemaker."

The car lurched as Caelus slammed the breaks to avoid rear ending the car in front of him in his surprise. "Wait, really?"

Puer nodded and Caelus grinned. "Puer, that's great! That's amazing!"

Puer just turned her head and stared at the window, letting the city rush past her. "Yeah, it is."

She could sense Caelus's frown and braced herself for the next question. "You don't seem very excited."

"I'm excited, don't get me wrong," Puer lied, "I'm just processing is all. It's a big responsibility, especially after…" Her voice trailed off.

"After what happened in the Quell," Caelus finished for her, his voice solemn. "Yeah, I get you there. You did take the job, right?"

"I didn't have much of a choice, Cael," Puer replied quietly. "You don't say no to President Snow."

"Of course, of course." Caelus sighed. "Puer, you're going to do just fine. Seneca, Plutarch, and Juniper all spoke highly of you."

"Seneca and Plutarch are dead," Puer reminded him.

"The point is, Snow wouldn't have given you the job if he didn't think you were capable of running these Games."

That, and another reason… Puer wanted to tell him, but that would involve more explaining than she was prepared to give right now.

"Do you want to stop for lunch before I drop you back off?" Caelus asked.

Puer shook her head. "No, I'm not hungry. I can order something later." She wasn't sure she could stomach food right now, not with all of the thoughts swirling in her head, not with the images of dead bosses and close calls still flashing behind her eyelids.

"Are you sure?" Puer nodded and Caelus sighed again. "Okay."

"That's fine," Puer replied, if only to get Caelus to stop worrying about her. He had his own job to worry about. He had interviews to give and outfits to design for next year. The tributes from District Two wouldn't dress themselves, and Caelus couldn't do it if he was worried about her.

Besides, she had the obligation to be the worried one. If she failed…

Puer didn't want to think about what would happen to her family, let alone her, if she failed.

As the car turned into the road towards the Gamemaker entrance, Puer forced herself to take several deep breaths. Interim Head Gamemaker…

The closer she got to her new office, the realer that felt.

As the Tribute Center came into view, so did the two corpses on display. Puer fought against every instinct telling her to turn away. She forced herself to look at what remained of Seneca and Plutarch, a reminder of what happened to those who failed the Capitol.

She swallowed hard and her stomach churned, threatening to expel what little was left in her stomach, but she clenched her teeth and fought the feeling back. She didn't want to show any signs of weakness, and she certainly didn't want to ruin the interior of Caelus's new car.

Finally, they turned into the parking garage and the grisly sight disappeared behind the concrete wall. Puer released a breath that she didn't even realize she was holding and closed her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Caelus asked once again as he pulled the car into the spot closest to the elevator. At least one good thing came out of today.

Puer nodded slowly and opened her eyes. "I'll be fine."

Caelus engaged the parking break and turned off the ignition. Puer unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the car. She waited for Caelus to circle around and the two of them entered the elevator together. As it descended underground, Caelus turned to Puer. "Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

Puer chuckled. "I'll try not to. Don't wait for me tonight. I'll get a ride home."

Caelus nodded as the door to his floor opened. "I'll let you know when I head out. And Puer?"

"Hmm?"

Caelus put both of his hands on his sister's shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. "You'll do just fine. Just be confident and use that head of yours."

Puer nodded and forced a smile. "Thank you, Cael."

Caelus released Puer's shoulders and exited the elevator and went towards his studio. The doors slid shut behind him, leaving Puer alone in the elevator. It began descending again, and Puer's ears popped as it went further underground.

Puer closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She could do this. She had to do this.

She would prove herself to Snow. She would make everything right again.

Puer steeled herself as the elevator doors opened in front of her.

There was work to be done, and one way or another Puer was going to deliver.

She had to.

Surprise! Our first prologue is here! This chapter introduces us to our main Capitol character, Puer Begonia, our Reluctant Head Gamemaker. With Snow and Plutarch dead, the promotion was handed to her, and given what just happened, it's quite a burden. Given that she will still be Head Gamemaker nearly three years later, we can assume that she did a good enough job during the 76th Hunger Games to keep her job, and her life, but how will she fare with this chaotic group of tributes? We also meet her brother, Caelus Begonia, or Cael as he likes to be called. He is the stylist for District Two!

Next chapter, we'll learn what our victors have been up to! Because of this, I probably won't be uploading again until after Cursebreaker is wrapped up unless inspiration strikes like it did here. I just wanted to get this short chapter up and introduce a key player. In the meantime, the next chapter of Cursebreaker will be up very soon. See you there!