Chapter 34

NARRATOR | Caius Thorntree, Head Gamemaker

TIME | Day 6

TRIBUTES REMAINING | 15

"Oh, we don't need muttations, Noctiluna," the woman across the table says mockingly, alluding to our meeting days ago. "I know what I'm doing... I called it, Caius. I said you'd come running back to me."

I hate to admit it, but Noctiluna was right. She told me that this would happen, and I thought I knew better. She's been doing this longer than I have, and I have to remember that.

"Okay, I was wrong," I force out. "If that's what you want to hear. But both of our heads are on the line, Til. Snow isn't happy, and the Capitol is getting bored."

"The Games aren't all about death, Caius," Goodyear says, rolling her eyes a bit. "Last year my muttations hardly killed anyone, but they were still a big hit. People want to be entertained. We are putting on a show. People may have died, but the drama we've seen so far... that's certainly been interesting."

I'm surprised to hear that Noctiluna is trying to make me feel better rather than shoving her muttations down my throat. Still, despite her reassurance, I feel like a failure. Nobody has been killed in the last three days, and the Capitol can only watch Ansel from District Seven sob over Safira's death so many times before they get bored.

"Okay, so you want to liven up the Games a bit," Noctiluna says, leaning forward a bit. "Have you prepared anything in the Arena to spice things up?"

"Of course," I nod, waving away Noctiluna's question. That's just Gamemaker basics - of course I have built-in disasters waiting to happen in the Arena, but they need to be saved for later. "They're ready to go, but I want to hold onto them until the time is right."

"Right," Goodyear says, taking a look at a device in front of her and pressing a few buttons. "You need me, then? If you want to get people interested, I'm your girl. If you give the word, I can have muttations developed and ready by the afternoon."

I'm not a fan of that timeline - it's still early in the morning, so we'll have to fill most of the day with entertainment before the muttations arrive - but I have no other option. Noctiluna's my only hope.

"If that's what it takes," I shrug. "Give me what you got."

"You know, that sapphire has gotten me thinking," Noctiluna says, her eyes sparkling as she glances up at me. "It's an interesting concept you're playing with, really. Already, we've seen someone die for that bracelet, but these tributes know that the advantage they're fighting for isn't that large. They just don't want the other tributes to have the power."

Noctiluna feels the same way as the Capitol - really, I think the sapphire is the only reason I still have a job. People have been raving about it, and it's started a popular debate: would you go for the sapphire to keep it from the other tributes, or would you let the others kill each other for it?

"I want to push that idea further," Noctiluna says, her expression turning dark. "With all of this talk of power among the tributes, they've all forgotten about who really has the power in the Arena. I say that we give them a little... reminder."

Noctiluna turns her screen to me, and I can't help but gasp at her design. It's perfect... if we can pull this off, we could be set for the rest of the Games.

"I knew I could count on you," I say with a smile, giving Noctiluna a handshake as we stand from our conference table.

"Glad you finally realized what I'm here for," Goodyear says with a wink. "I'm not just a pretty face, you know."

With our plans set, I hurry back to the Gamemaker Room. Our night team is still working hard, balancing the climate and preparing as the sun begins to rise over the Arena.

"Welcome back," one of my senior Gamemakers, Cassius, calls, beckoning me over to his station. "How was it? She didn't try to kill you, did she?"

I just laugh - Cassius is terrified of Noctiluna and swears she's been trying to kill him with her laboratory creations for years.

"It was great," I tell him. "I think you'll be very pleased. We need to take these Games to the next level if we want to keep Snow impressed."

"Agreed," Cassius nods. "But don't be too hard on yourself, son. One thing you'll learn in this position is that we always have options."

Cassius gestures to the monitor in front of him, where a video is playing. I see one man using his whip to lash another; the other man is curled up on the ground as a crowd of District Eleven citizens watch. The camera angle isn't ideal, but we can see the assailant's face, and that's all I need.

"You work fast," I say with a smile. Eddie only mentioned this whole incident involving his brother yesterday; I'm shocked that Cassius has already obtained the video of it.

"Easy when you know what you're looking for," Cassius shrugs. "The people down in the surveillance archives are afraid of me. I don't mess around."

"Part of me thinks we should use that as soon as we can," I think aloud. "Before it's too late. That whole group seems like it's finally starting to piece itself back together, and that makes boring television. Nobody wants to watch the tributes get along."

"Of course," Cassius nods. "Let's not force it, though. Eddie and Ashlyn aren't going anywhere, I'm sure. The most natural place to introduce something like this would be at the Feast, isn't it? Make Ashlyn think she's going to get something useful, and then bam. Her father is a murderer."

"What would I do without you?" I smile. "Save that somewhere convenient, we might need it at a moment's notice."

Cassius nods, turning to his monitor as I take my usual position at the center of the circular room. "Eyes up, everyone," I call to the other Gamemakers, and they pause their frantic typing to glance up at me.

"We've received word from Goodyear's labs that muttations will be ready by midday," I announce. "If these tributes aren't able to entertain us today, we'll have to do it for them. This morning we'll need to prepare gaps in the ground to release these muttations; I'll have Goodyear send the specific dimensions to each of you."

Most of the Gamemakers nod, returning to their work. One man in the back raises his hand; I recognize him as one of our most junior members, and I haven't learned his name.

"Sir?" he asks, his eyes fixed on the screen behind me. "May I ask... what is that?"

I turn to look at the screen behind me; across the wall is an array of camera footage streaming live. And in the corner of the screen, I watch as vibrant pink smoke rises from the trees.

What is that? My heart drops as I scramble for the remote on my desk, enlarging the camera view to fill the entire wall.

"Get closer," I gesture to Cassius, who finds a better angle and pops it onto the wall.

I watch as Violet Chappelle tears a small plastic packet open, dumping it over an open flame. The fire roars, spewing pink smoke into the air. She turns back to her allies, uncertainty evident on her face. Evelyn nods, saying something to Violet that I can't hear - why aren't the speakers on - and the two boys behind her do the same.

I turn to see that Cassius has an amused expression on his face. He shakes his head, turning to the device on his desk.

"Call Goodyear's office," he chuckles. "We may not need those muttations after all."

A/N - And finally, Violet and Verity's plan from Training is starting to come together... We'll hear from Verity next chapter to finally find out what she thinks of her allies and the other tributes! Can't wait :)

~S