Imposter (Serpentino) @mattio

S E R P e n T I N O
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R E z n I K

A prince such as I deserves to rule over his peasants. At school, that is the best place. I'm an elder of the school, in my final year before I have to take on a job. Either that or I'll live the life of a king, a victor, in a mansion only for the true winners. I will win. I will. I live, I breathe to be a victor. I want to be the very best, like nobody ever was. I want a crown with jewels from District, true gold, pearls from the waters of District Four. Each piece of the crown made and placed with gentle care. I want people to practically bow down to me as a role model, an idol.

And in a place full of juveniles, it seems like I practically fulfill that goal.

People call me cocky, rude, even a bully. How dare they call me a bully when I am just as bloodthirsty as I. They practice murder just as I, so how am I the bully? I'm just better than the rest, richer, more powerful.

I consider myself to be a manipulative person. After all, a leader needs to establish his leadership, and that is simply what I'm doing. Making sure everyone knows their place, but more importantly, I make sure everyone knows mine. I want authority, and in a place such as school, I'm in a position to receive it.

People call me a dirty little snake, and I suppose that is true. That is why I was named Serpentino. I'm the most evil of all the snakes, the devil. I tell people what I want, and if they disagree, they're as good as dead to me, and they might just end up that way. I will bite them with the poison of pressure because they need to learn that I'm the leader, and they are the followers.

Every time I come into school, it is as if I claim a chair as my throne. Nobody sits in my spot, and if they do, they have me to deal with. That is practically a punishment on it's own. I love watching people suffer like those of the Hunger Games. I enjoy making them feel regret, pain. I want people to know I intimidate others, and claiming possession of something as stupid as a seat will do that. There are more important things, and with intimidation, it keeps them away. It's like a bottle of poison that I give them. Either they keep it in their back pocket or I force it down their throats. Of course, that is a metaphor. I wouldn't kill my peasants. Then who would I have to reign over?

I purposely am the last one to walk into the classroom. I heard whispers about a new girl, one with an eyepatch, and I couldn't help but smile. Someone new to establish my authority over. I walk in and smile. I look for an empty desk and chair, my throne and golden platter that four peasant legs hold. However, there's only one seat open, in the far back corner. A girl with shining-grey hair is in my seat.

Eyepatch girl is stealing my rule. She cannot come here for one day and act like she owns this school. I'm the only one to call the school my own. I walk over, towering over the people sitting. Still, even if they were standing, they look up to me. I look down to them like the peasants they are.

I stand in front of the girl who seems to only have one eye. I stare at her, my eyes like those of a serpent. Angered, evil. My poison is kicking in, and I know it's time to strike.

Tyrant. I hear one boy, one of the smart-allecs, speak under his breath. I can only guess the tyrant is me. I look to my left, seeing the boy, a merchant in my royal ranking. My dark brown eyes are enough to shut him up. I don't hear a word from him anymore.

"Good," I say, looking at the real problem at hand. "Move." I look at her with a common spark of confidence.

I'm the prince, and I will be the king.

Don't steal my throne.

S E R P e n T I N O
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R E z n I K

The girl had a confident smile, as if she was my elder. If anything, she's a year or two younger than me, but I'd doubt any older. Even after I said my infamous words, she sat, looking straight at me. She did not move, she did not look afraid. And that is something that agitates me the most. I can't strike fear into this girl's heart with my words, so I will probably have to resort with actions. Because believe me, I've done it before, and it sure ain't pretty.

She only re-positioned herself. I heard the awkward murmurs of the other teenagers in the classroom. I enjoy making people afraid, making them nervous. If there's no order, then people assume they have the freedom to do whatever they please, but they don't. Life for those I do not like has to be miserable, or I'll never forgive myself. There are only a select few men who I am okay speaking with, but the rest are fair game to have my poison of fear shoved down their throats. People need to be tethered behind my like the cattle of District Ten so they know I'm superior.

I ignore the whispers. I only find them a vote of confidence for me. Attention: something I love. A prince I am and a King I will be. I'll grab the attention and take it with me as my entourage. I don't need a gang of humans to back me up yet, they will be the knights that I will have in the future when I'm the king of Panem. I know for a fact that people aren't happy in our world, so I'll need people to help me keep the peace. Perhaps I'll befriend the decent people in my classes, and they'll actually be worthy to breathe in the same air as I. They will be my army, my knights in shining army like the color of Miss Eyepatch.

The voice she speaks to me with can't possibly be her real voice. For her small build, her voice cannot be as low as some of the most disciplinary peacekeepers.

"Make me, pretty boy," she says, and it almost makes me laugh.

A prince like me doesn't deserve treatment like this. I don't deserve words that say, 'no.'

It takes me a moment to stop and process what I just heard. I raise an eyebrow to it, and then continue with speech.

"You better me joking," I say, rolling me eyes, "very funny, move." I speak firmly. It's hard for me to listen to people sass me.

"Or you won't see another brisk day."

And I mean it.

S E R P e n T I N O
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R E z n I K

The girl still looked puzzled. Even though I want her to get out of my seat, I want to trap her, humiliate her. I, a natural-born leader, deserve to choose where I sit. After all, my family is wealthier than a lot of the ones in this school. District Two is a generally rich place, but that's what other people consider us as. We're poor compared to the Capitol and rich compared to most of the other Districts. But even then, we have people in the shadows of District Two who find it hard to earn money. This girl is probably one of those, trying to be the lion. But she won't phase me until she has me pinned to the ground, and I honestly doubt that will ever happen.

"You're going to try and kill me? Over a chair?"

She spoke as if I wasn't genuine, and in every way, I was very genuine. When I say things, I don't just do it to say something. I mean what I say. After all, a ruler has to reign with honesty, even if the honest truth is brutal. It almost makes me laugh. She is obviously new here because she doesn't realize that I don't have sarcasm.

I tap my fingers on the desk she's sitting at. My desk. My seat. My spot. There's really no reason I love the spot, but I've claimed it as my own ever since I started being taught in this classroom. It's at the perfect point where the tall and lanky kid sits in front of me, blocking my teacher's sight of me. That way, I don't have to pay attention, I can just doze off and study whenever there's a test.

It's obvious that I'm not a morning person when I speak, "Maybe not literally, but I'll kill you one way or another..." I'm glad that the teacher hasn't come in, yet I'm upset. He hasn't seen me at my finest.

When I say I'll kill the girl, I definitely don't intend on murdering her with a knife. That isn't the most effective way to kill someone, anyways. Mental and verbal murder is the best type, especially if others are watching.

And my crowd of students give me my favorite word when they do watch.

Attention.

I speak one more time before she does, "Now, move."

S E R P e n T I N O
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R E z n I K

After I had spoke, the girl began to trickle her body down the chair and beneath the desk. Finally, I had won. It was quite stupid for her not to move ahead of time, but I can give her credit for her courage. She's a semi-small person, and I'm much larger, and most people wouldn't do that. Or she wasn't courageous, and instead she had no clue what was going out. No matter what, however, I hate her. Making me have to act as if I'm begging her to get out of my seat. By no means was I trying to beg the pirate girl, I was just advising that she move from my throne before I get angry. Though, to be quite honest, the moment she said no was the moment I did get angry.

It's too late to get on my good side, missy. For the moment, every sole breath I breathe will be one to break her, mentally or physically, and I could care less which. Breaking it breaking, whether it be a fragile neck or an unprotected soul, I will make it work.

But when I look down to see where she's going, I see a sharp knife pointing directly where it would hurt. My eyes widen. Who let's a girl with a knife into school? Obviously idiots.

"You have a choice to make now, pretty boy. This is your femoral artery. I can cut it with a simple flick of my wrist and you bleed out in between thirty seconds and two minutes. Death will most likely follow soon after unless you can get to a really good surgeon really fast." The girl acts as if she's speaking the truth, but she probably isn't. This is common District Two threats. People say you'll die if you're cut in a specific place, but how would they know? Most people don't pay attention in science classes. "Or you can stand down, kneel on the floor with your hands on your head and admit I won."

Kneel with my hands on the floor? I've never been one to judge, but that's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time (and that's coming from a funny person.)

I'm not afraid of a small little girl who has never been here before, and if I was, I still wouldn't humiliate myself in front of my classmates.

"Look," I whisper in her ear, "I'm not one to lose."