what the throne makes of us {v + c}

It was half past noon and he was buried alive in documents. Family trees and medical histories littered his desk until it was a blinding white surface, yet he remembered where each and every tribute’s name was placed. Amerika Eckhart’s medical history was at the top right corner, Sol Shim’s folder was in his lap, and the dessert boy was somewhere on the floor, having already been forgotten until a cricket chirped from his phone. It was his alarm.

Meeting with Capricious hovered across the display, and he sighed. He didn’t want to be interrupted, yet last year’s Gamemaker had the authority to drag a novice out of his cave. Despite his schedule, he couldn’t decline the invitation as much as it irked him. He couldn’t factor in what the subject of this meeting would be, or its purpose. Every detail he knew about Capricious was based on rumor, and he hadn’t cared enough to dig for any truth.

If this was about his promotion, it seemed a little late for a discussion. He knew what his responsibilities were. He had assisted with last year’s games after all, and those had resulted in District Eleven’s third victor in a row. Needless to say, that had disappointed a lot of spectators.

As a fresh Gamemaker, the amount of stress and responsibility could crush his windpipe and drown him in one fell swoop if something went wrong, but collectively everybody was putting forth their best effort. He already had the laboratories working overtime to ensure the humid, tropical landscapes of their arena matched the numbers perfectly. Mutts were already late in the developmental stage, and testing would be in progress the following morning. The twins had designs of their own as well. He planned to present the blueprints at a convenient time.

Now was not that time.

He stacked Sol’s papers neatly, fixed his hair and uniform, then retrieved Lemon’s file from the carpeted floor. He would sift through it later. Locking his office door, he glided down the corridors with speed and determination in his pace. He couldn’t afford to dawdle at any time. Even at home he constantly felt as if he was wired with batteries, dispensing charges and charges of energy within himself to complete his tasks like clockwork. When he slept, he collapsed. He switched off like a light and then he was up again the next morning, contemplating another Games mechanic the moment he opened his eyes.

Some nights it wasn’t so bad. When Sun crept into his room and curled up next to him, there was comfort, knowing that his life didn’t completely revolve around the Games. He could still make room for others, he just had to shape up his time management skills and mentally check-out when the sun finished setting.

He wished he could spend this time with Sun. They could eat lunch together, and Venus could take a break from all of the responsibility. Instead, he would be graced with another Gamemaker’s presence, and it wasn’t his brother’s. In fact, Sun was with Vepar right now. He had no idea what they were up to, but he hoped it was productive.

Fortunately, Capricious had an office not far from his. He gently rapped on the door, wishing he could disappear – or at least muster up the energy to change his mood for the better. He didn’t want to make a bad impression, as tempting as it was.

”It’s Venus.”