A Circus of Eagles [An HG Fanfic]

Gamemakers - Verity

Verity

There's something too cold about this place. Not cold as in temperature; it's perfectly warm and a couple of the tributes who have been over the obstacle course or pushing themselves with the weights are sweating. Outside the window this morning was a glorious Capitol summer's day, the sort where you can see right out to the mountains and almost into District One. But this is underground and there are no windows and the light is a bright white glare instead of the natural warmth of the sun. We wear flattering dark exercise suits with blood-red trim, which makes us all look older. Even the padding on the Gauntlet has a menacing metallic sheen. The only sign of anything plush is up on the Gamemakers' balcony. I inspect it from my vantage point behind the Gauntlet, hiding away behind the people queuing up for a turn at getting knocked off beams.

There are thirteen of them. Roughly an even split between rebels and Capitol, though when I count it out exactly the ratio is seven to six. All the Capitol Gamemakers are the ones from before. Of course they wouldn't appoint anybody new. Once this lot start to go they'll be able to fill in more rebels to take their places, and if we refuse they can point out the big red button in Thirteen and that will be the end of the argument. The rebels are more intelligent than we'd imagined. The ones who are up there look it, and they look uncomfortable. Even if they were in typical Capitol dress I'd be able to tell them from the original Gamemakers, whose body language says they are entirely at home here. Only their faces tell any different.

There's the President, of course, in her normal dual role, flanked by two women and a man. Whoever combined President and Head Gamemaker was a genius; in the past there have been problems with the Head Gamemaker's loyalty and it has nearly brought the Capitol to its knees. Now this isn't an issue. The other three are the people whom she has appointed and whom she trusts the most and they probably spy on the other Gamemakers too, though if they don't suspect that and make sure that there's nothing to spy on then they're not as intelligent as I'd have expected from Gamemakers. Only one of these Presidential appointments looks like a spy and that's a man who appears to have been sapped of all color apart from a slick ginger ponytail. One of the women is too colorful to be unnoticeable in any situation and she's constantly moving, drawing attention to herself. The other is ethereally beautiful but radiates a kind of unprompted viciousness that I read as dangerous. I wouldn't want to have to go up against her in court. She could probably run rings around almost anybody.

"What are you looking at?"

Antonio has appeared next to me, a bruise already flowering on his cheek. He rubs it gingerly. I raise an eyebrow at him. "Got caught with the end of a spear. It's not as bad as it looks." When I say nothing, he continues, "I don't think I'm cut out for this. I'm red meat for sure."

"Nonsense. Just play to your strengths."

"That's what you're doing, is it?"

"Precisely."

"So what are you looking at?"

I glance around but nobody is listening. The boy from Gold is teetering on the top rung of the Gauntlet, having found the one spot where none of the instructors can reach him, and he glowers down at them as if they're just pieces of trash on the street. The next nearest person is the young boy from Copper, waiting in line, and he's just staring at his feet. The rest of the hall is a hive of movement and sound. Instructors whose stations are empty have drifted over to watch others. We're safe.

"The Gamemakers."

His face, smooth as a child's, furrows as he tries to think. Antonio isn't stupid, really, but he looks as if he should be. He gives off the impression that he has to concentrate in order to think anything. "What about them?"