I'll be worthy, right?
Only when you realize the gem I am.

Alenna Asker, 22. Gamemaker applicant.

"I went through five interviews, countless training sessions, exams, and all of that stress to be allocated a position as the countdown tech?" I gawp, staring down at the letter in my hands. "Countless dollars spent just to count down from sixty? Are you serious?"

Carmen, my younger sister, leans over my shoulder, peering down at the letter. "I guess so," she says solemnly. "Wait, no, it says in the prep period you'll be a general assistant!"

My other sister, Leonora, snorts from across the table. "You know what that means, right, Carmen? Alenna's going to be running around for the other gamemakers. It's nothing about the Hunger Games."

Part of me knows that I should be grateful that I was even accepted; there are thousands of applicants every single year, and somehow I was one that was chosen. But… running around for the other gamemakers wasn't exactly what I had in mind for my future. And it's true that everybody has to start somewhere, but this feels like almost a kick in the teeth. I've never been at the bottom of the pool before, yet here I am a countdown tech, when my phone is buzzing with the news of my other friends that, even though I only take a glance, is already far more spectacular than mine.

"It's all right," Carmen says off-handedly, moving off towards the sink. "At least you didn't get flat out rejected."

No, I think, but would it have been better if I was? That way I could go and find another well paying job, something that might actually be worth the effort I would put into it. Here I am trapped; sworn to accept the position that I have been given, my only stamp on this years' Hunger Games a voice-changed countdown to the bloodbath. It could be years before I even make a dent in the Hunger Games. Yet there's Hollie, one of my best friends, blowing up my phone because she's a mutt designer, and Pelops, who lives a few apartments down from my sisters and I, has already made a social media post about how he'd be involved in creating the arena.

"I told you the process would knock you down a peg or two," Leonora says, getting to her feet. "Now we don't have Daddy and his money to rely on we're not really that spectacular, are we?"

I swallow down a bitter retort. It hasn't been an easy thing to realise over the past few months that the most desirable thing about any of us three girls was the money that our father would slip people on the side. It wasn't something that we had been directly involved in, nor endorsed, but after he died and all of his money and assets went to our mother, sitting on the hoard as if she were a dragon, the opportunities that we used to get are starting to become few and far between. This is the first application I've ever done without his help. And look where it's got me. Perhaps, if he were still here, I'd be joining the ranks in the place of Hollie or Pelops.

"Leo, stop it. Alenna still got in. That deserves celebrating." Carmen smiles softly at me, taking Leonora's seat and leaning across the table. "I can pick up that fancy wine you like tonight once I finish work. If Leo still wants to be miserable, she doesn't have to join us."

"I'm not miserable," Leo calls. "I was just saying."

"You're just jealous that even with his money you couldn't get into university." Carmen smirks. Leonora doesn't respond, storming out of the kitchen and slamming her bedroom door behind her. Carmen grimaces. "Was that too much of a low blow?"

"She'll get over it. You know she's still on her 'Hunger Games are bad' kick." I shrug a shoulder. "But wine tonight sounds good. It's been a while."

"Well, we haven't exactly had much to celebrate," Carmen says. "But the middle Asker child becoming a countdown tech? I'd say that's something even Mom would break out the wine glasses for." She paused. "Have you told her yet?"

"You've literally been watching my every move since I opened the letter," I laugh. "How could I have? But, uh, I don't know if I'm going to. Not yet at least. Even if she's over the moon, she'll always have something to say and I just want to… appreciate it for a little bit."

Because if I was doubting the position I'd been given, my mother would definitely have something to say about it. Even if she was secretly thrilled there would always be some sort of rebuke. And, well, being a countdown tech will hardly do much to restore the Asker name to its previous glory. She'd had entirely too much to say about Carmen's part time job at the local coffee shop, and Leonora's recent promotion as a photographer for Capitol Weekly. If Leonora starting to work her way through the ranks wasn't an all out cause for celebration, my starting at the bottom wasn't going to be either.

"That makes sense. I've got to start getting ready for my shift." Carmen gets up after checking her watch, coming around the table to press a kiss to my forehead. "I'll see you later, and don't let Leo get to you in the meantime."

I wave my youngest sister goodbye as she heads into her room, standing up to clean the mess from breakfast. It doesn't have to be all bad, I decide as I'm swirling washing up liquid into our frying pan, at least it's a reason to get drunk.

And besides, gamemakers come and go every year. If I just keep my head down, do the work that's given to me, who knows what I'll be next year?

Hopefully anything but the countdown tech, but it remains to be seen.

Precious Illusions — Alanis Morissette

And here we are! The prologue to my second SYOT, A Tide of Scarlet. As I've said in my discord server; this isn't the most action packed or hard hitting prologue ever written, but it's solely to introduce you to the Capitol characters we'll be seeing a lot of during this story.

If you read EOS you'll have noticed the formatting changes and also the person/tense changes. I've seen a few SYOTs formatted this way and, honestly, I prefer it to the way I formatted EOS. Also I'm more comfortable writing in first person present. Couldn't tell you why I write EOS in third person for love nor money.

Leonora, Alenna, and Carmen Asker aka my favourite characters I've ever created. You guys almost certainly won't love them as much as I do just yet but I hope that you'll appreciate them!

Anyway, rules and the form are on my profile. I'm super excited to see your guys' submissions! There isn't any set deadline for submissions; they'll close either when I get a full list, or when EOS wraps up. Whichever comes first.

Stay safe and wear a mask!