𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓵𝔂 - (𝓕.𝓞𝓭𝓪𝓲𝓻)

prologue

☼  prologue ☼

The faint buzzing noise seemed relentless. It had gone on for far too long. Paired with anxious feet tapping and fidgeting, the wait was nauseating.
With arms wrapped tightly around his daughter, Andreas Marsden sat, watching attentively as she pulled on her pigtails.

Before the age of three, the children of District 3 are tested and ranked on their abilities. Made mandatory by the Capitol, they are placed appropriately within the school system. Parents naturally want their children to be evaluated highly, giving them an opportunity to join a sector that could push them out of poverty.

Setting your sights too high was not ideal either. The intense focus on technical education and its benefit to the country, especially its capitol, meant that talented youth were often stripped away from their families.

Removed from the 'intellectually limiting and naturally constraining faction' they could be housed instead in a state-of-the-art educational facility managed by the Panem Advanced Technical Training System.
Here the brightest minds could be trained to build a bright future for the nation, working in areas like advanced weapons systems, aeronautics, communications, biotech, and information technology.  To live in the 'laboratory of the world' was to mean a lifetime of service.

"Miss Theia Marsden."

Andreas watched as the Capitol screener approached him, ticking her clipboard. His grip seemed to tighten around his child the closer she appeared. The woman had a sour face and an emotionless demeanour. Hands outstretched, she moves to take Theia but stops at his reluctance. To those who did not know him, he was an intimidating man with a tall stature, a built physique, and a strong, steely glare.

"Sir, your daughter is due for screening; please cooperate and release her. She shall be returned to you shortly." He held her gaze, but she was unrelenting. He eventually loosened his grip, allowing for Theia to be whisked away, taken far down the sprawling hallway, and out of sight. Not cooperating had consequences, no matter how much he distrusted the workers.

~

Returning children came with reports and varying reactions.

The woman beside him learned of her son's disappointing ranking, her face dropping drastically, an already frail frame seeming to shrink further into itself. She tried her best to comfort her son, who was unable to understand why his mother was so distressed.

The likelihood of the family continuing to work in the heavy industrial sector was high. It was a pitiful situation. Many of them suffered greatly, with their children making up the largest proportion of those who took tesserae in the district. Conditions in the factories were abysmal, harbouring severe health issues.

The Marsden family was one of the lucky ones. His son, Silas, had ranked well two years prior. He was now in an excellent academy, and his wife, Kharis, was elated over this. Andreas was optimistic that their daughter would fare the same.

~

Child after child arrived and departed. For what seemed like hours, there had been no sign of Theia. During this time, more screeners seemed to pass, all rushing to a particular destination. Something unusual was occurring.

Restlessness building, Andreas grabbed the next that seemed to scramble past. "My daughter, Theia Marsden, hasn't returned. This is taking far longer than it did for my son; where is she?"

"Sir, let me go," with hands wrapped tightly around the collar of his lab coat, the scrawny Capitol screener shook as he spoke, "I can assure you that your daughter is still participating in mandatory tests."

Andreas shook his head, his voice rising, "That isn't what I aske—", he felt pressure on his shoulders, and he turned to face the dark visor of a Peacekeeper. A sneer made its way to his face. He despised the Capitol foot soldiers. They sat back, observing while the district starved, living comfortably off of their food packages. He let his hands drop, backing away. He knew what could happen if he didn't treat the situation accordingly. He wasn't willing to leave his daughter alone in the centre while he was dragged off by a Peacekeeper.

"Mr Marsden?" He turned to face a woman staring him down. She didn't look anything like the other Capitol workers. Dressed in an expensive suit, she had a no-nonsense disposition. "I'm running the evaluations today; you ought to come with me." She holds out an identification badge. Irene Sherman, Lead Testing Coordinator, it reads. He follows her, walking through the copious doors and corridors. It felt like being in a hospital—the harsh bright light, the bleak beige walls, the dreary atmosphere. It certainly did not feel like a place meant for children.

"I apologise for the wait; I can appreciate the frustration you must feel. The situation is an extraordinary one." They reach a sectioned door; looking inside, he can see numerous figures crowding around a much smaller one. Following Irene in, he's met with his daughter, electrodes placed all over her scalp. It's concerning until Theia spots him and says, "Daddy!" Her toothy smile calmed him. She was okay, not in harm's way.

He's handed a folder, and upon opening it, he's met with dozens of scans. Irene is giving him an astonished look. "She's got the highest IQ of any child we've ever tested." Andreas is baffled. "There's never been anyone like her; her brain activity is astonishing."
She signals the screeners to move away, and they begin to leave the room, eyes still transfixed on the genius child.
"We've done every test possible. We want to keep monitoring her to see how she develops over time. You'll be hearing from us. But for now, I think she's been through enough today."

His daughter looks up at him with her bright amber eyes. Andreas feels proud but can't help but feel an underlying sense of fear over what is to come.

"Let's go home, firefly."