Author's Game Entries

Task 1: A Nerve 'Wrecking' Interview

 With a groan, Ajax blinks his eyes open, groggily registering blurry lights flickering in his peripheral vision. His head slumps again abruptly and he lets out another groan as he is suddenly hit with a pounding headache. Bringing his hands to his face, Ajax presses the heels of his hands into his eyes, leaning back against the cold metal chair he hadn't realized he'd been sitting in until that moment.

He can't seem to remember a thing. The last thing he knew he had been in the training room with the other tributes and then he had his name called by the speaker and... Nothing. Slowly foggy memories start to come back to him, but it was painfully slow enough that Ajax almost had to groan yet again.

He remembers stepping out of the room with the assumption that he was going to be chastised for pretending to light the district 4 girl's trousers on fire, and he had already been coming up with some crack way to explain that it was a joke. Scowling, Ajax hazily recalls the notion that that was not what happened.

The next thing he remembers is black as a bag was thrown over his head, and he barely had time to put up a fight before there was a sharp blow to the head and Aj is officially down for the count. And here he is who knows how long afterwards, trying to recall the previous events.

Aside from his pounding headache and the slowly forming lump on the back of his head, Ajax felt fine. Whoever hit him isn't going to be though if they don't come and explain what is going on right now though. Or... Maybe in a second. The musty scent of mildew and old rat droppings coming from around him him isn't helping his migraine go away anytime soon.

Finally lifting his head up to scan his surroundings, the boy finds himself sitting in the middle of a dimly lit, damp room that seemed like a basement. His eyes narrow somewhat as he looks around the concrete space and his gaze follows the mesh of miscellaneous pipes that flow over the ceiling. A few of them leak air with a constant low whistling sound while others drip what seems to be water into growing moldy puddles on the ground.

"Oh! So glad you've finally woken up! I was starting to worry they'd hit you to hard." A cheery voice unexpectedly chirps from his left and Ajax's head immediately snaps in that direction, his eyes widening.

Who he finds is none other than Cyrus Blue, the maker of his -and the other tributes- future hell. Although Cyprus isn't the name he is known among the tributes for, oh no, Ajax knew the man only as "Joint-Wrecker".

Ajax's hand instantly flies to his pocket, but his heart skips a beat as he discovers the object he was grabbing for isn't there. Joint-Wrecker chuckles and twirls a tarnished silver lighter between his fingers, walking over to tower in front of the still seated tribute.

"Looking for this?" He hums, looking down at Ajax with a smug look. He chuckles again at the scowl this earns from the redhead before tossing the zippo lighter to him.

Ajax grips the precious object tightly, glaring up at the game maker with an already set look of detest. "Don't touch my lighter." He growls, and is only irritated more Joint-Wrecker only grins, taking a step back and raising his hands in mock defense.

"Hey don't look at me like that, I gave it back didn't I?" He responds with an underlying mocking tone. Stepping back the way he had come, the game maker drags another dented steel chair over before sitting himself down across from Ajax. "Besides I only want to talk, kid, you can leave as soon as we're done."

The tribute gives him a wary look before visibly growing less tense, though his hand was still tight around his lighter. "What do you want to talk about..?" He asks slowly, and Joint-Wrecker grins like a child given a bar of candy.

"You; let's talk about you, Ajax Cooper." He says merrily, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "So I hear you're the orphan from 12? Not the first we've had in the games... But you're different! You're a little firebug aren't you, I heard about what you did to your orphanage, quite a show I might add." He grins as Ajax stiffens.