"The light was off, but now it's on. Searching underground for a bit of sun
The sun is out, the day is new, and everyone is waiting, waiting on you"

—You've Got Time - Regina Spektor

Chapter 1: You've Got Time

There have been three times when President Clio Peche has felt true weakness, when she has realized that things are getting out of her control.

The first time is on a brisk autumn day. Clio had been on a walk in Sector Nine, enjoying the quaint and sophisticated shops the Sector had to offer.

Hands wrapped around a latte seasoned with pumpkin, body warmed by a mustard yellow peacoat, crunching up leaves under her heels, Clio Peche felt at ease.

And then she saw it.

A glimmer of gold in the corner of her eye. She spun 'round to face it, sure it was going to be a golden necklace that would make a lovely gift for her niece who, at twelve years old, already had a fascination with expensive golden things.

Clio almost screamed at what she saw. A golden mockingjay, sketched roughly with chalk on the window of a boutique, then quickly filled in with paint.

The President tilted her head and saw the shop owner standing behind his desk, daring the President to make a move. Clio noticed the small golden dot drawn on with eyeliner under his left eye.

She plastered a smile on her face, tightened her grip around her coffee, and made a mental note of the name of the shop.

The shop mysteriously burned down the next day.

The second time Clio Peche noticed things were getting out of control was when she attended a meeting.

It was a normal day for Clio. Early rise at 6:00 A.M sharp. Slipping into a black sheathe dress. Handed a cup of tea by the redheaded Avox. A 10 minute journey to the office by hovercar.

Clio walked into the conference room and took her position at the head of the table, placing her cup of tea next to her.

She skimmed the papers placed in front of her before speaking. "Tavia, what's the update?"

"Well, District Four's export is half the size as it typically is. District Seven has had three forest fires in the past two months, District Twelve had a mine collapse the other day, and District-"

Clio sighed and locked eyes with the Head Gamemaker. "Do you have any good news for me, Tavia? Truly, I'm tired of- What is that?"

Tavia raised a pink eyebrow and looked down at her outfit, inspecting herself for imperfections. "What do you mean, Madame President?"

"That... That thing..." The President raised a shaky finger and pointed at Tavia's face. "On your face..."

Under Tavia's left eye, a perfect dot of gold was drawn.

The Gamemaker's eyes lit up, a grin taking up her face. "Do you like it? Everyone's getting them, though I'm the first one to get it tattooed. Everyone else is just drawing it on, which, if you ask me, is kinda-"

"What does it mean?"

At this, Tavia's smile fell. "Er, I never really thought about it. My hair stylist, Calli, says it's a trend from the Districts."

Clio's eyes scanned the rest of the conference table. Every Peacekeeper, every Gamemaker, had the same dot under their eye. Even the Avox standing in the corner was adorning the gold fashion statement.

When Clio took a closer look, she noticed that a little less than half of them were sporting the mockingjay. A Gamemaker wore a necklace with it, a Peacekeeper wore a ring with the bird stamped on it.

Clio ordered an entirely new team of Gamemakers, Peacekeepers, and Avoxes to come in the next day.

The third and last time Clio Peche felt weak was during tea with her niece.

It was summer break for the young girl. She was fresh out of elementary school and had an excited gleam in her eyes.

"And mom says we might get to visit the Arena from the 79th games. Remember those? It was, like, a tropical rainforest. Y'know, with all the pretty plants and stuff."

Clio nodded absentmindedly, stirring up the raspberry tea infront of her. "That's great, dear."

Although the President was usually excited to see her niece, today she had other things on her mind. The new Head Gamemaker, Reyna Casse, refused to tell her her plans for the Arena, and with only weeks until the Games begun, the President's stress levels were sky rocketing.

Not to mention, Clio had her eyes on the necklace wrapped around her niece's neck.

It was a thin, gold piece of intricately braided rope. There were small strings of red braided throughout the necklace.

Clio recognized it immediately.

In last year's games, the final three was Halsey Feldspar of District One, Onyx Emmer of District Ten, and the dainty twelve year old Jersey Melino.

Onyx and Jersey had teamed up when the older boy found Jersey crying by herself and had somehow made it to the finals by hiding out.

Halsey, on the other hand, offered to take first watch for the Careers and ended up killing all of them in their sleep. She was a Capitol fan favorite; Halsey received an abundance of sponsor gifts and had, according to the polls, 80% of Capitolites rooting for her.

The Career tracked Onyx and Jersey down, and ended up hanging Jersey with a piece of braided rope. She left Jersey's body hanging in a tree for Onyx to find before slaughtering him with her sword.

Jersey's death had caused a small uprising in the Districts. They wondered how a seventeen year old girl could possibly so cruel, and how a government could allow it - the Games - to happen.

"I love your necklace, dear," Clio decided to say with a smile. "Where'd you get it?"

Her niece's fingers stroked the rope around her neck while she looked down at it with a grin. "Cute, innit? All the boutiques in Sector Five are selling them. The lady told me it's a trend from the Districts!"

The President crushed a crumpet in her hand and the next day, an alarming number of boutiques in Sector Five were closed.

A week after her encounter with her niece, the President was due for another meeting, this time with only the Head Gamemaker.

Clio attempted to hide her anxiety while sitting at her desk, re-positioning things that were just fine before. The Districts were just as anxious as the President, with only one week until the Games.

Imports from all Districts had slowed. Clio had no idea what the Arena was. Rope necklaces, mockingjays, and gold dots were still relevant.

The President was almost relieved when Reyna swung open the door and dragged her away from her thoughts.

"Reyna, it's lovely to see you," the two women shook hands. "I hope today will be the day you tell me your plans for the Arena, yeah?"

The Gamemaker laughed and flipped her long, black hair over her shoulder. "Actually, President Peche, before I do, I'd like to speak to you about something I'm sure you've noticed."

The President bit her inner cheek and nodded.

"The mockingjays," Reyna said simply.

Clio forced herself to look into Reyna's emotionless eyes. "I don't know what you mean, Gamemaker."

Reyna rolls her eyes and crosses her arms in a placating way. "Despite your efforts to make everyone forget Katniss Everdeen and the rebellion all those years ago, I haven't forgotten. The symbol is back, the mockingjay is-"

"Katniss Everdeen is dead. Peeta Mellark is dead. All Victors from the 75th Hunger Games are dead. There is no threat. There is no mockingjay."

"Have you looked around, Peche? Everyone and their mother is walking around here with a mockingjay and saying it's a trend from the Districts."

Reyna's nostrils flared as she glared at the President. "These Games are our chance to control the flames, President. Everyone is looking to you as the Games begin. There's tension in the Districts. We can stop the fire from spreading."

As the word "How?" escaped from her mouth, President Clio Peche realized that was the fourth time in her life she felt true weakness, that things were out of her control.

The President's display of weakness causes Reyna to smirk. "We make the Games more deadly than ever."

Clio recovered quickly from her moment of weakness with a smirk. "Congratulations, Reyna, you've turned into a cliche Gamemaker who believes their Arena is God's gift to the world."

President for seven years, Clio Peche had her fair share of Gamemakers. They had all promised their Arena would be the most deadly, the most amazing, the most incredible. They had all disappointed her.

Reyna simply stared at the President, unfazed. "If you don't want my help, then fine. Suit yourself. You can sit in your office with a cup of tea as the Districts rebel. That's perfectly fine."

Clio narrowed her eyes and leaned across the desk. "Show me the Arena."

Much to Clio's content, Reyna pulled a hologram projector from her pocket with the absence of a smirk or a sarcastic remark.

"The inspiration behind this arena," Reyna began the as the projector booted up. "Was pop culture before the Dark Days. It's based off a popular movie series. My daughter introduced it to me, actually."

Both women's faces were suddenly flushed in a neon blue light as the hologram appeared, hovering right above the President's desk.

For the first time in weeks, a genuine smile appeared on Clio's face. "It looks great," she admitted, sticking her head closer. "I've never seen anything like it... You.. You did good, Reyna."

The words can't quite express how truly relieved the President felt. For weeks, the Hunger Games had been eating at her. Combined with the threat of a rebellion, Clio hadn't had a moment where she has felt relaxed. Reyna's Arena, however, sent a jolt of calmness down the President's spine.

"Thank you, President."

The President examined the Cornucopia, sticking a finger through the hologram to entertain herself. "I have to ask, Reyna," she stated. "What movie exactly inspired this Arena?"

Reyna grinned, as though she had been waiting for the President to ask. "It was very popular back in the day, though I don't expect you to have heard of it. I must add, the Arena isn't an exact replica of it, however we Gamemakers drew great inspiration from it. Consider the Arena our own little twist on the film."

Clio raised an eyebrow, encouraging the Head Gamemaker to continue.

"It was a series, actually. It was called Jurassic Park."

A/N:

Hi! This is my first SYOT, and first story, here. I've had this Arena idea bouncing around in my head for awhile, and decided it might be fun to turn it into a SYOT. The forum is on my profile, and be sure to PM me it, not send it in a review (though that may be common sense).

I hope you guys will submit and enjoy the story!