Arena Description [4th Games]

The only thing new about the colosseum is the blood stains upon the distressed walls, faint shadows of red tinging the mortar. The stone — which once belonged to other buildings, in other places, filled with lives meant to be lived — still reeks of stolen history, but anyone who crouches down and looks closely can catch a glimpse of the "reclaimed" stone truly being taken back. Chastity, Malachai, Dmitri, Yejide... A gust of wind shifts the sand underfoot. ...Tarquin, Iris, Anderson, Helena... The names and districts of fallen tributes are carved into the stones of the arena wall, from the bottom up, as if their legacies had always been the very bricks upon which all of this was built. ...Persephone, Ram, Emma, Jett —

From the tiered seating and presidential box far above to the multiple levels of labyrinthine tunnels and dungeons below, the sunken arena is ringed by so much more than archways. This year the cushioned marble stands are occupied not only by peacekeepers in dress whites seated amongst high ranking government officials, but an ever-growing audience of the Capitol's most elite and enthusiastic, who seized the opportunity to attend when ticket sales were opened to the general public. The familiar faces of Adder Ames, Samiyuq Hernández Huapaya, and Babe Adroxis are unmistakable within the sea of uniforms and ostentatious pops of civilian color, several armed guards between each of the victors, but the three of them still kept close enough to frame their reactions together on camera.

The wooden floor of the arena is covered by the palest of sand, scattered with the ashes of those who have fought and fallen here before. It quakes and shimmers as cage-like medieval holding cells rise up from underground and settle into place, tucked within the shadows of twenty-four evenly spaced archways. When the heavy iron gates imprisoning the tributes open, there is nothing more than a gladiatorial sword on the other side, its blade stuck into the ground — waiting for them. Both the swords and the spectators share an eagerness to witness this: The Fourth Annual Hunger Games.