I think this is one of the best chapters yet! It was so fun to write and kind of heartwarming. Some characters are not included (the injured D2 Careers, the alliance of three that just sit in a building all day, and everyone else who is dead). Enjoy!

It was one of the hottest days in the arena thus far.

Armed with his radio and his coconut, Mitch decided that he would take a nice trip to the beach. Walking at a leisurely pace, he headed on down to the thin strip of sand that separated the boardwalk from the water. Once there, he kicked his shoes off and stepped down, wriggling his toes with delight. Then he found a nice spot where he could lean against one of the poles that held up the boardwalk. He settled down and turned on his radio.

Deciding that he would listen to something other than jazz for once, he started flipping through the stations.

"Looks like Bridon Jakkels will be remaining in camp while his allies go out for a hunt. Folks, we might be in for quite the show, if they come across the recently wounded Sienna! Meanwhile, Chat—"

Click.

"And I was like, baby, baby, baby, ooh!"

Click.

"Mitchell Anthony?"

Click.

"—for your latest Hunger Games fashion! Mohawks, fake scars, stick-on six packs—"

Blinking, Mitch realized that he had heard the radio say his name. He flipped back to the previous station and heard it again.

"Mitchell Anthony? …Yes, I think we got him! Mr. Anthony, are you there?"

"I prefer Mitch." Mitch said faintly, wondering if this was real. Were radios supposed to talk to you?

"Well congratulations, Mitch! You're officially on the air of CAP 101! How does it feel?"

"…Good, I guess." Mitch shrugged. Hesitantly, he realized that this was just some random station. Whoever was running it had been trying to get ahold of him as he changed stations. And with him being broadcasted all over Panem, it was the opportune moment for an interview.

That meant the radio hadn't come alive after all. Mitch couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed.

"This is going to make our ratings soar like you wouldn't believe!" The radio host declared, sounding giddy, "Mitch, would you be against doing an interview with us? We'll even set up a line of callers and you'll get to answer all sorts of questions. It'll be a blast, I promise."

"…But I'm in the Hunger Games." He said, frowning as he thought it over. "Oh well. I guess I haven't really been an active participant anyways. Let's do it."

"Yes! Thanks a billion! We can stop whenever you tire of answering questions. Or if you get killed. Ready?"

Mitch nodded, knowing that they could see him. Hopefully nothing else of interest was going on right now, so that his fans could participate in his Q&A. As soon as it began, someone called in.

"Hello? Mitch?"

"Yes?" He inquired quite cheerfully.

"Hey. So I was wondering, how do you manage to avoid all of the other tributes so well? Are you a ninja master or what?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just lucky." Mitch smiled. The next question came instantly, belonging to yet another fan of his.

"Why don't you turn down the radio? Aren't you worried another tribute might find you? And why don't you listen to the station that follows what's happening in the Games?"

Mitch pondered the first question, completely ignoring the second two. "I have bad hearing from blasting the radio at home…" He confessed, "Sorry." The next person was already on air before the prior caller could voice their questions once more.

"Dude, Mitch, what is wrong with you? Are you stoned or something because it seems like you don't give a flying—"

"Chat!" Mitch burst out suddenly, "Hey, it's Chat!"

He could see her in the distance, limping heavily along the shoreline. Mitch rose to his feet and started to give chase, calling, "Hi Chat!" Then he remembered his radio and ran back to grab it. The current caller was yelling at him to answer his question, but Mitch ignored him, eager to catch up with his district partner.

Upon his approach, Chat turned around and whipped out her knife. "Get out of here, Mitch," She threatened, "I don't want to have to kill my own district partner."

Mitch's eyes softened at the sight of her swollen ankle. "Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

Chat sighed heavily and lowered the knife, remembering what a dweeb he was. He was no threat.

"Hi Chat!" A new voice called, slightly muffled in Mitch's hand, "Hey, can I ask Chat a question?"

Chat's eyes widened. "What the heck?"

Mitch held out his radio, smiling. "It was a sponsor gift. Wanna answer some questions from the viewers?"

Chat snorted. "Sure, why not? I'm not going anywhere." She lowered herself down into the sand, carefully positioning her ankle in front of her.

"Are you and Hip an item?"

Chat narrowed her eyes. "What the heck does that mean?" She growled.

"Well, he spared your life and you danced with each other…" The female voice continued, but Chat cut her off.

"Heck no, we're not an item! Why would I be so stupid as to get with someone like him?" She snarled, feeling incredibly irritated. Seriously? That's the best question you could come up with? People in the Capitol are so shallow!

Mitch tapped her shoulder.

"What?" She snapped a bit forcefully. The throbbing in her ankle was annoying her to no end.

Mitch's blue eyes were wide. "Look!" He pointed towards the surf.

A tanned girl with a ponytail was being dumped on shore by a large wave, not far from where they were sitting. A good-looking young man appeared a moment later and stood over her, dripping with saltwater.

"I'm never going in the water again!" Julia shrieked.

"You said that yesterday," was Frederick's faint reply. He looked around and spotted the District 6 pair sitting in the sand. At the same time, they saw the deadly trident clasped in his hand. Before the two parties could start fighting, Julia rose to her feet and shouted a cheerful greeting.

"Hi!" Mitch called back, giving them a warm smile.

Chat glared at him, hissing that they were dangerous, but he ignored her. The pair approached them; Julia looked friendly, while Frederick looked cautious. But they didn't appear to want a fight anymore than Mitch and Chat.

"What have you got there?" Frederick asked, looking at the crackling radio.

"Oh my God, it's Frederick!" The radio squealed, "Freddy, are you single?"

"Uh…yeah." He confirmed. Julia averted her eyes as her face began to redden.

"We're being interviewed!" Mitch said cheerfully, "Care to join us?"

"Okay!" Julia said happily, sitting across from him. Frederick sat between her and Chat and the four of them formed a circle.

"This one's for Julia," A monotone voice said, "Why are you so afraid of water?"

Julia's eyes narrowed. "What, am I not allowed to have a perpetual fear of something? I just am, okay?"

"Chat—have you considered building some sort of elaborate trap for the Careers to fall into?"

"I would if I had the materials. At least I already managed to wound that freak from District 2…"

"Hey Frederick, how did you get that scar on your face?"

"I've already answered this. I'm not saying it again."

"Mitch, marry me?"

"Okay, but I might be dead soon."

"What's going on here?" A new voice interrupted. The four of them gave a collective start and turned to see Hip looming over them from the boardwalk. His mace glinted in his hand. Channa came to stand up beside him, smiling menacingly. They were outnumbered, but even then, they weren't deterred…

Before a fight could break out, a large amount of squealing broke loose from the radio. It sounded like a bunch of preteen girls having a sleepover. A high-pitched voice shrieked, "Oh my God, it's Hip! Oh my God, we're on the air! Quick, think of a question!"

Hip's eyes widened curiously as the squealing died down and the radio began to speak directly to him.

"Hi Hip, my name's Jules! My friends and me were wondering who you like…is it Channa? Or do you like Chat, or Julia? Oh! Or do you have a girlfriend back home? We need to know so we can draw fanart."

Hip grinned mischievously. "Well…" He said slowly, "I think I like Jules."

The girls at the other end screamed so loudly that the radio was just a mess of crackling. Luckily, they were cut off and the next caller got online.

"Channa, darling, you're absolutely fabulous. How DO you manage to keep yourself looking so impeccable, even during your time in the arena?"

"Oh!" Channa gave a light laugh, flipping her hair as she did so, "That's so kind of you to say! It's all natural. I always look good, I don't even have to try."

Without being invited, she and Hip proceeded to force their way into the circle. Chat and Frederick held back their protests while Julia tried not to have a seizure due to the proximity of two incredibly handsome boys. Together, the six of them answered questions one by one, thoroughly enjoying one another's company. They laughed at the funny stories that followed clever questions and scorned those that were repeats. All of them encountered at least one proposal for marriage by some random stranger.

They were so absorbed in their newfound fame that they didn't notice Abbadon standing right over them. As soon as they did, their hands flew to grab their weapons. Then they rose to their feet, armed with sai, a mace, a trident, arnis sticks, a knife, and a radio, ready to attack at the first sign of a battle.

Abbadon just stood there, completely defenseless, looking at each tribute in turn. His face puckered in a small frown. "Uh…I wanted to answer questions too."

Mitch beamed at him. "Sure! Join the circle."

They all sunk back down into the sand, making room for Abbadon, who couldn't have looked happier. Mitch placed the radio at the center of their group and waited for the next question. But they could only hear the crackling of static.

"We're ready for the next question." Channa said impatiently, hoping it would be for her.

There was a long silence. Then a familiar voice came on. It was the host of the radio station, the very first person that had contacted Mitch. "Uh…we seem to have hit a bit of a snag…I'm afraid there won't be any more questions…"

"Why not?" Julia asked, looking disappointed.

"Err…well, while our ratings have skyrocketed, the channel featuring the Hunger Games has fallen. Apparently, there's not enough killing and maiming going on. They threatened us to stop less than an hour ago, but we didn't heed their warning…" He trailed off.

"So?" Chat prompted, feeling a bit smug that they had caused some grief towards those that wanted to see less talking and more fighting.

"Well, now they're here trying to break down the door. I'm afraid my temporary barricade isn't going to last much longer, so I'm going to have to sneak out through the window. Thank you for your time."

Everyone sat looking at one another as the crackling returned for a brief moment. Then, it stopped. Everyone just sat there, enveloped in the silence, looking extremely awkward.

Hip frowned. "…Now what?"

Julia pointed towards the looming Ferris wheel in the distance. "Anyone up for hanging at the amusement park?"

"Okay!" Mitch grinned. Chat rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hold back an amused smile.

"Last one there's a dead tribute!" Channa sang. Everyone laughed and took off down the beach, ready to have some fun times together.

Hopefully they won't be listening to Justin Bieber that far into the future. Anyways, here's another teaser for you…

Can you think of something worse than a tracker jacker? I can.