A/N Hi everyone! Before we get started, I have an exciting announcement! Submissions are now open for my next SYOT! This one is going to be called 'Frost Bite', and (as usual) it'll be a sequel to this one. Check out my profile for more info. I can't wait to see what awesome tributes you guys give me!

OK, now that you've all listened to me ramble, here's the chapter!


Calico Tailor, age 13

District 8 Female


Sneaking up on a pack of sleeping Careers is the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had. I feel like I could run a thousand miles.

And I might have to, if any of them wake up. Still, I can't stop smiling as we creep closer and closer to the Cornucopia.

Carlos gulps loudly for about the fourth time. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Not at all," I whisper back.

"Wonderful," he mutters.

I suppress a nervous giggle. Don't want to alert the Careers to our presence.

A loud rumbling sound suddenly splits the silence, and Carlos and I both go absolutely still. My mind blanks with such terror that I don't realize what that sound is for almost five minutes. When I do, I nearly laugh.

"Someone's snoring," I whisper as quietly as possible.

Carlos breathes a sigh of relief.

The closer we get to the Cornucopia, the more I'm starting to question this plan. Of course, our original plan was to do this while the Careers were hunting, but we both got so hungry that we decided to risk it.

Now I'm wondering if I couldn't have lived with a growling stomach for a little longer.

Oh, well. Too late to turn back now.

We finally reach the Cornucopia and duck inside. It's warm and stuffy in here, and, for some reason, I feel a little bit safer.

"All right," I say. "Let's do this fast."

Carlos nods, and then starts grabbing any supplies he can reach. I pick up a backpack, a couple of full water bottles, a small knife, and several packages of crackers. Enough to survive on, but not so much that the Careers will notice.

I nod to Carlos, and we slip toward the mouth of the Cornucopia. My heart is pounding so loudly I'm pretty sure Carlos can hear it. We sneak carefully out, past the tents and the fire pit, and towards a crumbling section of wall. I picked this place out yesterday as the perfect hiding spot for me and my ally.

As soon as we are out of the actual camp area, we both break into a sprint, ducking behind the wall as if we are being pursued by spears and arrows.

Then we both burst into soft, hysterical laughter. And once I start, I can't seem to stop.

Finally, I manage to calm down, my stomach aching and tears rolling down my cheeks. "I don't - I don't know what's so funny!"

That only seems to make Carlos laugh harder, even as he shakes his head.

I lean my head back against the wall, tearing open one of my packages of crackers. "You want one?"

He nods, wiping his eyes. "Sure."

We smash our crackers together like normal people do with wine glasses, and then I take a bite. It tastes like powdered cement, but it's better than nothing.

And better than nothing is, at the moment, the goal I'm aiming for.


Clementine Willis, age 16

District 12 Female


Ever since I saw Cassiopeia's face in the sky that first night, I've barely moved. I've been crying on and off as well, and I have literally no energy.

I'm probably going to die soon, so it doesn't really matter anyway. I'd like to win, of course, but I don't think I've ever really had it in me.

Suddenly, I hear a strange hissing noise. Feeling careless and curious, I poke my head out of the bush I've been hiding in. My mouth instantly drops open, and a ball of solid horror expands in my chest.

There's a giant, scarlet mutt less than twenty feet away from me, clinging to the wall above a niche. It's huge, bulbous eyes are fixed on a spot on the ground, just in front of the niche.

I swallow hard, hoping this thing hasn't seen me yet. It opens its mouth and makes a weird, croaking roar. Someone whimpers from inside the niche, and my mouth drops open again.

So that's why it's here. This mutt isn't hunting me, but it is hunting.

I should leave.

But somehow, I don't want to.

I managed to grab a sizable knife from the bloodbath, like the kind my mother used to cut bread. I could kill this thing.

Or I could get myself killed.

In an instant, my mind is made up. I'm going to die anyway, so I might as well go out fighting.

I pick my knife from the spot where I dropped it, and then run out of my bush, waving the knife and shrieking like a madwoman. The mutt looks completely stunned, and I don't blame it.

Unfortunately for it, that moment of shock gives me the time I need to jump on its back and drive my knife into its skull. I didn't even know I could jump that high.

The mutt makes an awful screaming sound, spreading a pair of huge wings and taking off, me still on its back, before finally going still and plummeting to the ground. I manage to leap off just in time to avoid being squashed.

I land hard in the dirt, the wind knocked out of my lungs. Weirdly enough, I don't really mind. I feel a bizarre sense of triumph.

Rolling over onto my stomach, I let out a breathy laugh. My knife is still stuck in the mutt's skull, but I don't want to get up and get it just yet.

"Wow," a voice says, and I immediately leap to my feet.

"Who said that?"

"Me," the voice says again.

I glance around wildly.

"Down here."

I look down, toward the niche, and see a small, red-haired boy on his hands and knees, his head poking out of the niche.

"Oh," I say. "Hi."

"Hi," he says back.

There's silence, after that, and I'm starting to feel very awkward. What are you supposed to say to a person after you've killed the mutt that was hunting them?

"Thanks for that," the boy says at last, gesturing the mutt's corpse.

"You're welcome," I say.

He gets out of his niche, brushes his pants off, and then holds out one hand. "Egan Alice, District 6."

"Clementine Willis, District 12," I say, taking his hand.

"You were allies with the District 10 girl, right?" he asks.

My throat closes up as I nod.

Egan bites his lip. "Sorry."

"'S fine," I say.

"Would you wanna be allies with me?" he asks, and he looks so hopeful that I can't say no.

"All right."

His faces breaks in a smile.

Maybe this'll end better than last time.


Andromida Nyx Lede, age 18

District 1 Female


"We've been walking for literally hours!" I yell. "My feet are killing me, can we please take a break?"

Salinity glances backward at me, sighs, and then yells, "Fine!"

Everyone groans with relief, plopping themselves down on the nearest pieces of stone or just on the ground. It's boiling hot today, and Salinity insisted we go hunting right after breakfast.

I open my bottle of water, drinking the icy liquid greedily.

"I'm so hot," Crimson moans. "I've never been this hot."

Carlisle looks at her contemplatively. "You don't look any hotter than usual."

Crimson gives him a withering look. "Not that kind of hot."

He grins at her, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

Salinity rolls her eyes. "Can we please concentrate? It's day three and we haven't had a single kill since the bloodbath. The audience is going to get bored."

"All right, all right, sheesh," Crimson says. "Just a couple more minutes, OK?"

"Fine," Salinity huffs.

I stretch, staring up at the towers surrounding me. Wait a minute. The towers...

"I have an idea," I announce.

Everyone looks at me.

"What if we climbed up one of those towers? I'll bet we could see the whole arena from up there."

"Huh," Quentin says. "That could work."

"I'm down," Crimson says.

"In," says Carlisle.

We all look at Salinity, who sighs, but a smile is tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Sure. Anything to get moving again."

I laugh at that, and then we all get up, stuffing our water bottles back into our backpacks, and strapping our weapons back onto our belts.

The entrance to the nearest tower is not far away, so it doesn't take long to there. Then we start climbing the stairs for what feels like hours. I didn't know there were so many stairs in the entire world.

Eventually, though, we reach the top, and then the climb is totally worth it.

"I was right," I say, leaning out the window. "We can see the whole arena from up here."

"Uh huh," Salinity says, eyes roving over the landscape, looking for tributes.

I reach out the window and into the air, half expecting my fingertips to brush the sky and come away blue. A deliciously cool breeze blows my hair back, and giggle softly. I've always loved heights. There's just something about them that makes me feel free.

"Hey! Look!" Carlisle suddenly yells, snapping me out of my thoughts.

He's pointing back toward the Cornucopia, where two small people are heading for our camp.

"They're stealing our stuff!" Salinity shrieks, outrage twisting her face.

"Come on!" Crimson yells, leading the charge downstairs.

I feel a slight surge of nausea as I realize that, very soon, I might have to kill again. I feel bad enough about Luciel.

Shaking my head to clear it, I pour a little extra speed into my run.

I can't afford to think that way.

Not now, at least.


Perona Destins, age 12

District 3 Female


I have been following the District 8 girl and the District 5 boy all day, waiting for my chance to strike. So far, an opportunity has not presented itself, but I am patient.

After all, the Hunger Games is not won in a day.

At the moment, they are stealing from the Careers again. Not a particularly intelligent move on their part, but oh, well.

They disappeared inside the Cornucopia nearly five minutes ago. I cannot help but wonder what is taking them so long.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of running feet, and I duck inside a scraggly bush just before the Careers run past. My eyes widen. Perhaps I won't have to kill them after all.

"Where are they?" the girl from District 4 says, glaring furiously.

"They can't have left!" says the girl from District 2.

Naturally, the boy from District 5 chooses this moment to emerge from the Cornucopia. He screams at the sight of the Careers, drops his stolen goods, and runs for his life. The boy and girl from District 2 give chase.

I idly wonder how far he'll get.

The boy from District 1 turns to scratch his head, and the two girls are staring in the direction Carlisle and Crimson disappeared in. Which is why none of them notice as the girl from District 8 slips out of the Cornucopia, and then climbs on top of it.

My eyes widen as I realize that she's clutching a knife. I did not think she had it in her.

Unfortunately for her, the Careers have trained all their lives for this. They are not about to be taken unawares by a thirteen-year-old.

As the District 8 girl jumps, the girl from District 4 wheels around, bringing up her spear so that Calico impales herself.

Right through the chest.

Her cannon booms in the silence left behind.

The girl from District 1 looks vaguely ill, her hand over her mouth, and even her District partner looks shocked.

Salinity drops the spear nonchalantly, and then says, "Wonder where Carlisle and Crimson are."

Andromida gives her a half-horrified-half-incredulous look, and then turns away. Her District partner sighs and goes after her.

I decide now would be a good time for me to leave. As I quietly creep away from the scene at the Cornucopia, a feeling of nervousness begins to gnaw at my stomach. My carefully-laid plan is starting to fall apart.

What will be left by the time we reach the finale?


A/N Eulogies:

Calico: I'm so, so, soooooooo sorry, PurpleFrenchFryAmy. I really loved Calico, she was so sassy and fun and just generally great, but she was a little too nice for the Games. I'll really miss her. RIP.

Quick reminder to submit to Frost Bite! You know, if you feel so inclined.

I hope you liked this chapter, and please review!