A/N Hi everyone! Here's another chapter!


Crimson Legacy, age 17

District 2 Female


Quentin burned breakfast. He also set himself on fire.

Why he thought it was a good idea for him to cook, I'll never know.

Right now, Andromida is trying to bandage his burnt arm while I attempt to salvage the food. Apparently, because I'm a girl, I should cook.

Blergh.

"This is freaking impossible," I mutter under my breath, poking at the oatmeal sludge I have created.

"You're doing fine," Salinity says from her spot on top of the Cornucopia. "That's how oatmeal is supposed to look."

"Seriously?" I say, raising my eyebrows in disbelief.

"Have you never had oatmeal before?" Carlisle asks.

"No."

"Wow."

Quentin sighs. "Sorry about this, guys."

"For the twentieth time, it's fine," I say. "Just...promise you'll never cook again."

"That I can do."

"Good," says Salinity emphatically.

Andromida laughs, tying off the bandage on Quentin's arm. "OK, you're done."

"Thanks," he says.

She grins, getting to her feet and then swaying dizzily. Quentin grabs her arm to prevent her from falling over.

"I'm fine," Andromida says. "Just stood up too fast."

Quentin still looks concerned, but he lets go of her. Salinity rolls her eyes.

"I give up," I announce. "I wasn't that hungry anyway."

Carlisle peers into the pot and immediately choruses his assent.

"Fine," Salinity says. "Then let's go hunting."

Instantly, the air is charged with tension, and I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. I know something happened while Carlisle and I were chasing the boy from District 5, but I'm not sure what. Clearly, it was bigger than I thought.

Salinity seems to notice it, as she rolls her eyes and groans. "You two still hung up on yesterday?"

"You didn't have to do that," Quentin says softly, but there's steel in his voice.

"Yeah, I did," Salinity says. "If I hadn't killed that girl, she would have killed one of us. And anyway, isn't this what you signed up for?"

"We didn't sign up for this," Andromida says.

Salinity throws her hands up in the air. "Oh, come on. You've both killed, so why is it such a big deal when I do it?"

"Because you were smiling, dang it!"

The entire arena seems to quiet at Quentin's shout. I feel like someone's just pulled a rug out from under my feet and I'm spinning through the air, trying to make sense of what is happening.

I knew Salinity is willing to do whatever it takes to when. I knew she was even a little bit bloodthirsty. But smiling? While killing someone?

That's messed up, even to a person who grew up in the most famously bloodthirsty District in Panem.

Salinity rolls her eyes again. "If you don't like it, you can leave!"

"Maybe we will!" Quentin snaps.

My eyes go wide. This was not supposed to happen just yet. Not until the final eight, at least.

Everything sort of slows down around me, Quentin and Salinity and Andromida still yelling at each other, Carlisle getting to his feet and trying to get them to stop, and me, just sort of sitting here with a stunned expression on my face. I should probably make a different face, since every camera in the vicinity is most likely on us, but I can't.

Finally, Quentin shakes his head in disgust, grabs his sword and his emergency pack (Andromida put together emergency packs for all of us in case we got separated. Now I have to wonder if she's been planning for this all along.), and Andromida does the same, except she grabs her katana instead of a sword.

And they leave. Just like that.

Carlisle flops down on the ground, one hand over his eyes.

I think Artemis may have been right.

I shouldn't have volunteered.


Carlos Albedo, age 12

District 5 Male


I didn't think anything in the entire world could hurt this much. But Calico's death opened up a giant, raw wound in my heart and it won't go away.

I'm not even sure how I got away from the Careers. I was so sure they'd find me when I ducked into this niche, but they didn't. I haven't moved since. Don't really want to.

I don't even know what I'd do if I did move. I can't try stealing from the Careers again, and, as far as I know, there's nothing edible in this place, unless I want to try eating rocks or the weird moss and lichen and ivy that grows all over the place.

Although I'm pretty sure that stuff is poisonous, because why not?

There's also the bushes, but they're covered in thorns and also probably poisonous, so, really, there's nothing to eat.

Maybe, when the Careers go hunting again, I could go back to where Calico and I hid the food and just get that. I wouldn't steal anything else.

A tiny bubble of hope starts to expand in my chest.

Yeah. I think I'll do that.

I crawl out of my niche, glancing around to make sure there are no other tributes in the vicinity. All I see is giant, reptilian statue, looming over the courtyard.

I breathe a sigh of relief, getting to my feet. As soon as I pass into where the statue's line of sight would be, there's a cracking sound and the statue...moves.

My lungs contract with horror. This is no statue.

It's a mutt.

A pair of terrible, blank grayish eyes fly open, and the creature spreads an enormous pair of wings. It hops off the pedestal with such force that the stone cracks under its claws.

I scream, trying desperately to scramble away from it.

But it's too fast. For such a huge creature, it moves like a lightning bolt.

Within a second, it's upon me, a giant claw coming down on my chest with the force of a freight train. I scream again, feeling my ribs snap.

The last thing I feel is blinding pain, and the last thing I see is horrifyingly long, sharp teeth.

And then everything goes black.


Egan Alice, age 13

District 6 Male


I'm starting to fall asleep against Clementine's shoulder when the cannon booms. My head snaps up, my eyes widening. Clementine gulps, hard.

"Who do you think that was?" she asks.

"I dunno," I say.

"I hope it wasn't Samuel," Clementine whispers.

"Why?"

"He's all I've got left of home."

My heart clenches just a little bit. I didn't like Maia much, but at least she was someone from home.

Seeming to realize what she just said, Clementine claps a hand over her mouth. "Oh, Egan. I'm so sorry."

I wave my hand in the air. "It's fine."

There's a long pause, and then Clementine says, "I wish I could just go home."

I lean my head back against the cold stone of the wall, my heart aching as I think about Apollo, Mom, and Dad. I miss them all more than I can put into words.

"Me too."

We both lapse into silence. The wind rustles a leaf across the stones, and I can't help but jump just a little bit. It sounds far too much like how that mutt did, hanging on the wall above me, just waiting for me to come out.

Nope. Stop thinking about it.

I shift into a more comfortable position, staring up at the sky. It's almost unnaturally blue.

Not that anything in this arena is natural in the first place.


Perona Destins, age 12

District 3 Female


I am on the hunt. With Calico dead, I have been in need of a new target. And I think I have found the perfect one in the boy from District 6.

The District 6 boy and his ally, the girl from District 12, have been sitting in one place all day. It would be almost ridiculously easy for me to sneak up and kill them both.

But I will not. Yet.

I'm waiting for dusk, when they'll both be drowsy and off-guard. When I killed the boy from District 9, he was alert, and that almost cost me greatly.

I will not make such a mistake again.

Twirling my knife in my fingers, I idly wonder if the cameras are on me. Most likely. The Capitol loves to see drama, and it doesn't get more dramatic than a twelve-year-old stalking and killing her older opponents.

I scoot forward, crawling on my stomach until a reach a small bush. The one good thing about these bushes is that are lots of them, and they are dense enough to make decent hiding spots. Or spots from which to watch your prey.

The girl from District 12 stretches, her arms flung above her head. She yawns. The heat is most likely making her sleepy.

All the better for me.

Most people would be getting fairly bored by now, but I am used to sitting still for long periods of time. In fact, I rather enjoy it, because I know that once the wait is over, I'll have a sweet reward.

In this case, my reward will be becoming the first twelve-year-old Victor of the Hunger Games.


A/N Eulogies:

Carlos: I'm really sorry, Elim9. I loved Carlos, but he was way too sweet for the Hunger Games. I'm going to miss him a lot. RIP.

I hope you liked this chapter, and please review!

P.S. Thanks to everyone who's submitted to Frost Bite! You guys are awesome!