Kaya sat perched in the branches of a tree, her colorless eyes surveying the land below. Snowflakes landed in her hair, melting on her scalp, and her antennae quivered slightly from the cold. Over the past few days, Tributes had been dying at an alarmingly fast rate–everything from brutal murders to cold weather was making them drop like flies. If she remembered correctly, there were only about eleven Tributes left in the Arena, and she was one of them.

The little girl sat pondering for a moment. At last, an idea struck her.

This is definitely gonna be messy, she thought. But it'll work.

She stared out toward the mountains. Just last night, an avalanche had hit, killing two more Tributes in the process. Kaya most definitely felt sorry for them, but what could she do? It was the Hunger Games, after all. Only one could remain.

There are already two districts completely gone. And now I think it's time to wipe out a third.

***

Shelby, Winter, and Mikey's hiking boots lightly brushed the snowy ground as they moved quietly through the woods. Shelby took the lead, her pale blue eyes darting from one place to another cautiously. Winter and Mikey brought up the rear, walking side-by-side and looking around anxiously. Winter carried a spear in her hand. Everyone was tense, their muscles bunched and weapons ready, as if someone would leap out and attack them at any moment. Which could very well happen, considering their circumstances.

Shelby tilted her head back, looking up and squinting against the snowflakes that swirled past her eyes. In the distance, she could see the tall, mighty mountains outlined against the misty sky. They gave off a sense of power, of determination, of hope.

"We're almost there," she reported, turning her head to look at her allies. "I'd say we'll reach the mountains in another a day or so."

"Are you sure it's safe?" Winter questioned. "There was an avalanche just yesterday."

"You know how the Capitol is," Shelby told her. "They're just a bunch of one-trick ponies. The avalanche I'm sure they triggered was just one of their tricks to kill people. No one will fall for the same thing twice, so they won't do it twice. We're safe."

"Good," Michelangelo moaned, dragging his feet through the snow. "'Cause we've been walking for days. I'm so tired."

"You do realize we'll have to climb the mountains once we get there, right?" Winter pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"Ughghgggh," Mikey groaned, tossing his head back.

He collapsed dramatically, landing on his shell and sending a flurry of snow up into the air. His eyes were half-open and misty with tiredness.

"Maybe we could use a break," Winter suggested, looking over at the mutant turtle's tired body.

"Fine," Shelby agreed reluctantly.

They both sat down on either side of Michelangelo. Shelby reached into her backpack and pulled out her thermos, and the three of them took turns taking tiny sips of their remaining water, gulping down the liquid thirstily.

"Hey, wait," Mikey looked up, pointing toward the sky. "What's that?"

The three allies looked up to see a little white parachute drifting through the air down toward them, camouflaged against the snowy backdrop of the forest. Attached to said parachute was a tiny container.

"A sponsor!" Mikey cheered, beaming from ear to ear. "WE'VE GOT A SPONSOR!"

They all watched as the gift from their sponsor floated down and landed gently in a nearby tree, nestled between two branches.

"I'll get it," Winter volunteered.

She dropped her spear, headed toward the tree, and began to climb expertly. The tree bark was slippery and snow-coveted, sending snow showering down below when she stepped on it, but Winter did not allow herself to fall. She propelled herself upwards like she'd been climbing trees her whole life. The tree branches rustled and creaked beneath her weight.

"You're halfway there!" Mikey cheered. "Go Winter!"

Shelby looked up at the tree, spotting a dark mass near the top. She squinted harder, realizing exactly what it was, and her heart caught in her throat.

"Winter, get down from there! Now!" she screamed.

"Shelby?" Mikey asked, his eyes growing concerned. "What's wrong?"

"THERE'S A TRACKER JACKER NEST UP THERE!" was the frantic reply.

Winter froze just as her hands closed around the container, fear gripping her body and making her go rigid. Quickly, she grabbed the sponsor gift and and leaped down from the branch, landing at the foot of the tree.

But it was too late.

Her movement had alerted the deadly creatures.

A swarm of tracker jackers burst from the tree, buzzing angrily. Winter screamed, scrambling away from the tree, as the mutant wasps came pouring out of their nest. Mikey's eyes widened to the size of saucers, his body trembling. But Shelby's eyes were intense and determined. She leaped in front of her allies and closed her eyes, concentrating.

Her friends watched in shock as her hair turned pure white, and white wolf ears and a tail appeared in their respective areas. Her outfit changed from a jumpsuit to a two-piece top and skirt, which were more like two sheets of flexible ice than cloth. The temperature around them decreased further, making Mikey and Winter shiver as they backed away. Shelby raised her hand just as the wasps descended upon her, and a jet of ice shot from her palm.

Within half a second, the tracker jackers were all frozen solid. Their bodies, now completely made of ice, clattered to the ground. Shelby took a deep breath, her heart still pounding in her chest.

"Whoa..." Winter murmured. "Shelby...how–?"

"My mutation," came the urgent reply. "It gave me the ability to–I'll explain later. C'mon, we have to get out of here. There could be more jackers around."

Just as she said this, there was a dreadful snapping noise from somewhere above. All three of the teens watched in horror as the branch suspending the tracker jacker nest split, and the nest came plummeting down from the tree, landing in the snow and cracking open as soon as it hit the ground. Mikey shrieked as a second wave of murderous wasps came flooding out, surrounding them in an instant.

Shelby prepared another blast of ice, growling low in her throat, but several stingers embedded themselves in her pale skin before she could do so. She gasped in pain and staggered to the side, her world beginning to to swirl and spin as pain began to numb her body. She began firing ice blindly, managing to freeze a few of the wasps.

Winter shrieked as the wasps buzzed around her, stinging her everywhere. Agony like she'd never known before rocketed through her body as little stingers pricked her over and over again, and her legs buckled as she nearly fell. She stumbled, managing to grab her spear and swipe at the tracker jackers. Next to her, Shelby growled and fired more ice at the wasps, despite the many stings on her arms and face. The look on both girls' faces was a look of pure anger, of determination despite the odds. Neither one of them would back down–they'd keep fighting,

Michelangelo was not at all the same way. He backed away, his body trembling violently from head to toe. He wanted nothing more but to tear his eyes away from the dreadful scene, but he couldn't look away. Bile rose up in his throat, and he felt as if he would vomit.

The next thing he knew, he had turned tail and running away as fast as he possibly could, whimpering.

I'm sorry, Winter and Shelby, he thought as tears began to stream down his cheeks. I should be staying there trying to help you guys. But instead I'm running away, because I'm such a big fat coward! Please forgive me!

He bolted through the forest, sobbing quietly, until the furious buzzing of the tracker jackers was nothing more than a soft hum in the distance. From the top of a nearby tree, Kaya watched him go, her expression grim. A little tracker jacker hovered at her side.

"Zzshall I go after him, Mizztrezz?" he asked her.

"No, leave him be," Kaya replied. "You and your friends have already done enough for me, by killing off his friends."

Just as she said this, the cannon boomed.

A half second later, it sounded once again.

The little bug girl climbed down from her tree cautiously, hurrying over to the spot of death nearby. She found Shelby and Winter laying unmoving, their eyes lifeless and dull. Their bodies were covered in stings that were already starting to swell up. Kaya knew those stings would start to do other unpleasant things later. She looked away, curling her lip.

Her black eyes fell on something in Winter's swollen hand–a container, with a drooping white parachute attached to it. She walked forward and pried the container from the dead Tribute's hand, opening it. Inside was a few loaves of bread...and a note. Kaya read it.

Dear Shelby and Co.,
Hey! Tyler here, Shelby's brother. Just wanted to say you guys have survived so long now, and I want you to keep it up. I managed to rack up a few sponsors–not much, just enough to give you this bread. Oh, and Shelby? I think Aiden is secretly worrying about you :) Come home soon!
-Tyler

A stab of guilt hit Kaya in the stomach. How sweet of Shelby's brother to send her something like that.

Because of her, she would never get to read it.

The little bug girl sighed. She closed the container and knelt on the ground, gently nudging the sponsor gift into Shelby's lifeless hand. Then she ran off into the woods, leaving two swollen bodies for the hovercrafts to pick up.