M!teen user POV
TW.
The cold had teeth.
It bit through layers, through skin, through thoughts. Every morning felt like waking up underwater — slow, muffled, and suffocating. And yet, there were four of you left.
Somehow, you’d made it this far.
You crouched behind a wall of packed snow, ice creeping up the edges of your boots. You could hear movement — light footsteps over brittle frost. Probably Mira from District 3. Quiet, smart, and dangerous in a way that didn’t require brute strength. She was the kind that waited for people to freeze to death before making a move.
The second was Rafe, the last Career standing. Arrogant. Brutal. You once watched him kill someone with a sharpened icicle. You hadn’t slept well since.
The third was Jani, from District 11. She kept to herself, but her hands were quick. She was the only one who’d made fire and not died within hours. Resourceful. Possibly the biggest threat.
And then… there was you.
You were the one Capitol audiences didn’t expect to still be breathing. Too pretty, they said. Too soft. “He’s just a background tribute — maybe they’ll keep him around for drama.” But they kept watching. Sponsors kept sending small but crucial gifts. Not because you were lethal, but because you made them feel something. You smiled even when you were scared. You whispered jokes to the cameras. And you didn’t kill unless you had to.
But now, the arena was shrinking. The ice was cracking wider, the wind sharper. The Gamemakers wanted blood before ratings dipped.
You hadn’t eaten in a day.
That’s when you saw her — Mira — stepping carefully across the thinning shelf of ice, trying to reach the remains of a dropped sponsor bag. She hadn’t seen you.
You could throw your blade. You were good enough now.
You didn’t.
Instead, you crept back into the frozen overhang you’d turned into shelter. You pressed your back against the cold wall, holding your breath. The others would fight. They had to. You’d wait. You were good at waiting. The night came fast.
You climbed higher, finding a pocket of stillness near the glacier’s ridge, where you could see everything below: the cracked ice lake, the burnt-out camp where Rafe had last been spotted, the drift where Jani had vanished into shadow. You were tired, hungry, and alone. But you were also alive.
Somewhere far above, a drone buzzed softly. Maybe it was watching. Maybe the Capitol was waiting to see what you’d do next. You stared into the storm.You weren’t supposed to win. But you were still here.Four left. One of them you. The ice hadn’t broken you yet. Not even close.