My Games: Johanna Mason

Chapter 7

DAY 6

'Should we call them soon?' Noel asked. He was shaking with anxiety.

Five made some gestures to Satina, and Satina passed the message on. "We're ready," she said, full of determination.

"Okay then," Cyprus said. "The plan has officially started," Cyprus went over to make a small hole in the fortress we spent all day making with tree branches and logs. Five wriggled through the hole, followed by Satina. Cyprus calmly refilled the hole with logs.

The plan itself was simple, but of course I had a backup. The plan involved making this massive fortress - which only took a bit over a day - and then sending someone to call the Careers from the river. Satina volunteered immediately, and Five insisted he go with her. They would bring the Careers back here, and there would be a battle.

This alliance was only formed five days ago to show that the Careers weren't the only ones who could be strong. All strategies aside, I really did believe in that. That was partly why I wanted to win. Tributes from Districts 1, 2 and 4 have won the Games consecutively for the last nine years. It was time that a girl for District 7 finally did.

For this reason, Satina, Noel and Five were dumb enough to be convinced that this plan would work. Cyprus knew that there was something wrong, as he had indicated with various winks and smiles over the last two days, and I think he realized that I only hatched this plan to kill off some more people so the Games could end quicker. I was expecting something like four or five dead by the end of the battle.

There were only a few small problems with the plan. The first and most concerning issue was Five. Apart from volunteering to go with Satina, he had never formally agreed to the plan. He always looked irritated when we were working on it. I was worried about what he would do. Would he kill Satina now? Would he betray us all at the last second?

I shook my head. I couldn't think these thoughts! "Are you okay?" Noel shivered. It sounded more like he was asking himself. "Yeah, just nervous," I replied.

The other minor dilemma was my strategy that I had held since the Reaping. Would I let it dissipate at today's battle? I knew that if I had an axe, I could kill three or four Careers easily - but I had to pretend to be pathetic in battle. Maybe I could act weak (but not weak enough to be killed) and make a quick escape at the right time.

I suddenly remembered that Satina had an axe. I looked through her bag. I almost giggled. The idiot did not even take any weapons with her to the river. I wondered if Five did.

I pulled the axe from the bag and dropped the sword I was holding. Cyprus said nothing, but he looked amused.

"Johanna," he mocked, "after yesterday you are seriously considering using an-"

A loud and sharp scream interrupted Cyprus. Satina. They were at the river. More screams filled the air and nobody spoke. I prayed that the Careers heard them.

The screams went on for a few minutes, and suddenly everybody was silent. An eerie atmosphere coupled with a shocking realization struck me.

I could die within the next ten minutes. My body, blood and guts could be on the snow and nobody in the Capitol would think twice about it.

This thought fueled my anger, and I became enraged.

After about ten minutes of anxious waiting, I heard footsteps breaking on the snow. "Guys," I warned, "be ready." Five emerged between the trees, from a direction completely different from the one he left. Satina was just behind him. Only a metre behind Satina was a big, bulky male tribute. It wasn't Titus, thank God.