My Games: Johanna Mason

Chapter 13

DAY 13

Johanna's POV

I saw them.

It happened in the morning, when I was looking for food. I'd retreated deep into the autumn section, which I discovered was more highly elevated the further one went in. Still had no food though. Or water.

I was careless, desperate, and so I didn't even notice the three Careers only a hundred or so metres below and away from me. Two huge guys and a short girl, who seemed to be the leader. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it seemed they were looking for me.

Me.

I remember gripping my axe and running away as fast as I could, onto higher ground. I could've stayed and waited for the right moment to pounce, but I was afraid. Truly afraid. Unless you count the Bloodbath, I'd never really been outnumbered throughout the Games until that point. I had Satina, Five, Noel, and Cyprus with me on that day in the winter section. I had Cyprus with me when he and Amity died. But in that moment, there was one of me and three of them, and secret strategy or not, it was the most terrifying moment of my life.

I realise that the higher I go, the closer to the edge of the arena I am. The Careers are probably on my trail, too. Lucky I wasn't in the winter section, or the Careers could follow footprints. The fact that they are getting closer must mean that the arena is getting smaller. Perhaps, like the winter section, the spring section was cut off somehow. What if the summer section was too? It could just be the 4 of us in the one section, though it was turning out to be so huge that I couldn't see any of the other sections from my high altitude location. At least there weren't any Mutts this year. All in all, this arena was actually pretty tame compared to some others.

The trees weren't very high in the autumn section, and there seemed to be fewer of them the more time I spent in it. I never found a tree to sleep in, so I covered myself with leaves and huddled under a tree, clutching my trusty axe. It was my only salvation at this point, since I was certain there was no source of food left in the arena. Though the Careers most likely had food, it wouldn't last very long.

I rubbed myself all over while I was trying to sleep, since I was so cold. I could feel my ribs - in fact, any excess fat on my body disappeared. I was just skin and bones. The clothes that I wore for almost two weeks straight weren't the most thermodynamic either. Eventually, sheer fatigue got the better of me and I slept. And for the first time in a while, I dreamed vividly. I dreamed of my little brother Cervus; one of the few reasons I was lying underneath a pile of leaves, exposed, with the threat of death constantly on my shoulder. I could just end it all now, but that would be weak. And I wanted to see Blight again, too. I wanted to show the Capitol. Boy would I do something when I was out of there.

I decided that tomorrow, I would find a spot, and I wouldn't move. Tomorrow would be the day. The day this nightmare would end.

If only I'd known that the nightmare had just begun.

Lance's POV

I don't know why I didn't tell the others I saw her.

I guess I kind of felt bad - I know, a Career tribute, who trains his whole life for the Games, feels guilty about killing another tribute. I've only killed one tribute in these Games. The girl from ten, in the Bloodbath. And I still feel terrible. The worst part was her face. The terrible expression of fear, helplessness, desperation and finally the acceptance. Once Amity - who I remember shocked us all with her battle skill - quickly slit the throat of the ten male, the girl came back. The Bloodbath was over with eight dead, which I was happy with, and she just came back once she saw her partner being attacked. Whether she was trying to save the male tribute or was just sacrificing herself still haunted me.

I sat there, apparently keeping watch over Torah and Alabaster as they slept, thinking about this. I didn't really want to be here. The Games seemed so fun when I was young, and the victors that came back to my district all seemed to be fine - well, except Annie Cresta from last year, but nobody's really supposed to mention her. District 4 still has, like, ten other victors, though, about seven of which are still living. But when I was picked, and about a hundred people volunteered and none came out, it became real. While the Preliminary Hunger Games (basically a smaller, less technological version of the Games held in Career districts to determine which volunteer takes the place of the person Reaped) were going on the day after I was Reaped, I hoped that the last two remaining volunteers would just kill each other, as horrible as it sounds.

And as soon as I found out that they had, in fact, killed each other simultaneously, and that I was going into the Games, I immediately wish they hadn't. And that's how I got here. Sitting in the dark next to two people I barely know, deciding in my head if I should just slit their throats or not.

Yesterday and today were hellish for Alabaster, Torah, and I. After the spring section was closed off, the Gamemakers let a few Mutts out on us (wolves, I think) and though there were only a few, and we all survived, Alabaster may never have fingers on his left arm again. He lost a lot of blood, most of which was dried on me as I recalled the gruesome memory.

That Johanna from District 7 must have had a terrible day as well. Or maybe not. Maybe she found a nice tree to climb, being from the wood district, and just sat there all day eating. Maybe she has weapons. I doubted it. She was just so pathetic in training.

My only real worry was Torah. She was twice as dangerous as Alabaster, at least. I really was compelled to kill them both then and there, but I didn't for the same reasons I didn't reveal that I saw that girl Johanna this morning.

I sighed softly and nearly jumped when Alabaster tapped me on the shoulder. 'I'll keep watch.' Though we couldn't see each other, I nodded, and laid down. I knew there was nothing to watch out for, really, because I was certain that the Gamemakers wanted us all to kill Johanna and then massacre each other. I tried not to think about it. The more I think about the Games ending, the less likely it seems I'll come out alive.