When the anthem begins, I feel my stomach tighten. It won't take long now. It's time.
Katniss asks Finnick what's the time and he estimates about nine. He shoots me a look before suggesting we break up camp and go back to Beetee.
It really is time.
When we finally arrive at the lightning tree (even I must admit this: too much bread and seafood is not always good), Beetee and Finnick start to unroll the wire and roll it back up another branch. Although I'm absolutely sure no one else is around, we still have to stand guard.
Beetee explains the rest of the plan: Katniss and I have to take the coil to the water and Finnick and Peeta have to help Beetee. Immediately, there's protest from both Peeta and Katniss. Finnick looks at me. We both want to protest too but we're keeping our mouths shut. As a Victor/Tribute, you have to know what you can and can't reveal. Beetee raises his hand to put a stop to Katniss' whining. "I'm sorry but this is how it's going to be."
She looks at me and I shoot her a sour look. She's not the only one who finds it hard to leave someone behind. At least she still has hope of seeing Peeta again, since she believes that this is just a plan to kill Brutus and Enobaria. I, on the other hand, know what can happen. What will happen. There's only a thirty percent chance Finnick and I will see each other again. Maybe one of us will die, maybe one of us will get captured by the Capitol or maybe we'll both be in the Capitol or District 13.
"If the girls are going to make it out alive, they need to move now," I hear Beetee say. Is his voice shaking just a little bit? God, I hope not. If Beetee's nervous, than I am for sure.
Katniss walks over to Peeta, taking his face in her hands, comforting him, saying everything will work out and they'll see each other again. I wish I could do the same to Finnick but we can only look at each other. I've always believed Finnick was the only one who could look right into my soul and as I'm eyeing him right now, I really hope I wasn't wrong about it.
The coil Beetee throws at me makes me take my eyes off Finnick. "Go, now!" Beetee urges us.
I nod and turn around to see if Katniss is with me. "Let's go," I say.
"Johanna!"
I feel someone grab my arm and I turn around. Finnick pulls me into a short hug. "Be careful, alright?"
I can't answer that question truthfully. In the Capitol's arena no one can be careful. So I just settle with a "See you later, Finn."
A worried look crosses his face but I can't handle this so I turn around and run downhill with Katniss on my side. I'm unwinding the coil and Katniss stands guard. After a while, we switch places. I see she's struggling with the wire but I pretend I don't see it. I'm happy she doesn't say a word. I can tolerate her as long as she's not making any sound. Suddenly, the wire loosens a lot and twists around our wrists and ankles. Finnick must've cut the wire which means it's time for me to do what I have to do. But Katniss looks at me with a terrified and confused expression and I take another look at the wire. It's too short. Finnick didn't cut this, the careers did. Shit. Now I really don't have any more time left. And I have to make it worse. I take the cylinder into my hands and slam it as hard as possible against Katniss' head. I ignore the thoughts in my head. I don't want to feel sorry for her even though she didn't see any of this coming.
I look to my left and I can see the vague figures of Brutus and Enobaria. My heart is beating rapidly in my chest.
I don't have enough time.
I take out my knife and stab it in Katniss' arm, hoping I didn't cut her arteries. Where is that damn tracker?
When I find it, Katniss' arm is lying in a pool of blood but she still looks alive. I have to run but if Brutus and Enobaria find her, they'll kill her. I can't let that happen. Not because I've grown fond of her but because she's the Mockinjay. I'm not, she is.
Katniss is moaning and sighing, not able to produce words. Her eyes are focusing and unfocusing but I can't deal with this now. I take her bloody arm and swipe it across her face. Now she looks as if she's not going to make it. Brutus and Enobaria are getting dangerously close, I have to move fast.
"Stay down!" I whisper to Katniss before I take off. I cross my fingers that the Careers will just ignore her and follow me.
I run as fast as I can, terrified Brutus will get me. Enobaria I can handle but Brutus is a little too big for my taste. Maybe if I had him alone, I could win by burying an ax in his chest but I won't win if I have to fight both of them. So I run, like a cowardly first-year tribute. I run, not knowing where to go. I desperately want to go back to Finnick, asking him to help me kill the Careers. But he's still in the lightning zone.
I think.
I don't know where he is. I don't know anything. I can't breathe anymore. I'm falling behind.
"There she is!" I hear Enobaria's triumphant voice shout. I look behind me for a second to see how far they are. I estimate about fifteen meters. Then a large bough hits me in the face. That wasn't there before, I would've seen it. Stupid gamemakers!
I fall down on the ground and touch my forehead. There's a large gash in it but I'll be fine. In the meantime, Brutus and Enobaria have come too close. I roll down a few meters and hide under the roots of a large tree.
"Where the hell is she? I saw her running against that tree! WHERE IS SHE?"
Brutus' rage has always been very entertaining. If I wasn't this terrified, I would've enjoyed it.
"Come on, let's find Odair. He must be around here somewhere. He's not going to leave Mason. Let's kill him and then kill Mason."
Shit.
Right at the time I'm thinking about how I should warn Finnick, I hear his voice shouting Katniss' and my name.
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
I leave my hiding spot to get to Finnick before the Careers do. I see him running through the trees but he's too far away. I can't yell back at him without alarming Brutus and Enobaria. So I run as quietly as I possibly can towards Finnick.
I fall to the ground several times and my head is spinning like crazy. This can't be from running into that tree, can it?
I look around me and see the trees curling around each other, changing colors, dripping blood… What the hell is this? I examine my arms and legs and see a large bite on my elbow. I've been bitten by a tracker jacker. Fuck.
I try my hardest to distinguish what's real from what's not. Trees don't do stuff like that in real life, I know that because I'm from District 7. Finnick looking for me is real, because I've known him for a long time now and he cares, that's just who he is.
I can't move anymore so I hold onto the trunk of a not-moving tree. From afar, I can tell Finnick has spotted me but Brutus has seen him and now they're battling. Peeta joins them and so does Chaff. Where did he come from? And where is Enobaria.
I can hear a loud scream. Beetee. Enobaria has him.
I focus on the fight in front of me. Finnick gives me an apologetic but comforting look and heads back to the lightning tree, to find Beetee. Now Brutus and Chaff are wrestling while Peeta is trying to get himself back together. I know Chaff is going to lose this game. He's not as strong, he has only one arm left, he's … dead.
Peeta looks are poor Chaff and looses it. He throws himself at Brutus and not long after that, Brutus lies still on the floor.
Did Peeta just kill Brutus? Peeta? Baker-boy Peeta? What the hell is happening with the world?
Oh, wait, tracker jacker venom. That must be it, right? But Brutus is still dead. How's that possible?
Before I can register what's happening, there's a loud crackling sound and the sky turns every color of the rainbow. It's beautiful. Maybe this venom isn't all that bad.
I love this, I love the colors.
Johanna! Johanna!
I hear Finnick's voice. He sounds so scared, so terrified. Why?
My stomach tightens. If Finnick sounds this afraid, something must be terribly wrong.
Now I'm afraid too. My hands are trembling as I look up to the sky. It's going up in flames. Everything is going up in flames.
There's fire all around me. Sweat is dripping from my forehead.
This isn't just the venom anymore. This is real. This was Beetee's plan.
"Finnick!" I shout. "Finnick, help me! FINNICK!"
A hovercraft appears above me. District 13 is coming for us. We're saved.
I stick out my hand, urging the claw to get me when I see it. The Capitol's emblem. No, this is not what I want. I don't want to go back to the Capitol. I want to get out of here safely. Not the Capitol!
"No," I yell at the claw, as if it's going to stop coming down when I command it to stop.
I force myself to get up and run away. I don't get very far. The venom still isn't out of my system. I trip and fall and get up again. But the claw reaches me anyway.
I'm paralyzed.
I'm going back to the Capitol.
I'm going to die.
I really hope Finnick is going to District 13.
Then everything goes black.
