A/N: It's short, I know. Don't hate me for it. But this is dark, way too dark for Johanna Mason. It's hard to write something this dark but it needed to be done so here it is. I'm sorry for not updating sooner but life's pretty hectic right now. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Just let me go.

Let me go.

Please.

Let me go.

Let me go.

I sit with my back against the wall in one of the four corners of my cell. This is my favorite corner. It's far away from the door. And it's dark in this corner because the light from the hallway doesn't shine this far into my cell.

My knees are up to my chin and my arms are clenched around my legs.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

If I stop rocking back and forth, cold washes over me.

Again and again.

Again and again.

Let me go.

Just let me go.

It has become my mantra. It's all I can say these days. It's all I have been saying in the last couple of…days? Weeks? Months?

I don't know how long it's been. I don't know anything at all.

All I know is that I want them to let me go.

But where would I go?

I have no one left. No one is coming for me. No one is coming for Annie. No one is coming for Peeta.

They have forgotten us.

I've been a Victor for five years or so. I have never been forgotten in five years. Ever.

But now, they have forgotten all three of us.

Forgotten Victors.

Back and forth. Back and forth. Faster. Back and forth.

"Johanna!"

Back and forth and back and forth and back and forth.

Let me go let me go let me go.

Hands grip my arms, fingers pop right through my skin, knees scrape over the floor as they drag me to the aquarium. Hair falls to the floor.

Water and cold are trying to drown me, suck me up in their horribleness.

Fire is making its way through my body, trying to escape the boundaries my skin and flesh have put on it.

Fire and water are battling. And I'm the one being ripped apart.

Let me go.

"Nothing else is coming out of her mouth, mister President. It has been like this for six weeks now. All she says is 'let me go'. We won't get answers from her."

I'm trying my best to focus on the conversation that is happening between Snow and one of his peacekeepers but my mind is stuck on 'six weeks'. Has it really been that long? I thought this mantra was just a new one. But apparently I've been saying it for six weeks. How is that possible? How didn't I know that? Six weeks is an awful long time. I should say something new.

"Mister President? Did you hear me, sir? We won't get answ-"

"I do not want answers from her anymore."

"Sir?"

My eyes flutter open and I try to focus on the people standing next to me. But instead, they focus on Snow's face. His eyes are burning holes through mine.

"I want Johanna Mason to be broken. I want to break the unbreakable. The rebellion needs to see it. If they see what I did to Unbreakable Johanna Mason, they know what I'm capable of."

"They already know that. Everyone knows what a monster you are."

Snow raises his eyebrows at my words.

"I'm sorry, Johanna. What was that?"

Or at least he raises his eyebrows at my mumblings.

Snow hushes the other peacekeepers out until it's just him and me.

"We need to have a talk Johanna. And you don't need to say anything, everyone knows I won't be able to understand you anyway."

I just blink slowly because it's all I can do.

"It's been a long time since we brought you here for the first time, isn't it?"

Blink.

"Apparently, all those years of arrogant behavior has gotten result: you have no one. Why hasn't anyone come for you yet?"

Blink. Blink the tear away.

"Where is Finnick to save Annie? Where is Katniss to save Peeta? Where is… Well, I think you are on your own now, dear Johanna. You have to take care of yourself. But isn't that what you've always wanted? Independence? Look where it got you."

Close your eyes. Block him out.

"Who do you have?"

I open my mouth to say something.

"I have… fire and … and water."

No sound of footsteps anymore. Snow has stopped pacing.

"Yes, you have fire and water. But even they aren't fighting for you, they're just fighting to win. The only person you have, Johanna, is me. And I am going to take really good care of you, because you are so near and dear to my heart."

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Help me. Help me. Help me.

I have a new mantra. I don't know for how long I've had it now. All I know is that it's my new mantra.

My head hurts.

I can't stand up anymore. I can't rock myself back and forth anymore. I can't move anymore.

My arms, laying in front of my face on the floor, are covered with burn marks. I don't remember being burnt? Or was it from the battle between Fire and Water inside of me? I don't know.

My head hurts because it's skull on concrete, only a thin layer of skin separating them.

My hair is gone. I don't know where and I don't know when I lost it. It's just gone.

My eyes flutter close. I can't open them again.

Help me.

Pitch black. Beautiful pitch black.

Footsteps. A lot of footsteps.

'Hurry! Hurry!'

'Where are they?'

'Find them!'

My door opens with a bang. My eyes won't open. I'm still looking at a beautifully black abyss.

'Johanna?'

It's so far away! I can't hear anything.

Voices from the beautiful black abyss are calling me. Should I jump? Join the voices?

'Johanna?'

But who is calling me from down there?

'Mason!'

The voice is getting angry, impatient. But I cannot just decide to jump now, right? I need to discuss this with Finnick and Peeta and Annie. I can't just decide on my own anymore. Because I am not alone. I'm not alone anymore and those voices, they don't know that yet.

I'm not alone anymore.

It's merely a whisper that comes out of my mouth. My eyes are still closed but I smile at my own words.

'Haymitch! She's alive! HAYMITCH!'

Why is the voice from the depth calling Haymitch? Is he here? Why would he be here too? He doesn't have to jump. I'm confused…

'You found her? You-'

Another voice joins the first one. But they're not talking to me. They're talking to each other.

Other voices join them. I still can't move. I still don't know whether I should jump or not.

'My god, Johanna.'

My eyes snap open. No one has ever had so much pity in their voice because of me. Especially not Haymitch.

I'm blinded by the light shining into my eyes.

'Haymitch? Are you okay?'

The first voice, belonging to someone tall and muscular, is talking to Haymitch now. Haymitch's blue eyes are piercing mine, trying to comprehend why I am not saying anything, not doing anything. Trying to figure out what broke me.

"Gale, you… You take her to the hovercraft. Please. I can't… I…"

Gale. I know that name, right?

He nods to Haymitch and comes over to me, picking me up and carrying me through the brightly lit hallway. His hands feel way too big around my legs and waist. He's out of proportion, too big. Much bigger than Finnick.

Or maybe it's me. I've become too small, too unimportant, too irrelevant.

"Why didn't you come and help us?"

It's probably the first coherent sentence that comes out of my mouth since my 'let me go'-period.

He doesn't answer me, just opens a door with his back. The sun shines into my eyes.

"It's like magic!" I whisper, my face turned towards the sun.

Gale smirks. "Don't get used to it."

He's grumpy, tall, dark, muscular. Very District 12. And I remember where I heard his name for the first time. The Quarter Quell. Hunger Games. It all seems like nothing compared to my last months.

"You're Katniss's Gale."

"And you are Finnick and Annie's Johanna."

I close my eyes and shake my head. "I'm no one's Johanna. I am no one."

"I'm no one's Gale too. But I am someone. And you are too."

Suddenly, I feel too tired. I rest my head against his shoulder since he still hasn't released me even though we're on the hovercraft. Or maybe it's because I'm holding on to him like an anchor, afraid that if I let go, the door of my cell will open and Snow will get me for another round of Fire versus Water.

I close my eyes but there's no beautifully black abyss waiting for me. It's black with white spots. A spot of hope. A spot of freedom. A spot of life.

"Thank you Gale." I whisper against his shoulder.

He doesn't say anything but he gives a slight nod, letting me know he heard me.

A/N: I'm not sure about this chapter and the last one. Let me know what you think because this was something entirely new for me and I'm a little bit uncertain about the way I portrayed it.