Johanna guffawed at Finnick's remark. "What do you mean he's a threat to us all? Really, you've grown more paranoid than I ever thought possible."

"And you? You've grown more gullible than I'd ever thought possible. You didn't even make it hard for him, did you?"

"To convince me that he was different than the others, or to sleep with me?" She shot back.

His eyes darkened as he lowered his brows in a deep frown. "Both, I guess."

"Well, answer my question, Odair. How is he a threat to us all?" After having gotten to know Grayson, however briefly, she found it hard to believe that the man had anything but good intent.

"He pulled one over on you. He probably said that he hates what Snow is doing, hates what everyone in the Capitol is doing to the Districts. And that was a lie. The guy thrives off of it. I don't suppose he mentioned his father owning a large corporation here? That said corporation is the head tally for bets during the Games. He approached you to get a feel of this year's tributes, if yours stand a chance or not."

Johanna took in the information, albeit slowly. What Finnick was saying made sense, but she still wasn't convinced. He didn't know Grayson, had probably never talked to him in his life. "You're just jealous," she replied.

"Jealous of him? For sleeping with you? Would you rather I say that I am, or that I'm not? Cause I can't read you anymore, Johanna." He rubbed his hand through his hair roughly before continuing. "Hell yes, I'm jealous. The thought of another man touching you makes me sick to my stomach. I wish it didn't bother me, but it does. However, that is not why I'm telling you all of this. I'm telling you this because it's the truth. His corporation takes and places bets throughout the Games. They measure the probabilities and weigh their options based on the tributes scores, and they also get to know some of the mentors. It's happened several times over the years, you've just never noticed because you've only been a mentor once."

She went over their night together in her head, trying to piece together everything that was said or asked, and came to the conclusion that Grayson may have been fishing for information, she had just been too drunk to notice. "Even if what you're saying is true, that doesn't explain how me giving him some information on my tributes endangers us all."

"That's because I didn't get to the worst part yet," he responded, standing and turning his back to her before he continued. "I don't suppose he asked you about any of the other mentors?" She thought back to their conversation once again, finding in her jumbled, drunken memory that he had indeed asked about others.

"Yeah, and?"

"So Snow is onto our little plot." He growled out. "Or at least Heavensbee thinks that he is. Grayson's father and Snow go way back, there's a definite possibility that Grayson was sent in to talk to you to try and find out if they do actually have something to be worried about. An uprising within the mentors." Johanna's stomach dropped. Grayson hadn't necessarily asked anything that could have endangered them, but chances are that last night had merely been 'planting the seed,' so that he could find out more from her down the line. Get into her good graces, sleep with her, and use her for information whenever he deemed necessary.

"Shit," she mumbled under her breath, moving to lean on the wall. "You're loving this, aren't you?"

"Do I love the fact that your new boy toy turned out to be a total ass? Yes. Do I love that we may all be found out soon? No."

"This doesn't mean I'm going to stop seeing him," she let out.

"Are you insane, or just a complete moron?" He raised his hands in apology when he saw the expression on her face. "The guy might be looking into you because Snow suspects you of treason. Snow probably thinks you out of us all would want the Capitol to be overthrown, especially after what happened to your family."

"We don't know that for sure," she shot back. "And even if you are right, I know now. I can feed Grayson false information. I know that I can convince him that nothing is going on with the mentors. I fooled an entire country into thinking that I was weak. I think I can convince one grown man that he has no uprising to worry about. He thinks he's playing me, let me play him."

Finnick looked to be considering it as a possibility, then opened his mouth to respond. "Absolutely not. It puts you in danger, and you'll probably have to continue doing things with him," he rolled out 'things' with a look of complete disgust.

"This isn't up to you, Odair. This is my choice. I'm going to convince Grayson, and then he's going to convince Snow that they have nothing to worry about. Once they finally accept that their precious Capitol is not in danger, they will let it go. And when they do, we can continue our work in our secrecy, and bring the bastards down."

Finnick wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to protest. Anything to keep her from putting herself in harm's way again. But what she was saying made sense. She needed to continue seeing Grayson, pin-pointing his questions and turning the tables by lying to him, and by manipulating him. Both of which came easy to her. When she was done with him, he would be completely convinced that the Capitol way of life and the Games themselves had nothing to be afraid of. No uprising. "Fine," he spat out. "If you want to put your life in danger like that, so be it. I don't support your decision, but I will be on your side whenever you need back up in any way."

"Nia and Gregory's games are beginning in less than eight hours. I need to get some rest. So leave, please." She pointed towards her door and ushered him towards it. Her face was pale, drained, exhausted, but so beautiful. He wanted to touch her, hold her, tell her everything is going to be okay, but instead, he just walked past her and left through the door.

9:00 A.M.

Morning came and Johanna was ready for the Games to begin. She was wearing a short burnt- orange dress that stuck to her tightly, accentuating her curves. Her heels were dark brown. Dark, like her mood today. And her mood every day. She joined the other mentors in their usual viewing spot. Blight was drunk, Johanna decided to join him and journeyed to the bar, ordering an entire bottle of an expensive fine red, likely one hundred years in age. Thanks, Snow, she smiled as she made her way back to the table. Finnick, Mags, and another mentor from their District had joined at that point. Johanna went to hug Mags, who pointed out Johanna's bottle of wine,

"You're going to drink all of that?" she croaked.

"Hell yes!" And then another arm was coming up around her. Snagging around her waist. It felt possessive. She thought of Finnick, but he was staring her in the eyes. He looked angry. So if it wasn't Finnick it was…

Shit. Grayson. Let the political Games begin? "Hey Grayson," she smiled cheekily at the man before taking her seat at the table. Hoping it would force him to give her the distance she clearly wanted.

"Just decided to stop by before I head to work," he kissed her on the cheek. Johanna could hear a low growl coming from Finnick, but ignored it. "But I've gotta go, hopefully one of your tributes kicks some butt! God I hate these things…" He walked off with a practiced swagger that had worked the night before, but would never work again.

"What a doucher," Blight acknowledged, taking another swig of his drink.

"Couldn't agree more," Finnick added in, glaring at Johanna, who only glared in return.

Caesar Flickerman was on the screen, counting down from 60-0. The first forty seconds or so were kind of a bore. But once he hit thirty, Johanna's heart began to race. She had to get one of them out, she just had to. For Lelya. For Lelya. It was her duty to bring back that family's son when she could not bring back their daughter. She just had to. And if that wasn't in it for the young man, maybe, just maybe Nia could pull one out for their District. The Counter had now reached three, and Johanna brought Blight's hands into her own. Finnick looked at the gesture with a raised eyebrow before throwing his arm over Mags and leaning against the table to watch the large screen.

"0." Came out of audited Caesar Flickerman's voice and Johanna's grip tightened. Dashing around the cornucopia, teenagers fought to get their hands on backpacks, weapons, canteens, anything that would help them in the days to come. Some of the children didn't have any to come. The boy from one came up behind the girl from four and grabbed her neck, breaking it, and sadly, ending her young life. The table tensed and Johanna's eyes met Finnick's. They were hard and tough, not giving an inch away. Throughout initial hourly battle, Johanna had seen beheadings, slit throats, impalements, death by rocks, death by drowning (the cornucopia was in a small pond that only went up about a foot but it was deep enough to hold a head underneath). She had kept a close eye on her kids, though. Gregory had managed to grab a backpack and was heading for higher ground away from the chaos, Nia was trailing behind him softly, quietly. Johanna had told her to watch her footing in the games, to decrease the chance of being sensed and 'taken care of'.

About an hour into it the Careers decided to leave the cornucopia and ascend on their prey. Both pairs from One and Two were alive, plus the male from Three.

After four hours of watching the Games, there was a tap on her shoulder. She turned sharply, after having been sitting for so long. It was Plutarch. "Care for a stroll?" He nodded at Mags, Blight and Finnick, then took Johanna's arm and slowly led her to their secret room. The whole way making up things to say to avoid suspicion. Just a Game Maker talking to a Victor, no big deal.

Once they made it to the room, she found they weren't the first to join the small group. The morphlines, Josephine and Vale were there, as well as Nuts and Volts. Johanna smiled inwardly at the name she had given them. It suited them well. Finnick joined shortly after, having followed them from the table in the viewing center. He sat at the table across from Johanna, eying her wearily but remaining silent.

"Where's Haymitch and the rest of them?" Blight asked through a burp.

"They won't be making it this time, Snow wanted to ask them some questions," answered Plutarch.

"So it's true then, there are rumors inside the Capitol that a group – us – are planning to overthrow the Capitol and destroy them?" Came Blight's drunken rambling. Johanna had been concerned herself, she just didn't feel the need to openly outburst. She knew someone would do it for her.

"Yes, it's true. I'm not sure how. Maybe people are sensing our absences where they should not be there. Maybe we need to start having these meetings in smaller groups, to avoid suspicion."

"I've got one on the inside," Johanna blurted out. "I've got a guy who came after me for information. Let me give him information, just the wrong kind." Plutarch's eyebrows raised, and he didn't move to speak, so she continued. "Let me manipulate him. Convince him that nothing is going on here. That all of the mentors are happy for what the Capitol has so generously given to us."

Surprisingly, Heavensebee didn't need much convincing. "Whatever gets them off of our back, Mason. You do your thing, but understand that you are putting yourself in danger, and should you find yourself in an uncomfortable position to say the least, stay loyal and do not speak."

"I would never speak, Sir." She insisted.

"But just in case you could, we are going to condition you," he went to a table that had a medical kit on top of it.

"Wh-Whoa—What're you doing Heavensbee?" Finnick was saying. Johanna couldn't hear much over the banging in her ears. "What're you doing?! It could kill her!"

"It won't, it will make her better than she ever even imagined." And then a searing pain was wringing through Johanna's left arm. She thrashed out, but couldn't move. At some point someone had put straps on her and pinned her down. Heavensbee put a large cloth into her mouth to blot out the screaming, while Finnick watched, terrified in the seat across from her. Tears were falling down his face. It was the last thing she saw before everything went black.

.