Chapter Twenty-Eight.
It's About Staying Alive.
Since my knife throwing exhibition, I feel that I have been even more drawn into the victor's circle. During the next two days of training, I spend time with almost everybody headed for the arena. More time than deemed healthy with Johanna Mason who helped the morphlings paint me into field of yellow and pink flowers whilst Wiress grinned happily. Even Willow spends time with me, an hour of archery instruction in exchange for a knife throwing lesson, during the knife throwing lesson I begin to merge back into my previous games and Willow soon has absorbed the image of Cassandra Potter into her own body. The way she doesn't know the different between handle-heavy and blade-heavy knifes. How to angle your body as you throw and the importance of aiming steadily and not rushing. Johanna begins to take the place of Alden Calevi as she helps me with axe wielding, now I'm confident that if my blades are taken by another and a spare axe was there that I could defend myself with it. Peeta excels in hand-to-hand combat and helps me develop my abilities and movements. And the more I come to know these people, the worse it is. Because, on the whole, I don't hate my fellow tributes like I did many in the first Games. And some here I like. And a lot of them are so damaged that my natural instinct would be to protect them rather than kill them. Like Wiress. But all of them must die if I am to go home. If I am to save Finnick or Johanna. Twenty-three must die for there to be a victor.
At lunch during my second day, Johanna has joined me. We have been spending more and more time with each other that I think Finnick was getting a little suspicious but he has allowed me to form our alliances with other victors without much in put. He also agreed that having District 1 and 2 tributes in our pack would be more awkward and the lack of trust wouldn't make us solid as a unit, plus him and Johanna have been friends for years and our sparking friendship only makes her a natural choice for collection. Therefore my ex-mentor-now-district-partner, looks from a distance as I interact with many, he is happy with my choice of Peeta so far which is a bonus.
"So, made any alliances yet?" Johanna questions eyeing me up suspiciously.
Grinning in reply because she already knows the answer. "Two."
"Finnick and Peeta?" she guesses.
"I nod. But what would you say if I said, I wanted you as an ally as well?" I ask boldly.
Johanna grins at me like a mad-man before shovelling food in so fast I'm surprised she doesn't miss her mouth. Up close, I can see her dark eyes are surrounded by dark circles, her fringe perfectly glides across her forehead despite being crinkled by wrestling and axe wielding. She looks innocent and childlike but she isn't. She's deadly and Johanna knows it.
"You really think you can trust me?" she asks in a husky voice leaning forwards a little more to close the gap across the small table. Her voice merges into mine causing me to chuckle in remembrance which makes Johanna crinkled up her face with confusion. "What's so funny?"
"I remember saying almost the exact same thing to Alden before me and him agreed to became allies." I reply smiling at the memory of myself, Cassandra and Alden standing together after I punched Iris in the ribs causing them to crack.
Johanna gives me an upside-down smile, sympathetic to the memory of my deceased ally. "And what did he say?" she questions lightly.
"It's not about trust. It's about staying alive." I remember the words perfectly because they are words to live by now. Trusting your allies isn't what the main thing is about, it is about extending your chances of survival because of the people around you.
The woman across from me grins again. "Fuck it, all right then." she agrees, "Allies."
Third ally: Johanna Mason, District 7.
Willow Combe was far more difficult to convince and even when I had finished, she wasn't set on an answer but I wasn't really bothered. I had already made an alliance with her district partner, as far as I am concerned, she came with that deal if her and Peeta where to remain together however from her oblivious expression, Peeta had not actually in formed her of our newly made alliance with angers me slightly because it's almost like he is deliberately keeping it from her. Does Willow not like me? She is young like me so you would kind of think we would be more likely to get on or is that completely wrong? Haymitch has questioned me about an alliance between Willow and myself in the privacy of the small room between my front door and the elevator but I explain to him that I won't chase after her, to me she isn't overly valuable. Yes, she can shoot a arrow rather well but what happens if she is rendered weapon-less? Peeta hasn't brought her up in conversation however my talk with Haymitch felt like a bribe, like I needed to be allies with her. Like it was all part of a much bigger plan. Anyway, I silently agreed however Haymitch made me swear I would keep it secret and gives me his gold bangle made from a pattern of flames, he told me to wear it in the arena, Willow will understand it was from him and therefore we are allies.
Fourth ally (who doesn't actually know we are allies): Willow Combe, District 12.
A/N: I know it's kind of short but I felt filler was needed plus you guys get to read Johanna and Anastasia become allies which I strangely, really enjoyed writing. So tell me what you think about this chapter, do you think Willow and Anastasia will agree on an actual alliance before the Games or will it be the hear of the moment inside the arena OR do you think they don't become allies at all? I mean, someone has to die in the bloodbath, right? ;) Review!
