I sit up in my bed sweating and panting. Awoken from sleep by the very same nightmares that have plagued me for so damn long. I don't know how much longer i can take them before i crack. I don't bother dressing properly before leaving my room to head to the mess hall. When i get there i stand over the food with my tray in hand, but none of it seems appealing to me. In fact i feel sick, and the food slushed up in the serving bowls is what i'd imagine my vomit would look like. I go to join Cressida and the guys at their table with only a glass of water, not daring to risk bringing anything i eat back up.
"Are you okay Ethan?" Messalla asks as i sit down beside him.
I nod, no words are spoken though. I can feel it, that they know whats bothering me. It's the way they're looking at each other, looks of concern and pity.
"We're sorry about Blight." Says Castor, confirming what i already know.
After he's said that images of Blights final moments flash in my mind. His face and his eyes and Johanna sitting over his bloody body.
"Me too." I say quietly and drink the water from my cup.
They all fall silent and just glance around at each other. It makes me feel awkward to say the least, as though i've brought on this sudden depressed mood. Truth is i probably have, i've had a face like a smacked ass all morning. To try and get them talking, i flick my head in the direction of the tv screens on the wall which are showing footage of the careers in the arena.
"Anything else happened?" I ask.
Cressida nods her head and the air around all of us seem to lighten, "Mags died during the early hours of the morning, just after Blight."
"Mags? How?" I near enough sprint out of my seat hearing that, i don't know why.
"There was a fog of some kind chasing their group. Poison." Says Messalla.
"Mags gave her own life so Finnick could save Peeta." Castor finishes.
"And Katniss?" She is the main one we're all watching for, it only felt right to ask.
"She's fine. They all are." Cressida answers and smiles gently.
That's good to know. The three of them are strong allies to have and we need all three of them alive for this rebellion. But i'm not completely heartless as to think of that as the only reason it's good they're alive. That's more Coin's way of thinking.
"Was there anything else?" I drink the water once more.
"The female from Six." Messalla says as he shoves a spoon full of porridge into his mouth. "She sacrificed herself to save Peeta from mutts."
"Johanna managed to get Beete and Wiress to Katniss safely." Cressida looks at me knowingly and then points to the biggest screen in the mess hall.
On it showed all of them together. Finnick and Peeta were on the beach, the two of them sitting down and chatting whilst Beete was off to the side pulling and tugging away at a thick wire wrapped around a metal cylinder. Katniss, Wiress and Johanna were in the water. Katniss was cleaning the blood off of Wiress who seemed to be out of it a little more than usual. Johanna had cleaned the blood off her body and now seemed more interested in cleaning the axes she wielded then conversing with the others.
It's kind of comical to watch as Katniss splashes cold water over Wiress, causing the older woman to randomly start shouting "Tick Tock" over and over. Johanna's reaction to it actually forced half the people in the mess hall to start laughing. She sighed, used her hand to wave off the other women in the group and as she was walking away told Katniss to "have fun with Nuts", meaning Wiress. It's a relief to see she still has that knack for nicknaming people, it means that she hasn't been changed completely by what she's been through.
I must have been smiling as i watched that, because the looks on Cressida and Castor's faces... It was like your close friends getting all giddy when they catch you staring at a girl you like. Or better yet, it was like Reggie when he'd catch me staring at Johanna during my time in school. In fact it's exactly like Reggie's reaction.
I wonder how he's doing. Reg i mean, it's been a long time now since i last heard of him. When i did it was when Powell told me he was at my funeral. How many years ago was that? Four? Five?
I digress.
During my trip down memory lane, Katniss managed to figure out the secret that Plutarch had intentionally set to help our efforts in rescuing the victors from the arena. With the help of Wiress' crazy rambling, she discovered the arena was set out like an hour clock. Each hour sports a different danger. That's what the blood rain was last night, and the fog this morning. That only accounted for three of the hours, five when Katniss begins telling Beetee of mutts and some giant wave that came from one of the sectors. The large tree at the far end of the arena is also noted more than once.
It seemed that the six of them had a moment to breath now and the Cornucopia was all theirs. Noticing that, they head there and begin restocking on supplies. Katniss retrieves a fresh quiver of arrows and Peeta a new sword, one that's in better condition than his current one. Beete stands and inspects the tree off in the distance, something about it clearly peaking the interest of his genius mind. As for Finnick and Johanna, they gathered around Peeta as he began drawing sketches of the arena in the dirt at the mouth of the Cornucopia. They all follow eventually, aside from Wiress who stays down by the water, singing an old nursery rhyme involving clocks - of all things.
In his drawing, Peeta numbers the wedges of the clock and lists the danger found in them. When asked about what she saw when the current group was separated, Johanna said all they could see was blood and nothing else. Because of that, they all agreed on staying away from the active sectors as a measure of safety. Then the peace around them is disrupted by a gasp, sounds of choking on blood and a cannon fired into the air as Wiress' body falls limp in the arms of Gloss.
They react as fast as possible, Katniss drawing her arrow before the others can even move and firing it straight into the chest of Gloss. Another cannon fires, confirming his death. But in the moments it took for Katniss to end Gloss, his sister Cashmere had begun charging at her from the left side of the Cornucopia. Luckily for Katniss, Johanna was standing right beside her and noticed Cashmere running up with blind rage and drawing her knife. Johanna physically flung Katniss to the ground out of the way and then manoeuvred into a backspin, throwing the axe in her hand pummelling towards Cashmere at lethal speeds. The strength behind it was evident as when the axe imbedded itself in Cashmere's chest, it forced her off her feet into the air, killing her instantly in turn.
During that time, the final two careers - Brutus and Enobaria - made an attempt to attack Finnick and Peeta. Enobaria was first to flee when she noticed Johanna and Katniss were now heading for them. Brutus soon followed but not before tearing a hole through the fabric of Finnick's swimsuit, damaging his arm. Katniss and Johanna chase after them, leaving Finnick and Peeta behind to check on Beetee.
Both careers are off the island when it jerks out of place, knocking the others off their feet violently as it began spinning in circles, forcing the water surrounding it to rise into the air like a wall. On one side of the island, Finnick and Peeta are fighting with all their strength to hold on to the surface, so not to go flying back into the wall of water with a force strong enough to kill them. Beete looses his grip at some point and begins rolling down towards the water, lucky for him Finnick is able to grab him and hold him in place.
On the other side, Johanna is managing to hold on to the rocks on the ground and stop herself from slipping down, but Katniss is loosing her grip and the fear flashes on her face when her hands finally slip off. Johanna instantly launches herself towards Katniss and grabs her hand to prevent her from falling, only problem was now they were both slipping. Realising she couldn't support them both on her own, Johanna digs her remaining axe into the ground to hold herself still and grips onto Katniss' hand tighter. By this point it's clear that Johanna is struggling against the forces pulling at both her arms as Katniss continues to be pulled down the island by the force of the water, but regardless she continues to fight whatever pain she feels in order to keep Katniss from slipping away. Eventually though, Katniss' hand begins slipping out of Johanna's and she is unable to regather the grip she previously had. Katniss is jerked back violently into the water and goes under.
Everybody in the mess hall had fallen silent as we watch the spinning cornucopia finally slow down and Katniss doesn't resurface. They all thought that was it. The Mockingjay was gone as were their chances of rebellion. But i know better, i know there is no way Plutarch would endanger Katniss' life.
I'm proven right as the cameras find the girl on fire pulling herself up onto one of the stone walkways leading to the cornucopia island. Surprisingly Johanna is the first one to recover from the dizziness and runs over to help Katniss out of the water, though Peeta isn't far behind her. She pats Katniss' back to help her get the water in her lungs up before stepping aside and allowing Peeta to see to his wife.
"Let's just get what we need and get off the bloody island." Johanna comments as she catches her breath and starts heading towards Finnick who stood on the island with Beetee.
They do just that, after Katniss has regained all of her bearings and is able to stand on her own without the aid of Peeta.
The gamemakers must think they all have some downtime, as the cameras switch to Brutus and Enobaria who are still running through the jungle. Everybody after that is looking at the screen, but not one of them is really paying attention, they're all too busy discussing how they just very nearly lost the one hope we had in this world. Even Cressida, Castor and Messalla can't believe it. I'll be honest it was a close one, and i'll safely say that if Johanna hadn't been where she was after Katniss shot Gloss, then our Mockingjay may have fallen to Cashmere there and then. And who knows what would have happened if she hadn't caught Katniss when she did. From the distance she was from the water at first, falling down from there probably would have killed her, the force from the water hitting her would have shattered her neck.
I sure hope that Coin was watching in her office. I'm sure she'll see now that Johanna is one who will risk everything to save Katniss and she can stop using it to piss me off.
After breakfast i follow Messalla to the training rooms for the morning where i remain until mid afternoon. After that we go to go back to the mess for lunch but i'm pulled up halfway by Boggs who tells me to head to Coin's office at the earliest convenience. So i part ways with Messalla and alter my course.
Coin's voice is not the only one i can here as i reach her office. I half expected to walk in and see her talking with Plutarch over vid call, but no. In the room with her was a man i'd never met before. His hair auburn in colour, curled tightly on top of his head. He dressed in fancy thirteen overalls much like Coin's outfit, only he wore an array of pins along the collar. Their conversation falls dead when this man see's me and the moment his eyes look me up and down i know i don't like him. You can see just by the way he holds himself, he thinks he's superior to everybody else.
"Ah, this must be Snow's grandson." He says looking between me and Coin. His eyes then narrow as he says. "We should have shot you the moment you arrived."
"I beg pardon, Becket." Coin glares the man - Becket - down. "Ethan is not considered a relative of Snow here. He has been incredibly useful and committed to improving the state of this district and all of Panem since the day he arrived."
"He's still related to that monster of a man regardless." He looks at me, his dull blue eyes somehow narrowing further. "You don't deserve the air you breath boy."
There's a brief moment of silence where i just stand with my arms behind my back smirking at this moron. Eventually i say, "I'm sorry i didn't die for you and make your life easier."
He goes to speak, but Coin beats him to it. "Enough!"
Becket soon shuts his face after the President uses that tone. He seems to know his place, despite appearing to be a total snooty asswipe.
"Becket you can tell the board that i appreciate their concerns. But i am in charge here and i know what i am doing." Coin says much calmer. "Now leave us."
"Of course, Madam President." Becket bows his head respectfully before honouring Coin's command and leaving the office as fast as he could.
"Boggs said that i was too report here." I say after she has sat down in her chair.
She nods to confirm it. "Plutarch has informed me that they're ready pull out the victors."
"Already?" I ask almost laughing. More out of shock rather than finding something funny.
"Yes." She smiles. "He assures me that they can move to end these games as soon as tonight."
I start smiling when the full truth of it hits me. "This is great."
"I knew you be would pleased." Coin continues to smile. "Not just because of your personal connections either."
That's the main reason i'm so happy about this, Coin knows too, i can see it in her eyes as she gently places her hand on my shoulder. Still she doesn't mention it, or even show any disapproval of it.
"Feel free to remain here and watch the remainder of the games." She takes her hand off my shoulder and starts walking for the door. "Boggs and I will join you shortly."
"Thank you, President Coin." I smile.
Courteously Coin bows her head and leaves the room.
I can't stop smiling as I slink into the nearest chair, mostly because I know that in a few hours Johanna will be here in Thirteen. I don't know what I'll say to her, she thinks I'm dead for crying out loud. What if she doesn't remember me? It's not impossible ... no, no of course she remembers me. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Wait through these anxious hours and hope I don't loose all sense of reality.