Probably shouldn't read if you haven't read Mockingjay. It doesn't give away pretty much anything in this chapter, buuuuuut it will in future chapters.
PS- I love Breaking Benjamin! The Diary Of Jane! Woot! Rock. Sorry. That was random.
Anyways, enjoy.
When I wake up, I'm not in District 13. Or even 7, for that matter. I don't know where I am, but it's somewhere in the Capitol. That I can guarantee you. This place looks just like a jail cell. With cold metal bars and concrete floors. To my right is a concrete wall and to my left is more metal bars, another cell, with Peeta passed out on the floor.
There isn't much in my cell: A wooden bed and a toilet in the corner behind an open door. That's odd, the're usually out lingering in the open where everyone can see you. I guess I'll consider this a good thing. I study the floor for a while with a quesy feeling. They're going to do bad, bad things to me because they know I know their secrets.
And I do. When the idiotic Capitol men, drunk and still stupid, lean over and whisper it to me in a garbled voice. I know how Snow works out his problems. Poison, of course. And I know about how he plays it. And I know about his list of people. And I know about how he drinks the poison himself. I know.
A man in a white suit shoves something through the bars into my hand. "Swallow it."
"Not unless you tell me what it is."
He reaches for a gun in his pocket. "It'll knock you out. Swallow it!"
I reach up and put in my mouth, pretending to swallow it. It works.
"Good. You'll be out in a minute." He chuckles, releases his grip on the gun, and walks to some office in to the left. I watch as he leaves carefully and spit out the pill, swiping it to the corner of the cell.
I inch over to the corner, unable to see anything. But I can hear it all crystal clear.
"The list? What are you talking about, Snow?"
Snow? List? List. List! Death list. The people he's planning on killing.
Snow clears his throat. "The list of people I'm going to kill, Arnold. Here's One To Ten."
I hear a piece of paper unfold and Snow begins in a superior voice:
"10. Haymitch Abernathy. He's in on something with those kids from 12, I tell you, Arnold. And I don't know what. There's no way to find out. He's got to die.
9. Peeta Mellark's Prep Team and stylist, Portia. They're going to be executed, got it? Work it out. She makes him look like a little Capitol-loving boy! But he's a rebel.
8. Plutarch Heavansbee. Traitor! To the Capitol! Pretending to be a Gamemaker then going and breaking some of the Victors out of the arena. He's - no words, Arnold. Are you getting this, Jeramia?"
"Yes, President Snow, sir," Says a man's voice, who must be Jeramia.
"Okay. Let's continue.
7. Darius Garald. District 12 Peacekeeper, new avox. He doesn't do his job, and quite frankly, he's got some cute little connection with Katniss. Dead. Immediatly.
6. Lavinia Shaye. Traitor, avox. Somehow she has some connection with Katniss. I don't know what it is, but it means she needs to be dead. Now.
5. Finnick Odair. I don't know what he's up to. But it's something, Arnold, Jermaia, it's something.
4. Annie Cresta. She doesn't have to die. But I need her captured. To break Finnick. Pronto.
3. Johanna Mason."
I cover my mouth with my hands. I saw this coming, but number 3? I'm that close on his death list? How? What did I ever do, besides promise him I'd kill him and be a total rebellious 'citizen' of the Districts, ruled by that stupid Capitol. . .
President Snow continues. "She's just a rebel, Arnold & Jeramia. I don't know what she's doing to overthrow the Capitol, but I know it's something. And it's working. She needs to be dead. She's in her cell, yes?"
"Yes, sir."
"Kill her. But not before you get enough information about what rebels are doing. Once we get enough out of her, she's gone. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I'll continue now.
2. Peeta Mellark. This one is pretty much unexplanatory. Agreeing to take those berries, trying to esape to District 13, making a fool out of the Capitol and the Games declaring his love and unborn child in interviews! How dare he? Not everyone fell for his little act, though, I'll tell you that much. And we're going to get information out of him and then we're going to kill him. That's the plan, and it doesn't need tweaking. Are we clear?"
"Oh, yes, Mr. President, of course."
"And number one?" Arnold asks politely.
I hear the sound of crumbling paper and in a bitter, cold, angry voice Snow says:
"Katniss Everdeen."
Then I peak around the corner though the bars and see as Snow drops the paper on the ground and taps away without another word.
Jeramia and Arnold come out of the room, flicking off the light, and start walking this way. I silently drop to the ground and shut my eyes. I can hear they stop in front of my cell.
"Johanna Mason, Arnold? That's her?"
"Yeah. The Capitol used to like her. Till she became a little bitch trying to take us over. Stupid, too." He chuckles. "She actually thought- she thought she could win, her against the Capitol!" Arnold starts laughing hysterically.
"How could she be dumb if she won the Games?" Jeramia asks.
"Oh, Jeramia. She won because she's nothing more than a ruthless murderer! She won because she gave in and played by the Capitol's rules! And nobody wins if they don't play it our way!"
"Then how did Katniss win, Arnold? Everyone says that she didn't play by our rules. She made her own, starting from the very beginning of the Games and lasting all the way until, they say, 'She pulled out those berries'. It just doesn't make sense."
The anger in his voice is clear:
"I don't know, Jeramia! And that's why we need to kill her! She's strong, a fighter! She needs to be dead! That's what we put her back in the Games for. And somehow she's stil alive! And so is Finnick and Peeta and Johanna! And I just don't know how, Jeramia! Let's go."
By the ows Jeramia is making, Arnold must be shoving or pulling him along. I cautiously open my eyes, and yes, they're gone. I sit up and lean up against the bars separating me and Peeta.
He's still not awake. "Peeta!" I hiss. "Peeta, wake up, its important!"
He slowly shakes a bit then sits up and looks at me.
"We're getting out of here," I whisper.
"What, out of this jail?" He asks stupidly.
"No," I say sarcastically and roll my eyes. "Yes, you idiot! Now, got any good plans?"
"Plans? What? Why?" He asks.
"Okay 1. Because we're in a jail cell in the Capitol. 2. Because you are number 2 on Snow's kill list and I'm number 3. I'm not supposed to know when and how he's going to kill us, but I do, and its in the near future! So we best be getting out of here."
"Okay, well, you have to give me some time to think, Johanna. But first just tell me what's going on."
"Peeta, we don't have time to think, don't you understand that? We're going to be dead soon!" I exclaim, and I grip my hands into fists. I'm not going to let myself die, but I can't let him either. He's important for the rebellion.
"Please, Johanna," Peeta begs. "Just tell me what's going on!"
"We've been captured by the Capitol. We're in some jail place. I heard Snow's list of people to kill. Haymitch. Your prep team. Um, Plutarch. Some guy named Darius. Lavinia, an avox. Finnick. Annie. Me. You. Then Katniss is number one! She's in District 13 along with Finnick and Beetee."
"What? Oh no," He says, stuttering. "What if she-"
I cut him off. "What if she? We're the ones lying in the palms of the Capitol! You can't think of Katniss right now, Peeta. We have to think of ourselves, okay? I don't care if you think its selfish! It's the only thing we can do right now!"
He nods. "You're right."
"Duh, brainless. And trust me, they're going to torture us. So get ready. Be strong."
He nods again. "Oh, and one last thing..." I say.
"What?" He asks, confused.
"Don't die."
