After I've finished weaving another basket and a net, Katniss joins me to clean the fish while I start to fish. We get a good deal before the anthem begins and the faces are cast into the sky. I know all of them and it's quite sad watching them all flash by. It's a lot, quite a high number, larger than any other.
"They're really burning through us," Johanna says.
"Who's left? Between us five and District Two?" I ask.
"Chaff," Peeta says quickly. I forgot about him as we haven't seen him in the arena yet. A parachute comes floating down to us, with rolls inside. This is it. The sign I was told about.
"These are from your district, right, Beetee?" Peeta asks, as if knowing what is going on. I don't think he does, so I don't say anything.
"Yes, from District Three. How many are there?" Beetee responds. I count them, making sure that I get everyone.
"Twenty four."
"An even two dozen, then?" Beetee verifies.
"Twenty four on the nose. How should we divide them?" I ask.
"Let's each have three and whoever is still alive at breakfast can take a vote on the rest," Johanna says. It's truth, sad, but true. Kind of like my life right now.
After that, we move out of the way for the flood to happen and then clear before we head back to make camp. There is a strange clicking from the part over which we make sure not to intrude on. Katniss and Peeta call out first watch, which I don't try to take from them. I just fall into a deep sleep, but a strange sleep. It's filled with dreams about Annie, which are actually more like nightmares. I don't wake up though.
The lightening finally wakes me from my nightmare. I wake up with a start, clenching onto the sand, even though it slips through my fingers. "I can't sleep anymore. One of you should rest. Or both of you. I can watch alone." I tell them. I'm not going back into dream world.
"It's too dangerous. I'm not tired. You lie down, Katniss." Peeta says. After that, he joins me where I'm sitting. It's silent most of the time. I don't feel like talking and I doubt he does either. After a while, Johanna joins me for the rest of the watch while Peeta lies next to Katniss.
"How are you doing?" She asks softly. The sun is beginning to rise. It won't be long until we all wake up.
"Okay. Terrible, actually. Mags is gone and Annie is haunting everything I do, everywhere I go. The worst part is that I know it is only going to get worse," I tell her.
"Are you actually showing some kind of regret?" She asks. Her voice sounds slightly harsh but just enough humor to know what it means.
"No, just…nervousness."
"Well you need to stop that because then you will get wrinkles and who knows how many sponsors you'll lose!" She laughs. Johanna never fails to cheer me up. I have to smile at that.
"It will all be fine and even if it isn't we will get through it. Even if it doesn't happen in the arena, it will happen everywhere else and that is what really matters," she says. The sun is almost all the way up and I hear Beetee stirring behind us.
"I'm going to go see if I can catch any fish," I tell her, grabbing my net and trident to get lost in the sea. This is what I need right now, even if we are the middle of a deadly stupid game. I catch almost nothing but at least I was able to spend some time alone to think about things in the water. When I get back to land, everyone is splitting up the rolls except Katniss, who must be still sleeping. After I'm finished eating, we all break up to do different things. Katniss teaches Peeta how to swim, Johanna goes back to sleep, Beetee plays with his wire, and I start weaving another net after chopping down more vines.
"Hey, Finnick! Come on in! We figured out how to make you pretty again!" She shouts from the water. I drop my net on the sand and run out to join them. Might as well while I can.