Kindling the Spark

Careers

20: Careers

Katniss POV

"So, are we just going to wait here for the careers to come back and attack us?" asks Johanna, leaning on her axe. She yanks it out of the ground and spins it with one hand. "Or are we going to have a plan? You know, because I don't really want to waste everything that we've worked for getting killed from behind."

She has a point. Even if it's seven of us against three of them, we should still have a plan. After all, I doubt that Wiress and Beetee will be much use in a fight. Finnick and I have been standing here discussing different upbringings in different Districts like we aren't in an arena where only one comes out alive and an attack from three of the strongest tributes could come at any moment.

"So what do you suggest?" Haymitch asks Johanna. "I think that we should ambush them. Katniss should hide with her bow and arrows over there." He gestures to a large rock. Part of this is just good strategy, but I know that another part is that he's trying to shield me from the risk as much as possible. Thank you Haymitch.

I pull my bow from over my shoulder and take of my quiver. Only two arrows remain. Most of the others were used up during the gorilla attack and killing game and during the bloodbath. Perhaps Gale will sponsor me some. He's probably watching me right now, I can expect a parachute from him soon without even needing to say anything. Gale has always been able to tell what I need, even if in this case it is obvious.

Sure enough, a glint of silver catches my eyes as I look towards the sky. A parachute with a fairly large package and I doubt that it will be for any of my allies. It lands right in front of me with a message from Gale. I remove the message and read it silently.

Catnip- I noticed you were running short of arrows. Stay safe during the attack, or as safe as you can be. I'll miss you if you die and I won't be the only one. -Gale.

Nice of him to send me a message before the attack. It's been the only thing that I've heard from him for what feels like ages. We can speak in a fashion here: I can say something to the camera, knowing he will hear it. If he thinks I need something he can send me a note with the gift. But this is the first note. Haymitch used to send us lots of notes about acting in love. I don't need to act anymore though. After this attack, hopefully I should be out of here. If my prediction of the others giving up their lives for me is correct.

Somewhere across the arena, I hear a cannon sound. Suddenly, I am hyper-aware. Could the careers be turning on each other? Who else is there in the arena except for us and them? District One- Gloss is dead, Cashmere's a career. District Two: careers. District Three: Wiress and Beetee, both of whom are with me. District Four: Finnick (here) and Mags (dead). District Five: Electra (here) and Leon.. Where is he? Could he be the dead tribute? Most of the others died in the bloodbath.

Damn. The careers haven't yet turned on each other. It's probably Leon, seeing as I don't hear another cannon now. Luckily that should mean that the careers will be coming back soon. No more tributes to hunt after all, none except for us- will they be going through the sections hunting for us now? Maybe. Maybe they'll just come back here though. I hope so.

Haymitch, Finnick and Johanna organise the others. I'm not paying too much attention. I trust them to coordinate the attack, and they do have a lot more experience with watching the Games than I have. Besides, Johanna doesn't like when I interrupt her and I don't want to give her an excuse to betray me when I'm so close to winning. She's too sensitive to criticism- she's rather risk her life with her plan than listen to somebody's analysis of it.

I pull myself up onto the rock Haymitch pointed at, finding small hand-holds. Were those put there by the Capitol specifically so people could climb on these rocks? For the first time, I imagine what a huge task it would be to create an arena, to fine-tune every small aspect of the environment for your purposes. And that's even before thinking of the mutts and weather conditions and all of that. How much money do the Capitol blow each year on the Games? How many people would that money have fed, kept alive if given to the Districts? How many people like me wouldn't have needed to hunt?