Johanna Mason

|4| career base

Shaylor helps me to my feet as the district 6 boys' cannon booms through the arena.

"Are you ok? I heard some snapping branching and hurried over here. Once I saw the boy I just waited for a clear shot to spring my attack." She utters. Clearly disappointed about her delay.

"I'm fine, and t-thanks. But you shouldn't be disappointed, If you hadn't had shown up I would be dead." I note. And with that thought, I decide that I can't kill Shaylor. I'd be like killing a..... Friend. I haven't had a friend since Jen died. I've always been told a friend is someone you can rely on. Someone who will always be their for you. Shaylor fits all those characteristics.

"Come on let's get sleep, it's passed midnight now." Shaylor suggests and I follow her back to the camp she set up. Everything has an eerie blueish grey color because of the abnormal moon. Unlike last night, tonight I can see. It's like the moon decided to come out tonight, but not yesterday. Gamemakers, agh.
•
•
I wake up to an early sunrise, and find Shaylor still sleeping.
Packing my blanket back inside of my backpack, I start to search for any signs of life. As I walk out through the thick woods, I nibble on two of my crackers and polish off the tail end of my water, while keeping the camp in sight.
I hear birds and the shuffling of leaves when a gust of wind blows by. It almost sounds like my days in the woods at home. The woods that I would work at. Sometimes I helped my dad. He was a level 1 axe man, and was an expert at chopping trees down. But other days I would work as a sapling harvester, and had to raise saplings until they matured. Then we would move locations to sprout more trees. Jen and I worked as sapling harvesters until we got shoved up to level 5 axe men. We cut down smaller to medium trees because we weren't high in levels yet like our dad. But when she died when I was 12, I resigned and stayed a sapling harvester. The only down fall about being one, is that our location was right beside the cemetery. Specifically the one my mom rests at, and has been for 8 years now.

I start to get teary, while rounding a large oak tree. It's not until then, I realize how dangerously close we are to the lake. I can literally see it in the distance straight ahead, and I doubt they didn't hear the racket last night. I moan at my cluelessness. Even though Shaylor picked the spot, I still should of scouted the area better. The careers are probably searching for prey right now and we're here sleeping on the ground, 2 minutes away from their camp.

I hurry back to Shaylor and shake her awake. Once again, I notice how much taller, older, and grown up she is. Her long blonde hair makes her look younger from a distance, but when up close, she has to be at least 18.

"Shaylor! We have to go, the careers will be on us soon. There isn't a chance they didn't hear what happened last night, come on." I encourage shaking her harder.
When she opens her eyes she squints to look at me.

"Ok. Why are you crying?" She questions. We have to get moving, so I just say that I've had a bad morning and I miss my family. It's kinda true, and it's good for my act.
She just gives me an understanding smile and slips her knife in the pocket of her tribute pants. Then, as always, Shaylor leads the way right toward the lake. I hesitate to say something, but I decide that if she wants to go, she can. Plus I'm curious to see what traps the Careers have set up to protect their island of supplies.

I can't help but wonder what Shaylor will think when she realizes the Careers have a bace on the lake.
•
Boom
I here a cannon. A person dead.
"I wonder who?" Shaylor asks out in the open. I just shrug even though she can't see me and continue. Death and killing is the point of the game, so there isn't a reason to be surprised when a cannon sounds.
•
We walk through the dense trees swiftly, and in no time at all, we reach the edge of the forest, giving us a full view of the lake.
I realize it is very big. Larger then what it looked like from the cornucopia. And, as I thought, it's a perfect circle, with a smaller perfect circle in the middle.