Johanna Mason

|16| Tulip

Tulip stares at me. Her right hand holding her axe, and an apple in her left. She eats the apple with no emotion. Almost enjoying watching me stare back at her. The storm having no affect.

"So......" Tulip yells over the noise.
"It seems you are handy with an axe, huh?" She smirks while taking another bite of her apple. I roll my eyes, this time making it as noticeable as possible, then remove my hood from my head running my fingers through my shoulder length hair.

"Sure. Better than you at least. I grew up using an axe. You.... Well you didn't." I yell back, stepping close enough so we don't have to shout. But it doesn't seem to bother her any.

"We will just see who's better and who's not." Tulip says while throwing her apple on the ground.

I take one step forward, and pick up my knife that I threw at the redhea- I mean, Maya.
Tulip spins her axe in her hand, and steps out of the cornucopia. We have to be maybe 5 or 6 feet apart.
"Was it an act?" Tulip asks. I don't answer. Just stare at her.
"What a cleaver district 7 you are. Pretending to cry and to not know how to fight. To tell the truth, I believed you." She continues.

"Why did you do it? Was it just to save your life? Because I don't think it was just to save your life.
If that's what you wanted to do, you would of fought your way here the way you killed Maya and that other girl. So it was something else wasn't it? It was something you wanted to get home to. You wanted to be extra cautious so that you could get home to whatever you have at home. And... What is that? What do you want to get home
to?"
Tulip smiles, a satisfaction is her eyes. I can't believe she figured that out. That is why I did my act. Exactly why. How did she figure that out just now?
I choke before I speak up.
"Why do you care what I want to get home to?" I say. Tulip smiles.

"So when I win, I'll know who or what to tell that I killed you."She laughs and flips her axe.

I burn up. The thought of Tulip winning and telling my father that she killed the only thing he has left, makes me so angry.

Tulip shrugs and asks again,
"Come on district 7, tell me. It won't hurt you if you win, and it won't hurt you if I win. Well yea it would, but would it really matter?" She asks. And yes it would matter. But... My dad would already know. Plus if I tell her, I can get out of this conversation and win faster.

"My... Dad." I say as a gust of wind smacks my face.

"He's the one I'm doing this for. Because he's the only one I have left." I choke. I see another smirk on her face.

"Awe! Poor poor district 7. She misses her daddy." Tulip teases. I burn red. Anger boiling under my skin. Tulip just stands there unaffected.
Then, I snap. Stuffing my knife in my pocket, I run at her with my axe drawn. She flinches then grips her axe harder, blocking my first swing. She returns with the same force, targeted for my head. I block and backup giving me time to pull out my knife. She swings again, going to the right. I back up more barely avoiding. Then, she runs for me again right when I throw my knife at her. She veers to the left making the knife miss her throat but hit her shoulder. She screams then jumps on me, immediately bringing her axe down. I yell and bend out of the way, the blade sinking in my arm. I scream as the blinding pain erupts in the arm that got hit, also being the arm that was holding my axe. Quickly I pick up my axe with the other hand and block Tulips next strike with the handle.

Desperately needing to get off the ground, I swing at Tulip. She jumps off me to avoid it, and lands on her back. I hop up, trying to ignore the bloody mess my arm is, and throw my axe at her. She jumps up again, and the axe hits her toe. She winces But swiftly bends down to get my axe.
Uh oh
Needing a weapon fast, I run to the cornucopia knowing that I won't be able to find my knife. My bloody arm is limp by my side.
Inside I can spot the careers supplies. I pinpoint a sword. It shouldn't be that different than an axe. Picking it up and turning around to face Tulip, I see she stands outside the entrance holding both axes.
My gut drops at being trapped.

She smiles and crosses her arms.
"Did you hurt your arm?" She says in a babyish tone.
I look down at it to realize that the cut could of very well sliced my arm clear off if hit any harder.

I don't feel like talking. Nonetheless staying in this arena with Tulip any longer. Without hesitating I run at her full force, and plunge my sword at her chest. Shy tries to block it and does but I repeat the same motion and it hits her stomach this time. She screams and throws my axe at me. It lands on my lower leg with a striking pain, then falls off leaving me in more burning pain than before. But to my surprise the cut is not as bad as my arm even though it hurts as bad.

Wincing, I look back up to see if my sword stabbed tulip's stomach hard enough, and I find that it did. She lays on the ground, moaning an holding her stomach. The blood oozing from the wound. She spots me and squints, trying to get up. She manages to sit up before I push her back down with my foot. She moans and swings her other axe at me. I easily deflect it and it lands on the ground beside her.

"Get off me!" She screams and expectedly throws a weak punch. It hits my jaw and was pretty force full. I taste a ting of blood in my mouth. She growls and wiggles but seems to be loosing strength.

The wheezing breaths that I thought were hers, are actually mine. My hands are shaking while I receive my sword from her, and I grimace at the pain my wounds put off. But I'm angry not pitiful.

"I have to get home. For my dad." I say bringing up the sword to kill her off faster.
But then Tulip smiles, coughing up some blood.
"Yes. Y-you go and get home to your daddy district 7. But j-just remember. You openly defied the Capitol by pretending to be someone e-else in the hunger games. By using the games to get home. T-that's a sign of
r-rebellion. J-just remember that the Capitol will go after you for this. They will go after the things you love to punish you for openly rebelling. And y-you told me what you love. Y-your dad." She says. My heart drops. She's right. And it makes me hate her even more.
She coughs. Then tries to push me off her again, but instead I bring down my sword. She screams and yells things that get drown out in the thunder. But my sword stays put, killing her. A hot tear slips out as her cannon fires. But I don't feel any satisfaction or relief like I thought I would.

Instead I think about how the Capitol might punish me for winning the way I did. Because of my weakling act.
They might punish me, by killing my dad.