Spark to Flame: A Finniss Story

Pt IV: Tempest to Twister

Johanna's presence is accepted by all but Leeg1, who seems quietly hostile toward the woman who can never replace her sister.

Johanna doesn't seem to mind this in the least, however, and although she doesn't really know anyone but Finnick, Gale, and herself, Katniss feels that the ax-wielding woman will be a welcome advantage to the team.

Night falls and Boggs orders them all to get some rest, as they'll be setting out tomorrow to capture and secure another block of the Capitol for the rebel cause first thing in the morning. Their goal of getting to Snow's mansion had been delayed by two days because of the time it took for Johanna to arrive, but no one seemed to really mind. To Squad 451, they were just two more days that they would survive.

Katniss lies awake in her cot, staring up at the canvas ceiling of she and Finnick's tent as she thinks of what's going to happen in the next few days and listens to the soft snoring of her sleeping buddy. Though she knows she's only doing herself in by staying up so late (or was it early? She wasn't sure anymore) she also couldn't help that she was having so much trouble getting to sleep.

Sighing in resignation, she carefully removes Finnick's arm from across her torso and gets up from her cot, the tight cloth squeaking loudly against the cold metal frame as she does so. She takes her blanket and wraps it around her, not wanting to be seen in her sleeping garments, and, as quietly as she can, lifts the tent flap and steps outside.

She doesn't expect to find Johanna (or anyone else, for that matter) sitting rather sourly in a foldable camping chair next to one of the fancy portable heaters the rebels had found in one of the buildings after they had taken the block. She brazenly lounges in her sleeping garments, acting as though it couldn't be more normal if she were wearing snow pants and a sweater, and Katniss freezes, unsure if she should sit down or not. But Johanna has already noticed her, so it hardly matters.

"You gonna sit down or what?" She asks, not bothering to keep her voice low.

Katniss stands rooted to her spot, taken aback by her bluntness, but then she recounts all of their training sessions back at District 13 and remembers that this is nothing new, and ultimately moves to join her in an empty chair. The dull glow of the heater is just bright enough for her to make out Johanna's form and the large ammunition boxes behind her, but all else is blackness.

They sit staring at the heater in silence, and Katniss discreetly takes the opportunity to observe the woman next to her. Her hair has grown in a bit, she notices, spiky black tendrils poking up from her scalp, and she's far more irritable than she remembers. But then again, her memory regarding little details as these has never been that great.

"So, what are you doing up?" Katniss whispers tiredly, yawning.

Johanna scoffs, bouncing her foot on her knee. "Pfft. Like I want to share a tent with Leeg."

She looks towards the fire, feeling stupid. "Oh."

"So," Johanna says, mocking her from earlier. "How did you and Finnick get to share a tent?"

She says it very snarkily, as though it's the worst piece of gossip imaginable and she's just dying to hear her bumbling explanation, but Katniss isn't prepared to give anything but the boring truth.

"Boggs assigned us all sleeping partners," she says, tone neutral. "Me and Finnick were paired up. I had nothing to do with it."

Johanna's expression turns dry. "Oh. Way to spoil the fun, Brainless. The least you coulda done was lie to me."

Katniss smiles. She didn't mean to suck the fun out of whatever Johanna could find to entertain herself, but she wasn't a liar. Not anymore. And she wasn't about to go back to being one for the mere sake of entertainment.