Epiphany | Johanna Mason

Chapter Twenty-Five

Maybe that was a good thing, because in the hours they'd spent walking in the unbearable heat, Wiress had begun to seem... off. She kept wandering off, mumbling to herself. Especially loud when the strange sound sounded. It was like a canon, but not as sharp, not quite as loud. It sounded like an instrument Odette could almost remember. They didn't know what it meant yet, only that it had sounded a handful of times.

When she looked ahead of the little group, Odette couldn't help but notice how much it had shrunk in less than ten hours. Two down, four left. Of those four, one had a stab wound, one was going crazy – well, maybe two if Odette didn't watch out – and that would be too much to carry for Johanna. Hadn't she promised herself she would fight? That she would not give up because they had a chance?

Johanna had been right, she couldn't fall apart, no matter how much easier it felt. She couldn't put that weight on someone else's shoulders. She wouldn't. She'd had her moment, she had almost broken down, but she wouldn't. their little group would obviously need a little bit of glue, and no one could do that better than Odette.

With new determination, she walked further into the endless jungle.

***

It was dark when they stopped walking. Everyone was tired and hungry despite the nuts and berries they'd found during their walk. The most pressing issue was water. They were thirsty and hot and sweating, but in their hours of walking, they hadn't passed any water. The earth was the sweaty kind of moist that told nothing about drinkable water. Johanna had pushed them, hoping to find some source of water.

When the anthem had sounded, she'd finally given up, making camp right in that spot. Odette didn't want to look, but she couldn't keep her eyes off the sky. The man from district five appeared first. She hadn't known him well, his name even slipped her mind, but that didn't make seeing him up there better. The boy from district six. He'd been in on the rebellion. Blight from seven. She glanced at Johanna, but the woman was preoccupied with cutting large leaves to make laying down more comfortable. Woof, then. She pushed the crop in her throat back down. Both tributes from nine. They'd been older, but Odette vaguely remembered they'd gotten drunk together once with Neil and broken a vase. Then the women from ten and eleven.

Eight down. A lot of people dead. Good people, nice people. She wiped the sweat off her face before taking the knife from her belt and helping Johanna cut leaves. No one spoke.

When there was a nice pile, Odette created a thin layer for Beetee and Wiress. "How's your back?"

"Been better, but it appears nothing important got knicked," he sat down on the improvised bed. "Thank you."

"Of course," she said. "You should both get some sleep." She left the tributes, helping Johanna with her leaves. "I told them to sleep, figured we could keep watch for the night."

Johanna seemed content, plopping down. She looked as tired as Odette felt, but she knew sleep was the last thing on Johanna's mind. No matter how hard Odette tried to ignore it, Johanna was the only one who could fight, and that was a necessary skill.

When she didn't respond, Odette sat down next to her. Even without the sun, it was hot. A pressing heat that didn't stop her from sitting so close their shoulders touched. They were facing the tributes from district three. They, at least, seemed to have fallen asleep immediately. "What a day, huh?" She said, by lack of something better.

Johanna scoffed, leaning her head back against the tree. "You could say that," she turned her head towards Odette. "Get some rest, I'll take first watch."

First watch. As if she believed that, Johanna was going to try and stay up all night. "I'm not letting you stay awake all night alone," she pushed her shoulder into Johanna's with a smile. "I'll keep you company for a bit. You can't fool me."