Johanna's Hunger Games

Hi people😄! So I needed something to write about because my other book is REALLY bad. Johanna is one of my favorite characters and there aren't any other books about her so I wanted to be the first. So yeah..

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the 72nd Hunger Games!"

Pain rips across my chest as Tyla, the District 7 escort, walks up to the stage. I glance at my aunt, Sage. She won the first Quarter Quell, so she has to stand on that stage. Her counterpart, Blight, is smiling. She looks like a hornet stung her.

Sage adopted me when I was a two year old orphan. She's technically my aunt, so I just call her Sage. She has nightmares every night and is damaged beyond repair. On occasion, her face will turn white her knees will shake, and I'll know she's hallucinating. The Games destroyed her.

"Johanna Mason"

I look up, startled.

"Yes? Who said that?"

Ash, my "friend", hisses "Get up there, girl. You just got Reaped!"

Dread fills my lungs as I stare at a smiling and beckoning Tyla. This only happens to other people! The odds of the niece of a former victor going in are impossibly slim! I never had to sign up for tesserae, and I'm only sixteen!

I walk with tiny, short steps up to Tyla. I hope the Games won't destroy me like they destroyed my aunt.

~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•

Tyla must have taken a shower in perfume before she got here. All those artificial smells make my eyes water.

"Dear girly, don't cry! You don't even know what friend is going in with you!"

I stare in horror at Tyla. Does she actually think I'm crying? A bright light from a camera makes me shield my eyes. Why are all the cameras pointed at me?

Tyla has lost interest in me.

"Yay! I'm about to pick the boy tribute!"

Her hand swirls all the scraps of paper. Does she know all the tension she's building up??? Of course she does. That's the way Tyla operates.

"Lynus Mason."

~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•

Did she just say...Lynus Mason? As in my COUSIN Lynus? The only relative i have left besides Sage! He was orphaned at two and adopted. Yep. There he is, strutting up like a peacock. It's all for the cameras.

He reaches the stage and hugs me.

"It's okay, Johanna. You'll be okay."I hear the audience give a collective sigh. I push him away. I don't want to seem weak in front of the cameras. Sage glares at me. Lynus is her nephew, so I understand she should feel protective, but still???

"Lovely! Siblings!" Tyla says. Only with the ridiculous Capitol accent, it sounds like "Loovly!". I try to tell her we are cousins but she's not interested.

"And may the odds be ever in your favor!" Tyla whisks us into the Justice Building and tells us "One hour. That's the maximum amount of goodbye time for District 7."

~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•

"Johanna! I should have volunteered! Are you still crying?" my friend Leanne yells, enveloping me in a bear hug.

I push her away. I hate being hugged. "First of all, I wasn't crying. Second of all, I wouldn't have let you volunteer. Third-" my words are cut off by Leanne hugging me again. She pulls a necklace with a tiny decorative pine cone strung on it out of her pocket.

"Use this as your token, alright?"

And she's gone.

~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•

"My my, what fun we'll have this week. You will just love the food! And the view is just loovly!"

"Loovly!" I say, mimicking her, and ugly look on my face. She made me look wimpy in front of all of Panem! I can wave goodbye to any possible sponsors.

"See, Jo here is happy! You should be too!" Tyla informs Lynus. He rolls his eyes.

"I'm not happy, and don't call me Jo!"

Tyla opens her mouth to reply as the door slides open. Sage and Blight walk in.

"That's my little genius! When did you think of that?" Sage asks me, ruffling my already ruffled hair.

I tilt my head in confusion.

"What?"

"Pretending to be weak! All the other tributes will ignore you until the end! You are a genius! It's totally novel! And, the Capitol might always feel sorry for the weak crying girl!"

I roll my eyes and give Sage my best Seriosly? stare.

"OK, maybe not. But keep acting that angle!"