The Hunger Games: Johanna Mason's Story

Chapter 2

When we walk through the house, Sammy runs up to me screaming "JOHANNA!" and hugs me. My little brother, though a pest most of the time, fears he's gonna lose me just like we did with Mom. If Dad or Blight died, one could easily replace the other. But since I've mostly raised Sammy, my death would be....inconvenient I guess.

"When are you gonna start growing?" I tease him, looking at his happy face. "When you stop growing." he teases back, grinning at me. I have to smile because for a brat, he's good at comebacks. Probably my influence, seeing how I'm pretty sarcastic to most. Oops my bad.

Sammy is a pretty average kid. He's annoying, he likes to talk a lot, he's oblivious to bad things, and he's social. Tie this together with a boy who has a light complexion, light brown hair, forest green eyes, a short and thin frame, and the worlds brightest smile and you have Sammy Mason.

I give him one of my signature winks (more about that later) and walk to my room to get ready for The Reaping. He trails behind me like a puppy, asking me to help him get ready too.

After I try and say no, he looks at me for a second with tears building up in his eyes. "But Johanna, this is the first year without Mom..." he trails off. I immediately feel a sharp pain. He's right. Mom's not here and Dad's in no condition to help with his missing leg. Blight is carving the wood we collected right now and doesn't have to worry about The Reaping anymore.

I pull Sammy close to me and run my fingers through his hair like Mom would. "I'm sorry Sam. I forgot this is hard for you too. Go take a bath real quick and I'll help you with the rest, okay?" "Okay." he says, grinning at me with red, watery eyes before he runs off. I sigh and walk into my room.

I look through my closet for a decent dress to wear for the death lottery I'm about to be put in. As I'm skimming through the few nice clothes I have, I come across one I hadn't noticed before. An emerald green dress that I immediately recognize: My mother's best dress. Tears start building in my eyes and that's when everything I've been holding in comes out. I sink to my knees, clutching the dress and sobbing.

Someone wraps their arms strongly around me and I smell the scent of pine. "It's okay Johanna," a rough voice says. Blight. My brother has never been very affectionate, unlike Sam who always loves hugs and small kisses on the forehead. "You're the toughest girl I know so I need you to be strong. For Dad, for me, for Sam, and for yourself. If you get selected for The Games today, you won't be able to show your sadness. Be completely different. Shy, quiet, weak, anything to cover your true self up. Then, when the time's right, show them who Johanna Mason truly is. How vicious she really is. That she's not a weakling."

I'm shocked for a minute. Blight's giving me really good advice. It's annoying that for such a quiet guy, he has a better way with words than me. And I guess it shouldn't be a surprise when the next words he says makes are some that I'll never forget. "Make them pay for it." he says with a smile that says 'You Got This'. I nod to him with a determined look and he gets up a heads to the door. Once halfway through it, he stops and says to me "Sammy took the liberty of running you a bath. Says you smell like sweat and wood." Then he walks out, leaving me annoyed but smiling.

I take a bath, scrubbing myself clean to apparently meet Sammy's expectations of not smelling like sweat and wood. Brothers are real pains in the necks. I go back to my room and see the dress is laid out on my bed. I hesitate before putting it on. I finally decide it's only for one day and I put it on. I leave my hair down, suddenly remembering I have to help Sammy get ready. I walk to his room where I find him sitting on his bed with a white undershirt on and a pair of pants. Thank God he's got something on while I barged in. This could've been a whole lot worse.

He looks up at me and beams. "Oh good, you're here now! I didn't know what to wear." he says, blushing a little. I go to his closet and skim through his shirts. I settle on a short-sleeved dress shirt striped with two different shades of a deep green. "How about this?" I ask him, showing him the shirt. He shrugs. "You're the one making me look nice." I sigh. "How do you expect to get a wife when you can't even look nice?" I ask him, chuckling at him. "I just won't get one." he says in a proud tone. I roll my eyes and start brushing his hair to the side with a comb I find laying on his bed.

"So what if you get picked this year?" he asks me. I consider for a moment. "Blight gave me some good advice. I think I'll be ready. But I doubt I'm gonna get picked. There's tons of other girls and I'm just one." He nods and smiles. God, all this kid ever does is smile. I guess if smiles were contagious, I wouldn't have to worry. I'm vaccinated.

When he's finally dressed and looking sharp, I realize we don't have much longer. I see my hair is still down and doesn't look great. I tie it back in a ponytail and tell everyone I'll see them soon. I walk out the door and into the square where everyone waits anxiously for The Reaping to start. I notice Blight sitting in the male victor Mentor chair. The female chair is empty. The old woman must've died recently. I look at the wood and stone Justice Building behind the stage and instantly see the damage Dad did on it. Impressive actually.

My thoughts are interrupted (This happens too often) when finally, a young woman walks up on to the stage. She's sprouting a hideous green wig and her tanned skin is covered with a horrifying amount of make up. Walking up the the mic with a fake smile, she taps it a few times before saying "Welcome, welcome, welcome. Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor." The District 7 Escort. No one knows her name seeing how she only shows up for The Reaping and literally nothing else.

"Two tributes, one male and one female, will be reaped from a pool of children aged 12-18. As always, ladies first." This is it, I think to myself, next year will be my last year I'm forced to do this and then I'm gone free. You're not gonna get called, you're NOT gonna get called.

The escort walks up to the glass bowl holding the girls names. I'm grinning to myself, thinking I'm gonna fly by this pick again easily. And that's when I hear the most devastating noise in the world.

"Johanna Mason."

*End of Chapter 2*