'No. No, this can't be happening. This isn't real, this isn't real. Wake up, this is just a dream.' This is the only thing I can think to myself but deep down, I know it's real and not a dream. I'm going into an arena to fight for my life. This is happening right now. I realize I'm starting to fall to the ground so I catch myself and stand up straight, forcing myself to walk to the stage. Up there, I quietly stand to the left of the escort, waiting for the male tribute to be reaped. I scan the crowd to look for Sammy and when I find him, my eyes lock with his. I see hurt on his face and I almost cry but I make myself show nothing.
The escort walks over to the glass bowl containing the boys' names. She picks one at random and starts to unfold it. In a clear voice, she says "Thomas Jonathan." I immediately recognize the name. An old friend of mine from when we were kids. He walks up to the stage, looking slightly worried. Once he's up on the stage, he and I are told to shake hands. We do and I feel the firm, familiar grip of his hand as we both refuse to meet each others eyes. We're taken into two separate rooms of the Justice Building behind us.
My room is, big surprise here, decorated with WOODEN furniture, mantelpieces, and various other pretty useless stuff. District 7: Lumber, trees. I'd love to put an axe in whoever designed this room's face. Just because we main in everything wood doesn't mean you need a whole room dedicated to some freaking trees or even create our houses and the Justice Building out of wood! I mean, come on. It's not like District 4 makes their houses out of FISH or District 12 makes their houses out of COAL or District 11 makes their houses out of-
"Johanna Mason?" someone asks, looking into the door. A Peacekeeper. "Yeah, that's me." I answer, one eyebrow raised. "You..." he trails off quietly. He just looks at me through his white helmet then shakes his head. "Sorry. You have 5 minutes." He opens the door all the way and I see Sammy and Blight standing there. Sammy runs up to me for a hug, tears streaming down his face. I hug him and tell him 'It's gonna be okay'. I look at the Peacekeeper watching us. He must've realized what he was doing and walks off. I watch him as he leaves. I could just be imagining it, but I think he felt sorry for me. I forget the thought and focus on my brothers.
Sammy cries into my dress, soaking the part where his face is buried. Blight watches us with a sad smile, if you can even call it that. More like a grimace I guess. As Sammy continues to cry while I stroke his hair, Blight asks me "Remember everything we've talked about? That all applies the second you're in front of the other tributes, got it?" I nod to him.
"Johanna, please don't go. I can't lose you." Sammy says to me through tears. "Hey," I tell him "I'll only be gone for a little while. But I swear to you Sam, I'll come back just for you." He looks at me, his eyes red and puffy from crying. "Promise?" he asks in barely a whisper. I quickly realize whether I live or die, I'll have to come back for either a victory or funeral. I decide it's better not to mention this.
"I promise." I say with a serious tone. He gives me a small smile and hugs me again. I hug him back and then give Blight a hug. He stiffens at first, then accepts it. We all wait in silence for the 5 minutes to end, my hand in Sammy's and Blight leaning against the wall with his arm crossed. The Peacekeeper walks in to escort them out and before they leave, I say "Take care of Dad, Sammy." Blight gives me a nod that says 'I'll see you soon' and Sammy gives me a small wave before they walk away with the Peacekeeper leading them both through the halls. I can't do anything but sit and wait.
I don't know how long I wait until a different Peacekeeper walks in to escort me out. I don't know if you wondered how I can tell he's different since they all wear the exact same uniform and no name tags. This guy was different because he stuck straight to his job. No waiting, no looking at me, and grabbing my arm to drag me forcefully if I walk too slow. Rude if you ask me.
The Peacekeeper leads me to our District Train Station that's only used for The Hunger Games. Thomas and Blight wait there. I remember that Blight's my mentor. So why did he give me advice that he could also give Thomas? Then it hits me: 'You're his sister. He wants you to win.' We board the train one at a time and I'm shocked by how nice it is. A glass chandelier, tables and chairs arranged in neat rows, and a small kitchen area. This must be a dining cart.
"Listen up you two," Blight says in a strong tone. "I'm your mentor, Blight Mason. We'll get to more official buisness tomorrow but for now, you'll have time to yourselves until dinner. Whether you two decide to interact with each other or not, I don't care. It may be for the best you two get to know each other." 'Done with that' I think to myself with slight annoyance. I know Thomas too well already. We were friends for years until-
"So with that said, I'll leave you two be. See you at dinner." Blight says and walks away. Thomas looks at me with a shy smile. "Hey Johanna." he says quietly. "Hey." I say to him. His light brown hair and eyes match, giving him a strange but pleasant look. He's slightly taller than me, being the same age as myself. He's thin, but fit like all District 7 citizens. He's something of a looker so it's not surprising that all the girls swoon over him. It's annoying because the girls act like...well pretty much how Sammy describes girls: giggly and awkward. This makes me wonder if Sammy will turn out just like Thomas.
"You look nice today." he says in a shy tone. A compliment? "Right, well I try to look my best just in case I win the death lottery. Looks like today was my lucky day." I say, sounding a lot colder than I mean to be. He looks hurt for a moment before saying "Right. Well, I'll see you at dinner then." I feel guilty but before I can say anything he walks to a door. "I wanted to come talk to you Johanna. I just never got the chance." he says, looking at me. Then he walks out, leaving me alone.
*End of Chapter 3*
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The Hunger Games: Johanna Mason's Story
FanfictionYou've heard of The Hunger Games Series with Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark but what about the previous tributes? What were their stories and how did they survive the games? Sure, they were mentioned and were in The 75th Annual Hunger Games but...
