District Seven Girls
(AU. Annie grows up in District Seven and Johanna takes the little mad girl under her wing.)
Johanna's seen Annie wandering around the district her whole life, but the first time they properly meet is when they're both twelve.
Johanna's working in the lumberyard and Annie's wandering. How she got into such a danger zone, Johanna doesn't know. But she calls over, "Hey, sapling, don't you know you could get hurt in here?"
Annie looks over, eyes shining, and says, "You're Johanna Mason. You're twelve like me. You live in the Branch by the Old Woods."
Johanna blinks at the girl, who's apparently been shadowing her, including following her home. But she says, "You're Annie Cresta," because everyone in the district knows that name. "You're twelve," because Annie just said that. "You're the mad girl."
Annie smiles. "Is that what they still call me?"
"They're gonna call you the dead mad girl if you don't get out of here."
Annie's smile doesn't fade, but she leaves.
.:.
The next time Johanna sees Annie, it's a freezing, snowy day, and Annie's wandering in the woods behind Johanna's little house, without so much as a jacket on over her tattered sweater. It's not enough for this weather.
"What the hell are you doing?" Johanna asks her, as Annie holds her arms out and spins in a circle, head towards the cloud-coated sky.
"Catching snowflakes," says Annie.
"You'll freeze to death. You know what, stay there, don't move."
Johanna goes inside her house and finds a coat that doesn't fit her anymore. It's in the scrap material pile, but hasn't been touched yet. She brings it back out to Annie, holding it out, because in District Seven, you share what little you have.
Annie looks at her.
Johanna sighs and starts shoving Annie's arms through the sleeves.
Annie, after a few seconds, pulls the coat tight around herself and whispers, "Thank you."
.:.
Annie's wandering around Johanna's house again and Johanna's watching her from the back wall of the house, leaning back against it, arms folded.
Annie waves to her.
Johanna raises one hand. "How are you?" she tries.
"Hungry," Annie says quietly.
"Oh, fine." Johanna rolls her eyes and disappears back inside the house, then comes back out with cooking and dining supplies. She lights a fire in the pit, pours some oil into a pan, and puts stored pine needle bark and pine nuts into the pan.
Annie watches with wide eyes, then cautiously walks over and sits by the fire. Johanna fills a pot with water from the pump and then puts in pine needles, and sets it out to boil.
Soon, she has fried pine nuts and bark and pine needle tea on a plate and in a cup for Annie.
Annie eats and drinks it all silently. Then she thanks Johanna and disappears back into the woods.
.:.
Then, it's Reaping Day, and Johanna and Annie are both in the twelve-year-old girl section.
When the escort goes to pick the girl's name, Johanna feels a small hand slip into hers.
She doesn't let go.
The name is neither one of theirs.
This time.