A/N This will be the story of Johanna Mason's life, from childhood to... up to Catching Fire, I think. There will be Johanna/OC, Katpee, a hint of one-sided Johanna/Finnick. Warnings include mentions of death, maiming, suicide, prostitution, underage- you know what? Is it something that there should be a warning for? There will probably be a mention. I do not intend to get graphic with anything. You've read the books (I hope so, or this may be jibberish). You know what goes on in the capitol and the games.

This is the story of a girl who lost everything.

This is the story of a girl who lived only out of spite.

This is the story of a girl who couldn't let herself care.

This is the story of a girl who found she just wasn't strong enough.

She is 6 years old, in the forests of home.

"Come on Nash!" She calls the boy below her, swinging higher into the tree. They're in a little part of Seven known as just "The Glen". It's well-lit and sparse, perfect to let children explore without hurting themselves. As long as they stayed away from the fence that marked the end of the district.

"It's not fair." He complains from several feet down. "Your lighter, the branches are starting to crack under me."

"Fat!" She teases. She's smiling at him. "Come on!" Impatient as ever.

"We have to be at the square by two." Nash reminds her, stopping his assent.

She rolls her eyes and hangs upside-down in the tree, the bark scrapping the backs of her calves. Enough sunlight has filtered down through the branches to make the bark hot, but she doesn't care. The blood is rushing to her head along with the rush of the precarious point, and she loves it. "Tell me why again Nash."

"You've heard it a hundred times." He sighs, cautiously making up the rest of the way to where she hangs. It's enough of an opening to make her push the issue.

"But that's what brothers are for." Johanna complains, making over animated facial expressions. "They tell you stuff."

He smiles, like she knew he would. "Owen has to take out Tesserae." He explains patiently as she watches him. Even though he's only 10, he seems so much older then her. Months seen like years to her right now. They still do. "'cause he turned twelve."

"Why'd he have to wait till he was twelve?" She asks curiously, maybe just to hear him keep talking. Owen is their older brother. She's glad he isn't with them now. Owen was just a pain.

"I dunno." Nash stuck his hands in his pockets. "The rules. Twelve is old enough. And if they draw your name, you go to the capitol. And you stay there forever." That was how their parents had explained it to them, when an older sister of their friend had gone into the games. "You compete in the games." And they both shivered on cue at the overly-ominous words.

"'cept for Blight." Johanna sticks her tongue out at the name. "But he's always nasty." There was something wrong with Blight, the younger of Seven's two victors. No one saw the older man much, but Blight made it into town often. He'd upended a fruit stand once, right in front of her. The mess had splattered all over her new clothes. Stupid dirty man.

"Johanna! Nash!" She hears a voice calling.

"Coming Rowan!" Nash yells, and they start to lower themselves though the branches.

"We gotta go if we want to get there on time." Rowan explains, brushing the dark hair away from his face.

"I'm coming." Nash rolled his eyes. Both boys were the same age, but Nash was much fairer. He also tended to stay cleaner. Rowan's hair was always full of leaves and twigs, and his pants were usually torn. But they were always together, and they sometimes included Johanna.

"Imagine going to the capitol." Nash sighed. "All the cakes you want."

"But the games." Rowan protested, frowning.

"But cakes!" Nash parodied his friend's tone.

"I don't want to go to the capitol." Johanna shakes her head with a seven year old's steady conviction.

"Why not?" Nash leans around Rowan to look at her.

"Because everyone else is here." She says, folding her arms stubbornly.

Rowan and Nash make a face at the idea, and at the last second Johanna copied them. She's watching Rowan carefully, mimicking the things he does. But as they head out towards the square, she turns her attention back to Nash.

"Nash?"

"Yes Johanna?"

"Tell my why again."

A/N A short chapter to get things started. Before we start the decent into who she becomes.