Johanna Mason arrived outside the forgotten remains of a half constructed building carefully scanning the surrounding area for any signs of movement before passing through the large steel gate that once allowed vehicles to enter and leave the site. Once inside she carefully closed the gate behind her before moving towards the unfinished apartment building that stood before her. The interiour of the building wasn't that much different to the exterior. It was still mostly unfinished, with plaster flaking from the walls and ceiling tiles either broken or only difference was that the inside of the building was bustling with people.
A hand clasped itself onto her shoulder causing her to jump in surprise and spin around quickly on the spot to see who it belonged to. She was met by a man's face with a pair of deep sea green eyes and a dazzling smile complemented by pearly white teeth. The man was incredibly handsome, although not to Johanna's preferences, and would no doubt have the ability to make most women and some men swoon upon simply glancing at his face.
"You must be the newbie, Johanna, right? Johanna Mason?"
She nodded in confirmation with a quizzical look. "And you are?"
"Finnick, Finnick Odair. The President sent me. I'm to show you the ropes and how we operate here in the Peacekeepers." He sent her another dazzling smile.
The two spent the rest of the day getting to know each whilst walking around the Peacekeepers' hideout, known as "The Capitol Building".
Two months had passed since Johanna first set foot inside the Peacekeepers' hideout and so far she had been doing well. She and Finnick had quickly become friends and made sure that every "job" that they were assigned they carried out together. They mostly carried out small crimes (compared to some of the more serious crimes the Peacekeepers committed) stealing cars which were to be resprayed and sold on, and holding up cashiers at stores making sure that they had every last penny out of the cash register before they made a break for it. She was also making a fair amount of money. Enough to help support her family anyway. That was the main reason she joined the Peacekeepers, to support her family.
Every day was practically the same, go in, get job, accomplish job, joke around with Finnick, get paid, go home. Today ,however, was different. When Johanna arrived at the hideout she wasn't greeted by the friendly, familiar face of Finnick but instead was met by a cold, unreadable one, one Johanna had never seen before.
"Johanna Mason?" The man asked, voice void of any emotion whatsoever.
"Who's asking?"
"The President wants to see you. He's up in his office." The man said, gesturing towards a set of stairs.
Without another word the man turned and disappeared into the crowd that occupied the ground floor of the 'Capitol Building'.
Perplexed, Johanna made her way towards the set of stairs that led up to the president's office. She had no idea on what he wanted to see her for but she guessed that she would find out when she reaches the top of the stairs.
Three flights of stairs later Johanna arrived at the beginning of a long, again unfinished, corridor with a large double set of doors at the end. A bronze plaque hung on the door labeled "President Snow" with roses elegantly engraved either side of the name. Johanna approached the door and knocked, the sound ringing hollow along the length of the hallway. She pushed through the double doors without waiting for a response from inside. The first thing that hit Johanna upon entering through the doors was the gut wrenchingly strong scent of roses and the massive urge to throw up that came with it. The second was the large oak desk decorated with elaborate carvings of deer engraved into the front, that was positioned in the centre of the room and the man who was sat behind it.
"Ah, Miss Mason. Please, come in." He said as he removed himself from behind the desk. "Take a seat. I have a matter of business I wish to discuss with you." He continued, motioning towards a set of chairs positioned around a small glass coffee table.
Johanna nodded and placed herself in one of the chairs around the table, still just as confused as she had been when she had been told to come here. The President took a seat opposite her sitting upright with a perfectly straight back.
"You are a very beautiful woman Miss Mason." He said with a slight smile.
"Thank you" Johanna replied politely, resisting the urge to cringe at the supposed compliment from the old man.
"That is one of the reasons I have called you here today. As I have already said, I have a business matter I wish to discuss with you." He paused. "You have proven to be incredibly efficient in your current occupation within this organisation and you are certainly earning your keep. However, I feel as if you could be making more, not only for the organisation but for yourself as well." Another pause. "As you are probably aware this organization offers an escort service to those willing to pay. As I have already said Miss Mason, you are a very beautiful woman and I am sure that many people would pay a pretty penny for your… company, so to speak." He looked Johanna dead in the eyes before continuing. "I was hoping, Miss Mason, that you would consid..."
"No!" Johanna cut him off before he could finish his sentence.
"I'm sorry President Snow but no." She continued. "I will not become one of your pieces of meat that you hand out to anyone willing to pay for my 'company'" she stated angrily, putting an emphasis on 'company'.
The President's face darkened and a frown replaced the sly grin that had previously been plastered on his face. "As you wish Miss Mason." His words now with a slight hint of venom. "You are dismissed."
With that, Johanna took her leave, hastily leaving the office and going in search of Finnick.
"You what?!" Finnick basically shouted, now concerned about his friend's safety.
"I told you, I said no. I'm not becoming a piece of meat for him to pass out for money." She replied calmly, almost amused at Finnick's concern.
"Look. I'm glad that you chose not to whore yourself out but no one's ever said no to him before. I don't know how he'll react." Finnick replied, now quieter but just as serious as before.
Johanna stared at her best friend before snorting. "I'm not scared of him."
That was the last day she saw her family alive. That day was three years ago.
Hey guys and welcome to my first ever attempt at not only writing a fanfic but a long(ish) story in general. I'd like to thank my amazing beta reader,DracoNako, for practically forcing me to write this. I've had the idea for a while now and she decided that it had to be written. So, here it is, chapter 1. Not sure when chapter 2 will come out but it should be within the next few weeks. Thanks for reading.
Hatchets.