Chapter 2 – Heart

Stepping off the train was jarring. With just one step Johanna felt like she had left the land of excess and luxury and fallen back into a world of fear and pain. For starters no one in the angry mob which had formed there to greet her had multi-coloured hair that looked like candyfloss. Equally people tended not to form mobs in order to shout abuse at Johanna in the Capitol.

Peacekeepers lined the edges of the station in order to keep the screaming mob from getting the chance to tear her to pieces. It seemed to be a mob that was led by Edwin's family. Johanna recognised them from reaping day where they had been in floods of tears. At seventeen Edwin had been the youngest of six brothers. All of his siblings were too old to volunteer in his stead and it did nothing short of break them to see the youngest be summoned like a lamb to the slaughter. Their family had almost escaped the hunger games but now it's darkness would likely never leave their hearts.

"Not quite the reception I expected." Noctus said. The pale man who served as her escort had never seemed comfortable in the Districts. A mob must seem like barbaric behaviour to someone brought up in the privilege of the Capitol, Johanna mused to herself.

"Yeah, being a Victor seems fun." Johanna said.

"Oh this is nothing, back when I won-"

"Blight, be a dear and save that story for someone who cares." Johanna said.

The cacophony of noise that was the mob suddenly changed into very clear chanting, "NO TRAITORS IN DISTRICT SEVEN!"

"Charming." Florin muttered, her dark eyes darting from the mob to the peacekeepers.

As if prompted by the chanting, a peacekeeper quickly left his post and approached them.

"Noctus, Florin. You're both asked to get back on the train and return to the Capitol. We cannot guarantee your safety here."

"With pleasure, darling." Florin said as she turned on her heel. From the safety of the train she shouted back to Johanna, "Bye Sweetie, we'll see you for the tour."

"I am so proud of you." Noctus said as he hugged her. It was an uncomfortable hug, but out of all the attention Johanna was getting at the train station it was definitely not the worst. Once the train had begun it's long journey back home the peacekeeper turned his attention to Johanna, or at least she thought he did. The visor made it impossible to tell, he could be sticking his tongue out at her and she'd never know.

"Ms. Mason we are to escort you and your mentors to your new home in the Victor's Village. Your family and friends are waiting for you there. President Snow has ordered us to guard the estate so you'll be safe there."

"Of course he did. Couldn't have me mixing with people and having them accidentally like me again."

"Johanna…" Sola warned.

"Alright, sorry. Lead on peacekeeper man."

Her new home in Victor's Village was huge. No, huge was definitely an understatement in Johanna's eyes; this building was massive. She barely had time to take in the polished stone and varnished wood that made up her new manor before her family were upon her. Her mother and brother hugged her so tight they almost choked the life out of her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of blonde hair.

"Lucy?" Johanna screeched in delight as she freed herself from the clutches of her family. Lucy ran to her and suddenly she was trapped in another potentially life ending embrace.

Through the chaos of their reunion Johanna faintly recognised the sound of Sola and Blight bidding her goodbye. Being their neighbours was certainly going to be interesting. Though before she could think too much on it, her brother, mother, and Lucy had cocooned her in a group hug. Someone was crying, maybe they all were, and for one brief moment Johanna allowed herself to dream that there was a chance that everything would be ok.

"Look, I know the games are probably the last thing you want to talk about but we need to know." Johanna's Mother said. Her dark brown hair was messy and unkempt. She also seemed to have accumulated a collection of wrinkles around her eyes and forehead that Johanna hadn't noticed before, although maybe it was just her imagination.

"No, it's ok really. There's no sense keeping it to myself. But once we talk about this, it's done. I'm happy to share but I don't want to talk about it forever. I…" Johanna's voice quivered. "I can't live in the games forever. I have to try and m…move on."

She would not cry. Not yet. They had gathered in the dining room to talk and catch up. After Johanna had gotten over the initial shock of having a dining room she had grown suspicious about just what exactly they needed to talk about.

"I guess what your mother is trying to ask" Lucy said before pausing, clearly thinking of her next words carefully, "Is why did you kill him the way that you killed him? We all get that only one person can survive but when we're going to be defending you from the mob we need to know what you were thinking."

"Edwin was my friend," Her brother added, "I know you had to do anything you could do to survive. But I, I dunno if he deserved that…"

"You're right, he didn't deserve it. Which is probably why I didn't do it." Johanna snapped.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked. "We saw you kill him?"

Johanna sighed, her composure threatened to fall to pieces at a moment's notice but she needed to clear her name before she could rest easy. She glanced around at her family and Lucy; they were all seated at a wooden dining table big enough to fit at least twenty. The house was designed to mirror a log cabin in aesthetic but it felt closer to a mansion. There was even a faint smell of sap wafting through the air to complete the effect. It was clear to Johanna that this house was just as excessive as the Capitol; hundreds of trees must have been felled in it's construction. How could she ever call this place home?

With one more sigh to steady her nerves Johanna began to tell them the truth of how she'd found Edwin half starving to death. They listened in silence as she detailed the plan she had formed with him to take on the career pack. Wide eyed, they could only stare as she told them about how badly their stand off with the careers had gone. Her brother's face contorted when she finally revealed that the Capitol had edited the footage to make her seem more monstrous.

"It was their way of deciding who I'd be after the games. They probably don't like the idea of a Victor deciding anything for themselves after the games." Johanna finished. She felt drained like she'd just poured out part of her soul on the polished dining table. For a while, silence descended over the group.

"Those bastards" Her brother finally said.

"Isaac, language!" Her mother snapped.

"You've got to tell the people" Isaac began. "That mob would become your own personal army if they knew the truth."

"Which is exactly why she can't do it." Lucy said. "Think about it, the Capitol kill twenty-three children annually for a crime our ancestors committed seventy-one years ago. How do you think they'll respond to more immediate transgressions?"

"You should at least tell Edwin's family. They deserve to know the truth." Isaac said, somewhat deflated.

"I'm not sure what I should do, but I do know what I'm going to do, and that's go to bed. Believe it or not becoming public enemy number one is actually pretty tiring." Johanna said before promptly leaving the dining room. She needed to be alone again; she hadn't even had the time to mourn Edwin yet. As tired as she was she knew there'd be no rest in sleeping, every night since the games she'd woken up screaming; her dreams filled with the choking smell of blood on pine.

"From what I hear the mob has become more of a disgruntled group of friends and family." Lucy said. She and Johanna had quickly come to realise that the only place that they could be left to themselves, was the woods. Johanna had wanted to return to work immediately, but apparently it was forbidden for Victors to work. She imagined this was Snow's way of keeping her from rekindling any support from her District. Not being allowed to see the other work crews didn't bother her too much but what she really missed was the smell of the sawdust, and the feeling of lying in a bed exhausted after a long day's work.

"Ah yes, an angry, grieving group of friends and family. Absolutely nothing to worry about there. Nope. Safe as houses." Johanna said.

"Has Isaac had any luck with them?"

"He, Sola, and mom are trying to arrange a meeting between his…" the word caught in her mouth, "…family and me. No results yet."

"Don't worry, they'll come around in time."

Both girls continued walking. The woods were alive that day, filled with the sounds of Mockingjays hunting buzzing insects, and the trickling water of a nearby stream.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you." Lucy said, stopping suddenly. Small rays of sunshine broke through the thick deciduous woodland illuminating Lucy's hair. In Johanna's eyes, she looked like an angel.

"Well go on then?" Johanna said.

"It's just you said you didn't want to talk about the games-"

"Spit it out." Johanna said. Lucy was many things but direct was not one of them.

"Well it's just, I've seen how you looked at him on the cameras, and I see how you react when he comes up in conversation. And I guess, I'm just wondering, well, did you love him? Or like him even, as maybe more than a friend? He was pretty good looking."

"You're an idiot." Johanna said.

"Look I'm sorry-"

Before Lucy could finish, Johanna grabbed her and kissed her. She kissed her like she was drowning and Lucy's mouth was air. She kissed her like it might be the last time, because as recent history had proven to Johanna, life could be fleeting.

"Edwin was my friend, but you are the only person that I want." Johanna said when they finally parted lips before adding, "I love you."