"All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust."

― J.M. Barrie, "Peter Pan"

Soon after the initial shock that stunned the district was over, Effie ushered the children into the Justice Building, pulling Katniss and the boy whom she knew as Peeta Mellark, into separate rooms where they could say good-bye to their families. She remembers the faint smell of lavender on her mother as she hugged her tightly, and consoling Prim to stop crying that she would see them again. It felt like an eternity had passed since the doors opened and Prim and her mother said their goodbyes once more and left.

Effie stayed with Katniss, a reassuring manicured hand on her shoulder, as they waited for Peeta's family to leave. Down the hall, the brunette spotted Haymitch and a dark-haired girl talking. She couldn't make out what they were saying; the corridor was eerily quiet, save for the endless sobbing in Peeta's room.

"What the fuck, Haymitch? Is that shit straight from the medicine cabinet?" The girl practically yelled. Earning a laugh from the older man, as she handed him his flask. He shook his head, taking a casual sip from it.

As the pair continued talking, the door to Peeta's room opened and Mr. Mellark emerged, already on his way out with an older boy who looked just like her forsaken son. Katniss recognized him as the Mellark's oldest, favorite son. From the cracks of the door, she can see his mother weeping with her arm around him. From what Katniss can remember, Peeta was never given much attention to by his parents but there she was, sobbing like he's the only child she ever had and it's the end of days. But for Peeta, it probably is.

...

Effie struts around the train car, mouthing off their list of to-do items that "must be completed" before they get to the Capitol. It's the same run down every year - prep the tributes, answer their questions and advise them on what to expect. Katniss and Peeta were already seated at the table listening to the escort when she asked, "Where's Haymitch?"

"He said he was going to take a nap," Peeta informed, with just a slight hint of amusement. They all know he's found his way into another liquor cabinet, and Effie looked more than relieved to be without his company. Despite the lingering annoyance of him not being there.

"Never mind him; I took the liberty of asking Johanna for a little help." The blonde woman said looking down each end of the hallway for someone. Katniss assumed that it was the same girl she saw speaking with Haymitch earlier. And oh right she was. When said girl arrived she was met with Effie's disapproving glare and immediately shrugged it off.

Effie mentions something about tardiness, and they all begin eating. Save for Johanna who took to drinking coffee and reading a newspaper instead.

As they ate, the brunette watched the other girl, eyes almost squinting trying to place where she's seen her before. She hopes the stating goes unnoticed and it seems like it has, it hits her. She was the victor of the 71st Hunger Games, Katniss remembers seeing her name everywhere and how her shocking victory stunned the nation. But why was she here? With them.

But when her eyes lingered a bit longer than necessary she is greeted with a smirk from the older girl and looks away. Embarrassed.

When she turns back her eye catches Effie's, and the woman gives her a smile. "Well you two have lovely table manners. Last year the two kids ate like a couple of savages. Completely put me off my appetite."

Katniss can feel her blood rise at the insult. Those two kids were from the Seam as she was. They probably hadn't seen a decent meal in their entire lives. But she keeps her composure and begins eating with her hands. As her eye catches Johanna's, the older girl smirks. This time the feeling is a lot more welcoming.

Soon, Haymitch joins them and Johanna's eyes go wide. He looked as if a train and run him over. "Did I miss supper?" he slurred, then promptly trips over a chair. Falling to the floor.

Effie grunts her displeasure and tosses her napkin on the table. Absolutely disgusted. The rest were laughing at his misfortune, but Effie is beyond pissed. "It isn't funny," she demands in a loud voice. "This man is the only lifeline you two have in that arena. The odds will not be in your favor if he continues to act like a miscreant for the entire trip. Your lives are in his very hands." With that, she storms off, leaving Katniss, Peeta and Johanna at the table.

Peeta's face grows somber as does Katniss'. Johanna sighs, getting up from the table. "Hey, Muffin Man, help me with this?" Johanna calls to Peeta, lifting up Haymitch's arms. The man groans but doesn't really come back to them. Peeta helps drag the Victor back into his room.

"Muffin Man, that's a funny name!" The older man laughs, he hiccups and a spittle of vomit dribbles out of his mouth.

"Uh, I'll clean him up," Peeta offers, looking sympathetically to the drunken man slouched on the floor like a sloth.

"Get some sleep," Johanna suggests. "I'll call the Capitol people. Let them deal with him." Peeta nods his consent, slowly taking off for his room.

"Goodnight." He says on his way out.

"Night, Muffin Man." Replied Johanna before she kicks Haymitch in the leg, getting an angry swipe with his large arm. Johanna dodges him quickly, shaking her head. "You're a fucking mess."

Katniss is still sitting there, staring down at her food. She doesn't look up when Johanna returns. This wasn't at all how the tribute imagined the day would have gone. Then again, she didn't expect much after being reaped.

"Hey." She looks up to see that Johanna had returned to her seat. "You should get to bed. Get some sleep." She takes a sip from her mug of coffee and Katniss begins to expect that there's actually alcohol in it. She doesn't know why, but she does.

"I don't think I'll be able to." The brunette said honestly.

"That's true," Johanna admits with a shrug. Katniss' brow is raised. "But it's good to pretend."

They sit in silence for a few more minutes, Katniss can feel the older girl watching her as she broke apart her sweet bread. For a moment, she contemplates as to whether or not this would be the right time to ask why Johanna was here in District Twelve than her own. Going for broke she does. "Why are you here?"

Katniss lifts her eyes, staring at the older girl. Who, in turn, remains indifferent. "Drinking and reading the newspaper, ooh… Fifty percent off axes—that's a steal!"

"No, what I meant was why are you in Twelve. Shouldn't you be in Seven?"

"I will be soon. But right now, why don't you stay more focused on going home to your sister than what doesn't concern you."

The remark was like a jab to the side. It hurt to possibly think of Prim and what she and her mother were doing at this very moment. She looks to Johanna to see if there was any malice in her eyes, was it her intention to take a crack at her? But the older girl's look of indifference makes her unreadable. It annoyed with he younger girl.

Nevertheless if she was ever planning on going back home she had to control herself.

"Use that to your advantage. The folks in the Capitol are suckers for a heart-warming story." Johanna walks over to Haymitch, who was still lying on the floor snoring. She reaches into the lapels of his jacket and pulls out his flask. Taking sip from it herself.

"Drink?" The raven-haired girl offered tilting the flask towards Katniss' direction.

She shakes her head. Politely declining. "I'm only seventeen."

This earns a small chuckle from the older girl. What? Did she not know that underage drinking is against the law? Or maybe she did, just didn't think they mattered to her.

"Old enough to kill, old enough to drink and fuck." Johanna said bluntly, clearly unabashed in her vulgarity.

Katniss can feel her face growing red and it gets even worse when she sees, Johanna's self satisfied smirk plastered on her face. It infuriates her as much as it makes her uneasy. Her stomach flips and she doesn't know why. The older girl walks over and places a hand on her shoulder.

It isn't like the reassuring hand Effie had given her earlier. This one was different, it felt… Warm. And the longer her hand lingered on the bare skin of the younger girl's shoulder, the tighter her stomach became. Her breath hitches as she's about to say something but Johanna cuts her off.

"You'll do fine, you're not completely hopeless."

"Thanks," she replies, unconvincingly. Katniss isn't exactly sure what to make of the raven-haired girl. She remembered she watched Johanna win her Games. She had gone in as a weakling, a laughably inept, idiot from District Seven. But after most of the other tributes had cleared themselves out, Johanna emerged as a vicious killer, slaughtering all the remaining tributes with makeshift throwing axes she fashioned out of unwanted weapons in the Game. Which made Katniss wonder if she was deceiving her as she did the rest of Panem.

Who's to say she wasn't here to pull one over on them?

Johanna leaves and Katniss is left with her thoughts. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, staring at the cup that had a small smear of crimson red lipstick on the rim. Johanna certainly was an interesting figure. Katniss wasn't going to deny that, she certainly had this way about her that kept your eyes trained on her. Nevertheless, it wouldn't matter in the end what she felt or thought about the older because within a few days, she'd probably be dead.


Notes: In this chapter I wanted to get into Katniss' head and see things from her perspective. It'll become a reoccurring theme where a chapter will focus solely on the needs, wants and views of one character in particular. Like Game of Thrones. You can expect to see more Johanna and Katniss chapters and even some centering around Peeta, Finnick, etc. It isn't set in stone as to who will have their time in the limelight but I'm experimenting.