Chapter three:

Today's reaping day. Johanna screamed as she punched the imaginary president in the face. "It's reaping day. WHY CAN'T YOU GO THERE AND BE A TRIBUTE! Why?!WHY?!"

"Johanna!" Mr Mason's voice boomed at her not with worry but with shock. "Johanna! You just woke up the whole house, you just…" He looked at her daughter whose tears streamed down her face. "Whatever. Go put something nice on and Mother will help you do the rest later."

Johanna kicked herself awake. She ignored the throbbing pain in her legs before outing on an average looking dress. "Johanna," She thought to herself. "Wear something nice." She fumbled in her wardrobe again. A pale yellow dress with buttons down the front got pulled from its hanger. "Whatever." She thought. "It's nice enough."

"Johanna, hurry up!"

Johanna strode down the stairs where her mother was waiting for her.

"Now look at you!" She said. "A girl's life without wearing a dress and she finally wore one."

"Mum." Johanna grumbled.

"Yes, yes." Her mother spun her around before looking at her. "Your hair?"

"Oh, mother…" Johanna looked beseeching at her. "It's brushed ok?"

"It's brushed?!"

"Sorry."

It took around 15 minutes of shouting and screaming before her mother lay her hands on her lap.

"There, it didn't hurt that much did it?"

"No."

Mrs Mason sighed. "Maybe it would have hurt less if you brushed it before."

Johanna streaked out of the door. Her siblings were fine – they were younger than twelve and the oldest nineteen but she was a ripe year of 15 and who knows…

The bell from the main hall was ringing. There was a time limit. Take more than five minutes to get here and the Peacekeepers would either tax you or you got whipped. Johanna hurried outside the door and joined the group of 15 year old girls. Her blood was scanned and she followed the trail of children in front of her. "Welcome eeeeeeeeveryone. I am Hailey your escort and today we will once again find out our two lucky tributes." Hailey clapped her gloved hands together. "Now, before we start, please draw your attention to the screen." A video was played with Snow's voice.

"Dear District 7, I thank you again for your wonderful service for lumber. You should all be quite aware about what had happened before in the dark times. Panem was a poor country. A drought filled, sad place. But then the Capitol helped you all and trained you yet all you sacrifice is your children." President Snow's voice boomed through the video. "Good luck and may the odds ever be in your favour."

Hailey coughed in the microphone. "Yes, now for our tributes. Let's start with the ladies. Now let's see." Hailey dung her hand inside the bowl and fished her hand around five times. "Johanna Mason."

Johanna was startled. She put her hands on both sides of her and formed her mouth in an o. Two Peacekeepers dragged and pushed her up. She couldn't care less about her expression but how was she going to survive? She scanned the crowd for Jackson's face and found him smiling weakly at her. She read the message all over his face. "I bet if you ever entered the games, you'll win." Johanna stared at her feet. She felt two teardrops well under her eyes. As she slowly made her way to the platform, she cried silently dragging her feet across the ground. Her back arched behind her and she shrunk in size-hopefully. Pushing her face towards the crowd she knew exactly what she was doing. Acting weak.

"W-ell!" Hailey jammed the microphone underneath Johanna's face. "Anything to say?"

Johanna gulped and continued her act. As more tears streamed down her face she whispered a no that no one could hear.

"Uh, yes, now for the boys, Jason Levy!" Hailey's voice swirled around Johanna's ears. Johanna stared up at the boy making his way up. He was around 6 feet tall and was trying to act tough if he wasn't already. Perfect. Johanna smiled as she thought of how it would be if sponsors found out that district 7 had a weak and tough tribute. Yep, Johanna would be forgotten.

After the reaping, Johanna and Jason were sent to a small corridor. Jason smirked at her before he moved on to a separate room. "Johanna Mason huh? What are you going to do now? Wait until mummy comes over and hugs you? Trust me, if I have to kill you, I will." He said. Johanna smiled. "Ha!" She thought. "That's so funny because I'll be the one to kill you."

"Johanna!" Johanna spun around to find her family standing behind her.

"Mum!" Johanna choked from tears. "I love you guys." She hugged all of them.

"Johanna," her little sisters said. "Johanna come back please."

"I will." Johanna needed to come back and she knew it.

Her mother and father hugged her. "I'm sorry." Her mother brushed off the tears from Johanna's eyes. "So sorry." Her sister looked at her and said nothing. She didn't need to.

"Out!" The Peacekeepers barked at the Mason family. Johanna watched as her parents were wheeled out and instead Jackson walked in…

"Johanna!" Jackson's face was red. "Johanna, Johanna! You have to win. You have to come back! You need to come back."Jackson hugged her before he was ushered out be the Peacekeepers. Johanna stared at the shut door. No one else came in. The Peacekeepers dragged her to the hall of the Justice Building where she met Blight, her mentor.

"Hi…" Johanna tried to smile when really she felt like killing them. Killing them all. Especially Hailey who supported the games who…Reaped her.