AN: Hey to anyone reading this firstly thanks for reading and for sticking around until Chapter Eleven! :D Secondly if you have the time to review then that would be amazing and would help me a lot! Seriously anything at all you feel like you have to say go for it! And enjoy the reading :)

Chapter Eleven

Johanna walked through the forest, slightly oblivious to the world around her but she preferred things this way. It was nice getting lost in what felt like another world, a world where it was just her; there was no one she could hurt here. She greeted the reassuring crunch of leaves under her feet with a smile while looking up at the trees. She always used to wish she could be as tall as the tallest tree, being able to see over the entire District, watching over those she cared about.

She admired them, the way they all reached out to each other, almost like they needed each other for support, after all they had seen a lot. They had been here before the hunger games, before the Capitol probably. She listened to the wind rustle between the leaves and wished with all her might she could hear the stories they would be able to tell. Wished she could hear their secrets.

She followed the light trickling through the branches to light up patches of the forest floor, loving the way that it lit up the ground. She followed one such path of light and that's when she noticed him.

He wasn't doing anything unusual for him, just practicing throwing his knives into a tree as usual. Of course, now she simply had to jump on him. She hid behind a tree planning her next move. She carefully removed her shoes, realizing they would create too much noise. She would have to move from tree to tree, making sure to hide behind each one…

"Hey Princess," the voice whispered, Johanna let out a tiny scream before hitting Jason in the stomach. His response was simply to laugh. "Aww is someone sad that they couldn't sneak up on Jason?" he ended the sentence in a pout, which only made Johanna want to hit him more.

"Who said I was trying to sneak up on you?" she asked. He simply looked from her eyes, down to her shoes and then back to her with that irritating smug smile on his face. "You know there are words for people like you. Words a lady should never use."

"You're a lady? Why didn't you tell me, I would've bowed sooner," Jason replied bowing slightly, he earned a whack on the back of the head, which made him laugh even more. She was so easy to wind up, and he did love winding people up.

"Shut up and go throw some knives," Johanna moaned. Every day she hoped he'd become less like Jason and more like a gentleman. Not that it was ever going to happen and if it ever were to happen she didn't know how she'd deal with it but still it was a nice thought.

"As you wish, your ladyship," he smiled, this time dodging the slap that she aimed at his face. He retrieved the knives as requested and returned to his friend. "Ok all joking aside what do you want to do today?" he asked, she'd recently started getting good with the knives, hitting the target every time and the center of the target most of the time from any angle, even from up in the trees.

"I dunno what were you doing before I got here?" she asked, taking one of the knives and playing with it between her fingers.

"Just practicing some knife work, can't have you getting better than me already now can we?" he said, ruffling her hair because he knew she hated it.

"Aww is someone getting jealous?" she asked, hurling the knife at the tree and into the center of the target to prove her point.

"Not usually, but that I have to admit I am a little impressed with," Jason mumbled. Johanna looked smugly at him, knowing that she was good. He had liked her when she didn't know she was good, although she was a lot more fun now she knew what she was doing.

"Can I try spears yet?" she asked. Yes there she was. He had known her almost a year now and there was that little hint of a thirteen-year-old girl glinting through. Sometimes it was easy to forget how old she was, she was very mature compared to the others her age. Then there was moments like this, where her big puppy dog eyes begged him to teach her something new and exciting.

"Why not, I'm feeling generous today," Jason shrugged, he'd enjoy being the teacher again. Much as he was proud that Johanna had learned so much, she did learn fast. "Come on then, keep up," he yelled as he started running into the forest, Johanna setting off just moments behind him. He was soon in the distance though, weaving between the trees like a hare. She soon lost him in the shadows.

"J!" she yelled. "J this isn't funny!" panic started setting in; he wouldn't just leave her in the woods. It wasn't like she couldn't find her way back; it was more that he didn't want her that would hurt. "For Gods sake J just get back here already!"

Then Jason appeared. Naturally, not simply strolling towards her nicely and apologizing for running off and leaving her. Oh no that would be far too nice. Instead he chose to jump down from the tree, kindly using her as a landing mat. "J!" she screamed, punching him square in the jaw.

"Ow! What the heck was that for?" Jason asked, grabbing his jaw with his hands, rolling off her and onto the ground.

"I'm sorry did my punching you in the face interrupt your ambush attempt?" Johanna snapped, raising her eyebrows.

"No. Not ambush. Lesson. And you reward me by punching me in the face? Talk about teacher appreciation," he moaned.

"Lesson! You nearly killed me!"

"Nope. You forgot to look up."

"What the heck does that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with the fact that predators are everywhere. You should be aware of everything around you if you're planning to stop and yell out your location to the world," Jason said, rubbing his jaw. She hated the fact he made sense. Hated the fact that she now felt guilty for punching him in the face.

"Location, smocation you nearly killed me!" well she was hardly going to tell him she felt guilty.

"I'm just glad I didn't wait 'til you had the spears to try that," he muttered.

"Oh yes, I'm sure it must have been just awful for you," Johanna said through her breath, which was only just returning to a normal pace.

"Also you're too slow, I was expecting to have to run a lot further before having the chance to climb half way up a tree."

"Yeah, cause that's how to make me feel better."

"Look, you know I'm only doing this for you right? I'm not losing you as well and lets be honest here, you're hardly the luckiest person around."

"How do you mean, not losing me too?"

"Like with Sophia," Jason answered, averting his eyes to the sky. He couldn't lose her, even though she was tiny and irritating he saw her as another sister. Another chance. He had to make her ready, just in case. She would never volunteer, he wouldn't let her, but there was every chance she could be reaped again. And there was no way she'd be that blubbering mess in front of all of Panem again.

"You won't. Like you said, everyone's name only comes out of the lottery once. I'm safe," Johanna whispered, taking his hand and holding it, squeezing it slightly to reassure him. He was glad she'd come into his life, even if it was in unfortunate circumstances. "Now come one birthday boy, show me the spears!"

"How did you know it was my birthday?" Jason looked at her quizzically.

"You told me once. It's two days before Reaping," she replied in an all-knowing voice.

"I told you once? And you remembered?"

"I remember most things. It's kinda irritating sometimes cause there's a lot of nonsense in my head but it comes in handy for moments like that," she smiled sweetly at him, although he saw the flash of pain in her eyes.

"Well then better give you something to remember, lets go get some spears," he said excitedly, leading her off on yet another adventure.