Sunlight shines through the window and onto Johanna's face, waking her from her sleep. She groggily stretches her body, feeling her tense muscles relax. Her sleep was interrupted quite a few times last night by disturbing nightmares, but for once in a very long time, she feels relief in waking. She stares ahead at the bunk above her, her tired eyelids threaten to close.
After the rebellion, Johanna returned to District 7. Annie and Finnick offered to take her to 4 with them, which Johanna deeply considered, but ultimately she decided that she wanted to go back to her home, even if only for a short while. It's true, there was nothing left for Johanna in District 7, her family was dead, and she'd found family in victors from other districts. But District 7 was where she grew up. She belongs with the pine trees and the evergreens. She was meant to be in the lumber district, axe in hand. She could not imagine living anywhere else, so she decided to stay and help rebuild her district.
Her house in the Victor's Village was destroyed during the uprisings, and regardless, she did not want to be there anymore. She wanted to start anew, find a new home, a new community. She no longer wanted to be tied to the Games, to live in a lonely mansion given to her by Snow. She didn't want to be a victor anymore, she just wanted to be Johanna Mason.
So, she laid on the bottom bunk in a community living space that had been her home for the past few weeks. Just as she was about to fall back asleep, Eleanor's voice startled her out of her sleepiness.
"Alrighty, wake up y'all! We have work to do!" she shouts. Eleanor is an older woman who grew up in District 7, she is one of the main organizers of the community rebuilding projects.
Sleepy groans come from the bunk opposite of her as everyone awakens. Johanna's bunk buddy, Laurel, slowly climbs down the ladder.
"Johanna, let's go!" she sings.
"I'm coming," Johanna whines as she pulls herself out of bed.
Johanna and Laurel have become friends over the past few weeks, they've shared a bunk bed and kept each other company while working. They don't talk much, but their silent companionship has been comforting for both of them. After everyone is dressed for the day and has eaten breakfast, they are assigned tasks by Eleanor and Volton, a District 3 migrant and task organizer.
Johanna and Laurel are asked to help with platform unloading, which Johanna is not stoked about as she prefers wood chopping. The two of them make their way down the dirt road and towards the train station. The trains used to be mostly used for tributes when they were sent off to their death, and if one survived, the train returned a victor. Johanna had boarded this same platform over four years ago after she was reaped for her first Games, she boarded it again last year for the Quell, and the same platform greeted her when she returned home last month. Now, the trains are used for people coming and going, and for supplies sent to and from other districts.
They finally arrive to the train station after carefully stepping through debris and fallen trees from the war. The cleanup crew has not yet made it to this part of the roads.
"Does it feel weird? Being at the train station, but to unload food and supplies?" Laurel asks.
"Yes, it does. I never thought I'd see such a thing," Johanna smiles a little at the thought of it.
They step on the platform and a train is stopped, with fellow workers beside it waiting for their help. Johanna sees the number 11 painted on the side of the train and feels relieved. She will be unloading agricultural products today, which will be much more manageable than some of the other trains they unpack. Last time she did platform unloading, it was District 9 and the train was full of heavy grain bags and huge canisters of oil. She ended that day with strained arms and a sore back.
Johanna joins the group below the platform and places unloaded items on their designated carts.
"Hey Jo! You're strong. Can you help me out in here?" Leaflee asks from inside the train doors.
She joins Leaflee on the train and helps him hand off crates of produce to the people beside the platform. As the rain empties, she walks farther back to grab the rest of the goods. All of the sudden, a strange screaming noise makes her jump. She stands still for a second, trying to decide if the odd noise is human. But after stepping forward, she finds the culprit, a crate of chickens. She sighs at the sight of the bustling crate, not sure how she is going to unload this without hurting the chickens or herself.
Just as she is about to go find Leaflee and ask for help, someone emerges from the back of the train, scaring the shit out of Johanna. She lets out a small shout.
"Hi! Sorry to scare you, I was just grabbing my bags," she looks down at the bawking chickens between her and Johanna, "Oh yeah, these fellas. I was on chicken watch during the train ride," the stranger giggles, "I'll help you carry them out."
The startling stranger is a young woman wearing a flannel with a backpack strapped to her shoulders and a bag in hand. She has mid-length, curly black hair, friendly, coffee colored eyes, and dark skin. Her smile is radiant and she has a warm demeanor, Johanna finds herself almost enamored by the woman.
She sets her bags down, then her and Johanna lift the crate and move it towards the door. Leaflee joins in and the three of them successfully haul the heavy crate off the platform, with no chickens harmed in the process.
"Whew, that was heavy!" the startling stranger says.
Johanna can't help but smile at the lovely woman, her radiant beam is contagious-- contagious enough that she's managed to give Johanna Mason a toothy grin.
She studies Johanna's face for a moment, then gasps, "I didn't even introduce myself! I am Ash, District 11," the woman reaches out her hand to shake.
"Johanna, District 7," she responds, taking Ash's hand in hers and shaking it.
"Oh yeah, I know you. You are one of the victors, right?" Ash asks.
Johanna nearly winces at her comment. She sometimes forgets that everyone knows her as a victor, a violent one too. That there is footage out there of Johanna killing, that it's public knowledge that she was captured and tortured in the Capitol. That, although she hates it, Johanna is a historical figure.
"Oh, um, yeah," she replies, her smile now faded.
Ash's smile falls into a look of remorse, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up. I am sure that is the last thing you want to think about right now," she apologizes.
"No, no, don't worry about it," Johanna assures her.
Ash is energetic and positive, two traits Johanna like's in people. Ash's liveliness reminds Johanna of Annie, but there is something else, a different feeling, something she did not feel when she was with her best friend. The pair make eye contact for a little too long before Ash breaks it.
"Let's finish unloading, shall we?" she asks.
"We shall,"
The two of them work together to empty the last few produce carts from the train, their hands touching a few times. Every time their fingers brushed, Johanna got... butterflies? She was confused by the feelings Ash was giving her.
After finishing up, they step off the train together and follow the rest of the group back to town.
"Wow, the trees here are beautiful," Ash says breathlessly, looking up at the tall evergreens on either side of them.
"Do you have evergreens in District 11?" Johanna asks.
"No, but we have quite a few different types. Oak, cedar, elm, but most of them are chopped down and replaced with crops," she says.
Johanna feels a little nervous that Ash might only be staying here temporarily, she doesn't want her to leave when they have only just met.
"Are you staying here?" Johanna questions.
"Yes, I can't go back to 11. I need something different," she respond with a deep breath.
Johanna is relieved that Ash will be staying, but she is confused by these feelings. She just met Ash, why is she already so attached? The two of them walk shoulder to shoulder until they reach the community living space. Eleanor greets Ash and a few of the other District 11 migrants and assigns beds.
Eleanor points at Ash and Jo, "Since the two of you seem to be getting along well, I'm gonna put Ash on the top bunk next to yours, Johanna," she says. "Can you show Ash to her room, please?"
Johanna's heart skips a beat, "Oh! Um, uh, y-yeah, of course," she says a little too enthusiastically. Johanna wonders what the hell is happening to her as she walks Ash to their now shared room.
"Here is your bed," Johanna says as she points to the bunk.
"Lovely!" Ash responds as she tosses her bags up to her new bed.
Ash looks down at Johanna who is now sitting on the bottom bed of the adjacent bunk, "Is that yours?" she asks.
"Oh yes, this is my humble, bottom bunk," Johanna jokes, opening her arms over it for effect.
Ash nods, "It will be nice to wake up to a familiar face," she says with a... smirk???
Johanna wonders if Ash is flirting with her, and she wonders if she wants Ash to be flirting with her-- She decides that is exactly what she wants.
The two women sit on their beds and chat for the next twenty minutes or so, slowly getting to know each other. Johanna has been smiling like an idiot the whole conversation and she can't help but wonder if she has been put under some type of spell. No one has made her this giggly and cheerful in years, if ever.
They are interrupted by a slightly irritated Volton, "Hey, you two! We need you at the train station. There's a train from District 9 to unload," he says, "Chop, chop!" he turns and walks out of the room.
"Oh boy," "Yikes," they say at the same time, causing them to laugh.
"This is going to be heavy," Johanna says with a sigh.
"Let's go!" Ash exclaims as she jumps down from her bunk and waves Johanna to follow.
They hurry out of the building and onto the dirt path. Johanna gets a good feeling, a feeling that her world is about to get a lot brighter.