Johanna had only ridden in a car once, on the trip from her house to the community home with her siblings. Her baby sister was only two at the time, fussing and crying, disoriented from how quickly they were moving. Now, on her way to the train station, she was reminded of that terrible day and how awful she had felt. The lingering sense of helplessness coupled with the rise of determination inside her. Similar to how she felt as the insect cameras from the Capitol swarmed she and Gale at the train station.
She was gratified to look at Gale and see that he looked as she did, completely unmoved. Part of growing up impoverished and independent meant wiping your emotions clean off your face. Don't let the haggler at the Hob know that your family is starving. Don't let him see your tears as he makes fun of you for your mother's inability to cope or raise her children. But keep his ugly, snaggletoothed face in your mind as you take down wild turkeys on the edge of the meadow.
The train surged forward and both Johanna and Gale had to catch their breath as 12 disappeared into the distance. They became swallowed in darkness as the train moved underground. An attendant took Gale by the arm and began ushering him toward his room. Effie Trinket took Johanna, showing her the temporary bedroom. "You can wear whatever you want, eat whatever you want, do whatever you want. As long as you don't try to jump off the train!" Her bubbly smile had a hint of oddness to it, as if someone had tried that before. Foolish thinking, you're going to die anyway. "I will come and collect you at six sharp for supper."
"Okay." Her voice still sounded hollow, detached, like she was hearing it mechanically reproduced by jabberjays.
Effie stopped short in the doorway, turning around to face Johanna as the younger girl sat on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the wall. "Johanna, may I ask you a question?" Johanna nodded. "Who was that young girl you for whom volunteered?"
"My best friend's little sister."
"Don't you yourself have siblings? I could've swore I saw some little ones coming out of your parting room in the Justice Center."
"Yes. I have three. But you didn't pick their names." Johanna's brown eyes moved slowly across the wall to the doorway where Effie stood guiltily. "You picked hers." Effie pursed her lips tightly together and nodded her head once, leaving the room and closing it gently behind her. Johanna stripped out of her clothes and headed to the bathroom. The shower was confusing; there were a lot of buttons and spigots Johanna could barely make sense of. Eventually she made warm water come out of the showerhead and she stepped into the bath, soaking herself in the warmth. There was no such thing as hot showers in the Seam or in the community home.
She dressed herself in a black t-shirt and pants, sitting back down on her bed where her clothes were still laying. That dumb reaping dress that itched in all the most inconvenient places. She unhooked the pin Katniss had given her, examining the little bird. It was a mockingjay. Johanna laid back on her mattress, letting her feet and calves dangle off the edge as she palmed the small pin. She attached it to the belt loop of her jeans. Johanna remembered Katniss's father being fond of the mockingjays, a trait he shared with his daughter. After he died Katniss didn't sing to them anymore. Only once, late at night, when she and Johanna had snuck off to try their hand at the night hunting. (It didn't go well, they could barely see and almost got attacked by a lynx.) Mockingjays had settled above them, flapping their wings and rustling the rapidly decaying leaves.
Johanna had been dozing off, her head on Katniss's shoulder as they sat beneath the tree for a rest. Katniss began humming an old 12 tune Johanna had recognized from her youth. When she stopped the mockingjays paused, as if contemplating if she deserved to be repeated. She was, evidently, as they sung the verses back in low chirps, clear as a bell in the night. Johanna fell asleep on her that night, listening to she and the mockingjays trade verses of a beautiful, haunting folk song. It was just one moment in a line long of moments of their youth when Johanna caught a glimpse of what love could be.
Effie came and collected her for supper, where she instinctively sat down next to Gale. Effie looked confused at their closeness, but it let roll off her like water on a duck. Johanna almost envied her placid outlook on life. "Where's Haymitch?"
Gale shrugged. "He said something about taking a nap."
Johanna smirked at how relieved Effie looked at Haymitch's absence. After he had practically molested her in front of the Capitol, it was no wonder she didn't want to sit with him. Johanna imagined his table manners would not be up to Trinket standards anyhow. The carrot soup was brought first. A rich, creamy, brightly colored soup that mirrored Effie's outrageous orange hair. The courses kept coming and despite their stomachs being small from poverty, she and Gale managed to get through all four courses and even to dessert without throwing up. Johanna sat back, her hand on her distended belly as Gale poked her and let out a small laugh. "I think your eyes are bigger than your stomach, Jo."
Johanna smacked him on the arm and then looked down at her small stomach, protruding slightly in her tight fitting shirt. "Not today. Today my stomach is most definitely bigger than my eyes. Not all of us pride ourselves on our washboard abs."
Effie looked mildly amused at them as she led them into the next compartment, which was even plusher and more expensive than their rooms. The "viewing room" as Effie called it was where they would watch the recap of all the reapings. Effie looked downright confused as the two of them began commenting in between each contestant.
District 1 was a smaller girl, well-fed but not particularly big. Johanna looked at Gale knowingly. "Knives or bows, she's too small for swords." The boy was not big, a brown-haired kid with decent upper arms. "Maybe spears?"
He nodded and they watched District 2. A small, mousy girl with a pair of wide brown eyes and a mocking pout. "Definitely knives," Gale said. The hulking boy who volunteered thundered on to the stage amidst applause, and most tellingly, a look of admiration from the girl. "He could swing anything, wow. Look at him. Swords, tridents? He's gonna be tough."
"Look at how she's looking at him. They know each other. Could be helpful." They exchanged a look. We know each other. They watched the rest of the recaps, nothing too outstanding until they got to 11 with the tiny girl just a hair taller than Prim. Beautiful darkened skin and brown eyes that looked like they could swallow the world. Neither of them spoke about her chances. Too grim.
Their reaping was edited perfectly. Johanna watched herself step forward; they cut to the horrified faces of her sisters and the almost proud look on John's face. Johanna wanted to touch the screen, cup her brother's still smooth face and touch him. Gale put his hand on her knee and squeezed it tightly. He got reaped, they shake hands. Cut.
"We don't look like we know each other," he whispered, as if it were a secret from Effie.
"Good. They can't use us against one another if they don't know we're not trying to kill each other." Small victories were all they could afford their whole lives, and it extended even beyond the fences of 12. "Haymitch looked wonderful."
The tributes exchanged a laugh, shaking their heads at their drunk, obnoxious mentor. Effie looked particularly offended at Johanna's joke and stood up, smoothing out her skirt as she did so. "Laugh away." She looked down at their amused expressions as Haymitch burst in the door, stumbling into the room. "He is your life line. He is your connection to the outside world in that arena. The only thing keeping you from life and death. So I'm glad you find this all so very entertaining."
Haymitch promptly threw up on the carpet and slipped in his own sick, falling face first on to the ground. Gale and Johanna shared a look and lifted him from the carpet, dragging him through the train cars back to his compartment. They shoved him in the bathtub and turned the water on, spraying his messy, smelling form with cold water.
"We can get someone to take care of him. No shortage of idiots on this train." Gale looked at Johanna, then back down to Haymitch's pathetic body and nodded. She knew exactly what Gale was thinking. A benefit of being hunting partners and growing up closely meant she could gauge him and his moods quickly. At that moment they were sharing the same thought: We don't need him if we have each other.
Johanna and Gale sat quietly at the table the following morning, digging into their plate of eggs and ham across from one another. The meat was so salty, the edge of it so sweet, Johanna kept rolling her eyes in pleasure and getting nudged by Gale's foot. Haymitch sat down about an hour into their overeating, sipping on a ruby red glass of wine. Johanna had never seen wine except on the televised parties of the Capitol. Haymitch was drinking it like water.
"So you're our mentor. You're supposed to give us advice," Johanna finally said, placing her fork and knife down on the table. "Out with it, then."
"Here's some advice," he toasted, raising his glass, "Stay alive." Johanna looked over at Gale as he very calmly placed down his fork and knife. This played out like they had done in the woods a million times. If they spotted prey before the other they would pause in their movements, following each other's eyes. They got very good at anticipating not just the actions of the prey, but the actions of each other. Johanna quickly stood and grabbed Haymitch behind the arms as Gale pulled back and punched him clear across the face.
"That's real funny, but not to us." Johanna said as Haymitch reeled from the hit. She let Haymitch go and he sat back into his chair, chuckling and holding his lip. Gale and Johanna stayed standing, ready to fight back if he came at them. But he didn't.
"Not only did a get a pair of fighters, but an actual team? You guys dating or something?"
"No!" They both responded in heated unison, causing Haymitch to raise his eyebrow. Johanna growled in exasperation and slammed the knife down on the table, pinning Haymitch's sleeve to the wood. "Look. We need your help. And you probably want to survive so you can drink more, right? Help us and we won't fucking kill you right now."
Haymitch picked up the knife and placed it next to his plate, then stood up from his chair. "Stand together." Gale walked around the table to stand shoulder to shoulder with Johanna. As close to shoulder to shoulder as he could, him having about a foot of height on her. "Seem fit. Good reflexes. Attractive enough. And more so once the Capitol gets through with you." Off Johanna's sneer Haymitch shook his head. "None of that. You do what they say."
"But -"
"Don't resist. They know what they're doing. If you two promise not to interfere with my drinking, I will stay sober enough to help you." Johanna could feel the hum of Gale's muscles tensing next to her and he nodded his head once, curtly. She did the same and Haymitch smiled at them. "I'll see you after they remake you." With that he disappeared back into his compartment with a bottle of wine, leaving Gale, Johanna and Effie alone in the dining car.
Effie's nervous eyes finally relaxed as Haymitch left. Johanna could see bare traces of pride in her eyes. "I think you two have a real shot. Haymitch barely talked to the last few tributes."
Gale shook his head and grabbed a roll from the table. "Yeah, great. Maybe that's why our kids never came home." He looked over at Johanna. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Johanna winced as the last trace of hair on her body was ripped from her skin. She didn't have much hair to begin with, but they insisted on plucking her like a chicken about to be laid to roast. She shivered in the new cold, watching as the team of brightly colored people pecked at her with their tweezers, their high and affected accents grating her ear drums.
They left in a flourish, retrieving the head stylist Cinna from another room. He walked in, and Johanna first noticed that he did not have that same vanilla and peach smell of the prep team. His eyes were amber with flecks of gold, highlighted by a light shade of gold eyeliner. His skin was flawless and dark, almost shimmering without the help of his glitter. Johanna stood with her arms akimbo, waiting for him to stop circling her like a vulture.
"Hello Johanna. I'm Cinna, your stylist."
"I figured."
He smirked at her, handing her the robe from the hook on the wall. "Go ahead and put the robe on. Let's sit down and chat." He led her into a large room with a spectacular view of the Capitol through the floor to ceiling windows. Before sitting down Johanna went to them, pressing her hands against the glass. She and Gale had missed the entrance to the Capitol on the train in favor of brooding in their rooms. It was truly a sight to behold, if a little ...manufactured. The colors all seemed too bright, like sticks of candy in a sweet shop.
The food emerged from a wall with a touch of a button and Johanna made her way to the seating area, indulging herself in the sumptuous plum and lamb stew that had popped out in front of her. Guiltily she thought back to her brother and sisters, probably forcing down a flourless roll and some mice meat that Greasy Sae would've put aside for them. In absence of Johanna she knew the woman would probably help them out. She always really liked John. People tolerated Johanna, but John they liked. Kind of like Prim and Katniss, and Posy and Gale. Katniss loved lamb stew. She had probably never eaten a plum but she would've loved this dish. Johanna's heart began to hurt again.
Cinna dabbed his face with a cloth napkin and cleared his throat. "So, Johanna, the customary thing is to dress you in outfits that reflect the flavor of your district. Typically Twelve has been dressed in coal miner's outfits."
"With fancy headlamps, don't forget," Johanna joked, digging her fork into her chicken. Guilt or not, her newly expanded stomach was aching for food. She remembered the poor tributes that had come before her, covered in soot or practically naked beneath stylized jean overalls. Each year they looked ridiculous, yet another reason to pile on top of the mounting heap of reasons Twelve only had two victors in their history.
Cinna smiled and nodded. "My partner Portia and I have decided on complementary outfits for you both."
Johanna smirked. "I don't think Gale will be too excited about putting on another coal miner's outfit."
Cinna chuckled and shook his head. "No, we think that's a bit overdone. For you two we were thinking of something derivative of coal. Fire. Something to show off a little more than just the drab overalls and headlamps. We want you to be memorable. That's what keeps you alive."
Johanna raised an eyebrow. "And what keeps you in a job."
His dark eyes twinkled with delight as he sat back in his chair, chuckling and giving her an appreciative nod. "Very true, Johanna. Very true."
Without a mirror to appraise herself, Johanna had to go off of the reactions of everyone around her to suss out how she looked. They had teased her hair and put in it something that the stylists called a "faux-hawk" which evidently was a feminine version of a mohawk, where the hair stands up in the middle of your head. The black unitard stuck to every inch of her skin, tucked into high-heeled black boots that she had only tripped in once getting to the underground corral for the introductions. Her face had minimal make-up, just a fierce line of eyeliner around her eyes and a smokey gray color on her eyelids, a dash of red on her lips.
Gale stood inside the chariot, his intense gray eyes fixated out toward the exit where the District 1 tributes were already entering to the delight of the crowd. Johanna ignored the oohs and ahs of the stylists as she climbed into the chariot, appraising Gale's appearance. His normally sooty face was completely clean and freshly shaven. His hair was spiked upward, giving him a slightly menacing appearance. His suit gripped his muscles, the cape falling almost naturally down his back.
If Gale won, Katniss would be in a long line of women clamoring for his attention. "You clean up pretty well, Hawthorne. No wonder you're the most popular boy behind the slag heap."
Gale rolled his eyes and nudged her, giving her an up-and-down. "You look downright frightening. Did they dye your hair?"
Johanna shrugged. "Did they? I haven't seen a mirror. Is it still black?"
Gale nodded as Cinna approached them with a big grin on his face. "Yeah, it's just got some red streaks in it." Gale looked warily behind him. "You lighting us on fire now?"
"Yes we are. Stand up straight and don't worry!" Despite his advice, Cinna looked relieved as the capes behind them lit on fire, sending a tingling sensation down their backs. "Hold hands!" he yelled to them as their onyx horses trotted out into the city circle. With a shrug Johanna took Gale's strong hand in hers, gripping it tightly. As they emerged into the crowd's view, the screams for them grew louder. Johanna's wide eyes drank in the sight of the pulsing crowd, moving almost like a large swarm of insects. Very bright, very loud insects.
Johanna caught their appearance on the giant screen and couldn't help the smug grin on her face. They looked fabulous. Faces free of a lot of make-up, but still dark enough to be menacing, they looked like giant asteroids streaming through space. Dark and foreboding, sending a trail of fire in their wake. The red streaks in her hair give her a kind of deadly appeal, and only on the large screen did she see the matching red rose in Gale's lapel.
As they rounded the front, she caught the pale eyes of President Snow. He was a thinner man with white hair and a closely cropped white beard. Through all Johanna's life President Snow had always looked the same. Everyone in the Capitol seemed not to age. But Snow looked especially unaffected by his advanced age. It made Johanna sick in her stomach.
The feeling was wiped away as the crowd began tossing roses at them and blowing kisses. She and Gale had somehow telepathically decided on the same strategy: hard to get. They didn't respond to the admiration, they simply looked above it. Cinna had done it, though. Truly nobody would forget the tributes from District 12. She heard Caesar's voice thundering above them:
"The fiery tributes from District Twelve!"
The next few days seemed like a blur. Meetings with the now cordial Effie and Haymitch, days in the Training Center avoiding the archery, wrestling and axes. Nights of crying alone in the large room, caught between wishing to be home and wishing be dead already. Nights kept up thinking if Katniss was somehow looking out her window, too, wishing that they'd come home. Selfishly, of course, Johanna wished that Katniss wanted her to come home.
The day of the presentation for the Gamemakers came almost without warning. The boys from the district went first, and after around an hour Johanna was left alone in the waiting room. Gale was shaking his head, his cheeks red with anger as they passed each other on her way into the room. When she got in there and looked at all the weapons, she understood why he was so angry. Nobody was paying attention. This was probably also why 12 never had a victor. The Capitol attention span was too small.
Angrily Johanna grabbed an axe, twirling it over her head and masterfully cutting down every dummy there. After wiping sweat from her brow she looked up to see only a few of the Gamemakers nodding approvingly. Everyone else was open-mouthed gaping at a roast pig they had brought into the room. Johanna stormed over to the bow and arrows, picking up one that looked similar to the bow of Katniss's that she would borrow from time to time. She quickly loaded an arrow on it and aimed it up high. The string was tighter than she was accustomed to but hey, if she missed and hit a Gamemaker, maybe they'd just kill her right there.
She let the arrow fly and it pierced the apple in the mouth of the roast pig, frightening the Gamemakers and causing one white-haired man to fall into the punch. Johanna tossed the bow onto the ground and mockingly bowed. "Thank you for your consideration."
After Johanna's theatrics had earned her an eleven - a target, as Gale had described it - Haymitch decided that instead of coaching them together, he'd coach them separately. They had nothing to hide from one another - they knew each other inside and out - but he had insisted. Effie's coaching on presentation and high-heel walking went ...okay. Johanna didn't trip as much as she thought she would, but Effie's insistence that she act "like a lady" had only prompted Johanna to shed her dress and sit in front of Effie in a shimmering white slip, which she also wore to her lunch. Why present herself as anything but a vicious killer? Effie mumbled a few things about it being "the best she could do" and stormed out of the room.
Haymitch sat back in his chair when Johanna sat across from him, sipping a small glass of wine. "Johanna, I think I have the approach I want to use for you, but I need you to answer me one question. And I need you to be honest." Johanna raised her eyebrow but assented with a nod of her head. "Why did you volunteer for your friend's little sister?"
Johanna tilted her head ever so slightly to the right as she appraised the man in front of her. What had Gale said? Did he divulge the dynamic between the three of them? The first answer was because Prim was too young, too gentle to be reaped and Johanna's heart bled for her. The second answer, the real answer, was that she was in love with Katniss and didn't want to see her hurt.
"I didn't want to see her get hurt." Innocuous enough. Haymitch didn't seem satisfied as he took another long sip from his chalice and placed it down on the table next to him.
Haymtich clasped his hands in front of him, rubbing the toughened skin together a few times before pressing his fingers to his lips. "I know you don't trust me. Hell, I can see how openly you despise me." Johanna darted her glance to the floor. "But that's fine. You don't have to like me. I really am going to try and help get one of you out of there alive. So I need you to be as frank as possible with me so I know as much as there is to know. Your angle for the interviews seems clear - everyone can see how angry you are. The fire was a nice touch. However, I need to know there's something softer beneath this hard shell you have put up. There has to be someone back home, your siblings, a boyfriend, something that I can use."
Immediately Johanna felt her brain become flooded with Katniss. The sound of her laughter, the gray of her eyes, the dark brown of her hair, the curl of her fingers around a bow string. That... that was a part of her that she didn't want to share. The part of her that lay deep in the woods underneath the canopy of a tree, listening to Katniss sing to the mockingjays. The Capitol couldn't have Katniss. Katniss was hope.
"I volunteered for Prim because she's basically my own little sister. I consider her family. Her, Katniss, Gale, Posy, all our kids. We're all family in the Seam. And that's what you do for family. You sacrifice. You fight."
Haymitch finally looked satisfied at her answer. "Good. Remember that in your interview. They will ask you about that little girl, who she is to you. Just tell them what you told me." He put the glass to his lips and grinned. "We're done." Johanna got up from the chair and went to the door. "Oh and sweetheart?" Johanna raised an eyebrow as she looked at him over her shoulder. "Try to smile."
The interviews felt much longer than they were. The kids from 1 and 2 typically dazzled in their shimmering costumes but their personalities were dull. She and Gale kept mental notes of their supposed strategies, eliminating people that would not be a threat. Essentially they had decided that no one except the four Careers would be an issue. The tributes from 4 weren't strong, the one kid from 10 had a bum leg, and 11... The little girl, Rue, would be lucky to survive the first few minutes. Thresh, the boy from her district, was a hulking ox. But he was quiet and intense and Gale had whispered, "He's a threat."
Johanna was called for her interview before Gale, walking down the steps forward Caesar Flickerman. His powder blue wig matched his powder blue lips and powder blue suit. Johanna was certain she would never get used to seeing all these men and women made up in these ridiculous wigs and costumes. Back home even a small tin of lip balm would cost you at least four or five squirrels. Probably some fresh fruit, too.
As she stepped on the stage and greeted Caesar she realized quickly that she wasn't afraid of them. Johanna looked out into the crowd of shiny, plastic faces and knew that impressing them would be easier than impressing anyone back home. Her eyes found Haymitch's and he raised his flask a little from his chest and she sucked in a deep breath.
"So Johanna Mason, you've come a long way from District Twelve. What's impressed you most since you've gotten here?"
The way everyone is so fucking fake. Johanna pondered that for a moment and came up with the most honest answer that didn't make her seem like a hostile person. She thought of the delicious meals that popped out of the wall. "The food."
Caesar laughed cordially, nodding his head. "Any particular fare?"
Her eyes found the camera on her and she looked into it. "The plum and lamb stew." Katniss, you would have loved it.
"Oh I eat that by the bucketful!" he gushed, looking out at the crowd. "It doesn't show, does it?" he asked, holding his stomach. The crowd answered their objection and everyone had a nice laugh. Johanna managed to put on the friendliest smile she could. I want to axe you all in the face. "Now Johanna, that costume you were. I swear my heart stopped. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking Cinna was crazy, lighting us on fire." Everyone laughed and Johanna chuckled as she looked out at them. "But no, it's brilliant. Cinna's brilliant. I mean, look at what I'm wearing tonight." Johanna stood, twirling her dress back and forth and tilting her head at the small sparks that seemed to edge the bottom. Her eyes met Cinna's as he moved his finger in a circle. Johanna twirled, the bottom of the dress becoming engulfed in flames. Johanna spun until she was dizzy, using Caesar's arm to help put her back in the chair.
The mood quieted down some and Caesar's pale blue lips set into a line. "Now take us back to the reaping. You volunteered for that little girl. How do you know her?"
Johanna swallowed. This was it. This was her chance to show the Capitol the girl beneath the flames. "She's my best friend's little sister. Her name is Primrose. She's only twelve."
The crowd murmured their displeasure, ironic considering they were the reason she was chosen in the first place. Caesar tut-tutted under his breath. "Did she say anything to you? After the reaping?"
Johanna shook her head. "No. I said goodbye to my own siblings. John, Cela and Aurey. But Prim might as well be my sister too." Her eyes moved from the camera to Caesar. "In the Seam, there's not much cause for happiness, you know. So wherever you find it, you have to hold on to it. Her sister, Katniss, she's my best friend. I wouldn't want any pain to come to her. We've all suffered so much already. So this is my way... this is my way of protecting them both."
The buzzer went off and the crowd booed a little, but Caesar smiled and waved them off. "Hopefully we'll see plenty more of Johanna Mason, tribute from District Twelve. Thank you, Johanna."
Johanna went back to her seat as they called up Gale. It hadn't occurred to her really, what Gale's angle would be. If anyone was angrier than she was, it was him. While his suit didn't go up in flames like her dress, when he moved you could see it shimmer like candlelight. He looked more handsome than normal with the very small dash of eyeliner under his lids and his crisp black suit cut to his form. The anger that boiled just below his skin was absent, instead he was affable, almost kind. He was similar to the Gale that Johanna had seen in the woods. The only times she had ever really seen him smile.
They got to the topic of girlfriends, and Gale became a little more withdrawn. "Handsome lad like you, there must be a girl back home."
Gale bit his lip. "Well, there's this one girl. I've had a crush on her longer than I can remember."/
Traitor, Johanna thought. She hadn't told Haymitch about Katniss to keep her safe. To keep her locked away in her heart. But here Gale was, parading his love of Katniss to the world to see. If he won, they'd surely be married as soon as Katniss was eighteen. Johanna had been so inside her own head that she forgot to think maybe Katniss had made that promise of a kiss to them both.
"Here's what you do. You win, then you go home and she can't turn you down," Caesar said encouragingly, shaking Gale's knee with his hand.
Gale pursed his lips and shook his head. "Winning is not going to help in my case." Johanna squinted her eyes in confusion. Why? Because he'd have to kill her? Kill the girl he loves' best friend? Katniss would get over it.
"Why not?"
Gale didn't even have the courtesy to look at her before he responded, "Because she came here with me."
Boiling with anger, Johanna rode the elevator to their floor in silence. Johanna's fists balled at her sides, ready to strike at any moment. As soon as they stepped onto the floor she rushed at Gale, attempting to punch him in the face but he caught her fist. "What the hell?"
"What the hell me!?" Johanna repeated, wrenching out of his strong grip. "What the hell is wrong with you? Telling people you're in love with me? Are you fucking kidding? You're in love with Katniss!"
"And so are you!" Johanna's anger went up in smoke and the fight left her eyes. Gale's gaze softened. "We need to present a united front, Johanna. If they see us as a team we can both get help. If we both get help, one of us gets to go home to her."
Johanna's jaw tightened as she fought down tears. Tears caused from the thought that there would be a scenario where she would go home without him. She and Katniss would have to try and put their lives together without Gale. This selfless, angry boy that Johanna had thought of as nearly a brother. She could barely imagine what that life would look like. She hated herself for the selfish thoughts of wanting to be with Katniss. "You made me look weak."
Haymitch stepped in between them, facing down Johanna. She grimaced at the sour smell of wine on his breath. "It wasn't his idea. It was mine. You two are clearly very close, but not close enough. Do you know how many people approached me after Gale's confession? People are lining up to sponsor you. He made you look desirable." He stepped backward, looking at both the angry youths. "Before that interview, you were both just two very hostile tributes. Now you're star-crossed lovers."
"We are not star-crossed lovers!" Johanna spat out, her tiny form trembling with anger and unspent sadness.
"It doesn't matter!" Haymitch yelled back. "That is what is going to keep you alive. You are each other's best shot."
Johanna scoffed. "And if it comes down to just the two of us?"
Gale shrugged. "I'll flip you for it." The absolute insanity of his comment made Johanna burst out in peals of laughter, surprising and entertaining Haymitch and relaxing the mood in the room a bit. Gale wrapped Johanna in a tight hug. He pulled away and stared into her eyes, for a moment reminding her of Katniss. They both had that smoky gray gaze with just a hint of sky blue skies. It was almost, emalmost/em, like looking at Katniss. But there was a fire behind Gale's eyes that was absent from Katniss. A fire she felt inside her. Even though Gale and Katniss favored each other in appearance, she and Gale favored each other in temperament.
They really were each other's best shot. Nobody would protect the other like they could. In the arena, that protection would mean the difference between seeing Katniss again or death. It might make them a target for the other tributes, but if they had each other, who cares?
Later that night, plagued by insomnia and anticipation of the next day, Johanna took the stairs to the roof of the building. The air was cool but not unpleasant as she crossed toward the tall silhouette she saw near the edge. Gale leaned on the stone marble, looking down at the Capitol citizens partying below them.
"This place is atrocious," Gale remarked, shaking his head. "Look at them. Celebrating. Tomorrow a bunch of kids are going to die. emWe /emmight die. And that's cause for celebration."
Johanna leaned on her forearms and nodded in agreement. "True. A lot of them are just here by accident of birth. Same that made us pop up in Twelve."
Gale grimaced and rubbed his hairless chin. Whatever they did to the boys to make them hairless must last a while. Johanna couldn't remember ever seeing a tribute with hair in the arena. "Yeah but just because you're born here doesn't mean you have to be a complete idiot. Look at Cinna. Hell, even Effie isn't as horrible as these people."
"That's because we know them. We don't know these people. Though to be honest if you asked me if we should just drop a giant nuke on them, I wouldn't say no."
Gale smirked at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I really am sorry about the interview. I told Haymitch it was a bad idea but he insisted. He said our brother-sister act wouldn't help us get sponsors. But acting in love might." He dropped her eyes. "I just don't want her to be alone. We can't abandon her."
Johanna nodded, leaning into Gale's strong embrace. She and Gale were never as close as she was with Katniss, not only because of gender and their obligations to their families, but also because of the underlying jealousy that tinged their relationship. A jealousy they had not acknowledged until tonight. Now, though, she was incredibly glad to have him here. The bittersweet, small joy of having someone she loved with her on the night that could be preceding her death. She was glad he wasn't a stranger, but heartbroken it was Gale. "How do you think she reacted?"
Gale chuckled. "I have no idea. Probably surprised. Angry." He looked back out at the stars, just visible above the bright lights of the Capitol city. "Jealous, I'd think." He looked at me. "I would be, if she were here. But I think I would understand."
Johanna nodded. "I guess the real question is, jealous of who?"
"I'm certain we'll never know."
"Author's Note: Sorry there's technically no Joniss here. I solemnly swear there is Joniss. But, you know, hunger games, death, all that good stuff comes first.