A/N: This is the last chapter...:(. I have no idea what I'm going to do in my free time now. Maybe I'll start another story...
Looking back on it, I don't think the last chapter was my best, so I'm going to try to make this one as good as possible. I've still got a few twists up my sleeve too. ;D I don't think anyone will have seen one of them coming (it's a pretty good one, I'm proud of myself; not to toot my own horn too much). Sorry about errors, I don't edit my stories before I post (I really should though...). I'll try to wrap everything up the best I can, but Johanna's character really isn't resolved even in Mockingjay so I can't completely give her a corny fairy tale ending (even if I'd like to).
I need to extend an enormous thank you to amethystaquamarine34azure, Theatergirl6, bailyflan (I'll try to clear up the events in the last chapter a bit in the beginning of this chapter for ya), and iskanadaria for continuing to review and support my story. I also want to thank anyone who's reviewed this, added it to their Favorite Stories, put it on their Story Alerts, or even taken the time to read this. I've really enjoyed all the great feedback and love that my story actually has people reading it. And now for the last chapter...
Puff wouldn't shut up on the train ride back to District Seven. Xerxes and Gondor had been two really good friends of hers and she couldn't believe they'd committed crimes against the Capitol. She kept blabbing on and on about what had happened that night, how President Snow had found a strange disc in his pocket, viewed it, and immediately had the two arrested. It was hard to not snicker as she carried on, knowing that I was the one who had put the disc in President Snow's jacket and gotten Xerxes and Gondor arrested just to avoid spending an extra few days in the Capitol. "I just don't how President Snow got evidence to incriminate them," she continued. Why was she even coming back to District Seven anyway? Brittany and Flip both had to stay at the Capitol, so why didn't Puff? "What are you even going to be doing in District Seven?" I spoke abruptly, cutting her off in the middle of one of her elongated rambles. She tilted her head and smiled at me quirkily. "Business," she spoke softly. I turned away, expecting her to launch back into rambling. I could just go to my room..."What do you think of this mess?" she said. Wait, was she talking to me? I turned back to see her looking at me intently. I debated whether or not to tell her how I really felt and I decided that since I wasn't in the Capitol anymore, I could be as brutally honest as I wanted. "I didn't care for either of them," I started, "And frankly I don't care that they got arrested. If anything, I'm happy they got arrested because it means that I don't have to spend an extra few days in that wretched hellhole. Because to be honest, I hate the Capitol. I hate what it stands for, and I hate what it does to people. And for the longest time, I've hated you; because you're from the Capitol and act as if life is just dandy! Clearly you haven't seen the way most of us live out in the districts. Or maybe you have, and maybe you just don't care! Do you realize what it's like? I don't have a family because of the Capitol! Twenty-three kids just died because of the Capitol! I hate them! I want them to have to experience everything that the districts have had to endure for the past 69 years! Do they know what it's like to clench your teeth and hope that neither you nor anyone close to you gets reaped? No! They don't! They don't understand and neither do you! I hate you! I hate them! I hate all of you!" Where on earth did that come from? Without realizing it, I had stood up. I had, mostly unprovoked, slandered the Capitol. I had told Puff I hated her. And it felt...good. Like I had finally unleashed a lifetime of frustration and grief. This was how I felt. And at the moment, I didn't care who heard. It wasn't the smart thing to do, but it had come from nowhere, and I just let it out. And Puff just sat there, looking up at me and...smiling? Wait, what? She stared at me with the goofiest grin I had ever seen her wear (and I had seen some pretty goofy ones) before she got up and hurried back to her room.
I sat down in my chair, my heart still racing from adrenaline. What just happened? She had simply asked me what I had thought of Xerxes and Gondor's arrest. And then I'd exploded. I had just started saying how I actually felt and I couldn't seem to stop myself. But that wasn't even the weirdest part. I had already acknowledged my feelings regarding the Capitol (never like that of course), but Puff's reaction had been one of almost pure delight. I was so confused. Her room was right next to mine, so I took a glass and crept to her door. Placing the mouth of the glass against the door, I put my ear on the bottom to see if I could hear anything. Puff seemed to like talking to herself, so if I was lucky I could figure out why she was acting so weirdly. "...Everything and more...Is great!...No...We'll see...Talk more...District Seven." were the only words I could hear, but there was another voice coming from the room, a familiar one. I concentrated, trying to figure out who the voice belonged to, when I heard Puff get up and walk to the door. Frantically, I took my cup and ran to the nearest shelf of drinks, pretending to be preparing something. I grabbed the first lot within my reach and poured it into my glass as Puff stepped out of her room. She saw me and looked at me quizzically, "Dear, what are you doing?" I looked down at what I was doing and saw that I had filled my glass to the brim with hot water. "I was just..." I stuttered, "Pouring some hot water. It's like coffee without the caffeine; wakes you up." I smiled, hoping desperately that she would just accept the lie and move on. "Alright," she responded slowly, "But you really should use the metal cups for hot beverages. I'm going to check and see how far away we are." I sighed in relief, she bought it. She had turned and disappeared down the hall so I went to the nearest sink and dumped the water out. "Only another hour or so!" I heard Puff shout from off in the distance. I looked outside and saw that we were passing District Six. Almost home.
The "welcome home" ceremony was a pain. I had to stand on the platform in front of the train and wave and smile at everyone from my district. Don't get me wrong, it was great to be home, I just wanted all the celebrations to stop. As soon as I possibly could, I escaped to my tree fort. I didn't even go to my new Victor mansion, I just went to my tree fort. The mansion could wait. It felt good to have things feel normal again, sort of. Even if things weren't completely normal now, it was close enough. And it's not like my situation was anywhere near normal to begin with. I sat in the spot where I had sat for the last several years and without realizing it, fell asleep.
I woke up a few hours later, peacefully. It was probably the best sleep I had gotten in the past month, it may have been the best sleep I'd ever had. It left me feeling refreshed, almost happy. But my mood changed when I saw what was in the tree across from me. The same knife I hadn't been able to get before the reaping. My favorite knife. I climbed down from my tree and made another effort at getting the knife. I had gotten to the same place where I had gotten before, the knife just out of reach, but still couldn't get any higher. Damn. I needed the knife. I could try to cut the tree down, but it was technically illegal to cut down trees outside the lumber zone and cutting the tree down myself could take weeks. I thought for a few seconds and decided to do something daring. I jumped from my spot and reached for my knife, clinging on to it with one hand. I was dangling high above the ground, with nothing holding me up other than the knife. I probably should've thought this one through more.
A large buzzing sound interrupted my thinking and drew my attention. It sounded like one of the Capitol ships that would fly in once a month to collect lumber, but this sound was different. Suddenly, a dark gray mass appeared below me and I felt myself getting pulled downward. A rope had shot out and caught me feet and there was no way I was going to be able to fight it. I at least made sure to take my knife with me when the ship pulled me down.
I landed on something soft, and my surroundings were completely dark. My immediate reaction was that I'd been kidnapped by the Capitol. Great. The last thing I wanted to do was go back to the Capitol. But why did they have to do it like this? The hole I had entered through had closed and I could tell the ship was moving...fast. I untied the rope binding my legs and held my knife up to protect myself. The soft surface was strange to walk on, but after a few moments I got used to it and began to meander aimlessly. It only took me about twenty paces, but I reached the wall of the room I was in. I still couldn't see anything. I was about to start searching for a door when a light came from the opposite end of the room. The room I was in wasn't that large, and I could see the faces of the people who opened the door. I just stood there, dumbly.
"Why don't you put the knife down, Johanna," said a familiar voice. I realized I had my knife up and ready and probably looked like I was ready to kill. Cautiously, I lowered my knife, not wanting to let my guard down too much. The two people in front of me stepped aside revealing the person who had just spoken, Vanessa Redding. Why was she on a Capitol ship? She had been the one who had given me the means of escaping, what was she doing here? "You may be a bit confused right now. But don't worry, I'll explain what's happening a little later," she assured me.
She led me down a well lit hallway with lots of windows and I couldn't help but notice all of the guards carrying weapons. Crap. This wasn't going to end well. I had told Vanessa how much I hated the Capitol, and I thought she was a friend. She had given me instructions on how to escape. Was she just playing me to see if she could prove I was anti-Capitol? What was going to happen now? Was she going to turn me over to President Snow? I glanced out through a window and saw that we were passing a district, but I couldn't tell which one. It was unfamiliar to me. I stopped walking and looked out at it, trying to figure out what it was. It was relatively flat so it couldn't be District Two, it was too underdeveloped to be District One or District Three, and there weren't enough large bodies of water for it to be District Four. Maybe it was District Five? I never really did get a good look at that one. But there was no way District Five could be this big. This district seemed to just keep going. Vanessa had noticed my gazing and walked back over to me, "That's District Eleven. Because of the route we're taking, we don't get to see eight, nine, or ten. But District Twelve should be coming up soon." District Eleven? She turned and started to walk again, but I called out to her, "Why are we passing District Eleven?" She stopped and turned back to face me. "Where are we going?" I asked, utterly perplexed. "Follow me," she instructed. This time, I didn't hesitate. I walked hurriedly to catch up with her, suddenly very anxious to figure out what was going on.
We reached the front of the train but she led me up some stairs, exposing a second level to the front of the ship. This floor looked like an elegant lounge. The front of the train was simply a giant window, allowing us to see straight ahead of the ship. I could see District Twelve up ahead. I sat down on one of three couches places in the middle of the room, as did Vanessa. I sat on the left couch and she sat on the right. She picked up a small remote off of a nearby table and clicked a small red button at the top of it. Suddenly, he window closed and the room became dark. A digital screen flickered to life where the window had just been. Vanessa hit some buttons and a map appeared, showing where all of the districts were and where our ship was. According to the map, we had just passed District Twelve and were heading towards a red star just above where District Twelve was.
"Has anyone from your district told you about District Thirteen?" asked Vanessa. District Thirteen? Now that she thought about it, she remembered an old lady telling her once about a thirteenth district that the Capitol had simply destroyed after the war. But everyone had told me the woman wasn't in a good state of mind, so I had forgotten about it. "Once," I said, "I heard that there used to be a District Thirteen, but that the Capitol had destroyed it after the war. I didn't think it was true though." Vanessa smiled. "Part of it was true," she told me. She clicked a button on her remote and the map disappeared, replaced with pictures I automatically assumed were of District Thirteen. And then Vanessa explained the true story behind District Thirteen, how it existed entirely underground and survived independently. I soaked all this in the best I could, but it was a bit much to handle. A thirteenth district?
Then Vanessa began to talk about the resistance movement against the Capitol. "Not everyone in District Thirteen supports what we do," Vanessa had said, "But we do it anyway, because we know it's the right thing to do." She then told me about the movement, how she was part of it (no shit), and how there were several others like her working undercover in the Capitol. "You actually already know one of them," she told me. Seriously! Who? The door we had entered through opened, as if hearing my question. Into the room stepped a tall, pale-skinned woman with stringy blonde hair. "Hi," she smiled at me. I didn't recognize her appearance, and I didn't recognize her voice. But she seemed familiar..."Johanna," said Vanessa, "This is Paige, but you've known her as Galoriah." It took me a second to remember who Galoriah was, but when I did, my jaw hit the floor. That woman in the door was Puff.
(A/N: Who saw THAT coming?)
But...it wasn't Puff. Puff had large, obnoxious hair. Paige had stringy blonde hair. Puff had an annoyingly shrill voice. Paige's voice was soft and mellow. Puff loved the Capitol and everything it stood for. Paige was part of a resistance movement against the Capitol. There's no way these two people could be the same person. "Paige has been our best agent. She's been working behind enemy lines for the past fifteen years, and judging by the look on your face, I doubt you had a clue," snickered Vanessa. Damn right I didn't. But certain things I couldn't explain earlier suddenly made sense. This was why Puff...err...Paige had smiled after my rant on the train. And I realized now the person she was talking to on the train was most likely Vanessa (probably using some of District Thirteen's advanced technology that Vanessa couldn't help but brag about earlier). It also explained why she had kept an eye over me after I'd won. She had seemed so perky and Capitol-like before the Games though, but I attributed it to good acting. I did have one question though. "If you were working for the resistance, why did you try to get me to do advertising for Xerxes and Gondor?" Puff/Paige smiled, "We needed to know we could trust you, that you'd actually be willing to work against the Capitol. When you were actually able to follow the instructions Vanessa gave you, we knew that you could help us. That's why you're with us and someone like Brittany isn't. Brittany certainly doesn't feel strongly about the Capitol, and she even tried to warn you about what they could do, but she's never had the guts to fight back in any of the situations she's ever been put in. You fought back and won in your first tight situation." I couldn't help but smile a bit out of pride. "We need people like you," said Vanessa, "People who can easily get information from the Capitol and get people to rally behind them. Plus, you're a proven fighter. You're a Victor, you'll be useful. If a rebellion ever happens, it'll be good to know we can count on you." "We can count on you, right?" asked Puff/Paige.
They both stared at me, anxiously awaiting my answer. "Absolutely,"
"Good," they both said, sighing in relief. "Are there any other Victors, like me, in the resistance?" I asked. "Yes, actually," began Vanessa, "Just last week, Finnick Odair officially joined our side. Mags, another Victor from District Four, has been part of the resistance for the past forty years." "And a pair from District Three," added Puff/Paige, "Plus, one other tribute."
"Who?" I asked as Vanessa nudged Puff/Paige. "Who's the other one?" I continued, confused as to why they didn't want to tell me. Vanessa glared at Puff/Paige, who responded, "You'll know at some point." She looked over at Vanessa, who nodded, approving the response. "But, we still have some time before we reach District Thirteen. Why don't you go find your room and have some rest? You must be tired." said Puff/Paige. Actually, I wasn't tired at all, but I knew that she was trying to politely tell me to leave. I nodded my head and left the room, but once the door closed behind me I went back and placed my ear against the door. To my surprise, I could actually hear some of what they were saying. "We really should tell her," said Puff/Paige, "It's not fair to keep her in the dark like this." "It doesn't matter if it's fair," Vanessa argued, "Telling her can only complicate things. She's motivated against the Capitol and that's what we want. Telling her what we know could completely mess with her emotions. Things will just be easier if she doesn't know." "I guess you're right," conceded Puff/Paige. "She'll know eventually," said Vanessa reassuringly, "When the time's right."
Epilogue
We had gotten to District Thirteen and I was formally introduced to everyone in the resistance. But after the first meeting, I realized there wasn't much that could be done. The only thing I could contribute was knowledge of the Capitol, but I only went there once a year anyway. And even when I was there, I didn't do much. Most of the work was given to other people, and I was left to mentor the two tributes from my district. Both of them died in the initial bloodbath at the cornucopia.
This continued for the next five years too. Year after year, I tried to train these kids the best I could only to watch them die minutes after stepping into the arena. And year after year, I did little to actually help the resistance movement fight the Capitol. Not like the resistance movement even did that much. They had spent the five years since I'd joined making a map of the Capitol, which they said would be useful if and when war broke out. Every time they said this though, I rudely reminded them that war required actual action, which was always met with scowls. They seemed inept at doing anything, but Vanessa had once reminded me that they needed the people in the districts to be on our side too, and that they needed to be motivated. They needed a spark, she had said. I had asked why we couldn't work to try to get the people of the districts on our side, but then she went into the logistics of getting into the districts and convincing people to join without alerting the Peacekeepers and I had just walked away. She had a point, but it was still annoying that there really was nothing we could do at this point.
Vanessa and Paige still hadn't told me what they were hiding either. After five years, I had gotten over it, but it was frustrating to know they were keeping something from me. It probably wasn't even that important anyways...
I spent most of my time the way I had before I was reaped. Sure, it was nice having a giant mansion, but sometimes it just felt so empty. But the difference between then and now was that I was happier now. I had never been so happy to just sit in my tree fort and throw knives, or sell things at the Val. I still wasn't very social, I still hated most people on site, but I had become friends with a few more of the shopkeepers.
The 74th Hunger Games had taken most of my attention recently. I was stuck mentoring two thirteen year olds who I knew wouldn't last a few hours, but I worked hard to train them anyway. Flip was more awful than ever. Occasionally, there'd be a tribute who had potential, and he'd take interest in him. But otherwise, he just ignored the weaker tributes. I helped them because I felt obligated to. I remembered how Brittany treated me compared to Flip and I tried my hardest to be as much like Brittany as possible. But that involved getting personally attached to the tributes, making it that much harder to watch them get killed each year. Regardless, I kept trying to mentor the kids well, and at the very least, I was served a yearly reminder of how much I hated the Capitol and why I was glad to be in the resistance. This year's Hunger Games probably wasn't going to be any different than they'd been since I won: a Career was probably going to win. But for the first time in a long time, someone from an outlying district had volunteered. She'd ought to be at least a little bit interesting to watch...
A/N: I'm really sad now...It's over...But I'm sort of happy too because I just completed my first fanfic! :D
Hopefully I didn't end it too abruptly, but I did throw in an epilogue. In general, I'm happy with how this story turned out. Not all of it was my best writing (I felt like I rushed some stuff), and I didn't even edit any of the chapters before posting them, but I'm happy with the final product. It was exhausting at times though. I think I'll try writing some one-shots before doing anything long like this again. Did you guys like the ending?
Any guesses as to what Vanessa and Paige are keeping from Johanna? I'm sorry to leave it open ended like that, but I sort of had to. It would've messed up the story if Johanna heard what it was, but I had this idea and wasn't sure if I should put it in, so I put it in without revealing what it was so I could pretend it didn't exist if I changed my mind about it later. I could've given you more information...but I decided not to. Anyways, I'll PM you and tell you if you guess correctly (and if you ask really nicely maybe I'll tell you anyway).
Once again, I want to thank anyone who's stuck around and read everything I've put up. It really means a lot that people are actually reading this and liking it. Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter and the story as a whole. Hope you liked it. Thanks for reading! :D