74 II.
Johanna walks into the Capitol train station with Holt, the other Mentor from District 7. The normally quiet station is busier than she has ever seen it, with attendants and Peacekeepers bustling through, loading goods and supplies onto the trains that are waiting at every platform.
She sees Wiress and Beetee each holding a square, hard sided case in one corner of the waiting area, then catches sight of the talon of Diana's gold hand guard through the passing lines of people. Diana looks angry, but then again, Diana always looks like she is one step away from killing somebody.
She and Holt exchange a confused glance.
They start to head over to where their train is waiting, Johanna slinging her small bag across her other shoulder, when they run into Finnick and Marina coming from the other direction.
"So you guys were kicked out too, huh?" Johanna says as they stop in the middle of the station. "What the hell is going on?"
"I have never seen the station this crowded," Marina says as she looks around at all the people walking purposefully past them. "And we passed Sterling, Sateen, Ash, and Cerese on our way in."
"Yeah, Nuts and Volts are over there, and Diana is back there somewhere. I am pretty sure Corus left the second that girl shot his tribute in the face, so he is already gone."
Cecelia and Fuller come up to their little knot as they are talking, looking just as confused as the rest of them.
"Do any of you know why we were all told to go back to our districts today?" Fuller asks as he comes up to them. He looks warily at Johanna, but relaxes when she doesn't immediately attack him.
"No," Finnick answers him. "We were just taking inventory, it looks like everyone who hasn't already left is here."
"Well," Cecilia says evenly, "I won't say I am too heartbroken about missing another night of Capitol small talk and too much food."
"But it's weird, right?" Johanna lowers her voice a little even though there is no way anyone could overhear them in the din of the station. "It's like no one is allowed to meet the lovebirds."
"Were you going to do anything but insult them to their faces and then ignore them if you did go to their banquet?" Finnick asks with a smile.
"Well no, but I wanted to be given the opportunity to insult and ignore them." Johanna looks indignant.
When they realize that no one has any more information than anyone else, Cecilia and Fuller go off then to put their things on the train, and Marina walks off with them to get a magazine. Holt goes to check when the train to District 7 was supposed to depart, leaving Finnick and Johanna still standing together.
"I am going to go get a juice," Finnick says as he nods in the direction of a stand.
"Sheesh, you can't wait the 15 minutes until your train leaves?" Johanna grouses, but she picks up her bag to walk with him.
"So what do you think this is about?" Finnick asks as they start to walk.
"I have no idea. Maybe he thinks we're a bad influence or something," Johanna answers.
"Can't imagine why. Maybe he thinks they will be easier to control if they don't know anything..." Finnick muses while looking at the juice stand offerings.
Johanna waits for the man behind the counter to hand Finnick his pineapple mango orange juice.
"In which case he is going to have to get them away from their mentor."
"I think he isn't telling them anything. Protecting them?"
"Huh," Johanna shakes her head. No one ever protected her. "It really is like He is scared of them. Those two stupid kids. What the fuck."
Just then the 15 minute announcement for the District 4 train blares over the loudspeakers.
"Maybe I'll go with you," Johanna says.
Finnick turns quickly to look at her. "To Four?"
"Sure," she says, shrugging.
"Do you have a transport pass?"
"No." She shrugs again.
"Don't get me wrong, I would love it if you came to Four with us. You could come out on the boat with me and Annie..." He smiles as he seems to get into the idea. "But you need a pass. You could get into serious trouble."
"What's the worst that could happen?" Johanna asks.
"Oh I don't know," he says looking down at her, "Beatings? Torture? Death of your family?"
"No big deal," she says breezily. "Nothing I haven't seen before."
He turns to look at her seriously.
"Hey, I know that you don't want to go back to an empty house in District 7 alone, but it'll be okay. I'll call. Annie'll call. I'll even get Mags to call. But I know you have been hearing the same rumors I have. You can't be going and getting into trouble over something stupid. We need to be ready to get into all the real trouble we can."
Johanna is quiet.
"Yeah, I know. You're right," she says finally. "I hate it when you're right."
He laughs quietly as he grabs her in a hug and kisses the top of her head.
"I know," he says before he turns around and jogs off lightly toward the District 4 train, his bag bouncing against his back.
"And don't have that marble-mouthed crone attempt to call me!" She yells at his back.
She doesn't want to stay in the Capitol, but she also doesn't want to go back to District 7. It is getting harder and harder to feel at home when there is nothing tying her to the place, but it isn't like she feels at home any place else. She doesn't belong anywhere anymore.
But she knows that Finnick is right, that there is important work to be done, and that she needs to be back in 7 to do it.
She sighs heavily as she picks up her bag again and heads toward her own train.
There are rumors that the people in the districts are angry and that the whispers of dissent are getting louder. Johanna looks around the train station at all the Peacekeepers that are piling into their own cars on the trains that the Victors, who were all kicked out of the Capitol, are taking home, and thinks that the president has heard the same rumors.
Everyone knows that one of the most important things to get a real rebellion going among the general populace is going to be money, and that is one thing that the Victors have that no one else does. For that alone they are going to be instrumental in getting things to happen, and in making sure people stay alive during whatever crackdown the Capitol is very clearly already starting to send their way.
She weaves through the people who are heading in the direction of the District 7 train and rejoins Holt, who is standing on the platform, looking with increasing concern at the number of Peacekeepers who are joining them on their ride back to their district.
Things are going to get much worse before they get any better if they ever do, and she is under no illusions that she is going to be around to see it if it ever does.
She shrugs at Holt as they turn and board the train.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I guess we are going beyond the 74th Games now...