The 71st Hunger Games: Purity

Chapter Six - Johanna

After an absolutely blissful rest — note my sarcasm, please — we head to breakfast. And by we, I mean Aspen and I. Neither Joven, nor our mentors, felt motivated enough to get out of bed and eat with us. I don't blame them: if my plan is working, I'm supposed to look like a hopeless tribute, a bloodbath death. Who would want to get up and eat with two kids who are destined to die in a few days?

Conversation between Aspen and I is limited; I don't think he really likes to talk as much as he likes to think. I ask about what his life was like back in the districts, and it was similar to mine, before my parents died at least. His father and mother worked in the lumber fields, so did his older brother. His father passed away a few years ago due to some sort of sickness that discolored his skin and turned it from golden brown to a sickly yellow. Aspen said the local doctor diagnosed it as a "lack of Vitamin D" but neither of us really knew what that meant.

After a breakfast of oats and hot coffee, we head down to the tribute center, without as much as a goodbye from Joven who was just leaving his bedroom. Blight, in his kindheartedness, smiled sadly at us and waved goodbye as we headed into the elevator to yet another day of training before our seemingly inevitable deaths.

When I get into the training room, I look around the room for an area that seemed like where a pathetic person would go. Ah. Edible plants. Great knowledge that would help me in the games, and at the same time, not any demonstration of my strength. I just sit there and retain the information they throw at me.

By the time I get to the edible plants station, there's already a girl with jet black hair there. She looks over at me, her nose turned up slightly as she looks at my outfit:

"My names Winterre, district five. Your hair doesn't look good like that, bangs would suit you better." Bangs? Seriously? I wanted to laugh at her, because bangs are for five year olds. And Annie Cresta... Either way, Annie would not respond to that girl with a snarky comment. So, I follow what she would do;

"I'm Johanna! From district seven. That's good advice, I might just have to give myself some before the games," I giggle, pulling a smile onto my face. Ugh. I'm never the kind of person to giggle. My laugh is from my stomach, genuine, heavy, and full of crinkled eyes and lopsided smiles. It was not a soft sound forced out of my lips to seem innocent to some girl who would likely die in the bloodbath.

"Ah, seven. My father says everyone in seven is strong because of the lumber fields." She looks me up and down, as if she was a cruel high school student surveying her prey. "Obviously, it's just a rumor," she snorts, flipping her long black hair over her shoulder. In a way, she had the attitude of a Capital citizen. Or district one, perhaps. But not someone from district five... transportation.

As if she heard my thoughts, she kept on speaking. "You know, my father is the mayor. I don't know how I even got reaped for this thing, like I feel like he would have some sort of power to keep me out of here. Like, my name was only in there a few times. What? Four? I don't know. Either way, now I'm probably going to get killed or come home like, super traumatized. And I bet he's going to feel really bad about not letting me get that dress from the shop near the peacekeepers quarters."

Jeez. She was likely going to die in a cruel and barbaric television show and her mind was on...a dress she didn't get. I don't really know much about this Winterre girl, but she seems materialistic to me. I hope she knows we can't wear designer clothes into the arena.

Instead of focusing any more attention on her, I look at the tall woman presenting information about edible and poisonous plants. I'd rather hear about those than this girls daddy issues because he wouldn't buy her some new dress. The woman who is talking breezes through her presentation, acting as if the edibility of these plants are common knowledge. Perhaps for someone who has taught this for multiple games, sure. But as someone who spends her days chopping away at trees, all I know is "Mushroom bad, berry good." Apparently there's much more the that argument—some mushrooms are edible, meanwhile some berries are poisonous.