The Princess and The Owl // Johanna Mason x OC

Chapter 15 - District Two Lead Head

As expected, the morning of the last day has an eerily somber whistle in its wind. People come and go with no more than grunted utterances, and food is eaten by the kilo.

It's just gone 10am and the walk to the Sponsors' Lounge is quiet and deserted, as if the day had already turned in for the night. And with tonight comes the somewhat instant reality of the events to come tomorrow. Once entering into the decedent room however, the atmosphere is starkly different: laughter and good-hearted conversation; bright eyes and awake faces; not a melancholy expression amongst them.

Athena stands frozen in the large doorway, swallowing down nervous and apprehensive bile. Eventually, she takes the first step down into the room, and then the next, and then the next.

Soon, she's engaged in wholly forgettable conversation with a married couple. The taller, more characterful man has an entirely orange attire, with matching hair and nails; the other has a refined - and simply nicer - suit made of silk, which hugs his petite frame. Their names sounded something like Jed and Benjamin, but it honestly could've been Raindrops and Butterflies for all Athena could remember. They offer her enough to by some rations and a flask of water from day 1-3 for both tributes, in return for her father's business number. She quickly accepts, and hands over the number.

The deals come in quick succession, and soon I've had a few joint deals (with minor stipulations). However, the sponsorships will only dwindle as the days ebb on, and the prices for a canteen of water spike. She knew that she needed to go big or go home (and six feet under) this year, so she silently planned to go Finnick style: send their best weapon late on to clear up the final few.

A polite tannoy interrupts her musings, announcing that food has been served back in the Tribute Centre. Glancing at her watch, her eyebrows shoot up in surprise: it's 6:30pm, and she's been here for over 8 hours. How time flies when you're having fun, she thinks.

Realising how horrifically tired she is from the whole ordeal, she retires to the District 2 suite almost immediately. The walk is short, and she's uninterrupted as she winds around the brightly lit corridors. Swinging open the main door, she makes a beeline for her room. She's almost in the clear when-

"Athena, dear, why don't you join us?" her hand is on the door handle when Cynthia calls out, "the foods only going to go cold."

She turns slowly and musters up a tight smile, "It's okay, I don't want to be a buzz kill."

"Don't be silly, dear, sit," she grabs a plate full of macarons and waves it out to her, "they have your favourite, 'Thena."

"Uh..." she walks cautiously back into the main living space, feeling all eyes pointedly focussed on her - apart from Valda's, of course, "I'll only stay for a bit."

A range of expressions greet her: from the warm smile of Cynthia, to the unaffected gaze of Gregory, and the steel-hardened glare of Valda. The mentor pulls her chair in beneath her with an echoing squeak. Somewhat stoney silence prevails as the clinks of knives and forks tinker on the pearl-white, china plates.

She swallows down a piece of steak and a lump of nervousness, placing her cutlery down carefully, "Good luck tomorrow... I h-"

*Screech*

Valda's chair scrapes noisily along the shined floor as she stands sharply and leaves without another word. Athena feels het chest sink when not even Regina tries to stop her. She sits, unmoving, until - one by one - the others in the room dwindle out with quiet mumbles.