.Stone And Lumber (Johanna Mason X F.OC).

-Reaping-

Julian pranced onto the platform under a wave of applause.

"Thank you thank you district 2, I am so happy to be back once again!" He said, still as flashy pink as he has been half the amount of the time her worked with 2, the other half it it was random colors.

He basked in the cheering a while longer with the sassy hand wave to shut them all up.

"Alright, we'll pull the mentors now!" Everyone cheered again, since in 2 the tributes were decided on the best scores in the academy, it was the mentors that got randomly pulled, tho Athena's worry for it had long worn off.

She was worried about something else.

"People! Greatness smiles upon us! Once again for like... The 8th year in a row! Athena Hadley!" She sighed, knowing no matter what, she'd been pulled for as long as she is loved by the capitol.

Stepping up with a wave too the rowdy crowd but barely seeing them or the other mentor that was pulled with her, none of them mattered, none of them.

"Alright people! I call forth the gracious director of the academy to read out the names of these years best students!"

She lazily clapped, knowing already one of them.

The director was a little man, hunched over, meek, shaking, but no one ever attacked him, there was a reason why he was still head of the establishment that changed ownership when the previous head was beaten.

"Lets start with boy this year, since they have gotten better grades then girls, please train more, this is disappointing." While normal people like Athena would think this is a cruel thing to tell kids, no one else in 2 thought that, just muttered in agreement, she even saw a mother scold her daughter after she heard the words that the girls were worst this year.

"With a score of 7.4 over 10 for the boys.... Cato Hadley!"

Even knowing what was to come, her stomach felt like a bottomless pit with all her blood draining out through it as her little baby brother walked through the cheering crowd, high fiving them and shaking his fist with pride as he joined her up on the stage, beating his chest with a huge smile, she couldn't even look at him as he got near, staring ahead.

"And for the girls, with a 6.1 over 10 for the girls.... Clove Kentwell."

Athena grabbed Cato's shoulder, actually swaying on her feet, needing to hold something.

She never considered this as a possibility, this girl was so small, so weak, she should have never been chosen, she was not old enough nor strong enough physically.

She wanted to faint, the pulls, the pulls were sabotaged once again, either by Snow again or someone else because she was sure there were more 6.1's around and Clove couldn't be the only one.

Clove was chosen on purpose like Cato had been... On purpose.

A look of hurt pained her since it came from Cato, they both cared for the girl.

The two tributes exchanged a look as she climbed up the stage.

"Now shake your hands and off we'll go too the train!" Julian happily said.

-------------------------------------------------

"This is a nightmare." Athena held her head in her hands as she sat in front of the TV screen of the train, Clove and Cato both silent, never having seen Athena as much as admit something inconvenienced her. "This is nothing but a nightmare."

"Athy..."

"Munchkin, not now." She pinched her nose as she thought.

She should have kill them both when she had the chance but no, she was an idiot not too.

"What will we do?" Clove asked as Athena leaned back and sank into her seat.

"Like always, form a career pack, survive, kill and don't let escape and don't underestimate the weak looking."

"Only one of us can survive." Cato said, hurt slipping through his voice, each tribute sitting on either the left or right of Athena, having just watched the recap of the reapings.

Athena couldn't stomach it, feeling sick, it was like whatever she did, Snow worked to bring her down once again, of course he did, but this was the gut punch of all gut punches.

"Survive until there is only two of your and then play it out like the careers do it, in a one on one fight, kill district 12 first."

"Why?" Clove asked. "She doesn't seem that dangerous."

"Kill even the weak, don't let anyone get away because you think you can kill them later... That girl, that girl is from the weakest district, the poorest district with only Heymitch Abernathy as their victor because he outplayed the career that was left alive by making her throw her axe into the force field that bounced it back, he is a raging drunk so he is of no help.... But despite all of that, that girl, knowing she was probably going too her death, volunteered for her sister.... And Clove, Cato, as the older sister, I know just what she'll do to go home too her sister because it was the same strength that drove me to come back.... So kill 12 when you can."

"Right."

The silence was unbearable.

Athena putting a hand on the back of the head of each tribute, pulling them too her chest, Clove looped her arms around her in a shaky hug while Cato just grabbed her hand on the back of his head and the elbow of that hand and squeezed so hard it almost hurt more then what her heart felt currently.