𝐒𝐔𝐍 | 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒

→ 𝐕.𝐋𝐗𝐕

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ACT V
CHAPTER LXV

Johanna Mason

ONCE THE GIRL finally manages to gain her conscience, she sees blood everywhere around her. Her hands are marked by dried up blood, and she had just lied. She lied to Peeta as easily as she would've laughed at something Johanna said. As if it was nothing, as if it was the truth. Thana knows her hands weren't clean before the games, but now after this quarter quell, they sure as hell aren't clean anymore. The innocent girl act long overdue, but how do you become somebody else if this is what you have moulded yourself in after the games? The innocent lovable girl who managed to kill during her games for her survival. But now she isn't seen as lovable or innocent anymore, the Capitol has marked her as a traitor.

Screams are still echoing through the rooms, a mix of Peeta's and Annie's. To Thana it feels as if she is back in the Arena. Back in the place where all the horror took place, the horrors they can bond over. The screams that scream out as if they are dying. Screams of Annie that sound just alike to the ones she heard in the Arena with Finnick and Katniss. She isn't even sure anymore whether the screams are produced now or just a figment of her imagination. But a small part of peace fills the girl one Annie's screams stop. Only for Peeta's to become even worse. Guilt eats the girl alive as she hears the screams of terror produced by Peeta Mellark. A part of her brain begging her to confess, to protect Peeta where she couldn't protect Latif. Another part tells her to shut those ideas out, she can't betray the others, especially Rohan, Finnick and Johanna. Jo, the girl she loves more than a friend, she knows that now. But all of that is just too late. Thana wishes she would've listened more carefully to Finnick teasing. She might never know if Johanna feels the same, Johanna might not even be alive. But for Johanna, oh Thana would do so much. She would even go back into the Arena if it meant Johanna would be safe, and that is saying a lot when you went in twice and lost an important person in there twice. But for Johanna, Thana would.

...

"Hello little Jardin," the nickname is a stab in her heart, Latif is... Latif was little Jardin. "Did you have a nice beauty sleep?" Wells laughs at himself, "I want you to meet someone." As Thana makes no movement to raise her head to acknowledge him and his company, Luke walks over to her. Making sure to make a lot of noise and grinning at the wincing of the girl.

"Little, little flower girl," he spats out the nick name the Capitol gave her so lovingly when she first arrived here. "It is not very nice to ignore me, especially when I have someone with me. So," he gives Thana one more chance to look up herself. But the girl looks at her hand who still has specks of blood on them, trying her hardest not to cry in front of them.

"You had your chance," Luke grasps her hair, pulling Thana up and forces her to look at the other man he brought in.

In the door opening are three men standing. And one of them is someone Thana could recognize out of all Capitol citizens. Arthur Gold, her stylist. He lost some weight since the last time Thana saw him and the blue marks that covered his skin couldn't be signs that they treated him very kindly. The girl gives her stylist a sad look which is reciprocated.

"I am sure you remember your stylist, Mr. Gold." Luke starts, grinning maliciously. "With him, I brought in Mr. Proth and my twin brother Mr. Wells."

"Good day gentlemen," Thana tries her hardest to let it appear that she means it, "I am sorry for my lack of hospitality, I hope I can be forgiven."

If possible and if allowed, Thana is sure the water in Arthur's eyes would've fallen just as he would've rushed to her and hugged her closely to his chest. "Miss Jardin, you are forgiven," is all the older stylist manages to get out, wincing for the girl as Luke Wells drops her head.

"Tell me Thana," Luke starts motioning his brother to join his side, "how much does your stylist mean to you?" The brother kicks against Thana's thigh making her gasp.

Thana locks eyes with Arthur and he softly shakes his head, "In my honest opinion, he is the best stylist the Capitol has," there is no lie to be found in her voice as she smiles softly, "but other than that," Thana closes her eyes softly, shaking her head, "I can't say that." The girl gulps at the intense glares she gets from the Wells brothers. "I can't define how much he means to me," the girl caves in, unable to lie the man in front of her that he means nothing to her. That he is just another man from the Capitol when he feels like family.

"That was what I was hoping," Luke grins devilishly at his twin. "Now I am sure you can tell us everything you know." Thana looks at him, "and do start at the beginning."

Thana blinks her eyes a few times, "how many times do I have to tell you that I know of nothing you say I do?" She looks at Arthur and she deciphers a glint in his eyes while grunting at the impact of a slap. "Your argument is that I without question helped Johanna, maybe that is because I and Johanna knew each other for 3 years at that moment, of course I would help her in that arena against someone I barely know for a year."

"We can just torture Mr. Gold in order for you to talk," Luke casually says, motioning for Mr. Proth to increase the pressure of his hold on the stylist.

"You are going to torture an innocent man before me in the hope I tell information you claim I have, but I do not possess?" Thana looks at him incredulously. "I can't believe it."

"And neither President Snow nor I believe that you know nothing as you claim," Luke Wells pulls out a gun and points it at Mr. Gold who looks at him in shock, unable to say anything.

At the same time, Thana starts to laugh. Both a laugh of horror and disbelief. "If I knew that this is how the Capitol treats its civilians," she pauses not even wincing as twin Wells tightens his grip on her arm, "well, then I actually would've felt pity for the lot of y'all."

"You leave us with no option then Miss Jardin, and neither does your friend." Luke Wells puts his gun back. He motions for the other three men to leave the room, "plan D," he says to his brother who grins back at them.

"I shall put it in motion,"

...

Once Thana and Luke Wells are alone, the man forces the girl to move towards the door. Dragging the girl with him with a knife against her throat. Not caring that they leave a small line of blood as she scraped her arm.

"Now, be a good girl," he whispers into her ear before knocking twice on the wall before them.

A few seconds later, the wall before them turns transparent. Just like the wall on the other side of the hallway. Room 1003 and 1004 both transparent with a clear look to the other.

Thana gasps in horror, "no, no, no," tears slip from her eyes as she trashes against Wells grip on her, not caring for the knife pressed against her throat. "Johanna!" Thana screams out, and the girl on the other side of the hallway trashes just as badly at the man holding her down.

"Thana!" Johanna screams, tears filling her eyes, "Thana!" and just like that, Johanna is being sedated, her body falling against the wall.

"Johanna!" Thana cries out. "Johanna."

Luke leaves the girl alone, hoping this tactic will help, but letting the girl cry it out, because in her state she didn't even hear or feel him.

Thana doesn't even realise that she is looking at a white wall, before her eyes Johanna is still laying down defenseless. "Johanna," her voice is repeated in her head like a mantra. "Johanna."