❝𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐀❞ ━ TREECH

08. the questionnaire

She pales when she recalls the way he slammed Coriolanus against the back of the truck. However, she also remembers the way Reaper stayed by Dill's side the entire time they were in the zoo, taking care of the sick girl like an older brother.

"I thought he seemed rather... on guard," she says, choosing her wording carefully, "I believe he cares for his district partner, too. They seemed close."

Clemmie nods. Yesterday, almost everyone swarmed Junia and Coriolanus during their lunch break. So much so, she decided against asking any questions until things quietened down a bit after seeing Junia's overwhelmed expression.

"I just hope he'll talk to me," Lyssie voices her concerns. The questionnaire feels heavy in her bag all of a sudden. She sighs, "I'm thinking of visiting him during our lunch break later. Do you think that might help him trust me a bit more?"

"Just ask June," Clemmie says with a smile, "she looks less stressed than usual, don't you think?"

Junia laughs, "I'm right here, you know?" She shakes her head. But yes, you're not wrong. The headstart helped."

Quietly, she goes on, "I hope."

"And there's the anxiety," Clemmie remarks teasingly.

Lyssie shakes her head. "You'll be okay, I'm sure."

As for herself, she's still a little bit uncertain. But she fully trusts Junia and knows her friend wouldn't lie to her. Not to mention the fact that she caught a glimpse of Jessup on TV the previous evening and noticed his demeanor hasn't changed much since the reaping. He seems like the quiet type but, to her, that's a lot less intimidating than someone with a temper.

Finally, they approach the heavy door in front of the hall which the tributes are currently in. The chattering quietens down and Dean Highbottom opens the door, stepping inside first with the mentors following closely behind in pairs of two.

Lyssie and Junia exchange a look as they step through the door, walking off to the side as they're greeted with the sight of the hall.

There's twenty-four tables, two chairs at each of them. The tributes are already there, sitting on the chairs and eyeing everything. Some of them don't and keep their heads down, however, Junia feels a strange sense of relief at the sight of Treech. They briefly make eye contact but before she can raise her hand in greeting, Highbottom's voice cuts in and she winces.

"Remember, you only have fifteen minutes so use your time wisely," he says, his voice almost booming in the almost empty space of the hall. "Perhaps you'd be better off finding your tributes and starting instead of eyeballing them. You want to complete the paperwork to the best of your ability, don't you?"

It's now that Junia realizes her classmates are really more nervous than they look. Aside from her, her brother and Coriolanus, she senses most of them have tensed up.

For once, she's one of the calmer ones. And it feels so good, she almost doesn't care about the scolding she received from her parents anymore. Almost.

"Good luck," she whispers to Lyssie and is, next to Festus and Coriolanus, one of the first to start moving.

Thankfully, the tributes are sorted by district which makes things considerably easier for those mentors who haven't met their tributes yet. She only slows down slightly so as to not appear too eager, but she's able to pass it off well when she realizes she's next to Pup Harrington, Lamina's mentor.