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08. the questionnaire
"What do you think, June?"
It's Lysistrata's voice that snaps the girl out of her thoughts. Junia lifts her head in surprise, looking to her left where her friend is walking alongside her.
Sensing she wasn't listening, Lyssie elaborates. "I was wondering what you thought about the things we discussed earlier," she says, "about what Festus suggested specifically."
Junia grimaces. They spent the last seminar brainstorming ideas on how to raise viewership for the Hunger Games again. Apparently, even though Coriolanus and Clemensia are expected to hand in their own thoughts soon, the faculty deemed the topic so important they wanted all of the mentors to discuss it.
She doesn't think she'll be able to forget that smug look on Coriolanus' face when Professor Demigloss announced the topic of discussion either.
Junia thinks it's sickening but hasn't made an effort to participate. That also explains why Lyssie is questioning her now, especially as both girls have silently shared their discomfort regarding the Games before.
And now that they're on the way to the first official meeting with the tributes in the Academy, everyone is talking. Most of her classmates seem nervous, she notes, and she can't help but feel a bit of anxiety as well.
"What, executing people if they don't want to watch?" Junia repeats Festus' idea from the seminar. "I don't know, I think that's impossible to keep track of. And besides, it's like Clemmie said: no one wants to watch it anymore because it's horrible."
"I know that," Lyssie says in the same quiet tone. It's not that she's afraid to voice her opinion, it's just that she doesn't want to risk starting the discussion all over again. More quietly, she adds, "Perhaps the dean is right and the Games are dying out. But maybe that's for the better."
With the ideas Coriolanus pitched, she's not so sure anymore. It all seems too complicated to implement at the very last minute, however, the Games are still a few days away. There's no telling how quickly the Capitol is willing to act if it means more people will be tuning in.
Junia nods. She looks over again, seeing how the girl plays with her fingers. "Are you nervous to meet Jessup?" she asks. "I don't think you have to be. I thought he seemed rather timid."
"How about my tribute?" Junia is surprised when Clemmie appears on her right, walking slightly faster since she previously left her discussion with Gaius Breen. "Reaper, right? Is there anything you can tell me about him?"
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.
"Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" she asks quietly.
He nods. Pup doesn't seem nervous as he fixes the top button of his uniform and eyes the girl next to him, "I know, I know. Be patient, she's scared." He sounds more like a child repeating a rule given to him by his parents than anything. "And don't look annoyed if she's crying again, it'll only make things worse."
Junia gives his shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "You got this," she says quietly but with genuine trust in her brother's friend. It's not that her and Pup aren't friends, he's just closer with Cas. But she still holds more trust in him than some of the other mentors.
When she reaches the table Treech is sitting at, she takes note of Arachne walking towards Brandy's table with a swagger in her step and sighs, shaking her head. Whatever conversation they're about to have, she's almost relieved to know she's sitting too far away to hear any of it.
Well, she won't hear Brandy. With Arachne, you never know. She could sing without a microphone and all of Panem would hear her.
She catches a brief glimpse of Cas and Lyssie talking to each other as they walk past the other tables. Whatever he's saying, it seems to be working because her friend seems a lot more relaxed than previously.
"Hey," she greets Treech with a smile, sitting down across from him. "How are you?"
"Fine. My back hurts a little bit though," he says and as if to put an emphasis on his words, he rolls his shoulder. "And this," he raises both of his hands, showing her the shackles around his wrists, "is kind of annoying. But other than that, peachy."
Junia frowns. Even though she wanted to give him something to eat and drink before starting the interview, she decides to inspect the shackles more closely first, slightly leaning over the table. They don't appear to be too tight but there's still something dehumanizing about it that makes her feel uneasy. The chains attached to the shackles aren't very long but not short either, reaching to the concrete weight.
She shakes her head when she notices his ankles are shackled as well. "Excuse me for a second," she says and when he doesn't reply, she gets up and carefully approaches one of the Peacekeepers guarding the place.
It seems a bit excessive though. The tributes are already in shackles, it's not like they have any room to run either. And she doubts any of them would think of attacking their mentor, too.
"Excuse me," she says, catching the man's attention. He's significantly taller and older than her, his gaze hard when he looks down at her. "I was just wondering if it's possible to remove the shackles?" she asks and gestures towards Treech who's watching her. "I don't think they'll be necessary."
When the man simply shakes his head sharply, she narrows her eyes but decides to drop it. "Okay, thank you. Just checking."
"Thank you?" What am I thanking him for?, Junia thinks and scoffs as she walks back to her seat and Treech, More like "thanks for nothing, jerk."
"Worth a shot," Treech shrugs, not all that bothered by the shackles all of a sudden. Maybe he was just testing her, or he simply appreciates the effort anyway. He watches as she sets her bag down on her lap, "Did you bring anything?"
She smiles, "Yes, I did." She takes out the questionnaire they're supposed to fill out first, along with her pen. Then, she reaches for the wrapped up sandwiches and bottle of water at the bottom and places them on the table in front of him. When he unwraps the tinfoil, she adds, "I can't promise it'll be as good as yesterday but..."
"You made these?" Treech asks, clearly taken aback. He sees the difference, the ones from yesterday were almost overflowing with ketchup with thick slices of meat on them. This one is different ‒ it's white bread with a layer of mayonnaise on each bread, two slices of fresh tomatoes, bacon strips and lettuce. His mouth begins to water immediately and he doesn't hesitate to dig in, clearly hungry.
Junia feels a bit guilty that she hasn't been able to visit the zoo in the morning. But with how her and her brother are being driven to the Academy now, it's practically impossible. She fishes into her bag again, finding the cookies she managed to get her hands on at the last minute. Store-bought this time, she didn't have any time to bake yesterday.
"I had a bit of help with the bacon," she admits bashfully, running her thumb over her ring when he takes a bite. Somehow, she's a bit nervous to see his reaction.
What if he doesn't like it? What if he's allergic to tomatoes? No, he would've given the sandwich back to her if he was. That reminds her, she really needs to ask him about his allergies‒
"It's good," he interrupts her storm of thoughts and she smiles at the reassurance. "Really good. And fresh. Thank you."
Her cheeks feel a little bit warm now and she shifts on her seat, gently tapping her finger on another wrapped sandwich. She shows him the little drawing of a banana she made on the tinfoil to tell the sandwiches apart. "This one has peanut butter, banana and honey on it," she explains, "I didn't know what you liked so I thought I'd just bring whatever I think is good."
"You have good taste. I don't think I've had a banana in... a very long time," he says
She's both surprised and yet not at all when he takes the uneaten sandwich and leans over, placing it on the table Lamina is sitting at. She looks over in surprise, wiping at her cheeks and Junia frowns when she notices she's crying again. She must be terribly frightened, being taken to the Academy like that. Junia doubts they were gentle with the tributes this time around either.
She had hoped telling her what would happen would ease Lamina' anxiety at least a little bit, but she finds herself comforted by the fact that Pup has a relatively neutral expression on her face. Apparently talking to him has helped a little bit. Still, she sees him tapping his foot under the table at the same pace Lamina is bouncing her leg.
"Eat," Treech says with a subtle nod when he sees her eyeing the tinfoil wrap hesitantly. "June made it. It's safe," he reassures his district partner.
Somehow, Junia feels incredibly touched to hear that. Pup shoots her a look when he sees her visibly blinking back tears. At this point, he's worried he'll need to bring a few spares for the next time they meet for an interview.
"Are you crying?" he questions quietly, raising one of his eyebrows.
"Just had something in my eye," she quickly says and manages to compose herself.
Still, the warm feeling in her chest doesn't subside when she looks back at Treech who's on his second sandwich. He trusts her. At least enough for him to accept food and water from her. It's a nice sentiment, one she could get used to. She doesn't really feel all that appreciated by anyone who isn't family most of the time so this is a nice, comforting change of pace.
"Are you not going to eat?" Treech questions and she sees him pointing at the cookies.
"I will when I'm done," she replies, glancing down at the questionnaire.
"So, uhm," she says, trying to catch Treech's attention when she grabs her pen. "Is it alright if we go over the questions now? Like I said yesterday, it's all basic stuff."
When he takes another bite out of the sandwich and nods, Junia clears her throat and skims over the questionnaire. "Alright, let's see here," she mumbles and looks up at him. "Okay, do you mind telling me your last name?"
"Catalpa," he says and she almost thinks she misheard. Seeing her hesitation, he goes on, "With a C."
"Like the tree?" she questions with her eyebrows raised and he shrugs. She begins writing the name down. "Do you have a second name?"
"No, just Treech," he replies, "you?"
"Yeah, I do, actually. That's why I asked," Junia says, "it's Iaso."
She can see him thinking for a moment as he chews. Then, he swallows and furrows his brows. "That's so... Capitol," he mutters and she has to stifle a laugh. "Does it have a meaning?"
Junia nods, "My mother says she took our second names from gods and goddesses of an ancient civilization. Apparently Iaso was the goddess of recuperation from illness," she explains and watches as his eyebrows knit further. She laughs. "You're right, that's awfully Capitol."
He laughs as well and takes a glance at the questionnaire himself. It's hard to read it upside down, even though he'd probably take a lot longer to read it than she does if it was turned towards him. Something about it seems to catch his attention though.
"That's fancy, too," he comments. When Junia looks up at him in confusion, he explains, "your handwriting. Look at all those loops."
Another laugh escapes Junia and she shakes her head. "It's just the basic handwriting we were taught," she explains. She tilts her head to the side. "Is that not how you guys are taught to write in the districts?"
"Not that I remember, no," he says. "Been a while since I went to school."
She nods and decides to bring that up again when they get to the other questions.
The next few questions are also pretty basic stuff, just like she expected. District address, hair and eye colors, disabilities, height and weight (for weight she has to improvise and take an educated guess since he doesn't know it himself).
She also finds out that, apparently, they're the same age. It does something strange to her, knowing they're both 18 years old and while he might not live to see his next birthday, she's very likely to live a long and healthy life. She has to take a deep breath and pushes the thought aside, deciding to forget about this until she's alone. It won't do anyone any good if she really does end up crying. She doesn't want to make it awkward.
Then things get a bit more personal, the questionnaire asks about the tribute's families.
"Well, my parents," Treech says, "and my siblings."
As she begins to write it down, her gaze flickers up to him briefly. "No, go on," she encourages him softly. "How many siblings do you have?"
"Seven." Junia almost stops writing when she hears that and he chuckles when her eyes widen. "What?"
"Nothing," she quickly says, not wanting to offend him. "It's just... you know. More than I expected."
Treech remembers what she told him yesterday. "You have a brother, right? The guy that's talking to the girl from Nine?" he asks and she nods. "Just the two of you? That sounds like it gets boring real quick."
"Oh, you have no idea," she mumbles. But then she realizes he's missing someone. "Actually, there's three of us. We have a little brother, too, Max."
"And three children isn't a lot for Capitol standards?"
She raises her hands defensively, realizing he's probably right, and can't shake off the smile when he goes on to tell her the names of his siblings. Not many of her classmates even have siblings, now that she thinks about it.
Apparently Treech is almost right in the middle, too. He has two older brothers, one older sister, then it's him, three younger brothers and one younger sister who is the youngest. She doesn't miss the way his eyes both light up and sadden as he begins to talk about them. He speaks very fondly of them, so much so it makes her heart ache for him.
And apparently his brothers are already married, one even has a daughter. Treech is an uncle - she finds that both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
Junia knows Cas and Max will be at home with her when she falls asleep at night. And now Treech is far away from his own siblings who probably don't even know for sure if he's still alive. She doesn't know how well the Games are currently being covered in the districts either. Especially because, unlike here in the Capitol, the people in the districts might not even have TVs. And if so, only rich people.
She needs to bite her tongue so as to not burst into tears. She didn't think filling out the questionnaire would make her this emotional, but it is. Her chest begins to feel heavy but she doesn't have the heart to interrupt him either.
Truth be told, Treech doesn't know why he's going into detail with this either. It wasn't even on the questionnaire but she allows him to ramble for a minute or two and he can tell from the way she begins looking more and more conflicted that she's listening, too.
He doesn't like seeing her like that. For some reason, he realizes he likes it more when she smiles at him. That's why he stops himself from telling her another little story, making a gesture with his hand that tells her it's okay to move on to the next question.
Looking down at the paper, Junia reads the next question twice. Again, she's a bit dumbfounded but then remembers her father telling her it's not uncommon for people in the districts to marry early.
"Are you married?" she asks and almost regrets it when his lips pull into a smirk.
"Why?" he asks, reaching for the hand that's holding the pen. When she doesn't flinch away, he runs his finger over the emerald of the ring she's wearing. "Are you trying to give this to me for real?"
Knowing he's adding more fuel to the fire, his smirk widens. "You know, my mom always says I'd be a good husband," he adds.
In an instant, Junia's cheeks turn a deep shade of red. She can only hope her brother isn't looking over at this very moment but she can feel the way Pup's eyes are burning into her face from the side. And that's already enough. He'll definitely tell Cas and then he will never let her live it down.
Perfect, she thinks. Just what I needed.
"I-It's just a question on here!" she manages to squeak out and resists the urge to bury her face in her hands. "I‒"
"I'm just messing with you," he quickly says, though the teasing glint in his eyes doesn't fade completely. He lets his hand rest over hers for a moment, quietly admiring how soft it feels, before he pulls away. His touch lingers. "You look like a tomato. Want some water? It'll cool you down."
"I'm fine," she quickly says and shakes her head. Taking a deep breath, she decides to take his teasing as a clear "no" to the marriage question.
He must feel pretty comfortable around her if he teases her like that. She's not too sure if that's good or bad because it does take a moment for her poor heartbeat to go back to its usual pace.
"You know, I bet someone like you already has her husband picked out for her," Treech says, "I mean, that's how I imagine it at least. Or you know who you're gonna end up marrying."
That makes her think for a moment. Does she? Well, if it were up to her, she'd marry Sejanus in a heartbeat. It's not that she has any romantic feelings for him but she'd rather spend the rest of her life with her best friend than someone she can barely tolerate. Her parents might not approve, though.
Next on their list might be Hilarius Heavensbee, her brother's friend. Mainly due to his status, she'd assume. It could work, she wouldn't be miserable. The same would be the case if ended up marrying Pup. Then there's Festus but he clearly likes Persephone. Coriolanus is out of the question for her. Her parents would be overjoyed if she married Felix Ravinstill for sure, with him being the president's son and all.
There could be worse options. But if the choice will be left up to her, she'd ask Sejanus without hesitation. He doesn't have his eyes set on anyone as far as she knows - it'd save them both a lot of trouble.
When she shakes her head, it catches his attention. "Really?" he asks and rests his elbows on the table, leaning in subtly to take a closer look at her face. Then, he waves it off.
"You'll be fine," he concludes, "you're a pretty girl."
She tries to ignore the strange fluttering in her chest but fails miserably. At least her cheeks only turn slightly red this time but she still finds it hard to look back up at him now.
It's a nice feeling, though. People in the Capitol, her friends aside, don't just give out compliments like that. Maybe that's part of the reason why she finds herself a bit tongue-tied as well, unable to tell him that, truthfully, she thinks he's good-looking, too.
Another reason might be Pup, who's sitting next to her and is still trying to get Lamina to speak, since he wouldn't pass up on an opportunity to give her brother something to tease her about. And perhaps it's Highbottom, who's walking around and observing everything closely, she doesn't really want him hearing about it either.
She'll tell him another time. Maybe. If she can gather her courage, that is.
As if on cue, Treech's voice snaps her out of her little monologue.
"By the way, what's his deal?"
The question catches her off-guard and she glances over her shoulder to see what he might be talking about. When she sees the dean walking up and down, a vial of what she can only assume is morphling in his hands, she sighs and turns back to him.
"Morphling," she says a bit more quietly, "My guess is he's coping that way."
Treech grunts, unsure how to feel about that answer. "Coping?" he questions.
"You don't know?" Junia asks. She waits until Highbottom is out of earshot to go on, lowering her voice. "He's the whole reason this is happening in the first place," she whispers, "he created the Games."
She can tell he's looking at the man in a different light now. Then again, she swears he almost looks pitiful for a moment when he eyes Highbottom's physical state.
"Maybe he should've picked another job," Treech concludes grimly.
Junia pauses for a moment before she glances down at the paper. Then, she almost has to laugh. "Huh," she says. "Well, while we're on the topic, you mentioned you haven't been to school in a while. What do you do then?"
"Logging. Like most of us," he replies and shrugs. "It's where I met Lamina, too."
She nods and writes it down, seeing that Pup is doing the same thing out of the corner of her eyes. His questionnaire is almost completely empty.
Junia can't help but wonder if things would be different if she didn't have the advantage of meeting Treech before they were officially allowed to. She glances over at her brother and sees him nodding, writing something down before he looks back at his tribute. It seems Sheaf is talking, too, holding one of the sandwiches Cas brought her in her hand.
"What about you?" Treech then asks. He watches her write everything down in that neat handwriting of hers and can't help but be curious. "You're done here soon, right? What are you going to do?"
"Something in the medical field, I think. That's what most of us do," she says, "aybe in the pharmaceutical industry, like my grandmother. Or I'll just become a doctor like my father."
But she'll never, ever work for Dr. Gaul. She'd rather cut off her own leg.
"Sounds hard," Treech mumbles. "You must be smart if you think of doing something like that."
Junia shrugs. "I wouldn't say I'm the smartest person here," she says. "But also probably not the dumbest."
Treech laughs.
When Junia looks around more though, she sees most mentors are in a situation like Pup. Arachne, however, is almost looking a little bit green. Whatever her tribute is saying, it's not sounding pretty. Then there's Festus who seems to be talking Coral's ears off, Persephone who's trying to coax some answers out of Mizzen, and Clemmie who seems to be trying to do the same thing with Reaper, albeit a bit more hesitantly.
Coriolanus and Lucy Gray seem to be chatting just fine which hardly surprises Junia. She expects his questionnaire to be completed, too. Lyssie is talking to Jessup, her hand placed on his arm. He nods at something she's saying but seems hesitant to speak. Felix is trying to get Dill to talk but she's coughing heavily. Even if she wanted to, it seems talking would probably be hard for her anyway. Hilarius is listening to Wovey but he's not writing anything either.
And then, last but not least, there's Sejanus. Junia's heart sinks in her chest when she sees the untouched food on the table between him and Marcus and she doesn't need to hear what he's saying to know he must be pleading, begging his former friend to talk to him.
Her silence doesn't go unnoticed by Treech either and honestly, he's beginning to feel a bit restless.
He clears his throat. "What are you looking at?"
Junia hesitates for a moment before she decides to reply. "My friend Sejanus. Over there," she gently nods in the direction and Treech turns as well.
"Oh yeah, I remember him," he says. "He was at the zoo, too. With your brother and that blonde Cor-whatever guy."
She doesn't bother to correct him on Coriolanus' name but her lips visibly quirk up anyway. "Well, yeah," she says a bit more somberly, "you see, Sejanus was born in District 2. He knows Marcus personally."
Treech pauses, almost thinking he's hearing things. "He was born in Two? How'd he get in here?" When he sees the look on his mentor's face, he heaves a sigh. "Of course. Money," he almost spits the last word onto the table.
"Yeah, I know. It's a bit complicated. But he's my best friend and I...," Junia says and puts her pen down. Just the thought of being in Sejanus' shoes right now makes her feel incredibly tired. She rubs at one of her eyes and stifles a yawn. "Sorry. I don't know why I'm telling you this anyway."
He hums. He tries to think of something, anything, to say, to get her to talk some more but nothing really comes to mind.
At last, he decides for something easier. Something to lift her spirits. "You said you have two brothers, right?" When he realizes he has her attention, he grins. "I got five of them. Wanna bet I have it worse?"
She lights up, her hand reaching for the cookies on the table. Somehow, that makes him feel like he did something right.
Even though she doesn't doubt it, she smiles and takes the bait anyway when she begins talking about the things her brothers get up to, Treech doing the same thing in return.
She likes talking to him more than she thought she would. They have their differences, undoubtedly, but in those moments they're just two children who love their siblings very much.
Junia makes a silent promise to herself, too. Treech needs to make it home. He needs to go back to his family.
She just needs to figure out if there's anything she can do to make it happen.
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you never thought you'd get attached,
did you?
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heyyy!!! <3
more treech and june! i was kicking my feet a little bit when i wrote the part with the marriage question tbh, he really went IN lol no shame (good, as he should!)
good news is there's more treech next chapter too!! gotta make use of the easy access to the zoo before SOMEONE gets herself killed and ruins it for everyone (looking at you, arachne)
oh and some lyssie too! i loved her in the book so i'll make her show up more too. in general, i'll try to bring up the other mentors as well, they're so interesting. ik it's not the main focus but i just find them rlly interesting so bear w me here lmao
anyway i hope you enjoyed this chapter!! flirt talk and stuff like that isn't one of my top skills but yk. i hope treech has enough rizz anyway (it'd work on me) and if not, he'll def turn it up over the course of the story too
again, memes!!