Straight to Hell ▹The Hunger Games

THIRTEEN- WINONA

"Hmmm," Osa muttered to herself, stretching the fabric of her arena outfit. "Spandex. Looks like you'll have a lot of movement and dexterity. Climbing, running, and- just what I thought. It's waterproof, you'll be in a wet environment."

She turned to me with a grin.

"Isn't that exciting?"

"I can't swim."

Osa blinked.

"Oh," She shrugged. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

She held up the boots.

"Climbing boots. Rainforest maybe?"

She tapped on her chin.

"There have been a few times in the past when the Arena was a combination of different environments. Maybe something mountainous, with large lakes?"

I hoped that was the case. Although I only went past the fencing once, Twelve had a lot of mountains. I could hike well.

She passes me a pair of tight socks, also waterproof, and I slip them on. They pull up to the middle of my calf and squeeze tight. They could be useful if Colt gets hurt. I could use them as a makeshift tourniquet.

She helps me into the rest of my outfit, my undergarments consisting of the thin wetsuit she had examined earlier. Over the wetsuit is a pair of green pants and a thin jacket that seemed to be made of a very strong material. I slipped into my boots and double-knotted them before tucking the extra laces into the shoes. Once again I reached for the necklace around my throat, ensuring that it was secure.

Osa turned to me with a hairbrush and quickly braided four thick braids along my scalp and down my back.

"So much hair," She muttered. "Do you ever cut it?"

"No," I responded. She sighed.

"Alright," She said. "Move around and tell me if anything fits wrong."

I did as she said, taking extra time to swing my arms and climb on a chair.

"It fits fine."

It did. It felt made for my body. It probably was. Cassius had taken my measurements when I stepped onto the train and sent them off immediately.

"Well we have about an hour before the call, do you want anything else to eat?"

I look at the feast on the table and reach for a few more pieces of turkey, forcing it down. My stomach was filled with knots and nausea had been present since I woke up, but I knew I needed the food. I needed the protein and energy if I was going to be getting Colt through the games.

The time passed in relative silence, Osa rattling on in an attempt to get me to engage, but I was worried that if I opened my mouth, I'd do something embarrassing, like vomit or cry. It wasn't until a female voice rang around the room that I finally reacted, my lip wobbling no matter how hard I tried to stop it. Osa smiled gently at me, something unrecognizable in her eyes, and grabbed my hand, leading me to the launching pad.

"You remember what Haymitch told you, right?" She asked and I nodded. She sniffled as I took my spot on the circular plate.

"Keep warm," She whimpered. "And I-"

She steeled herself, reaching up to smooth out the collar of my wetsuit.

"I will see you on the other side, okay?"