One Lucky Winner

Chapter 25 ~ Katniss

I open my eyes and see the sun peeking through the curtains of my window. One thought has dominated my mind: The games start today. My second time in the games. The Hunger Games round two.

They start at five PM, which means we need to be in the hovercraft by three, which also means I don't need to get up until...well, whenever I want.

I prop myself up on my elbow and look at my alarm clock on my nightstand. 9:30. Late enough. I decide to get up.

I went to bed at 10 last night, which means I got almost 12 hours of sleep. All that and I'm still extremely tired with a bad headache. How can that even be?

I walk out of my room, still in my pajamas, and go to the kitchen. Peeta is sitting at the table, eating breakfast. He's already dressed and showered. He looks all ready and I'm still in my pajamas. I really hate when people get up before me.

I approach him and sit down next to him.

"Hey," he says to me.

"Hey," I say, grabbing a glass pitcher of orange juice and pouring myself a cup. "Is Gale still sleeping?"

"No. He just left breakfast to get dressed," Peeta says.

I almost groan. Gale got up before me too? Why couldn't I have woken up earlier?

A moment later, Gale walks out of the hallway.

"Hey," he says to me. I notice what he's wearing: black pants and a hunter green long sleeve.

"Is that what Cinna gave you last night? To wear in the games?" I ask.

"Yeah. There's a jacket, a coat, and thicker pants, too," Gale says.

"Great," I say sarcastically. I look at Peeta's outfit, which is completely different styles and colors.

"So we don't wear the same thing this year," Peeta states, saying what I was thinking.

"I guess not," I say, looking at Gale again. I'm glad everyone doesn't have to wear the same thing this year. I hated that last year.

The rest of the day drags. I'm obviously in a bad mood, so I just walk around the living quarter. I sit in my room a while, thinking that this is one of the last times ever being in it. I brush my teeth and brush my hair, thinking that this is the last time doing those things. I mostly sulk all day, just kind of wandering around while Peeta and Gale watch TV.

At 2:30, I realize I'm still in my pajamas. I get up from my chair and go down the hallway into my room.

I close the door and pick up the pile of clothes Cinna gave me last night. I was too tired to look at what they were, so I just set them on the floor last night. Now, I closely examine my outfit, unfolding each piece. It's layers, I notice. Lots of layers, which makes me nervous. The arena is probably going to be cold. There's two layers of pants; the inner layer is dark green and lined with fleece, and I'm extremely hot only after wearing them for 40 seconds. The outer layer looks like snow pants. For shirts, I have a thin undershirt, a regular long sleeve shirt, a jacket, and a huge two-layer winter coat. I don't even put on the winter coat or the jacket; I'm sweltering without it already.

I put on the boots that are there for me, and then I grab my jacket and the winter coat and head out to the living room.

"I'm hot," I complain, rolling my sleeves up. I look up and notice Haymitch is here. He's sitting on the couch, Peeta and Gale are, too.