Ocie guides me to my room, but makes sure to keep her distance.
"Anything in the here is at your disposal. There are clothes in the drawer that should be to your liking. Dinner will be served promptly in 30 minutes. Don't be late."
I force a smile, "Thank you."
She nods curtly before leaving me alone in the large and luxurious room. Though the bed is massive, it doesn't even take up a third of the room. There are is a long dresser against the wall across the bed. It has a variety of perfumes and other fragrances scattered across the top. The drawers are full of clean, new clothes in every color and style.
On the wall adjacent to the door, there's a vanity with a plush chair, a basket of skin and hair care products, and a hairbrush. Next to the vanity is a full length mirror and a rack of shoes.
The room even has its own bathroom attached. The shower is three times as big as my shower at home, and there's a tub with jets.
On the counter next to the sink, there's a basket of bath salts and an array of shampoos and soaps. Though it all seems a bit excessive, especially for a train, I'm not going to complain.
After dinner, I'm going to take the longest, hottest shower of my life. Maybe I can scald the worries of today away.
I sigh and walk back into the main room before lying face down on the bed. 30 minutes isn't really much time to get ready, but then again I don't really care. All I really want to do is rest my eyes for a bit.
After what feels like no time at all, someone taps my back. I look up and see a girl with short, bright red hair and big eyes so dark they almost look black staring back at me.
"What's wrong?" I ask blearily.
She doesn't say a word, she just walks over to the dresser and begins pulling out clothes.
She must be an avox.
"Are you here to help me get ready?" I ask.
She nods and looks down and the clothes before looking back at me quizzically.
"Anything yellow?" I offer.
She nods and pulls out a gorgeous yellow and orange satin dress that's somehow both classy and casual.
"That's beautiful." I marvel.
She smiles and motions for me to take off my reaping dress so I can put it on.
"Did they really cut your tongue out?" The question slips from my lips before I have a chance to think it, and I'm horrified I asked, "That was rude, I'm very sorry."
She shakes her head and gives me a look that says don't worry about it, but I still feel bad.
"I'm sorry." I repeat more quietly.
She holds out the dress for me to step into and then ties the ribbon in the back.
"Does it look alright?" I ask.
She smiles and nods before pointing to the shoes.
"Oh, just anything is alright."
She glances down at my feet and selects a pair of brown sandals from the rack. They're embellished with small gemstones, and they look like real they're made from real leather.
"Why do they give us such nice things if we're going to die in a week?"
She shrugs and slips the shoes on my feet.
"Thank you for helping, you didn't have to." I tell her.
She waves dismissively at me and I realize she really did have to. Not because of me, but because she's become an unwilling puppet of the capital.
~~~
Ocie turns off the tv and happily takes another bite of her roasted quail, "I think you two are the best pair this year."
"That girl from district 1, Emma, seemed to be.... not in her right mind." I observe. Emma, what a weird name.
Ocie shrugs lightly, "She'll either be an easy kill or good entertainment."
Gideon just grunts. I'm not sure he's said a word the entire time we've been on the train, or ever for that matter.
"Seems like plenty tributes you won't even have to worry about." She giggles, "Half of those kids were crying when they got on stage."
I scowl at her. I catch Finnick doing the same for a moment, but it goes to his neutral expression almost as quickly as it came. Did I imagine it?
"Seems like a young group this year." Gideon states gruffly.
Ocie raises a brow, "Is that going to be a problem?"
"Not for me." Gideon says casting a sideways glance at me.
"I know what I volunteered for." I retort.
"Then we don't have a problem.....yet."
"Is that a threat?"
"Could someone please pass the potatoes?" Ocie's nasally voice calls over us. I swear, I'd go to the arena right now just to never have to hear it again.
Finnick slides the dish over to her.
She smiles at him and flutters her obnoxiously long, thick lashes, "You've barely said a word since we've gotten on the train! How are you feeling Mr. Odair?"
Is she flirting with him?
"Maybe if you talked less I could have gotten a thought in." He replies without so much as a moments hesitation.
Her jaw drops, and I try to cover my snicker with a cough.
"My apologies, I didn't realize I went on so much." She says coldly.
"No, I'm sorry." He says with a charming smile, "I guess the games just have me on edge."
She seems to buy his obviously insincere apology and returns to ogling him, "I can only imagine how hard it is to be a mentor."
"You're such an empathetic person." His tone drips with false pleasantry.
"I always have been." She answers, not catching on, "I just really feel for people."
Finnick face twitches into a smile and Gideon lets out a small, humorless laugh.
"What?" Ocie squawks.
"Oh nothing, you're just so different from everyone in the districts." I say, trying to make it sound like a compliment.
"Refined." Finnick says paradoxically before offering her a confident wink. Somehow, in some ways, the people from the capital are even more crude than we are.
YOU ARE READING
For Her
Fanfiction"why'd you volunteer?" He hums. My eyes lock with his, "For her." Thea had never planned on participating in the 70th Hunger Games. After all, it was her last reaping; and if her one and only name in the drawing had been selected she knew her sist...
