𝙷𝙾𝚄𝚂𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚁𝙾𝚂𝙴𝚂 | 𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝙾𝚍𝚊𝚒𝚛

𝙴𝙻𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽

Rebellions in the districts.

Valeria couldn't help the shock that spread across her face at the news as she made her way back home. She had abandoned her heels a block ago, opting to carry the horrendous things instead of continuing her suffering. Her attention was much more focused on her phone instead of the harsh concrete against her bare feet.

She shouldn't have been that surprised, the twelve-year-old from District 11 had been killed earlier that morning. The news still made her sick as she remembered the moans and shrugs from the people around her when it happened.

"I didn't even get to send her candy," one of them had said as Valeria could only pretend to laugh and play along. 

Katniss Everdeen had only fueled the fire. The flowers were a nice touch, a soft innocence despite the circumstances in the arena. While Valeria was sure the girl didn't mean to, her actions only served to fuel the resistance in the districts. 

Her grandfather was surely not happy about it, and that fact made Valeria a little smug. 

It was quickly replaced by the thought that Katniss Everdeen probably wouldn't last much longer. The gamemakers had surely been told to extinguish the spark as fast as possible, and that spark happened to be a small girl from District 12. 

Valeria tried not to let the thought bring her down. She was after all, just another tribute lost to the games, but Valeria had been holding out hope for an underdog that year. Perhaps Enobaria had been right, and it would be another District 2 win that year.

The door creaked as she opened it and slipped inside, tossing her shoes to the side as she leaned against the door with a heavy sigh. The smell of seafood reached her nose as Valeria pushed herself away from the door, making her way into her apartment unsurprised to find a somewhat familiar blonde waiting for her. What did surprise her was the food laid out on the table as it appeared Finnick was cleaning up his dishes. 

"What is this?" Valeria eyed to scene suspiciously as Finnick turned to find the tired Snow standing in the middle of the apartment. He smirked at the incredulous look on her face, as if she thought she was hallucinating.

"I figured you might be hungry when you came back. It's fresh salmon from back home," Finnick explained as his smirk dropped into something a bit more genuine. "To thank you for allowing me to stay."

Valeria's eyes swept over the food once more before her eyes met his.

"I don't eat fish," Valeria deadpanned, watching the expression drop from his face. "And I already ate tonight."

She dropped her purse onto the chair as she glanced around the kitchen with a sigh.

"You can sleep on the couch again," Valeria muttered as she went to grab the blanket from the closet. "Clean up your mess before you leave in the morning."

She dumped the blanket on the couch before heading back to her room, shutting the door firmly behind her to leave a flabbergasted Victor alone in her kitchen. If he wasn't so indebted to her, Finnick would almost be furious by the way she was treating him. After all the effort he made cooking dinner for her, only to dismiss him so callously.

"She could have at least tried some," Finnick muttered as he glanced at the uneaten food on the table that was getting cold. 

It would be a waste to throw it away and even though he had already eaten, Finnick cleaned the plate of any remains. He finished cleaning up before heading to the couch, sitting down as he stared out the wide window giving him a view of the city. The lights were still bright, an array of colors as people continued to party despite how late it was getting.

Celebrating the games.

The thought made him sick as he remembered his own games that came back in nightmares. He tried not to let his mind think about it too much as he pulled himself under the covers, his head hitting the pillows as he became grateful for the free night despite his unwelcome host. 

Finnick's eyes traveled to the shut door for only a moment, hating that he was indebted to someone like the president's granddaughter who was just as rude and spoiled as he had imagined. He sighed as he felt his eyelids droop, exhausted after a long day in the Capitol, and soon found himself drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

He made sure he was gone before Valeria woke the next morning, leaving nothing behind that would indicate the District 4 Victor had ever been there.