𝙷𝙾𝚄𝚂𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚁𝙾𝚂𝙴𝚂 | 𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝙾𝚍𝚊𝚒𝚛

𝙵𝙾𝚄𝚁𝚃𝙴𝙴𝙽

It didn't take long for Valeria to find her sister, the young Snow was surrounded by all her classmates as she released a loud laugh.

When she went to greet her sister, Valeria found herself swept away by the parents of her sister's friend. She tried to hide her annoyance at their pestering as they clamored for her attention, knowing she could find her sister later. The parents were more talkative than usual, no doubt due to the guest Valeria had brought that night. 

Finnick seemed to be an even hotter commodity in the Capitol than Valeria, the parents fawning over them as every question aimed at her seemed to be about the Victor. Valeria didn't mind it, in fact, she rather enjoyed it as she made up how they met and how their courtship was going. All lies of course, but they didn't know that. It gave Valeria some sort of entertainment to fill the usual dreary conversations of the games.

Her eyes glanced up at the clock every few minutes, something unnoticed by the guests despite their infatuation with her. It wasn't until Finnick finally pulled her away, claiming they were going to grab a quick snack before returning, that Valeria was able to catch her breath. 

"What's this about us meeting after I sent you a love letter?" Finnick's question brought a smirk to Valeria's face as they approached the food table.

"Don't you worry your darling little head about it, pretty boy," Valeria teased as she leaned her back against the table, eyes wandering over the party before they landed on her younger sister. She seemed to be having a blast, shrieking as her friends seemed to be playing some sort of game.

A different movement caught her eye as she caught her grandfather rushing out the side door followed by several peacekeepers. She tried to look away quickly, but could see Finnick had also seen it. Valeria knew what it meant. The mission was underway. She could only pretend to be oblivious and hoped it had been successful. 

"Have you ever tried watermelon before?" Valeria turned towards to table, catching Finnick off guard as his eyes returned to her. "I know you don't have them in four, which is a shame really. They're Cassia's favorite."

Valeria held out a slide of watermelon for Finnick, who took it rather hesitantly as she smiled perhaps a little too brightly at him. Maybe she would have to take it down a notch. Being overly friendly with the Capitol was usual, but Finnick was different. 

Her phone went off as she reached into the pockets Tigris had sewn into the dress. Her eyes scanned over her screen, unsurprised to find a text from her grandfather asking her to keep the party going as there was a situation that called his attention away. 

"Everything alright?" Valeria glanced up from her phone, pulling it closer to her chest as she realized Finnick was still next to her. 

Another buzz pulled her attention back to the screen, where she felt the corners of her mouth drop without realizing it. Heavensbee wasn't supposed to text her at that number, ever. 

The package was lost on the way to delivery.

Valeria felt her heart pick up and her mind raced at the words. They had lost the man they were supposed to rescue. Her grip tightened around her phone as she realized what the text meant, questioning how they managed to lose track of a whole person. She couldn't think straight as she tried to deduce where the rebel man would have run off to.

His family was dead, there was no one else to turn to-

"Valeria?" Finnick's words seemed like an echo in the distance as she looked up from her phone to survey the room franticly.

His family was dead.

Her eyes landed on her sister, who had made her way over to the table full of presents by herself as she sat down on the couch. Valeria's feet moved before her mind even processed what she was doing, leaving behind a confused and slightly concerned Victor behind.

"Cassia, we need to go," Valeria was at her sister's side within seconds, startling Cassia as she sent her a confused look. 

"Leave?" Cassia didn't seem to understand the urgency as she shook her sister off and stood up from the couch. "The party isn't even over yet."

"Cassia-" Valeria wasn't in the mood to argue as her sister began walking away from her, and she clenched her teeth in irritation. 

She saw him in the corner of her eye, his familiar red hair was a dead giveaway as he entered from the side door with a gun pointed at Cassia's direction. A daughter for a daughter, Valeria supposed that was what he was thinking when he pulled the trigger. 

Valeria wasn't sure how she ended up on the ground, covering her sister with her whole body as screeches filled the room. Her sister's body trembled beneath her as Valeria released her own shaky breath.

"When I get up, I need you to run," Valeria ordered her sister as people trampled around the room as they searched for an exit, giving them only a few extra seconds to act before the man got through the panicked crowd to them. "Do you understand me, Cassia?"

Cassia whimpered but shook her head nonetheless.

"Good," Valeria nodded as she lifted her head from behind the couch to see where the escaped rebel was. Too close for comfort was the answer. "Go, now."

She rolled onto her feet, hoping by the clamoring of footsteps that Cassia had begun running away as the man emerged from the crowd with gun pointed high. He seemed only focused on Cassia, surprised when Valeria stepped in his point of view to block the twelve year old girl running away.

Valeria tried not to let her fear show as she stared down the barrel of the gun, her fingernails digging into her skin to keep her composure. The rebel, Julio, seemed to realize his plan had gone terribly sideways as his target got away, the doors slamming open for peacekeepers to enter. He was quick, Valeria had to give him that, and much stronger than her as he grabbed her harshly before pulling her into his body with the cool metal clutched against her skin.

Her breath hitched as she reached up to grab his arm to get him off, only to stop when he pushed the barrel of the gun harder into her head. 

"Stay back," he threatened the peacekeepers, who had paused when they realized the situation. "I'll shoot her."

Valeria cursed in her head as she analyzed the situation, trying to force herself not to panic at the predicament she found herself in. Any hope of rescuing Julio was gone, replaced with how she was going to recover this mess. If only he hadn't let his emotions get the best of him.

"You don't want to do this," Valeria started, pausing when his grip tightened, enough to cut some of her airway off.

"Shut up!" He hissed into her ear, the panic clear in his voice. He knew there was no way out of it, even with her life on the line. Her grandfather would never let him live after that. The only question was how much torture he would be put through first.

"Please, Julio," Valeria whispered so only he could hear, his body freezing at his name leaving her lips. "Remember who the real enemy is."

She could almost see the confusion turn into the realization as he stared down at her, the words so often repeated from behind a black mask etched into the back of his mind. The puzzle pieces that everyone had, but no one seemed to be able to put together. With one look, Valeria knew he knew. 

Bang!

Valeria felt the world ring as the sound burst her eardrum, the weight against her back dropping as a loud thud hit the ground. The world seemed to spin as someone grabbed her, stopping her from falling over as she turned around despite the person trying to stop her. 

Blood pooled around his body from the single gunshot wound self-inflicted to his head. The only way to protect the rebellion from the Capitol. Her vision became spotted as she felt her legs go numb, yet somehow she was still on her feet. She couldn't think straight, could even feel straight. She didn't know anything except for two things.

Whatever information he had for the rebellion had died with him.

But so did his knowledge of who the Jabberjay truly was.