𝙷𝙾𝚄𝚂𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚁𝙾𝚂𝙴𝚂 | 𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝙾𝚍𝚊𝚒𝚛

𝙵𝙸𝙵𝚃𝙴𝙴𝙽

The person Valeria Snow acted like at the party was exactly what Finnick had expected to see the first night he met her.

She certainly knew how to keep the Capitol people entertained, going as far as to make up far-fetched stories about how they met. Finnick wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or amused by the stories she was spreading. 

When he went to go grab her for food, it was simply because he wanted a break, not that he was actually hungry. Valeria didn't seem to mind though, following him without so much as a whisper of protest. When asked about the supposed love letters Valeria was telling people he had sent her in hopes of catching her attention, she simply shrugged it off with a teasing smirk.

It only served to amuse him further. 

He would admit, it was the most fun he had at a Capitol party in a while. While they still clamored for his attention, they didn't hang off him like they usually did, most likely because he was there as the date of the president's granddaughter. That was a line even the citizens weren't willing to cross no matter how much they desired him. 

It wasn't until Valeria's smile tugged down into a worried frown that the night began to feel less fun.

"Everything alright?" He had asked her, watching her almost jump at his presence. Like she had forgotten he was there, and she was reading something he shouldn't see. It only made him more intrigued, and more worried. 

Instead of answering, she turned back to her phone at another buzz. The way her face dropped told him something was terribly wrong, especially as her eyes shot around the room franticly as she looked for something.

"Valeria-" She ran away before he could even get another word in, and he was left standing by the table with a watermelon slice in his hand like an idiot. He set the food back down on the table, wondering if he should follow as he watched the exchange between sisters. One frantic and one annoyed as Cassia tried to walk away.

The gunshot initiated his reflexes as he felt his fighting instincts kick in. He wanted to rush to the sound, as he was sure that it was in the same direction as Valeria, but was forced to back into the table in order to not be trampled by the shrieking people as they rushed for cover. It only took a few moments for the peacekeepers to rush in, blocking the exit as people clung to the side of the room in fear.

That's when he saw it, the gun pressed harshly against her face as the man shouted at the peacekeeper's to back off. The rest was a bit of a blur, and Finnick wasn't sure if what he was seeing was real of not as the two seemed to exchange words for only a brief moment before there was another gunshot. 

Seeing the man shoot himself wasn't what Finnick was expecting, but he hardly thought much about it as he rushed forward. He barely caught Valeria as she stumbled forward, clearly dazed by the encounter as she tried to twist away from Finnick's grip to no avail.

"Valeria, stop," Finnick tried to calm her down, but she twisted until her gaze was upon the dead man with blood pooling around his head. 

That's when he legs seemed to give out, and Finnick held her in his arms so she wouldn't fall. Valeria was shaking her head, muttering things under his breath that he didn't quite catch.

The only thing he knew was that he had to get her out of there.

He scooped her up in his arms, receiving minimal protest as he carried her outside where he grabbed a car to bring them back. Somewhere along the ride, she somehow managed to doze off next to him, her face relaxing as the events of the night seemed to wear off on her. He carried her all the way up to her apartment, somehow managing to unlock the door while holding her before bringing her to her bedroom.

By the time he sat down on the couch, he felt exhausted himself as he thought over the events of that night. A rebel in the middle of the Capitol, trying to kill the president's granddaughter nonetheless. It was bold, and stupid.

Finnick had to wonder what had prompted the man to do something do foolish.

He should've targeted the president himself, Finnick thought to himself despite knowing how much of a far-fetched dream it was. Still, it made him feel slightly better to think of the president buried six feet under instead of torturing the rest of Panem with his sick and twisted mind games.

Finnick pulled away from the thoughts as he began to settle into his regular spot on the couch, wanting to get a full night's rest that he knew he wouldn't get the rest of the week. The games were coming to an end soon with so few tributes left, and that meant he would be busier than ever. He wrapped the blanket around his body, ready to doze off when the screaming started.

Finnick almost thought he was back home again, hearing Annie's screams from next door at another nightmare she had. Except these screams were much different than hers, and much closer too.

He rushed into the bedroom to find Valeria screaming, clawing at her arms as if trying to get something off.

"Get the blood off me, get it off!" Valeria all but screamed as Finnick reached forward to grab her arms in order to stop her. "Get it off!"

"There's no blood, Valeria," Finnick tried to get through to the girl who struggled against his grip. "Everything's fine."

"No, no," Valeria repeated, but her movements seemed to slow as she seemed to realize it was just a dream. "No, no, no."

"It was just a dream," Finnick repeated as she looked up at him with glossy eyes, as if still struggling to differentiate from reality and her nightmares. A look Finnick had only seen in the eyes of a Victor. "It's not real."

"Not real," Valeria repeated as she glanced back down at her arms, as if to see the same thing Finnick saw. No blood. "It's not real."

Finnick went to pull away, stopped as Valeria reached out and grabbed him tightly. As if afraid to let him go as he stared back up at him.

He could almost see the pleading behind her eyes, too scared to ask out loud. But Finnick knew. He even understood. Not a word was said as he climbed into bed next to her, allowing her to continue holding him tight as the night dragged on. He would ask questions another time, but not now. 

Now was not a good time.