Aurora Grace loves flowers more than anything. They are tiny sparks of joy in a hard cold world. When she is chosen for the Hunger Games, Coriolanus Snow becomes her mentor. Through her eyes, he starts to see the world in a brighter light.
Coriolanu...
"I knew I'd misjudged you. That you do love him. I'm not saying in what way. Maybe you don't know yourself. But anyone paying attention could see how much you care about him."- Finnick Odair
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AURORA QUIETLY UNLATCHED her window. The cool night air kissed her cheeks as she slipped through, her feet trying to avoid stepping on her aunt's prized flowers. She made her way through the darkened roads, under the watchful eyes of the stars.
The outline of the electric fence loomed ahead, it was more a formality since it was never on. Lucy Gray and Maude Ivory waited, hiding in the shadows, their faces lit by the faint glow of an old lantern. Their smiles upon seeing Aurora were like the breaking dawn, bright and promising.
"Finally, you made it!" Lucy Gray exclaimed, her voice a soft murmur in the quiet night.
"I thought I'd never get out," Aurora replied, her voice low and breathless with excitement. "The house was so quiet. I was sure Aunt Muriel was going to come out with a broom swinging."
Maude Ivory laughed quietly. "Well, now you're here, and the stars are waiting. Let's not keep them lonely any longer."
The three of them slipped through an opening in the fence with practiced ease. As they wandered deeper into the woods, the soft crunch of leaves underfoot accompanying their steps, Lucy Gray wrapped her arm around Aurora's.
They reached their clearing, a spot where the sky opened vast and clear above them. Lucy Gray reached out to douse the lantern, and darkness swept around them like a gentle wave. As they laid on the ground and their eyes adjusted, the heavens above sparked to life with countless stars.
"Look there," Lucy Gray said, pointing upwards. "That's Orion, the hunter, always chasing the Pleiades across the sky."
Aurora followed her gaze, marveling at the patterns of light. "And what about that one?" she asked, pointing to a particularly bright cluster.
"That's Cassiopeia, the vain queen sitting on her throne," Maude Ivory chimed in, her voice painting the image of a regal figure outlined against the sky. "She boasted that she and her daughter were more beautiful than the sea nymphs, and the gods placed her in the sky as a reminder of her vanity."
Lucy Gray continued, "And over there, you can see Leo, the great lion, symbol of strength and courage."
Aurora listened, captivated by the stories that brought the sky to life, with each constellation telling a tale. Their voices mixed with the gentle rustling of the forest around them, weaving a blend of sound and starlight that felt as if it could carry them away from the world below.
——
"That's the Pleiades, often called the Seven Sisters," Aurora said, tracing the constellation with an outstretched finger. "Legend has it they were daughters of Atlas and Pleione, eternally pursued across the heavens by the mighty hunter, Orion."
