𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐫

TWENTY-SIX

xxvi. Proposals

Grief was a feeling Aurora had been familiar with. It was an old friend that returned at only the darkest of times. Aurora prayed she'd never reunited with the friend, never again. But of course, soon enough, she knew she would. To most, the loss came in the form of shadows. But to Aurora, those shadows were demons. They followed her wherever she went, entrapped in her mind like some kind of prisoner, one that never wanted to escape.

The loss of her brother had struck her the hardest. The image of the life leaving his eyes, as his body fell limp to the grassy ground of the arena that held the blood of twenty-two other tributes, had stuck in mind and never left. It was a nightmare, one that haunted Aurora's dreams every single night.

Then it was her parents. Oh, how the situation caught her off guard. Aurora remembered the day vividly. The day Snow had requested her presence in the Capitol, claiming he had a proposal for her. Little did she know, it wasn't a proposal, but a threat. Blackmail. One she wished she had accepted because if she did, her parents would still be living.

The peacekeepers stood behind her, as they led her to President Snow's office. Snow's mansion was something of a dream, made for royalty even. All the furniture was made of high-quality velvet and gold, the decor was exquisitely jaw-dropping to her. Never had she witnessed such a building so regal and expensive. She believed her house in victor's village was large, considering it was much bigger and well kept than the other buildings of District Four. But walking in Snow's own house made her look as if she were the poorest woman alive.

Aurora held a pit in her stomach, as they approached Snow's office. Before then, she'd never formally spoken with the old man, excluding his message for her at the Victor celebration. He was certainly an intimidating man, the same one who'd put her as well as her brother in the games. Deep down she despised him for all he'd done, but that was masked by the feeling of fear she had, considering his higher level.

After what felt like an hour of traveling through the house, reveling at the many rooms she'd passed, they'd reached the door entering Snow's office. Her eyes ran over the mahogany doors lined with gold around the edges, not to mention the golden doorknobs. A peacekeeper walked forward, setting his hands on the doorknobs, and opened the door.

Snow sat on the soft velvet sofa, a smirk gracing his pale face at the sight of the sixteen-year-old victor. He stood from the sofa, brushing himself off, setting down the weird blood-red drink onto the coffee table.

"Miss Evans, it is a pleasure to finally speak with you." He waved the peacekeepers away, wanting to speak with the young girl alone. Aurora almost felt more nervous as the peacekeepers left her in the room, closing the doors, leaving her and Snow alone. "Please, have a seat."

Aurora sheepishly smiled, taking small strides until she reached the sofa placed right in front of the one he sat on. Snow nodded to her as they both took a seat. The cushion below her felt much more comfortable than her own bed. The price of a single item in this mansion seemed to be worth more in money than anything she'd ever owned.