WINGS - Coriolanus Snow

FIFTEEN

"I'VE LOCATED THEM," a tall, dark-skinned girl said into her earpiece. She was crouching down behind a tree, trying to conceal herself from Coriolanus and Aria, who were stood just a few meters away.

"Keep an eye on them. If you lose them, you aren't welcome back, Aryadne," a domineering woman's voice spoke.

"I know. I won't let you down, Mother," she whispered. "Not again."

Aryadne watched Coriolanus and Aria closely. It was her job to keep an eye on the two whilst the Capitol workers made their way over to District 12. She wasn't exactly sure what would happen to the two. Her mother had told her that Coriolanus was 'easily corruptible', so perhaps she would turn Coriolanus into one of her workers. Aria, though, she would probably kill. Maybe even make Coriolanus watch. That would definitely break him, since he seemed to be madly in love with her already. Pathetic. Love did nothing but make you weak, and being a Snow, Coriolanus should've known that, but he allowed himself to be steered down the wrong path by a simple District animal. Aryadne couldn't fathom how the two of them had even become so close in such a short space of time. Coriolanus knowingly ruined his own life just to save hers, and now he was living out in the woods, not a single penny to his name, but he didn't seem to care. He seemed content just having Aria's company, even though he'd left his whole life behind to earn it.

The truth was, Coriolanus actually did care. He wasn't prepared to spend the rest of his life hiding out in the woods, living off of nuts and berries, swatting away flies and spiders while he slept, and most importantly, not being able to get his regular bleach and tone for his precious hair, which had already sadly been buzzed off. Aria seemed to like it, but she had also nicknamed him 'Paneminem', which she had gotten from a history book in the Capitol, which spoke of a famous rapper named Eminem that lived in Panem when it was once called North America. He pretended to find it funny, but his hair was a sensitive subject. Coriolanus missed his curls. He wanted to be back in the Capitol, where he belonged. He wanted to be there with Aria, which he knew was selfish, as she hated it there, but he couldn't help it. He was used to being selfish. He couldn't just change it overnight. He'd become a better person since meeting Aria, but at the end of the day, he was still his father's son. He was still a Snow.

"What do you think will happen if we get caught?" Aria asked.

"We aren't going to get caught," Coriolanus reassured her. Aria's paranoia was beginning to get to him too, though. "If it'll make you feel better, we can move spots in the morning."

"Okay," she said shakily, with a sense of uneasiness still present in her voice. She almost forgot about her worries, though, when she saw the snowflakes falling from the sky. It was a little early for snow since it was only the beginning of November, but she was thankful for it. She'd always loved snow as a kid, and it never failed to make her happy.

"Coriolanus, look! It's snowing!" she said excitedly as if she was a child again.

Coriolanus looked at the sky in awe. Whenever it snowed, it filled him with confidence, and reminded him of his family's decade-old saying, Snow lands on top. It didn't feel too true in that moment, but he was determined to make the best out of his situation for now.

The two stayed outside, watching how the snow quickly piled up on the ground. It took less than an hour for around 3 inches of snow to accumulate. While Coriolanus was facing away from her, Aria took the chance to throw a snowball at the back of his head.

"Aria..." He turned around, a smile playing on his lips as he kneeled down, grabbing some snow. Aria squealed as Coriolanus launched an even bigger snowball at her. Aria ran past him, but she slipped on the snow. Coriolanus caught her, both of them laughing at the silly, childish situation they were in. This continued on for a while, with Aryadne watching them in disgust. She couldn't believe the two rebels were enjoying themselves so much when they'd betrayed the Capitol. They didn't deserve to enjoy anything after what they'd done. They deserved punishment, which was what they were going to get as soon as they were captured. Aryadne had never felt so much hatred. It was overwhelming, and the only way she'd feel better was if the two were punished. She wasn't going to rest until it happened.