WINGS - Coriolanus Snow

TWENTY

"ARIA, GET UP!" Coriolanus was frantically shaking her awake. When it was his turn to stay awake on guard, he had heard the ground rumbling in the distance. Screams were beginning to get louder and louder, and he knew the group had to run as far away as they could.

All five of them began to wake up with the commotion Coriolanus was causing, including Aria who he was still shaking.

"What's that noise?" she asked, fear beginning to rise.

"I don't know, but let's go, everyone," Coriolanus replied.

He didn't have to tell them twice, as they all jumped up and began running in the opposite direction to the noises. After just five minutes of running, the ground beneath them began to shake. Aria looked in horror as a crack began to spread, separating her from the rest of the group, except for Smiley. She wasn't exactly sure how the ground was cracking as they weren't even really outside, but the Capitol had their ways, she supposed.

She wished the Capitol would be a little nicer to them, though, as the ground shook more violently, and trees began to collapse all around, a branch even falling into Aria's head.

"Aria!" Coriolanus's voice was the last thing she heard before her vision blurred and finally went black.

After what felt like days, but was likely only an hour or two, Aria regained her consciousness, expecting to see the whole group sat around her, but she was confused to see only Smiley sat beside her.

"Where's Coriolanus, and everyone else?" she asked.

"Erm, they got separated from us, but they're fine, I think," Smiley replied, but he had a look on his face that told Aria he was lying.

"That's not what happened, is it? Tell me the truth, Smiley."

It didn't take Smiley much to cave in. "Coriolanus... he told me he didn't want to be with you in the arena. He said that if he wanted to stay alive, you should never cross his mind. I said I'd stay with you instead," Smiley said. This still wasn't the truth, but Coriolanus had told him not to tell Aria the real reason he left her — that he was trying to protect her, in his own strange way.

"He wouldn't do that," Aria laughed, but she looked nervous. "Where is he, really?"

"I'm telling you the truth, Aria. I'm sorry."

Aria was silent. After all those times Coriolanus had saved her life, would he really want to just leave her to die? That wasn't the kind of person he was.

As she sat upright, Aria winced, feeling pain shoot up her leg. She looked down, and saw a large gash on her ankle, bandaged up with a strip of clothing. She inspected it for a moment, and realised it looked a lot like the fabric from Coriolanus's shirt, though it was now stained with blood.

"So he's okay?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think you'll see him again," Smiley drooped his head down, feeling guilty for allowing Coriolanus to leave, and even more guilty for lying to Aria about it.

"When I find him, I'm going to—" Aria was cut off by Smiley.

"You won't find him," Smiley said.

"What, so that's it? Everything I went through with him, and he just runs away?" Aria exclaimed.

"He's Capitol, Aria. Maybe you should've never trusted him," Smiley shook his head.

"No. He might've been Capitol, but he was learning. He saw himself how cruel the rest of Panem was to the Districts. He understood."

"Did he really? Or did he just want to get into your pants?" a familiar voice approached. It was Bug, of course.