Snow

The lights were blinding. Each glimmer of a streamer or flash of a camera made me extremely uneasy. Party poppers were echoing throughout the hall.

"Snow, smile for the camera!" Caesar Flickerman instructed with a smile that was almost as blinding as the bright mirage around me. Even so, I obeyed and beamed ear to ear. All the while, my stomach did backflips. "Go ahead and change out of your dress," he said once the photographer gave him a thumbs up. "You'll need your energy for the ball."

I nodded and forced a thin lipped smile. "Thank you Caesar, always lovely seeing you."

Caesar bowed and strolled off down the hall toward a tall figure standing in a plain white suit. The figure's blonde hair rippled as a gust of wind blew through an open window. His striking blue eyes were locked on me. 

Before Kern could say anything, I picked up my dress, whirled around, and hurried off. There was no way I could finish our conversation from earlier. Not today, not ever.

My prep team was waiting obediently for me by my bedroom door. The rays of sun streaming through the skylight above them made their powdered faces look ghastly. Even though their appearance was frightening, the warmth from the daylight lifted my mood. Coriolanus Snow was many horrible things, but he had allowed me to move into a room by the ceiling window. It was fortified, of course, but it was still a nice touch. The sight of the sun was a hint of freedom. 

"Miss Pristeen," the head attendant bowed. The others followed in suit.

"Rise," I said. "The visitors from the Districts are arriving soon. When I greet them, I must be prepped and ready."

They flurried around me like a swarm of bees. "We will begin immediately." 

My head spun almost as much as their fluttering brushes. The air seemed to suffocate me with the stence of heavy rose perfume. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. 

"Breathe in," the Capitol attendant behind me instructed as he pulled the strings of my dress together. This dress was a tight-waisted gold number. The color shifted as I turned in the light. One moment it was a shimmery gold, and the next moment it was tinted in rose. It barely brushed the floor. 

"Cinna," I whispered before I realized what I was saying. The name brought back a jolting memory of the Games. On my back, the Capitol attendant's fingers froze. His fingertips barely brushed my shoulder blades, but I could feel them shaking.

"Pardon?" he asked. "I'm not sure I heard you correctly-"

"Cinna," I repeated. The memory tugged at me, but my mind was foggy. "My stylist in the Games, only he could have made this dress." It was probably unwise for me to bring up his name. "Where is he?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about Miss Pristeen, my apologies. If you would like, I can find out for you-"

"That won't be necessary," the head attendant interrupted. Her voice was calm but filled with warning. Originally, I'd viewed her as a good server, but brainless and foolish like most of those who lived in the Capitol. After all, her hair was in the most god awful shade of lavender. Her eyebrows looked like square root symbols, and her lips had been drawn in the shape of a perpetual red "O". However, her strong stance and steely gaze made me reconsider my first judgement. 

"You're dismissed," I said after the silence had settled. "Except for you." I looked at the head attendant carefully. This time, my brain kicked into overdrive analyzing everything about her. 

"How can I assist you, Miss Pristeen?" she asked. 

Suddenly, I could see how calculating her moves were. The way she stood, spoke, and looked at me screamed danger. Yet, there was something comforting about her grey eyes. 

Grey eyes.

"Where is Cinna?" I asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that," she replied plainly. The tone she spoke with was obedient, polite, and laced with the Capitol inflection, just like every other attendant. "Is there anything else you require me for, Miss Pristeen?"

Katniss Everdeen had grey eyes, I recalled. 

"Where are you from?" I pushed further.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," the girl answered. She seemed caught off guard, and the sound of her voice had a different effect to it. I began putting two and two together. "I'm from the Capitol." 

Some Capitol attendants were actually residents of the Capitol. Some were from the Districts, most commonly from District 1 or District 4. Still, I wouldn't have been shocked to learn she was from an outer District. Her statement about her being from the Capitol was what tipped me off.

"That's a lie." I began walking around her, like a wolf stalking its prey. 

"What?" Her eyes followed me as I circled around her.

"You're lying," I repeated. This time, my voice was far more forceful. "You're not from the Capitol."

"I-I am," the girl suddenly seemed frightened. 

"Your accent dropped thirty seconds ago. At first glance, you may look like an average member of a Capitol prep team, but once you look past the wig and heavy makeup..." I trailed off and matched her gaze. She was scared, but she didn't waver. I had to admire that. "Which District are you from?" 

"I'm not from any District. I'm from the Capitol," the girl insisted. "I'm from the Capitol!" Her voice was becoming shrill.

"Who sent you?" I demanded, taking a step closer. "How did you fool security, spy?" My hand went immediately to my waist, where I could feel the knife I always kept concealed in my waistband. The dress changed from gold to a light rose, and the outline of my knife became visible. 

"I'm from the Capitol!" The girl screeched as she backed up. Her eyes were trained on my hand and the knife. "I-I'm from..." 

"Where are you really from?" I whispered. "Tell me, and I'll make your death quick."

The girl looked at me carefully, and I could tell she was analyzing me, just like I had done to her. Suddenly, she relaxed. Her typical jittery Capitol stance altered into a more confident one. She straightened and let her hands fall to her sides in clenched fists. When she did so, I could see her muscles flex through her tight Capitol outfit. The girl was stocky, with hands thick and labored from hours of work. Her skin was olive from days in the sun. 

"District 10," I realized. "Livestock." My mind warped back to the Games. I recognized the shape of this girl's nose, her mouth, and the way her eyes widened when she was scared, along with how they followed me like I was an animal. "I know you," I said as I searched for a lost memory. 

"You don't know me," she shook her head. "You know my brother."

"Adam," I took a step back. "He was another tribute in my Games."

"You spared him. You're the reason he's alive. Don't you remember?" The girl asked.

"No," I replied shakily. My resolve was crumbling away as images from the Games played through my mind like a horrid slideshow. "Yes. I mean, I don't know." I had to put a hand on the table to steady myself. 

Footsteps were pounding out loudly. They certainly weren't trying to be quiet on this hunt. 

I watched as they approached the lone boy in the clearing. The smoke from his fire had obviously led them to him. 

Vena stood at the head of the pack, her hand grasped firmly around her scythe. Against my will, my heart thumped when I saw Jason and Jerome trailing closely behind. They weren't going to enjoy killing the defenseless tribute, but I also knew they weren't above it. All of them knew what had to be done. This was the Hunger Games. The boy was going to die.

Now or never.

I jumped down and launched myself at Vena, twisting her wrist so she dropped her weapon. Next, I scissor-kicked Mitch in the chest, using his own weight against him. He toppled clumsily to the ground. 

Behind me, Jerome threw his spear, but I somersaulted out of the weapon's path on instinct. His strike hit nothing but air. Instead, I slashed with one of my long knives, slicing the weapon in two. Grabbing the long end of the shaft, I whirled it and hit Jerome right across the torso with a loud thud. He groaned in pain then fell to his knees.

An arrow flew past my face, but I could tell Thalia was shooting blindly. If she knew where I was, she wouldn't have missed. Luckily, Thalia was about the same size as me. A throw of the blunt spear shaft in my hand caught the strap of her quiver, thus leaving her with a bow but no arrows. Before she could react, I grabbed her by the wrist and flung her onto her back. 

Jason was spinning around with his sword in his hand, trying to protect himself from whatever his enemy was. I gritted my teeth and reminded myself that I was his enemy. 

His spinning sword tactic left him with a very large blind spot. Diving down, I jumped and targeted his knees. Right before I hit him, I threw my legs upward, kicking his sword out of his hand. 

Just as Vena was coming to, I sprinted for the frightened and shaking boy. Now that I could see him clearly, I recognized his face. It was that District 10 boy, Adam.  

"Get her!" Vena gasped, struggling to get her bearings. 

"So we meet again," I whispered. Every screen in Panem was trained on me. It was now or never. I had one chance to make Orchid and Kern proud. All I could do was hope that District 13 knew what they needed to do. My eyes circled around and met each of my former allies'. Which one of them would be the one to kill me? 

"Run, now. I'll keep them at bay," I told Adam. 

His big, brown eyes widened. "But-"

"Run," I ordered. He didn't need to be here. He shouldn't have to see this.

My audience was big enough already. 

Are you listening, President Snow? I wondered. Surely, he was. From the comfort of his grand office with plush leather seats and all the food he needed, he must have been keeping an eye on his Prodigy, his Soldier.

All while the Districts were starved and brainwashed.

"Are you listening, Panem?" I whispered under my breath. "Because I'm about to give you a show you'll never forget."

Once more, I eyed each of the five tributes on their knees before me. Each were prepared to attack and kill me. We all had blood on our hands, but we were not the murderers.

"Remember the enemy."

The field disappeared. Instead, I was standing in a white room that smelled sickly of roses. I looked down at my hand and noticed that there was a red streak stained on the once-white table. My nails had dug into the palms of my hands and caused my blood to smear all over the pristine setting.

"I saved him," I mumbled. My brain still felt like mush. What was happening to me? What was going on? 

The girl barely nodded. Her red, puckered lips stood out almost as much as the blood on my hands. I remembered where I was.

"Spy," I said suddenly. My injured hand unsheathed the knife from my waistband. "You're a spy. You're from District 10 but working for District 13."

"I'm so much more than a spy." The girl wasn't scared anymore. "I'm a rebel, and you are too."

"No, you're wrong." I shook my head. "I'm loyal to the Capitol. I owe them my life. They saved me."

"They killed you," the girl argued. "In the arena, they shot you. And I don't know how or why, but you can't remember, can you?"

"I can remember enough." 

I was on my knees. This time, it was me who was bowed before the five. Only they weren't attacking me. Still, there was a gun pressed against my head.

It my hand wrapped around the gun.

It was my finger on the trigger.

"No, you can't," the girl began to put two and two together. "They did something to you, didn't they? When they brought you back from the dead, they did something to you!"

"Shut up!" I growled throwing a plate at her head. She dodged it easily. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"You don't even know who the hell you are," she countered. "You're Snow Pristeen. You spent your life as a symbol of the Capitol. You were supposed to connect the Districts to them. You were the Prodigy, the Soldier, the person used to appease Panem after Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark."

"Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark were two idiots who fell in love and tried to fight the Capitol. They were killed on screen for all of Panem to see."

"But so were you!" The girl yelled. "Snow, you were dead, and now you're not."

"I was never dead."

Armored hands wrapped around my arms. I punched, kicked, and thrashed, but I was severely outnumbered. For every stab I made with the sharp stone I'd managed to grab from the ground, for every body that fell by my hand, three more appeared. 

The hands forced me to my knees.

"This is what happens to flames, to sparks." A voice echoed throughout the arena. 

I choked back my tears. They would not see me cry. It was too late for me, too late for Orchid and Kern, but I had to believe that I'd done something meaningful with the last few minutes of my life. I had to believe that I'd honored Orchid and Kern's sacrifice. If I didn't believe, I wouldn't be able to face the gun pointed straight at my head.

The head Peacekeeper signaled to his companions. Two more sets of hands grabbed me by the neck, so I couldn't even move my head. Still, I kept my eyes on their leader. His or her eyes were invisible to me because of their helmet, but I knew they could see me. I knew they could feel me looking deep into their soul. 

I heard the bullet before I felt it.

"Sparks die."

"No! Stop it!" I screamed and threw another dish at the girl. "Get away from me! What are you doing to me?"

"You are Snow Pristeen!" she shouted, walking toward me with unafraid steps. "You volunteered to save a broken family in the 80th Hunger Games. You fell in love with a boy who broke you."

"I am not Katniss Everdeen!" I slashed at her with my knife, but she backed away just in time. The tip of the knife barely touched her hand, leaving a small cut on her palm. 

"You befriended Orchid. You tried to save her, and you tried to save Kern, but they died. And do you know who killed them?"

Their bodies looked so peaceful. If it weren't for the spears sticking out of their torsos, they could have even been sleeping. 

Why were Kern's eyes red? Why had he tried to kill me and Orchid? Why had he stabbed himself?

I couldn't think, but deep down I knew. My mind went into its top efficiency mode, piecing together bits and pieces of information.

The tracker, controlling the tributes, pricking our fingers at the reapings, brainwashing and drugging the citizens, District 13, rebels...

Remember the enemy.

"The Capitol," I answered. My voice was hoarse. The room around me was becoming distorted. Bright orange bubbles were expanding and popping. It felt like I was sinking, like the ground was sucking me up. I could hear the screams of Orchid and Kern replaying in my brain.

Everything was shiny.

Shiny.

That was a symptom of tracker jacker venom. 

"You are Snow Pristeen. You saved my brother, Adam. You threw Panem into rebellion, because you made them remember the enemy."

"Let go of me!" I shouted, struggling against the bonds keeping me in my chair. "Show yourself Coriolanus!" 

He would pay for all his sins. I would die making sure he did.

"I will never fight for you. Never again will I be your Prodigy, your Soldier. I will never fight for you!" I repeated.

"My dear, sweet Snow, I'm afraid that in a few moments you won't be you anymore."

Only one person could have injected me with tracker jacker venom.

"The Capitol," I said again, as everything fell into place.

The girl's fingers were on my wrist now. She put my knife-wielding hand down and made me look at her. 

Her eyes were grey.

Katniss Everdeen's eyes were grey.

"You are Snow Pristeen," she told me quietly. Her voice was calm and sure. "You and me, we're the same. I'm Juniper Dahlberg. I'm a rebel, just like you, just like Orchid and Kern."

"Orchid? Kern? What do you mean?"

"They were with us," she said as she put her finger to her lips, like she was sharing an incredibly important piece of gossip. "They were always with District 13. I don't know what happened to Kern, but he was one of us. He and Orchid were both rebels, just like you. You, Snow Pristeen, are a rebel."

"I'm not." I shook my head. "I've done nothing."

"Snow, you're wrong. You've made all the difference." Juniper put her hand on my cheek comfortingly. "You're the spark and the flame."

I caught a glimpse of my own reflection in the mirror. My dress was changing colors again. Only this time, the hues were far more vivid. They were crimson red, a warm orange, a soft gold, and the most beautiful rose. In the light, I looked like a mix between a warm and flaming sunset. I looked like fire.

Cinna had to be alive.

One look into Juniper eyes told me what she did not say. Cinna was alive. I couldn't even remember his name until today, but now I knew he was a vital part of this narrative. More importantly, he was alive.

District 13 was alive.

"You are Snow Pristeen," Juniper said quietly, one last time. "And you are the Mockingjay."

The door swung open. 

"What the hell?"

Kern took in the shattered glass, blood stains, and me with a knife in my hand. He looked at Juniper and saw the lavender wig that had partially come off as she'd dodged my attacks. 

"Spy," he realized. In instant, there was a knife in his hands. He and I had promised each other to keep one with us at all times. Of course, I'd thought I was protecting myself against District 13.

Remember the enemy.

"Kern, no!" I pushed myself in front of Juniper, desperate to protect her. 

"What the hell are you doing, Snow?" Kern demanded.

Before either of us could react, Juniper made her move. Kern immediately went into defense mode, but she didn't attack him. Instead, she lurched her head down toward the breast pocket of her jacket.

Too late, I understood what she was doing.

"Nightlock!" I grabbed Juniper by the chin and tried to force her to spit it out. "No, please, don't do this!"

Her mouth was frothing, and her eyes were going dim.

"Spit it out!" I grabbed a glass of water off the table and attempted to make her rinse the poison out. In my heart, I knew it was hopeless. She was already.

"Adam," Juniper choked out. "Protect. Adam." 

Three seconds later and all that was left in the blood stained, white room was Kern, the broken body of a District 10 girl, and a Mockingjay. 

A/N

 (you should totally read my author's notes guys, because I say funny things and ask for reader involvement lol)

it is 1 in the morning, I'm exhausted, but heyyyy new chapter! And whoooo this one is super, super long guys!!!

I really hope you enjoyed this throwback/foreshadowing chapter.

To be honest, IDK when the ball is actually going to happen lmao. I keep telling myself that it'll be in the next chapter, but then I write a really long description of something that isn't the ball (i.e. Snow and Snow {hehehe} fighting and Juniper {Adam's sister!!!} the Spy). 

Juniper's kind of a badass, don't you think?

Actually, Snow is really badass, and now she knows that something is really up with the Capitol! 

But do you guys think she'll actually switch sides in the war considering that Jason, Jerome, Mitch, Thalia, and Vena really did try to kill her? 

And what do you think Kern's secret is that Snow keeps avoiding?

TELL ME IN THE COMMENT BELOW!!

Be sure to vote, comment, and follow if you haven't done so already! Seeing you guys comment reminds me that people are actually reading this, and that motivates me to stay up until 1 am writing a long ass chapter.

love you guys!

lucy :)