AU: Journey to Redemption (Coriolanus Snow)

Traitor

Several hours later...

Aurora walked through the school corridors with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. She needed to find Coriolanus, needed to hear from him how the victory had been. But upon arriving at the principal's office, she found not triumph, but a shadow of concern hanging in the air.

"Principal Highbottom, I need to see Coriolanus. I need to know how he is," said Aurora, her voice laden with urgency.

The principal looked at her, and there was a weight in his eyes that Aurora had never seen before. "Aurora, please sit down," he began, indicating the chair in front of his desk. "I have news about Coriolanus, and I fear they are not what you expect."

Aurora sat down, her heart beating erratically. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"You should know. The current edition of the Hunger Games ended this morning, if you're lucky you might find a friend who has the final program recorded," the tired expression on his face was notable. "It was an exciting finale!" the principal completed.

"And what happened?" The girl asked, already having some hypotheses in her head. Either Coryo won and was absent to celebrate, or he lost and didn't show up because he was desolate.

"He's alive and well, physically," said the principal, choosing his words carefully. "But after the Games, there were... complications. Decisions were made, and Coriolanus was exiled."

"Exiled?" The word echoed in the room like an alarm signal. "But he won! Lucy Gray survived! Why would he be exiled?"

"He was sent to District 2 to serve as a peacekeeper. It was the Capital's decision for the slips he committed during his mentorship of Lucy Gray." Oh no, they found out he helped Lucy Gray.

"Sejanus volunteered to accompany his friend. If all goes well, they return to the Capital as heroes, like your father once was. I don't think there's any need to worry," the principal continued, but his words were of little comfort. Aurora mentally cursed him; had he already stepped into one of the most aggressive districts? He would be eaten alive, and Coryo and Sejanus risked being too. "Of course, it's a 20-year contract, so maybe they'll come back missing a limb," the principal added with cynicism that made Aurora shrink.

She could barely process the information. With a muffled thank you, she left the room and ran to her apartment. It was happening, what the woman had warned. The exile of Coryo, and now the next thing was the death of Sejanus. Her heart was tight. She had seen the boy the day before yesterday; it couldn't be the last time. She was desperate, wanted to call him, wanted to scream, get on the nearest train and go after them.

Upon arrival, she rushed to the phone. She dialed Tigris's number, desperately hoping for an answer. The ringing extended, prolonging the agony, until finally, someone answered.

"Hello?" Tigris's voice sounded tense, laden with concern.

"Tigris! Have you spoken to Coryo?" Aurora could barely contain the urgency in her voice.

"Yes, Aurora." The response came like a blow. "He came here only to say goodbye. He said he was discovered, that he had helped Lucy Gray. And that the punishment for sabotaging the games was to go to District 2 to act as a peacekeeper in the other districts."

Aurora's heart beat erratically. She didn't understand how the boy hadn't said goodbye to her, not even by phone. A mix of anger and sadness invaded her.

"Did he say anything else?"

"He said the contract would last 20 years if he returned alive," Tigris replied with a tearful voice.

"Principal Highbottom told me that Sejanus embarked along at the last minute," Aurora informed her friend.

"I can't believe it, Coryo doesn't deserve a friend like that. Who in their right mind would do that?" Tigris responded with indignation. Indeed, Sejanus owed nothing to Coriolanus. That's what made the boy even nobler.

"What will we do now, Tigris?" Aurora asked, her voice trembling with the anguish that consumed her. Tigris sighed on the other end of the line, sharing the weight of Aurora's despair.

"There's not much we can do, Aurora. We're dealing with the power of the Capital. All we can do is wait and hope they return as soon as possible." Aurora felt a knot in her throat as she accepted the harsh reality.

"It's so unfair..." she whispered, struggling to hold back tears.

After the call with Tigris, Aurora sat on her bed and looked at the bedside table. On it was the paper clip and the roses the boy had given her, all together in a glass of water. Looking at it, she broke down in tears. It was as if a movie was playing in her head, recalling each moment and wondering if she had done enough to prevent the future from materializing.

She spent the whole day in that position, her eyes burning and feeling her face was swollen. She didn't go to the orphanage that day or the following days.