Valeria woke up screaming, gripping the sheets in her fists as her surroundings became disoriented. Deep breaths filled the air as she struggled to catch her breath, her grip on the sheets never loosening even as she regained consciousness. Her unfocused eyes found the window in her apartment, the only source of light from the late-night partiers who refused to sleep even at such an ungodly hour.
She pulled her legs up to her chest, hugging them close to her body as her body shook from her nightmares. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to block out the creeping nightmare to no avail. No matter how hard she tried, her nightmares always found her even when she wasn't asleep.
Knowing sleep was fruitless, Valeria slipped out of her bed and left behind the warmth her covers provided. The stone floor was cool against her bare feet, but she welcomed the uncomfortableness of it all as she headed into the main living area of her apartment. She squinted her eyes at the bright lights of the buildings outside, wondering how it could be so bright outside when it was the dead of night. She silently closed the curtains, blocking out the light as her apartment became pitch black.
Valeria didn't mind it as she entered the kitchen, pulling out a kettle as she prepared herself a cup of tea. As the water boiled on the stop, the kettle heating up to a dreadful red color, Valeria felt her hand reaching forward before her rational thoughts could stop her.
The metal burned against her skin, a familiar feeling as she held it against the kettle until her brain forced her to pull away. She held her blistered hand in front of her, biting her lower lip hard enough to draw blood as her hand dropped back to her side.
Valeria stood there for a few more moments until she left the kettle on the stovetop as she made her way to the closet, rifling through her things until she found the burn cream that was quickly running out. She'd have to go out to buy more again.
Ignoring the way her hand throbbed with pain, she rubbed the smooth medicine onto her blistering skin before tossing it back into the closet. It would only take a few hours for it to heal, Valeria knew from many past experiences, and she didn't give it a second thought as she reentered the kitchen.
The whistle from the kettle signaled the water had been ready for quite some time, and Valeria didn't waste any more as she pulled it from the heat before pouring it into a cup. When she finished making her tea, she slowly made her way back to the living room. She set the tea on the table for only a brief moment, walking back up to the window to open the blinds.
Valeria returned to her tea, cupping it into her uninjured hand as she settled into the cushions. She sat there on the couch, sipping her tea until the sun came out to signal another dreadful day of existence. It was reaping day, the worst day of the year. Perhaps not the worst, Valeria thought to herself as she watched the sun rise above the tallest of buildings in the Capitol, but it definitely wasn't a day of celebration. At least for her.
Eyes would be following her all day, holding on to every reaction she had for each of the tributes reaped that year. It was pathetic, how the citizens held onto her every word and thought. If she showed a certain interest in one tribute, there was sure to be an array of Capitol citizens fighting to sponsor the tribute no matter the cost. It made it easy to manipulate them, Valeria had to be thankful for that, but it became tiring nonetheless.
It took a while for her to get ready, pushing through the dozens of dresses she owned until she found the right one. Being the president's granddaughter meant always dressing to impress, and that took time no matter how much Valeria hated it. She settled on a simple dress, at least by the Capitol's standards, as she slipped into the lush red fabric.
Valeria ignored the way it suddenly became harder to breathe as she slipped into her new pair of plumps shipped directly from District 1. Her steps were wobbly at first, but she soon slipped into her regular routine as her strides became smoother and she hurried to the bathroom to finish getting ready.
With her time running short, she threw her blonde hair into a slick ponytail so she could focus on making her makeup as dramatic as possible. By the time she was finished, she had no choice but to rush out of the apartment in hopes that she wouldn't be late. Her grandfather would no doubt be disappointed in her and would let her know it.
She smiled at her driver, waiting as patiently as ever as he opened the door for her with a nod.
"Thanks, Marcus," Valeria breathed out as she picked up the skirts of her dress and shoved herself into the back seat.
"Ma'am," Marcus nodded politely as she shut the door behind her.
Valeria took his over politeness in stride, knowing no matter how friendly she was to the driver he would only reciprocate the bare minimum in fear of getting on the girl's wrong side. She couldn't blame him so much, as she knew what her grandfather had done to people who had simply said the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Still, the silence on the way to the mansion was unbearable as she watched the buildings pass by in a blur. As they approached the front gates, a glance at the watch on her wrist gave her a breath of relief as she realized she wouldn't be late. The door swung open, and she allowed the cool air to hit her skin as she exited the car. Glancing up at the large mansion, she tried not the let her distaste show as she made her way up the staircase.
Her feet groaned in pain by the time she reached the main hall, and she was sure blisters would appear later that night. Pain was the least of her concerns as she approached the doors, loud and boisterous voices from inside signaling the party had already begun. Valeria allowed herself to slip into her fake persona, a smile making its way onto her lips as she pushed through the doors.
Just as quickly, all the attention was on her. Men and women swarmed her, firing questions and compliments so fast that she could hardly keep up. Thankfully that is exactly what she had trained herself for, and she found herself replying just as quickly.
"Sweetie, you know I can't answer that."
"Claudia, darling, you look stunning."
"Oh, gracious me, you flatter me too much."
It was a never-ending cycle that made Valeria lose her mind, but on the outside she appeared just as excited as ever. She appeared as if she was born for the Capitol, the perfect daughter of Panem without another thought in her brain. If only they knew the truth.
Thankfully Valeria didn't have to be tortured for too long as the Panem anthem began to play, signaling the reaping in the districts were about to be livestreamed.
"Oh, I'm so excited," one of the Capitol ladies exclaimed as she grabbed Valeria's arm in a death grip. "Which district do you think you'll be cheering for this year, Valeria?"
Valeria forced a smile as she ignored the irritation she felt at the woman grabbing her so tightly.
"Darling, the reaping hasn't even happened yet," Valeria explained with a silly laugh. "How could I possibly choose a district to cheer for yet?"
"Shhh, it's starting," A man beside them hushed excitedly, the grin on his face making Valeria's stomach curl in disgust.
Valeria was grateful at least for the silence as she turned to the screen, watching District 1 flash across the screen in large letters. Their reaping didn't surprise the teenager, both tributes eighteen-year-old volunteers with cocky smirks on their faces that would soon disappear in just a few weeks. District 2 was no different, while the following districts were harder to watch as tears and screams were shed from tributes and their families. It made it hard to stomach, but Valeria had no choice but to act nonchalantly as she felt the dozens of eyes watching her every move.
When the young girl from District 11 was picked, she felt her face waver as she made her way onto the stage. She was the same age as her younger sister, and Valeria couldn't help the way her face fell at the thought.
"How terrible," the woman beside her muttered, as if she actually felt a shred of sympathy for the young girl. "Perhaps I'll send her some candies if she makes it past the bloodbath."
Comments like that were exactly what made Valeria so disgusted with the Capitol and made her wonder how they had fallen so far. Still, there was nothing she could do but nod in agreement with the rest of the people as they all made their own so-called heartfelt comments as it moved on to District 12.
Valeria almost did lose her composure when another young girl was called on. She didn't understand how they could all just stand there as they condemned a child to their death. It was monstrous.
It was almost more shocking when the younger girl received a volunteer, from District 12 of all places. The shock wave shifted through the crowd, and even Valeria couldn't hide her surprise. Outlying districts never volunteered, especially not in District 12. The look in the tribute's eyes as she stood on stage for all of Panem to see gave Valeria pause, the fire burning inside giving her reason for interest. The rest of the reaping for District 12 flew by, with a random boy being picked, but Valeria had already made up her mind.
"Them," Valeria nodded at the screen as the woman beside her turned to stare at her in confusion. "That's the district I'm rooting for this year."
There was some mumble in the crowd as the citizens took in her words, some shocked and some inspired by her district of choice. And just like that, Katniss Everdeen had earned herself some very influential sponsors from just a few mere words uttered by the president's granddaughter.