All sorts of eyes followed Valeria as she passed by the chariots and the people surrounding them. Confused tributes' eyes trailed after her, some wondering why she was there and others clearly thinking they were losing their minds. Others glared her way, reminding her that people would always hate her for who her grandfather was. The glares mostly came from the Victors, who were more aware of her identity and what she was doing down there.
The careers were the only tributes who seemed to be aware of what she was doing down there, no doubt being told by their mentors as they eyed her eagerly in hopes she would stop by their chariots. Their hopes were soon dashed, replaced by disbelief as Valeria walked by them without a second glance. No doubt they would be raging later that night, but that was none of Valeria's concern.
As she passed each of the chariots, the whispers grew as the tributes targeted their hushed questions at their mentors. The further Valeria walked, the more she was saddened by how much smaller and thinner the tributes became, no doubt from the extreme poverty they faced in the outlining districts. By the time she reached District 8, they were all skin and bone.
Valeria had never gone past District 7 before, and every seasoned mentor and anyone involved in the games knew that. Confusion and hatred turned to shock as Valeria approached District 12, trying her best to push away the nerves bubbling in her stomach.
Haymitch Abernathy, the only victor and mentor from District 12, caught sight of her first despite his drunken nature. His eyes narrowed as he stumbled in front of his tributes to block her from them, catching the two tribute's attention as their eyes landed on Valeria. Recognition flashed across the boy's face, but Valeria could tell the District 12 girl didn't know who she was.
"Get lost on the way to 2, did ya?" Haymitch's words were slightly slurred as he glared at the girl before him.
"I didn't get lost at all," Valeria answered with a smile, unbothered by the drunken man before her.
"Hmm," Haymitch mumbled as he eyed her up and down suspiciously.
A high pitched gasp emitted from behind behind them before hurried heel clicks approached until the District 12 escort appeared by their side.
"Ms. Snow!" Effie couldn't contain her excitement as she burst with energy at the sight of her. "What an honor it is to have you over here, we're so extremely humbled-"
Haymitch coughed something under his breath that Valeria couldn't make out, but Effie certainly did as her face conveyed her horror as she smacked with her fan. It was almost amusing to watch, in a way, until Valeria was reminded why Haymitch was like that in the first place.
"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry about him," Effie apologized as she grabbed Haymitch's arm and pulled him away. "He's not been feeling well lately, I'll bring him someone to rest up. It was so lovely to see you."
Effie gave a half bow before standing back up when she realized what she was doing, straightening her dress as she cleared her throat in embarrassment and hurried off with Haymitch stumbling behind her. Valeria raised an eyebrow at them in amusement before she turned her attention back to the District 12 tributes. Katniss seemed to have finally recognized her, the distrust and anger as clear as day on her face.
"What an interesting team you seem to have for District 12," Valeria broke the ice with the first thing that came to mind. It probably could have been worded better, but chit chatting with the District 12 tributes was not on her list of things for that night. "I wanted to come introduce myself. I'm Valeria Snow."
Her last name left a sour taste in her mouth, as she was sure it did for the two tributes before her who tried and failed to hide their emotions towards it. One did better than the other.
"Nice to meet you," Peeta spoke first when it was clear Katniss would not. "I'm Peeta Mellark."
He reached his hand out, much to Valeria's surprise as she shook it.
"Lovely to meet you, Peeta," Valeria smiled at the boy, who hesitantly returned it as they released hands. He was much better at socializing, unlike Katniss who made no move to introduce herself.
"This is Katniss," Peeta introduced after a few awkward seconds, and Katniss simply eyed the Capital girl with distaste.
"Well, I won't keep you two long," Valeria let out a fake but believable laugh as she reached for the rose in her bag. "I just had a small gift I wanted to give. I do it every year, but this year I think will be extra special."
She pulled out the rose, holding it out for Katniss to take. Valeria watched the two tributes exchange confused glances before Katniss slowly reached out to grab the rose from her hand.
"It's to show my favor for you in this year's games, Katniss," Valeria explained.
"There's blood on this flower," Katniss deadpanned, staring down at the rose in confusion.
"Yes," Valeria shrugged with a smile. "I found it fitting for the occasion."
Katniss frowned at Valeria, her words clearly not doing anyone any favors.
"A bit weird, I admit," Valeria continued as she stared down at the red tinted petals. "But it would be best for you to hold it up during the parade. I can't directly sponsor tributes in the games due to some silly rules, but there are other ways I can garner you support. You understand, right?"
The meaning behind the rose seemed to gather some interest in Katniss as understanding crossed her face. Clearly, sponsorship was something Katniss had been informed about and for that Valeria was grateful. At least Haymitch wasn't being completely useless this year.
"Thank you," Valeria could almost feel the forcefulness Katniss needed to get the words out, followed quickly by a, "Your dress is pretty."
Even Peeta seemed thrown off by the random comment as Katniss' face turned red in embarrassment.
"Oh, thank you, darling," Valeria laughed as she glanced down at her dress, lifting the ruffles of her dress to showcase them all. "My great-aunt Tigris made it for me, she used to be a stylist. This is one of my favorites."
Katniss seemed to have lost interest immediately after Valeria began to talk about the dress more than a simple thank you, and seemed grateful when the signal informing the tributes that the parade was going to begin soon went off.
"Oh, well I best be going," Valeria flashed the two tributes a smile. "I do hope to see you win this year's games though. It gets so boring watching the careers win every year."
With those final words, Valeria left the confused tributes as she made her way past the tributes and their hectic stylists as last minute alterations were made.
"What, no rose for my tributes this year?" Valeria turned towards the familiar voice, elated when she met a familiar face from District 2.
"Oh, Enobaria, you know I can't give District 2 flowers every year," Valeria defended as she gave the mentor a warm hug. "It would just be unfair, don't you think?"
Enobaria rolled her eyes with a smile, showcasing her sharpened teeth to the world.
"I don't know, Vee," Enobaria retorted with a shake of her head. "I got a pretty strong pair this year."
Valeria glanced behind her friend to the District 2 tributes who were preparing for the parade. She had to admit they looked quite daunting in their outfits that year. The boy was quite muscular and even though the girl was much smaller, the glare she sent her stylist told her her bite was bigger than her bark. They would definitely make entertainment for the Capitol, who loved the blood and gore of the games.
"Yes, well, I've got my eye on someone else winning the games this year," Valeria defended, watching Enobaria roll her eyes with a snort.
"Please, that girl from 12?" Enobaria remarked. "She's so thin and frail that I don't even know if she'll make it to the games."
Valeria smiled at Enobaria words, knowing the fire in Katniss Everdeen's eyes told a different story.
"What's that look for?" Enobaria demanded as she noticed the twinkle in Valeria's eyes. "What are you hiding from me?"
"Nothing," Valeria held her hands up in mock surrender. "I should head out though, I have to join my grandfather before the parade begins."
"Vee, don't leave me with these people," Enobaria whispered in a hushed tone as she grabbed her arm. "My stylist tried putting me in an outfit made completely out of metal tonight, imagine!"
Valeria laughed as she shook her friend's grip off her arm.
"Don't be so uptight," Valeria called out as she began to leave. "I'm sure it would have looked fabulous on you, darling!"
She didn't have time to hear Enobaria's response as she rushed off, knowing she needed to hurry to make it up to the stands before the parade started. The sea of people in her way parted when they caught sight of the girl, allowing her to pass through while throwing compliments and favors her way.
Valeria tried not to look out of breath as she reached the front of the stands, lifting up her skirt to walk up the steps in a leisurely manner. A smile made its way onto her face as she caught sight of her grandfather socializing with the other gamemakers and citizens rich enough to snag a seat with the president for the evening.
She approached her grandfather, joining his side as he finished his conversation with the gamemaker before turning his attention to her. She smiled brightly at him, watching him do the same until his eye caught sight of her dress. Something in him shifted as she followed his stare to the rainbow ruffles of the dress.
"Isn't it just dashing?" Valeria tried to relieve the tension and she noticed the unhappy look forming in his eyes. It was better to act oblivious than ask why he was upset, it would only cause more discomfort for everyone. "I had it made especially for tonight."
"Yes, it's lovely," Her grandfather's quick and short response let Valeria know something was amiss, although she was unsure why.
The countdown went off, one minute until the tribute parade would begin and the perfect way for Valeria to get her grandfather's attention off her.
"Quick, let's find our seats before it begins," Valeria wasted no time leading her grandfather to their seats, front and center for all of Panem to see.
Her grandfather nodded his head in thanks as he sat down, and Valeria waited until he was seated comfortably until she followed suit beside him.
"I never asked who you were giving your rose to this evening," Her grandfather prompted, and Valeria felt her stomach flip at the question.
Screams around them allowed Valeria to escape the answer for now as her eyes shot forward to catch a glimpse of the tributes. As usual, tributes from the lower districts were decked out in the most glamourous outfits while the higher districts were left with more scraps. It wasn't until District 12 emerged that people really lost their minds. Flames shot from the backs of Katniss and Peeta as they entered the stadium, taking all attention away from the other tributes, especially when people realized what Katniss was holding in her hand.
A singular white rose tainted with red. A favor from the president's daughter herself.
Valeria's eyes found the side of her grandfather's face as he narrowed his eyes at the District 12 debacle and the rose in Katniss' hand. Her grandfather could be hard to read sometimes, but at that moment, Valeria could tell exactly what he was feeling.
Her grandfather was not happy, and someone would have to pay for it.