FAMILY JEWELS ✷ TBOSAS

OO , FIRE IS CATCHING

𓆙 PROLOGUE:
fire is catching !

[ YEAR 2253 / FIVE YEARS AFTER THE 10TH EDITION OF THE HUNGER GAMES ]

The Capitol was alive, its lights a constellation of excess, casting a glow upon the woman who stood in the shadows of her husband's victory. The night pulsed with the rhythm of power, the kind that seeped into the bones and made one's soul ache. And there she was, the new First Lady, the wife of the man who had just ascended to the highest seat of power in Panem.

From the moment she met him, she had understood the inevitability of his rise.  She had seen him twist promises into lies, turn allies into enemies, and reduce opponents to dust. He was a master of the game, his smile sharp as a blade, his words as calculated as the odds in the Arena.

She watched him now on the grand screen that dominated the room, his image larger than life as he accepted the mantle of President. His speech was smooth, rehearsed, each word a perfect lie. The crowd roared its approval, their cheers mingling with the clink of champagne glasses, but Kyra felt no triumph.

Instead, she thought of the Districts, the broken lands beyond the glittering façade of the Capitol. She had visited them once, early in their marriage, a publicity tour meant to endear the Capitol's darling couple to the common people. The hunger in the eyes of the children had haunted her then, just as it did now, seeping into her dreams like a persistent shadow.

But she was the wife of a President now, and shadows had no place in the life she was meant to lead. Her hands, delicate and adorned with jewels, were as clean as her conscience was meant to be. She had never wielded a weapon, never ordered a punishment, never directly caused a single death. And yet, as she stood there in her husband's victory, she felt the weight of every life crushed under his ambition.

He reached out to her, his hand a lifeline she no longer wanted to grasp. But Kyra knew her role well, and she slipped her fingers into his, allowing herself to be pulled into the center of the room, into the heart of the storm. The room was filled with the Capitol's elite, their faces masked by veils of politeness, hiding their true intentions. Each of them had a stake in this new era, a piece of the power Coriolanus now wielded.

The ceremony was a blur of words, oaths sworn on gilded books, promises of prosperity and peace, all lies woven with threads of steel. Kyra stood beside her husband, her smile fixed, her gaze unwavering. And, as the final words of his speech were spoken, a roar erupted from the crowd, a thunderous applause that shook the walls.

Coriolanus raised his hand in victory, his face alight with the glow of his triumph. Kyra looked at him, at the man who now held the fate of the nation in his hands, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

In that moment, she knew she was trapped. Trapped in a gilded cage of her own making, bound by the choices she had made, by the man she had chosen to stand beside. The world outside would burn, and she would be forced to watch, her hands stained with the blood of the innocent.

As the crowd's cheers filled the air, her eyes drifted to the horizon, to the dark clouds gathering in the distance. The storm was coming, and she would have to face it, alone and unforgiven.

𓆙 LENA'S NOTES! i'm actually so proud of myself cause i don't think i've ever written a first chapter that quickly (it took me a week, pretend that's quick)!

i'd just like to say just how grateful i am for all the love this book has received, it actually blows my mind that so many people care about something i wrote! i appreciate each and everyone of you <3

i hope you enjoyed this chapter and the start of kyra's journey! it's a bit short, but i think i will keep this format for now! shorter chapters mean i can more out in less time and help me keep me motivated (i've got faith i will be able to finish this fic, god help me 🥹🙏)

anyways, thank you so so much for reading!! we will see each other soon!

- all the love, lena <3