FAMILY JEWELS ✷ TBOSAS

O1 , THE SUBTLE GAME OF DECEPTION

𓆙 CHAPTER ONE:
the subtle game
of deception!

[ YEAR 2251 / THREE YEARS AFTER THE 10TH EDITION OF THE HUNGER GAMES ]

Coriolanus Snow stood at the edge of his balcony, the cool breeze of the Capitol brushing against his face. The city spread out before him, a glittering maze of power and ambition. The night was calm, but his mind was anything but. Thoughts of his future, and the presidency he was poised to claim, swirled like a storm within him.

In the distance, the grand avenues and towering spires of the Capitol seemed to bow to him, acknowledging his inevitability. Yet, something gnawed at him, a void that even power could not fill. He needed something more, someone more, to cement his place. And that someone had a name he had never thought to seriously consider before: Kyra Malhotra.

The name alone stirred a storm within him, a tempest of memories, each one tinged with the sharp edge of bitterness. He remembered her well from their school days - brash, bold, and utterly insufferable. She had been a thorn in his side, a constant challenge to his carefully cultivated persona. Yet, there was something in her that intrigued him, something he could never quite grasp.

He recalled her laughter, a sound that once grated against his nerves like steel against stone, now seemed to echo in his mind like the delicate chime of crystal. Kyra, with her ebony hair and eyes as warm and rich as autumn leaves, had always seemed too wild, too untamed. She was everything he despised - reckless, outspoken, indifferent to the rules that bound them all. And yet, in her defiance, he saw something he could mold, something that could bend to his will if only he held her with the right hand.

She was clever-clever enough to keep pace with his schemes, but not so cunning as to outwit him. She was beautiful, in that fierce, untouchable way that drew eyes and whispered envy. He could already see the Capitol's gaze shifting, admiring, and envying him for possessing her. And she was ruthless, with a heart hardened by the same cold world that had forged him.

She was obnoxious, yes, but she was also captivating in her own way - she commanded attention without effort, her presence as overwhelming as her personality. The people of the Capitol loved her, were drawn to her like moths to a flame. And Coriolanus knew that to win them over, to truly become the symbol of their future, he needed a partner who could play the role of First Lady with an effortless grace that masked the iron beneath.

She would give him legitimacy. She would distract the masses with her charm while he worked in the shadows, weaving his plans, tightening his grip on power. Together, they would be unstoppable - a perfect blend of charisma and cunning, beauty and brutality. He could see it now: Kyra standing beside him, her arm linked with his, their smiles practiced and hollow, their eyes reflecting the same cold ambition. The Capitol would bow to them, not because they loved him, but because they adored her.

And so, as the stars outside flickered, as if in acknowledgment of the choice made, Coriolanus Snow allowed himself to muster a faint, almost imperceptible smile. He would bring Kyra Malhotra into his world, not as a rival, but as a tool, a carefully selected piece in the grand game he was destined to win.

For in the Capitol, power was not merely seized, it was crafted, with every move, every alliance, every word spoken in the dark. And Coriolanus Snow was nothing if not a master craftsman.

okay, so i made a few changes! instead of starting the story from snow's first year as a president, i decided to go a few years back in time and show kyra and snow's (fake) courtship and all the planning and scheming behind it. i hope it's not too confusing!

anyways, i have already pre-written three chapters and i'm so unbelievably proud of myself for not being lazy. there's just something about writing smart, cunning women making a smug man's life miserable that inspires me.

that's it for now! i hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was really fun to write coriolanus and his sociopathic mind! thank you so much for reading and hopefully we will see each other soon!

- all the love, lena <3