RAINFALL || [c. snow]

prologue

❝MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR❞

𓆩⟡𓆪

[Four Years Prior]

SHE NEVER DID quite understand him fully.

Was she supposed to? His deep blue eyes, ones that looked so devoid of emotion but so filled with passion at times, those red velvet lips, crafted solely on his face to hide his ambitions behind a pretty little smile, and that curled blonde hair, something that eventually became the sole object of her focus in a crowd.

Perhaps she did understand him, but chose to think otherwise. For snake venom cannot hurt if it is from the same species— she was immune to it and so was he. But she'd like to think that she had it in her to vanquish him when the time led to absolute necessity.

It was early autumn's day when she first met him right before the steps of the Academy.

She still recalled Dr. Gaul's haunting hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner. Rather than soothing her nerves, it did the exact opposite instead, instilling both nausea and anxiety within her heart. 

There was only one thing the Head Gamemaker said as her piercing blue eyes dug into her skin. "I hope to see you at the University." Dr. Gaul dusted her uniform a final time before leaving her at the steps to climb a set of stairs alone.

There were no names on the tip of her tongue as she entered the hall. She felt eyes of distrust scraping against her skin, trying to peel her apart. Wonders of who she was, where she was from, what family did she come from. They wouldn't know her— of course not. Because while they lived lavish lives in their lavish Capitol, she had been brought from the streets of war.

Young enough to hold no attachment, old enough to recall the horrors that plagued her dreams.

She was lucky, she supposed. If the definition of that word could be considered anything horrific. Dr. Gaul always had a strange way of describing things.

"I don't believe I've seen you around before."

She flinched subconsciously as her attention was snapped to the boy standing beside her. He looked around her age, his uniform neatly pressed without a single crease in sight. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a polite smile upon his lips. "That's because I haven't been around before," she answered after a brief second of contemplation.

There was a beautiful shine in his polished eyes, an aura of refined elegance hovering over him. Dolores swallowed down a biting comment, forcing the smile to remain unwavering on her face. There was something so sweet and natural about his smile.

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow almost to question her claim. After all, in the Capitol and especially in all who were admitted into the most prestigious Academy under the University, there were few who were unnamed.

It would be more than easy to classify him along with the many others who asked the same questions before, but there was something about him. Something subtly twisted and therefore, captivating. She instead offered her hand to shake. "Dolores Imber, pleased to meet your acquaintance. And you are?"

"...Coriolanus Snow," He shook her hand, the action tense. Sparks ran along her skin. His touch lingered on her a second longer before he tucked his hands in his pockets. "I presume you are starting your first year as well?"