AU: Journey to Redemption (Coriolanus Snow)

Death By a Thousand Cuts - Part I

It was on a cold morning that Clemensia was summoned to Dr. Gaul's office. She was worried about what would happen, as the woman had attempted to assassinate her some time ago. She sat quietly and waited for Dr. Gaul to start the conversation, holding her breath. 

"Rest easy, Miss Dovecote, today's matter has nothing to do with you." Clemensia settled into her seat with interest and some relief. 

"Actually, I brought you here to learn a little more about Coriolanus's state. I've been very concerned about young Mr. Snow." Clemensia looked away, confused. 

"You see, I've noticed some movement between him and Aurora lately. Something that didn't happen before, especially since I remember them competing fiercely during high school," Dr. Gaul continued, rising and gesturing calmly. "And the academic environment is made of this. After all, only one can be in first place. I confess I saw potential in the girl for a moment, but Mr. Snow was born to lead and won my affection from the first moment. This makes me feel responsible for ensuring that no external influence hinders him on this journey." Clemensia wondered if Dr. Gaul saw her as a threat as she saw Aurora, but she probably wouldn't be in this room if that were the case. 

"Do you understand? Coriolanus never paid much attention to the ideological nonsense that Sejanus expressed," she changed to an expression of disgust. "But now, that girl. She might take advantage of a boy's feelings in adolescence to rise to power." Clemensia was finally understanding. Dr. Gaul feared that Aurora might create a strong bond with Snow with an interest in his future position. 

"She's using him," the girl finally spoke with a weak voice. The doctor nodded. The girl was already excited about the idea that Dr. Gaul might be giving her permission to end Aurora. In fact, she saw the ideological sense in the doctor's words. She wanted Coriolanus not to get involved with Aurora because she was a revolutionary like Sejanus. Not as explicitly as him, but it was clear from afar that someone like her would be a danger to the Capital. 

"The impudence of Aurora and Sejanus irritates me, and as the person responsible for the Hunger Games, I cannot let either of them get close to Coriolanus and influence him negatively." "I need a girl who is not afraid to take the lead in the games. One who is not weak and who understands the real meaning of all this," Dr. Gaul was now very close to Clemensia. 

"And this is where you come in, my dear." 

"How can I help?" 

"Separate the two immediately, and who knows, one day you might be the First Lady of Panem," the tone was now more serious and cold. "Or watch the country's decline at the hands of people who advocate the overthrow of the districts," the doctor finished.

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Clemensia walked through the school corridors, her mind working frantically as she tried to devise a plan to separate Aurora from Coriolanus. She knew it wouldn't be easy to manipulate the boy's feelings, but she was determined to do whatever was necessary to win him over. As she pondered her options, Clemensia remembered all the moments she had observed Coriolanus from afar, admiring his intelligence, determination, and beauty. She had always considered him a role model, both as a human being and as a student. Now, she saw an opportunity to turn that admiration into something more. 

Upon leaving Dr. Gaul's room, Clemensia already had an initial outline of her plan. She knew she needed to get Coriolanus to collaborate with her in the scene she was going to set up for Aurora, but how to convince him to participate? The answer came to her when she thought about how to manipulate Coriolanus's emotions. She knew that Coriolanus cared deeply for Aurora and that it would be difficult to convince him to believe that Aurora no longer cared for him. But then, an idea emerged in her cunning mind: she could create a situation where Coriolanus would misinterpret Aurora's signals, leading him to believe that she was not who he thought she was. 

Clemensia watched Aurora and Sejanus talking in the school cafeteria, but she knew that just a simple conversation would not be enough to arouse the jealousy she desired in Coriolanus. She needed something more dramatic, something that would leave an indelible mark on his mind. She knew that Aurora did not usually approach Coriolanus unless they were forced to, as in pair assignments. Now, this was normal. With a false smile, Clemensia broke the silence at the table,

 "Coryo, you should see how close Aurora and Sejanus are now. It seems like they're having a lot of fun together. Maybe you're losing your place." Coriolanus, confused by the girl's statement, looked around for Aurora and Sejanus. The girl was laughing and chatting animatedly with the boy. He tried to dismiss the thought and just shrugged. 

"I don't see anything different, the two are friends." 

"Oh, I don't know, I think they would make a good couple. The two are kind of revolutionary, you know, they have a very similar history, right?" She ended by asking the other boys at the table. Everyone agreed, and the topic of the table became Sejanus and Aurora. Just as Clemensia wanted. When class started, Clemensia hurried to Dr. Gaul's room. She would ask for her help to continue her plan.

Aurora went to the bathroom, and when she returned to the classroom, she found a note in her place. It read: "Aurora, meet me in the auditorium immediately, it's important. - Sejanus." Confused but concerned about the urgent tone of the message, she headed to the indicated location, only to encounter Sejanus, as perplexed as she was about the situation. 

"Aurora! What happened? Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. 

"I'm fine. But what about you? Why did you call me here?" Aurora was lost. 

"I didn't call you, you called me. You wrote this note here," Sejanus showed in his hand, the small note, identical to the one in her pocket. The only difference was his signature underneath. The revelation that neither of them had written the note left them perplexed and uneasy, not understanding what was happening. 

"Let's go back to the classroom, it must have been just some bad taste joke," Sejanus concluded. Aurora was too confused, she had a bad feeling about this. But she followed the boy back to the classroom in silence. 

They arrived in time for Dr. Gaul's class. They sat down, but before they could think more about the matter, they were surprised by a message from the principal over the loudspeakers: "Urgent: All students and teachers gather in the hall of the teachers' room." The tension in the air was palpable as everyone gathered at the indicated location. The principal, accompanied by some staff, had a somber expression as he revealed to everyone the terrible message, written in red ink in large letters, on the teachers' lockers: 

"LIVE THE REVOLUTION AGAINST THE CAPITAL!! DOWN WITH THE GAMES!!" 

The silence that followed was deafening, each gaze seeking answers amid the growing chaos.