January 30th, 2225

No, this will not work. I cannot write that name after each entry. The very sound of it makes me want to vomit. I am not Corry, have never been, will never be. "Corry" is a girl's name. Well, I know a girl named Corry. I wasn't thinking about that two days ago. Not only that, but "Corry" is the name of a peaceful, innocent, carefree, fun loving child. Me, I am not innocent or carefree, and I am most certainly not peaceful. Trust me, you do not want to argue, to make me prove this to you. I bet many call will me a barbarian, and I will thank those who do. Fear is essential when it is your responsibility to keep twelve districts in line. And seriously, if they call me a barbarian now, just imagine what I'll be like in a few decades, when I'm smarter, older, and have unlimited power over every aspect of their lives. Just imagine.

I am not fun loving. I am motivated by my success and the failure of others, not be what is fun. Do not assume this of me if you wish to live. And do not think me incapable of hurting, even killing others. Do not make me prove this to you. But of course, if I have to prove it, you won't live long enough to learn the lesson.

The point is, I'm not a Corry, and I will never again claim to be one, even in a situation as seemingly benign as signing off from a journal entry.

Time does seem to pass quicker when you imagine the weeping districts, when you watch the security videos, which are forwarded directly to our televisions. I was watching a feed from District Six, listening to countless conversations about the "horrible new twist." I heard even heard one person rant about the cruelty of the president. He encouraged several passersby to refuse to cast a vote this weekend. Of course, I notified the president at once. Not because I care about his reputation, but because I don't want a rebellion. I don't want Panem to fall before I can take over.

The peacekeepers are coming for the man. They will arrest him for treason. It will be a good show of force, which we do not have nearly enough of. I hope they kill him. He deserves it. He should have known that the Capitol would not overlook something as terrible as sedition.

The question of my sign off should not be overlooked. When the reporters and the biographers ask for stories from my past, this journal will be what I turn to for memories. An immature sign off might settle well with many Capitolites, but really, what would it look like if the strong, fearless president of Panem wrote something like "Corry" at the bottom of each of his journal entries? Or, Keidon forbid, Corry Snowy, which served as my mother's affectionate nickname for me when I was five or six. No, that would not do. After much debate, I have decided to stick with my given name. It is, after all, who I am.

And no squiggle.

Coriolanus Snow