Beetee raced into Snow's office. "The latest polls are in!" he said. "The Centrists have continued to drop in the polls, down to 30%. We are currently tied with the Reform Party at 25% each, while Johanna is down to 10%. The most surprising development is that the Fifth-Wheel Party has made significant gains, reaching 9%. The other 1% thought they were taking a cusomer service survey about toilet paper." He and Gale looked at each other.

"More absorbent," Gale said, desperately smiling for the camera, "less chafing!"


"I had forgotten how good you were at campaigning," Coin said. "But even you have your limits."

Snow shrugged. "Yes, in hindsight, after I was declared president for life I rather lost my touch," he said. "Still, we remain in the lead, and I have had ample time to develop a more vigorous campaign strategy. How does this sound? `Vote Centrist. Or Don't.' A number of former Peacekeepers have offered to help distribute them."

"Perfectly charming," Coin said. "Do you intend to make any comment on your involvement in the Special Investigations Division?"

"What would I say?" Snow said. "Perhaps that I took charge of the affairs of my regime instead of pretending to look the other way? That I accepted responsibility for my people's dirty work instead of branding them `renegades' or 'unaligned extremists'?"

"You are growing touchy, Cornelius," Coin said. "It does not become you. Peeta may sway the masses with a few tears, but you must present yourself as utterly dispassionate."

"Must I?" he said rhetorically. He held up a rose. "For fifty years, I made myself what I thought they needed: The philosopher-king in an ivory tower. I did not care if they adored me or hated me, but the one thing I did not let them do was think of me as a man like themselves, because only then could they have held me in contempt, and that is the end of fear. Perhaps that was my mistake." He tightened his fist as he spoke, until blood trickled down the crushed stem.

"I think, perhaps, it is time to remind them that I once was as they are," he said, casting away the broken rose. "Then they will know just how far I had to rise, and how hard I had to fight, and they will know one more thing: That I can truly be as cruel, and as spiteful, and as petty as they are, and then they will truly understand the consequences if they should aspire to defeat me, and fail."

"But Cornelius," Coin said with a hint of a smile, "we are running together, as equal partners."

"But of course, partner," Snow said. In his mind, he said to himself the very thing that, by amazing synchronicity, Coin said to herself: Some partners are more equal than others.


"I think a President's first duty is just to listen," Johanna said. "That doesn't take a genius, or a hero, or a visionary, it just takes a `people person', and that's what I have to offer." She smiled.

Plutarch was clearly struggling to to keep a neutral face. He looked to Gale, fidgeting beside her. "President Hawthorne, do you have something to say?"

"Jo, you are terrible dealing with people!" Gale said, half-sputtering. "All you do is get in other people's space and make them uncomfortable until they go along just to humor you! And then you never try to have a real conversation, you just talk and talk about clothes and makeup and stupid gossip that you always find a way to make about you, and if somebody tries to talk about something that really matters, you just use your body as a distraction until they shut up! And I keep telling you that, but you won't listen! You never listen to anybody!"

Johanna just smiled. "See, he's not afraid to talk to me," she said with a grin. "Oh, you have got to get a look at this dress..." She turned around and undid the clasp behind her neck.

"Astonishing," Coin said. "The latest polls show Johanna's approval rating at 35%... Reform Party, 20%, tied with us... Fifth-Wheel Party, 15%... Victory Party, 10%. Cornelius, this is a disaster. Even Haymitch would be preferable to Johanna in office!"

Snow only smiled. "But Alma, this is the perfect development. It is indisputable proof that, in terms of influencing the public,style has achieve complete supremacy over substance. The lowest common denominator has won, and all we have to do to win is appeal to that above all else."