Later that day, Zee and I are walking home. I get my coin out, toss it in the air and catch it. I do this a couple of times. Zee is rubbing her neck, where Mark had almost yanked her head off from her body.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah. Maybe some spinal injury but I'll live. Probably," she says.

I laugh. Suddenly, my watch beeps. Zee groans. Only important people get expensive watches like mine. Not a lot of fifteen-year-olds get to wear it, much less nine-year-olds. Marlin and I get to wear it. That doesn't mean I like it. It's like a fungus growing on my arm and I can't get rid of it.

"Sorry, Zee. Gotta go. She's calling," I say.

"Fine. Good luck, Roob."

I sprint to the North-Eastern Wing. She doesn't like tardiness. The result of this is my bumping to random people.

Just one more turn and I'll be in her office. I veer sharply and slam into a man.

He's big and is also in a hurry. I'm thrown back and the papers he was carrying are scattered.

"Sorry mister," I say.

He grunts in reply. I take a closer look at him. He's wearing rather dark clothes. A few strands of white hair poke out behind the wide hat pulled down to his face. He wears dark glasses. I'm thinking that he's too old to dress up as a ninja. He quickly grabs the papers and walks away without another word.

I haul myself up to my feet and see that he left one piece of paper. Out of curiosity, I pick it up and read it. It has only a single paragraph on it. From what I can see, it is a continuation of a letter.

'as propsed by the victor, Haymitch Abernathy of District 12. Due to his undercover task, he is unable to address to the Council. Mr. Abernathy wishes to gain permission, as he is in a tight schedule.

-One (1) hovercraft.

-One (1) squadron.'

That's it. In the bottom is Coin's signature. I heard about Haymitch Abernathy. He lives in District 12. Won the Games by complete chance, in my opinion. The old drunk's mentoring Katniss Everdeen. I heard that she's going back to the arena for the Quarter Quell. It's about a month and a half until it starts and for Battle Tactics, we're going to watch it and probably do an essay about it. Oh, the sheer boredom.

I stuff the paper in my bag and take a step towards the office when I stop dead, a sudden realization blossoming in my mind. How did Haymitch Abernathy contact Coin? He was supposed to testify in front of the Council? I thought no one knew about District 13, and that the people who fled here arrived either completely by chance or is smart enough to figure it out from all the District 13 bombing broadcasts. And what does he need a squadron and a hovercraft for? District 13 is highly advanced with bombs and military whatnot. What is going on in there?

I hear my watch beep its annoying beep. I realize that I have been standing there for a while, ponderig the vague fragment of a letter. I hurry down the hall until I come across an elevator. It's a fancy one but it doesn't open if you don't have a watch like mine. I thrust my arm on the watch scanner and the red light on the doors turns green. It opens and I march in. The elevator is tiny and really only built for one person. The walls are mirrors, so I can see a thousand dirty Roobas staring back at me. I attempted to straighten myself up. Button up my shirt until the top, wipe a smudge of ink or something from my cheek and attempt to hide a brute of a bruise on my wrist from Weapons Class.

The elevator door finally opens and I step in to a huge room. It is big but not grand, like a bigger version of a family compartment. Same grey ceilings, same grey walls, just a bigger space. There's a simple metallic- also grey- desk, a couple of file cabinets behind the desk and two chairs. One giant one turned away from me behind the desk and one tiny one facing the desk. The desk is clean, not a speck of dust or any papers.

I tiptoe into the small chair and attempt to make myself comfortable in the cold room. A clock is ticking and the room is so silent, each heartbeat sounded like an earthquake. The clock ticks on and I stare at the back of the big bloodred chair. The tension is smothering me. I give a small cough and the chair turns slightly. I can see a woman's grey hair and the tip of her nose.

"Hello Rooba," the woman says. Although she is whispering, I feel deafened.

"Hi Coin," I say.

Coin turns around completely and fix me with those beady predator eyes. It took all my willpower and some more to not flinch.

"I told you to call me Mum, not Coin," she says patiently. "We're a family and we should respect each other."

Her calmness unnerves me. I nod my head. You shouldn't defy the head of am advanced empire.

"Thank you," she says, fixing me with a toothy smile. "Where's your brother?"

"He must have figured out a way to destroy a classroom with Flyer," I joke. Immediately, I bite the inside of my mouth in embarrassment. I wish I could take that back but it's too late. It's impossible to not hear anything in the silence.

Coin didn't say anything. I see that she was holding a couple of pictures in her hands, shuffling through theme like a pack of cards, occasionally stopping at one and staring at it. She sees me looking at it and swivels her chair around again so that I'm talking to the back of the chair.

"You shouldn't stare at people, Rooba. I thought I taught you better," she scolds.

"Sorry," I mumble.

We sit in silence for a while, waiting for something- anything- to happen. I try to fix my gaze on anything in the room. There was nothing worth looking at except my colorful bag. I stare at it, reaching one of my hands down and fiddling with the many key-chains. When I run, it makes a loud sound, but I don't mind. It makes me feel calm somehow.

Then, the elevator beeps and Marlin comes in, red-faced. I can tell that he had been running fast, up to no good. I shuffle a little to the right and Marlin sits down on the tiny chair beside me. It's a tight fit. We are basically sitting on top of each other. I pinched Marlin on his arm and gave him a suspicious look. Marlin isn't into sports. The only time he would be running is if he was forced to or there was a worthy treat to it. He gave me a grin, which I interpret as a thief glad to have escaped from justice.

I'll deal with him later.

Right now, we have a 'meeting' to face. A really awkward one with many silences in this tiny chair.

"My, my, Chamberlain. You're awfully late," Coin says.

I feel Marlin tense up. He hates his name. Marlin's real name is actually Chamberlain Marlin Coin. He prefers Marlin because what kind of mother would name their sons after toilet? Coin said that Chamberlain was an important military figure way before the Dark Days. My name's just plain Rooba. It means fox in some strange language. She thinks males are the one who should be pampered, not that I'm complaining. I just want a little attention, but not enough attention to get named after a toilet. I pity Chamberla- Marlin.

"Sorry, Mum," he mumbles. Even the mighty Marlin trembles at Coin.

"Yes," she says. "Rooba, darling. I've heard that you're failing Weapons Class. And do tell why you have that ungodly bruise on your wrist."

It's my time to tense up. How did she know about the bruise? Maybe she had upgraded her room. Coin's a sucker for new technology.

"Yes. Yes I am," I say quietly. "Today, I got paired up with Horus. Fistfighting, I mean."

"Hm. I expect you to do better. If I get a report again from Captain Smilodon, expect a session in the Alcatraz."

I shiver. Alcatraz is like a prison, except worse. Everyone from infants to elders stand a chance to get locked up there for a week. It's dark, damp and rats infest it. Coin must really think that a war's coming up if she wants me to go to Alcatraz if I fail Weapons. I instantly think of the note. Maybe, my predictions were right after all. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid. Who would threaten District 13, anyway? No one knows we exsist.

Right?

"Would you like to tell me what you picked up from the ground in the hallway?" she asks.

How did she know about the note? Something inside of me tells me that I should lie. I like the voice. I act by impulse. I shake my head and try to put on a mask of innocence.

"I didn't pick anything up, Mum," I say.

"Don't lie to your mother. You can't rule the fourth world without knowing what's happening in front of your nose. Hand it over."

I sigh in defeat and bend down to zip my bag open. She calls District 13 the fourth world because it's the only place where you're safe from the Capital. I take out the crumpled paper and gently lay it on Coin's desk. Her spidery fingers quickly snatch it and I hear her uncrumpling it.

"Ah, my papers. I'm glad you didn't get the whole thing," she says.

The whole thing? Marlin is looking at our exchange, green-eyes wide open.

We sit in silence for a few minutes, Coin is humming a cheerful tune, which just added to the whole awkwardness of the situation. Coin asks 'Chamberlain' about school and his friends. Then, she lets us go.

Marlin and I trip over ourselves trying to get out. We squish into the small elevator and breath a sigh of relief. Coin's weird that way. She creeps us out just because she wants to. Or maybe we're just a small part of a bigger plan.

I remember Marlin's guilty look back in the office.

"What did you do?" I ask.

"What? If I show up panting, that doesn't mean I did something bad," he says unconvincingly.

I give him a hard stare.

"Fine. Me and Flyer..."

"Flyer and I," I correct him.

"We raided the kitchen," he says keeping his voice low. He knows that Coin's got cameras all over the place.

"You what?" I screamed-whispered. The door beeps and let us out. Marlin tries to run but I coil my fingers around his arm and drag him to the nearest custodian closet. I bang the door shut.

"What- exactly- were you doing in the kitchen?" I ask again.

"W-we were h-hungry and the cooks w-weren't looking," he whimpers.

"And you decided that being hungry was a valid reason to steal, Chamberlain?" I say angrily.

"That and Coin's our mom," he says with a huff, annoyed that I called him that.

My anger seeps away and is replaced by exaperation and a bit of sadness. I decide that it was a good time to teach him a life lesson.

"You can't go around telling people what to do whenever you want just because our mother is Coin," I say.

"Just because you hate Coin doesn't mean I should."

Boy, you seriously need acting lessons.

"I know you hate her."

"Yeah, I do," he says. "But, technically, she's still our mother and I have decided to take advantage of her title."

"No, Chamberlain."

"Stop calling me that!"

"If you stop stealing from the kitchen, Cham-"

"Fine!"

"Now that's better, Marlin. How much did you take?"

"A few apples each. Flyer took some bananas too."

I sigh. Those were expensive items. I should also teach Marlin maths. I tousle his hair in affection.

"Okay. I'm going to track Flyer down. Wanna come?"

"Sure!"

We head down the hallway together. Several times, I catch a movement in the corner of my eyes. Something black. When I try to get a closer look at it, it disappears. I feel someone watching me and I shudder. I grip Marlin's hand tighter and walk slightly faster.

We reach Flyer's compartment and from the sounds coming out from her room, I guess that she's eating her apples. I knock the door and the girl opened the door.

"Oh. Hi Marlin, Rooba. Wanna banana?" she asks cheerily.

"Um, no. I'm here to take the things that you stole. You know, the ones from the kitchen?" I ask.

Flyer shrieks and tries to slam the door. I had my foot wedged between the door and the wall.

"Marlin! You told her!" she screams playfully.

"Um, no I didn't. She found out."

"That doesn't matter! She's here to take our loot! Come and protect it with me!" she screams, putting on a tough voice.

I step into the compartment and see Flyer underneath a bed. I make an educated guess and pinpoint the location of the missing fruits under the same bed.

"Seriously, Flyer. She'll cause me serious brain damage if you don't give the groceries to her," Marlin says.

"Really? You're no fun, anymore," she groans. Her pink lips form a pout.

I sigh for the second time that day. I can't work very well with kids. I might accidentally step on them. I crouch and pull a brown bag that consists of bananas.

"No!" Flyer shouts as she lunges forward and grabs my ankle.

I stumble, but the combat boots I am still wearing is giving me easy purchase on the ground. I try to shake Flyer off but she wouldn't budge. She was squealing in delight. Marlin, seeing his friend howl happily, latches himself to my other leg.

The traitor.

Now I've got two human weights and I can barely move. I consider wacking them upside their heads when Zee arrived in the scene.

"Hiya Roob," she glances down and see the two kids on my legs. "You seem busy. I'll come back another time." She leaves with a smile.

"I thought you were my friend!" I shout.

Zee stuck her head on the door frame. "Correction. Best friend."

She reenters and grabs Flyer by her waist. Flyer squirms on Zee's grip and tries to bite her fingers playfully. Zee puts Flyer in a fireman's carry.

"Cut it out, you little shrimp," she says, laughing.

Marlin is still holding on to my leg. I walk, dragging him as I do. It takes a long time but I get there in the end. I knock on the door and a rather tall cook was standing over me.

"Yah?" he says. "I don't have time for little pests. Make it quick, I have got a six thousand people to feed."

Marlin and Flyer went pale and ran out of the cook's sight. I hand the cook the fruits that they stole.

"Here. I'm sorry for my brother and his friend. They stole some stuff from your kitchen," I say.

The cook makes a grab for the bag and peered inside. He narrows his eyes at me.

"This year's harvest just came. I have got no time for shenanigans. Please leash your brother." His eyes travels down and lands on my watch. "I know you. You're Rooba Coin. No one else wears a communicuff, except for generals and important people. If I were you, I'd stay out of my way." He slams the door shut.

I'm stunned. No one has ever talked to me like that. Quite the opposite, actually. When they see my communicuff, they stutter and attempts to wash me with praise.

I shake my head. I'm just being arrogant. Of course some people will hate me. I'm the daughter of the richest woman in District 13. What's not to hate?

Zee reappears. "Roob, we've got a slight problem."

I turn around and see that she's empty-handed hair messier than ever. "Where's the kids?"

"Dunno. Probably went home or something."

"Eh. Just leave them. Probably went to harass some poor worker."

"Fun."

I laugh and we head back to our compartments. I felt someone touch my shoulder. I whirl around and see the edge of a black shirt disappearing behind a corner.

"Zee. Go ahead. I've got to do something first."

"What?"

"I left my homework in Smell's class."

"Ouch. Want me to come? You know, for moral support?"

"No thanks."

"If you say so."

She shrugged and whistled as she walked away. I wait until she's out of sight and dashed behind the corner. I see no one. It's just a normal hallway. For a moment, I consider giving up when someone grabs me by my elbow and drags me inside another custodian closet. There's an unlimited supply of them in every hall. I try to yelp in surprise but I see a gloved hand over my mouth and another on my neck. I try to pry it from me but it was steady. I try and kick my assilant but he had closed the door and left us in the dark. I bite his hand and he finally let go. I grope for the doorknob but feel two hands on my shoulder, knocking me and pinning me to a wall. I hear some buckets fall and a clicking sound, followed by a dim light illuminating the closet.

I hate closets. This is the second time this day I'm in this place. This time, I'm trapped here with a stranger. Oh joy.

The person was the same one who I ran into. Same black outfit, same strands of white hair, same old guy.

"Who are you?" I yell.

He put his finger to his mouth, signaling me to be quiet. For some strange reason, I do.

"Don't yell. They might hear," he says.

"Who? Who might hear?" I ask, getting frightened.

"I believe, your mother," he says.

"Coin?"

"Well, duh. Do you have any other mothers?" he says.

I open my mouth to reply when he takes my left arm and fiddles with my communicuff. It shut down with a beep.

"Wow. How did you do that?" I ask in awe.

"Skills. Now, we don't have much time. The answer to your first question is that I'm Mercury Aerolous."

Dramatically, he takes off his glasses, scarf and hat. I'm stunned by what I see. He's not actually old. He was wearing a wig. Underneath, I see a brown-haired boy only slightly older than me. His dull blue eyes are staring at me. His hair is brown and shaggy, as if he had never been introduced to a brush before. He has an equally wild look in his eyes, as if he spent the night out in some forest.

"Great. Hello Mercury. If that's all I must be going," I say. I try to move forward but he still has his hand on my shoulder.

"Not so fast, Coin. Do you want to know why I was snooping around your mom's office?"

He hit the right spot. I'm suddenly interested. I mean, how could you not be interested?

"Fine. What were you doing?" I ask.

"I think it's better that you sit down. I've got more than that to tell you."

He let go of me but is still wary that I would make a run for it.

As if.

I sit down on the dusty floor and Mercury did too. I'm afraid that his huge size wouldn't let him be able to sit down properly but he takes off his huge raincoat and I see that he had stuffed pillows inside of it to make him seem huge. He's actually a lean boy, if not slightly starved. He's got a runner's build.

"I was looking for this," he says. He takes out a bunch of papers from the jacket and hands them to me.

I squint at it through the dim light. At first, I don't understand it. It's mostly numbers. Then, my eyes lands on one phrase.

The Hunger Games.

I grab the papers and begin flipping through them until I see a paragraph.

In the third Quarter Quell, squad 926 set up spies in the Capitol and intercepted a message from President Snow's mansion regarding the third Quarter Quell. He plans to reap Victors, not children. The plan is thought to be a revenge for Katniss Everdeen (The Mockingjay) to get back in the arena because she is the only female Victor in District 12.

I gasp in shock. "When was this?"

"A few months ago, before the Quarter Quell," he says.

"Wait, I thought the Quarter Quell wasn't until next month," I ask, confused.

"Coin lied. Last week was the end of the Quarter Quell," Mercury says.

He hands me another piece of paper. It was crumpled and dirty, as if the person writing this was in a swamp. He might have been.

Good news! We have successfully breached the Capitol. Soldier Everdeen has destroyed the arena forcefield, thanks to Haymitch Abernathy. We are currently on the way to District 13. We have recovered the Mockingjay. She is still in intensive care and we don't know how mentally stable she is, but Doctor Sage said that she will be ready for the propos in a few weeks. Sadly, we failed to recover Peeta Mellark and several other Victors. That might contribute to her unsteadiness, but the Medics are doing all they can.

I stare at it. "When was this written?"

"Yesterday. The Mockingjay is in a hovercraft making it's journey to Thirteen."

"She is?"

"Yes. She's in the main hospital unit of a campsite right now."

It takes a few minutes for me to process this. Coin's been lying? Then, I look at Mercury.

"And you're telling me this because...?"

"I wanted to gain trust from you," he says.

"Right, because I'm special. I know, I've been told. But why?" I ask.

"Because I need you to tell you something. Something I can't tell to a person who doesn't trust me."

I roll my eyes at his vagueness. "Just spill it. You've got my attention, even though I still think that you're clinically disturbed."

"Right. I'm not from District 13."

I laugh. "Could've fooled me. Most of the people here are refugees. Even Coin and my family aren't. We're from Six."

"No, I'm not from any of the Districts. I'm not even from Panem."

"Then where are you from?"

"New Brooklyn."

"Okaay. Where in the world is New Brooklyn?"

"Next to Dead York, in the North."

I laugh again. This guy's nuts. Either this guy's terrible in geography or he's just plain stupid. I consider the latter.

"So, what you're saying is that there's another country other than Panem?"

"Yes. That's what I'm saying."

I laugh so hard tears come to my eyes. I'm on the verge of rolling around the floor.

"I knew you were going to take it like that."

"Heck yeah! That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Get this into your head. Panem's the only country in the world, since the End." I take his hand and shake it. "Thanks for brightening up my day, I'm out."

I stand up and lay my hand on the door knob. I half-expected him to knock me off my feet again but he didn't move. Instead, he says something strange.

"Your mother is just like President Snow. By the time you've figured this out, something terrible will happen to your brother."

"Great, you're a ninja, a master of disguise and now a psychic, too? See you," I say, even though I was terrified. I push the door open and marched out. What would happen to Marlin? How come Mercury knows? A guy who can sneak in to Coin's room would probably know everything.

He's an idiot. Nothing will change that. Not even a threat for my brother.