A/N: Wow, guys that was really fast! Sorry for the delay in my updating, school starts up again in less than two weeks and I've been shopping like crazy! Here is your promised chapter, thanks for your reviews. But I have a new review expectation for this chapter- do you think we can get to 55 reviews? The next chapter depends on it!

Chapter 13

The house wastes no time in reducing itself to ashes as our neighbors and friends help to douse the flames before it spreads to other shacks. Once I get over the shock of the destruction, I make my way through the crowd again and find my family. They are still clumped off to the side, everyone else carefully averting their eyes. Tre has disappeared into the crowd, no doubt to his own family to give us some alone time.

After our house completely burnt to the ground, the rest of my family seem to be jerked out of their states of shock as well, and I waste no time in questioning them.

"Who did this?" I shout, looking around wildly for a white uniform. "I'll kill them… you guys have to get out of here before they try to kill you again!"

My mother looks at me oddly. "It wasn't anybody else," she says slowly, dabbing her eyes which have welled up at the loss of her home. "It was all my fault. I was doing some wash while cooking some stew so we could have an early supper. Funny, I thought that I kept the clothes far enough away from the fire… well, anyway, we'll just have to stay with the Everdeens for the time being. Luckily, no one suffered any burns, just some coughing from the smoke." She attempts a half smile at me, but I'm no longer paying attention.

There is no doubt in my mind that Thread's men did this, but how?

"Are you sure it was the clothes that were on fire?" I ask my disoriented mother. Was she really so busy she really had no time to notice a tall, muscled Peacekeeper sneak into our home and set the wash on fire? Or was it actually an accident, as everyone assumed? Somehow, I seriously doubted the latter.

Mom starts to nod, then slowly shakes her head. "I honestly have no idea, Pose. One minute I turn my back to go and strip the beds so I can wash the sheets, the next thing I know there is a huge column of fire against the wall by the stove. I assumed it was because of the clothes."

Thread's men were clever planning the right time to light the fire, but not too clever for me. Suddenly, I have a clear idea of what happened.

I turn to Gale and Vick, who are standing awkwardly off to the side, Gale with his arm around Madge's pale shoulder. When I look them over, both of them covered in ash and coal dust, something strikes me as strange.

"Wait- why are you two at home?" I ask, pointing between my brothers. "Shouldn't you have been at work and school?"

"One of the Peacekeepers came to the mines to get me," Gale says, wiping his brow tiredly. "I came here as soon as possible and tried to put out the fire, but it was a hungry thing- we're lucky to all be alive. Almost like it was fueled on purpose."

Vick just shrugs his shoulders. "The office called me and told me that I was free to go home due to a family emergency." He claims. I wonder briefly is he had been skipping class too- the excuse sounds a little bit fake to me.

Meanwhile, Mom is scrutinizing me suspiciously. "How did you know about the fire, Pose?"

"I-I was called to the office too," I quickly cover, turning my face so she won't see my blush. Beside Mom, Vick looks perplexed but says nothing, which I am grateful for.

While I converse with my family, Madge still leans on Gale, clutching her stomach and occasionally wincing as if in pain, her face white. At first I worry that maybe the baby is coming, but when I count the months and realize that he or she is not yet due for another 2 months, I push the idea from my head. Now, looking at her, it occurs to me that sometimes babies can come early. At least, that's what Prim has told me before.

"Madge," I say gently after watching her wince for the umpteenth time. "Are you okay? Is it the baby?"

She quickly shakes her head, but another wave of pain causes her to grit her teeth and she responds, "No, just some twinges is all."

Mom exchanges a concerned glance with Gale and murmurs, "She needs to rest." That's when the Peacekeeper strides up to us, grinning wickedly. Immediately, I try and draw my family behind me to protect them, but of course they have no idea what is going on and Gale walks out in front of me like the stubborn fool he is.

The Peacekeeper lets his gaze rest on all of us before he speaks, his eyes remaining on mine for longer than necessary. "We are very sorry to have heard that your family has lost your house in the recent fire," he says in a surprisingly sober voice. Red hot anger courses through me when I realize that this man may have possibly started said fire.

"And since you have nowhere to live due to the damage, we suggest that you move into the Town Hall for the time being. We have plenty of rooms to accommodate you." I am about to slap the man and tell him we would never live in that place where we last saw Rory in person when Gale speaks up instead.

"No thank you, um… sir." He spits out the man's title disgustedly and the Peacekeeper's smile widens. "We have family friends who would be much happier to house us until we can rebuild."

The man smirks before saying, "Very well, then. Have it your way." As he strides away I am surprised at how easily he gave up.

Then it hits me. The Peacekeepers already know we'll be going to the Everdeen's, and will simply kill us all once we're there. I mean, what are the lives of two other people if you are already killing a whole family just for the sake of it?

Frankly, we are lucky that the man hadn't drawn his gun there and then and fired at us, but I understand the logic behind it. For one, Madge is the mayor's only daughter, and killing her publically would just result in a lot of trouble amongst both the people and the mayor's inside connections, however few. Ironically, it is Madge's status that is keeping us safe for now.

##

Many hours later, we are all settled around the rough wooden table in the Everdeen's house, taking care not to look at one another for fear that we will burst into tears. I spent the last few hours trying (in vain) to persuade everyone to just run off into the woods with Gale, but of course, everyone thinks I'm shell-shocked and refuses to listen. Very well then. They'll see that I am right when a Peacekeeper shows up here and points his gun on us.

We still have a few minutes until the Hunger Games will become required viewing on the television, but we've had it on since we've gotten here anyway. Rory, Haley, and the twins from District 10 are all still alive, Haley healing rapidly thanks to the help of her new ally, Sage. The two of them seem to have bonded greatly and I'm worried of what would happen if they were to be the last ones left in the arena. I quickly push the thought out of my head since that would mean Rory would have to be dead.

Suddenly, Vick, who is sitting beside me, leans in and says, "Where were you really when the fire happened? Because that excuse I made up… well, I was talking shit and you know it. I was ditching school with some friends. Where were you?"

"Same." I am immensely relieved that Vick hasn't chosen to rat me out to Mom, even if it is only to save his own skin. I love my older brothers.

Rory pops back onto the screen just as Madge lets out a loud shriek. All of our heads swivel around to find her practically standing in her chair, her face deathly pale, clutching her stomach with white knuckles. There is a large puddle of water intermingled with some blood that lies, a telltale sign, on the floor.

Mrs. Everdeen and Prim both stand up abruptly, kicking the chairs to the side and helping the pregnant woman get to the mattress in the corner. Mom sets to work making some herbal tea to calm Madge while Gale sputters, "What, what, is-isn't the b-baby supposed to be here next m-month?"

Prim turns on him, her voice holding wisdom beyond her years. "That was the expected date, yes, but it doesn't make any difference. Your baby is coming Gale… right NOW!"

A/N: So the house has burned down, Posy is freaking out about the Peacekeepers, Rory is caught in the deathtrap that is the Hunger Games, and oh yeah- Madge is giving birth. Want to hear what happens next? Reviews please!