The scream that falls from my lips gets lost in the uproar of the room. Everyone's shouting over eachother, discussing what we just heard, questions and demands ringing out. No one seems concerned with what's happening to Effie. Gale pulls me into his arms, and it's only then that I realise I have gotten to my feet at some point and haven't stopped screaming. I bury my face against his chest and sob.

Then Haymitch's voice cuts through the racket."Shut up! Why are you still talking? We're about to be attacked. Here. In Thirteen."

"How would she have that information?"

"Why should we trust her?"

"How do you know?"

Haymitch gives a growl of frustration. "They're beating her bloody while we speak. What more do you need? Prim, Finnick, someone help me out here!"

I try to speak but Finn beats me to it. "Haymitch's right. I don't know where Effie got the information. Or if it's even true. But she believes it is. And they're - " He leaves the sentence hanging, unable to finish it.

"You don't know her," Haymitch says to Coin. "We do. Get your people ready."

The president doesn't seem alarmed, only somewhat perplexed, by this turn in events. She mulls over the words, tapping one finger lightly on the rim of the control board in front of her. When she speaks, she addresses Haymitch in an even voice. "Of course, we have prepared for such a scenario. Although we have decades of support for the assumption that further direct attacks on Thirteen would be counterproductive to the Capitol's cause. Nuclear missiles would release radiation into the atmosphere, with incalculable environmental results. Even routine bombing could badly damage our military compound, which we know they hope to regain. And, of course, they invite a counterstrike. It is conceivable that, given our current alliance with the rebels, those would be viewed as acceptable risks."

"You think so?" says Haymitch. It's a shade too sincere, but the subtleties of irony are often wasted in Thirteen.

"I do. At any rate, we're overdue for a Level Five security drill," says Coin. "Let's proceed with the lockdown." She begins to type rapidly on her keyboard, authorizing her decision. The moment she raises her head, it begins.

A wordless, eardrum-piercing, fear-inducing siren starts shrieking and it seems to me the best way to cause a panic, but here in Thirteen such things just don't happen. We leave Command, Boggs leading the way. Streams of people are converging to form a river that flows only downward. No one shrieks or tries to push ahead. Even the children don't resist.I'm looking for Mum and Rory, for Livia and Estelle, but I can't spot anyone. But there's no way they could miss the sirens. Gale leaves my side when he sees Posy a bit ahead of us, biting back tears as she walks with her teacher and a class of tiny children. I'm down a whole flight of stairs before I remember Buttercup.

I turn around and make my way back. It's slow going against the tide of people going the other way, but if I squeeze against the rail it's possible. I only notice Olive's behind me when I'm in the corridor again. There's more room, now, as almost everyone has made it to the staircase.

"Where are we going?"she asks, suddenly sounding alive again. Excited."I left Finn to distract Boggs, no one's coming for us."

"I'm getting my cat,"I admit, breaking into a run. She's stunned, for a second, then laughs and follows me."You're a fucking weirdo, Everdeen. I like it."

I burst into our compartment to find Buttercup pacing the room and howling. I kneel down and scoop him up, burying my face in his fur."Oh, you good boy, you came back to protect us."

"Not to rush you or anything,"Olive says, stuffing a few things indiscriminately into my sister's old gamebag."But bombs and stuff. Let's go, yeah?"

"One second,"I say, handing her our plant book to add to the bag and grabbing Mum and Dad's wedding picture as well as Amber's portrait. I look around the room."Okay, now."

We race back down the stairs, and when we're almost there I hear Haymitch shouting, even though I can't make out what.

"We're coming!"I scream, just in case. At the same time, Olive shouts,"Hold the door!"

Haymitch has his shoulder wedged into the last open space of the door, yelling for them to open it again. Once they do, he turns to yelling at me and Olive for being 'absolute fucking idiots' instead.

For a few blissful seconds, we forget the gravity of the situation and break out in almost hysterical laughter. Only when the bunker door closes behind us with a terribly final CLUNK does reality sink back in.