My breath catches in my throat. Because I know what's coming.

The districts are filmed during their reapings. First, District 1. A girl named Sapphire and a boy named Parlor. Next, District 2. A girl named Fiona and a boy named Alec. District 3 reaps a girl named Atlanta and a boy named Jared.

Then, there's District 4. I watch as Bella Blume welcomes everyone, then sinks her hand into the girls' reaping ball. She calls the name Leah Haley, then dips her hand into the boys' reaping ball. I hold my breath as she reads the name.

"Heron Marx," is the name that is called. Figures.

I let out a soft sob. Layna looks at me. "Is that your brother?" she asks.

"Yes," I reply.

Heron ascends the stairs, a shocked expression resting on his face. I'm about to scream my head off at the screen, when a larger guy, maybe about eighteen, same as Heron now, steps up to volunteer.

Bella asks what his name is. "Matt Ataney," is his answer. I recognize him immediately as a boy who is in my year at school.

Matt is a tall, muscular boy with short blonde hair and brown eyes. He was in my year at school and was always helpful to me. It's too bad he volunteered. Still, better him than Heron.

I feel a small grin cross my lips. I bet Snow wasn't expecting that. He probably thought that he would have his way, and Heron would have had to be in the Games. But then, Matt Ataney saved him. He probably was not expecting that.

The reapings go on, and soon, they're over. Layna and I sit back down. She has her head in her hands. Being in here for nine months must be taking its toll. She shakes her head and lays down on her bed. I'm sure she's sleeping when I hear her breathing slow.

I lay down in my own bed and am just about to fall asleep, when I hear the door slide open. My eyes flick open, and I sit up quickly, which makes me lightheaded. I see three Peacekeepers shoving someone into the room. A boy, maybe about twenty. He's tall, but slim, like me. He has long, straight black hair and light brown eyes. The Peacekeepers give him one last shove, and the door slides closed behind them.

The boy slumps to the floor and catches his breath. When he stands again, I'm already walking over to him. I cross my arms. "Another one?" I say.

He looks up at me, and I notice his eyes are actually a dark golden color. He stands up straight, and I also realize he has a good five inches over me. "I guess so," he replies in a deep voice. He brushes his clothes off and leans up against the wall. "So what are you in for?"

"Oh, nothing much," I say casually. "Just outsmarting Snow, disobeying Snow, being too much for Snow to handle." Then I shrug. "And being in love with his personal prostitute."

This catches the boy's attention. He looks at me. "A prostitute?" he asks in disbelief. "Who?"

I shrug again. "Finnick Odair." Layna sits up at the mention of his name. She looks at the boy, whose name I still haven't learned, and smiles.

The boy's eyes widen. His jaw drops. "Finnick Odair?" he gasps. "You're in love with him?" I nod. "Well, you wouldn't be the first. He has thousands of-"

Layna cuts him off. "Oh, it's different with her," she tells him. "Finnick loves her too. He said so in his interview."

"His interview?" asks the boy, flicking his gaze back and forth from me to Layna. Then his eyes widen again. "So, you're-"

I interrupt by shoving my hand towards him. "Aury Marx," I say. "District 4."

The boy doesn't take my hand. He eyes me suspiciously. "I thought Auramarina Marx was dead," he says.

"Obviously she's not," Layna snorts. "The scene of her dying was fake. It was made personally by President Snow."

The boy relaxes and takes my hand. "Demetri," he tells me. "Demetri Todd."

"I'm Layna," says Layna, getting up and walking towards him. "Layna Rosswood." She shakes his hand and sits back down.

"So, what are you in for?" I ask Demetri.

Demetri sighs. "Do you know Evre?" he asks. I nod. "I was one of her companions."

"Just like Layna," I say, motioning to her. "Did you know each other before this?"

"Not really," he replies. "We passed by each other a few times, but never really talked."

"Good time to talk now," says Layna. "There's nothing else to do." She pats her bed, inviting Demetri to sit. He does, and then she starts talking to him about a lot of stuff that I don't care about. So I let my mind drift.

I start wondering what we're going to do. How long will it be before Evre and her team of Peacekeepers comes to get us out of here? Will she be caught? Will she be exiled, or worse, executed? Then, another thought comes to mind. Evre didn't say anything about how we're going to save Finnick too.

"...and, after that, they jumped off the cliff and into the water, and the mutts didn't follow them. The girl Bree didn't make it, though." Layna is telling the story of how we escaped those cat-monkey mutts in the arena. The mutts that were set on killing me, and me only.

I don't understand why she's telling Demetri all of this. It's mandatory for everyone to watch the Games, so he probably already knows this. But he just lets her go on, nodding in between sentences. It's extremely polite of him, actually.

Suddenly, I hear a knocking on the door. I whip my head to see who it is, and why they aren't just coming in. To my surprise, I see Evre's pale blue eyes staring at me. She knocks on the door again, and then she disappears. What the hell? I think. I go over to the door, with Layna going on about how Tex tried to kill me, and look through the glass. I don't see Evre anymore, but I do see a piece of paper sliding under the door. I kneel down and pick it up. I slump back down on my bed and read the paper.

Aury,

Change of plans. We can't get you all out of there. Not when there's three of you.

We could have easily managed with two, but three is too risky.

So you have an option: One of you can stay behind, or all three of you can find a way to escape on your own.

You have five days to decide, and carry out whichever option you choose.

Me and my Peacekeepers will be waiting for you, just outside Snow's office, at eleven on the fifth night.

Good luck,

Evre

I feel my jaw drop slightly. And, after a moment, I understand what Evre is saying. Not all of us can make it out. Not with her help, anyway. So, now, we're in a tight situation. I shake my head. No way am I making either of these two stay behind and be caught by Snow. No, we're all going to make it out of here. And we're going to have to do it ourselves.