In the last chapter I said Vinna's gauntlet time was 34 minutes. Obviously I meant 34 seconds. I'll fix it soon.

Aemma Marsay, 7, Cozy Capitolite Girl

The pillows are so comfy. There's pillows of all shapes and sizes, and they feel like you are laying on clouds.

The blankets are just as wonderful. I'm under a gigantic blanket with soft fur like a bunny's. It's so warm that it's making me want to go to sleep, but I know I have to stay awake for a little while longer.

Mama asks me if I am excited for tomorrow.

"Yeah!" I say in a loud voice, before covering my mouth. "Yes," I say much quieter.

Mama laughs. "This year, the sessions will be a little bit different," she tells me. Mama walks over to a gigantic computer, where she clicks on a button that makes a big screen appear.

"Love, have you noticed any interesting tributes so far? Anyone that has caught your attention?"

I think for a moment.

"Vinna, she's big and mean and scary. But also very, very beautiful." I mess up saying 'beautiful' but Mama doesn't seem to notice.

Mama smiles at me, her blue eyes sparkling.

"Yes, she is. She's one of the favorites this year, you know." Mama pulls up an old video of Vinna's Reaping, where she stood proudly in her fancy lace dress, looking at the audience with an evil glare. She almost looks like a villain!

"Here's another pair that have attracted my attention," Mama tells me. "Pontiki Aror and Ashton Shinjin. They sneak out of training a lot, yesterday and today they slipped out." Mama looks angry but also like she wants to laugh.

She tells me the tributes are starting to get the best of her. I'm not sure what she means by that.

"I'm thinking these kids need to be put back in their place. The pair from 11 played a prank on my Gamemakers and I too, and now these silly girls think they can skip out on training. This isn't a vacation!"

Mama's expression is suddenly scary. I take a step back from her. I know that if I tell Mama that I gave the sun and moon shinies to the Three children and the girl from 8, she would kill me!

"These four kids might think it's all sunshine and rainbows, but they won't know what they're in for." Mama's big screen suddenly shows a foggy field. The sky above holds no stars and a spooky moon. I ask her what she is showing me.

"I can't spoil the surprise, love," she says like a sneaky fox. I keep staring at the screen, which reminds me of a horrible nightmare I had a long time ago. I was running in a creepy forest while the moon laughed over me. I tried to outrun the bad moon but it kept following me. The dream only ended when I ran out of energy from crying.

That page of my Dream Journal still has tear stains.

Dream Weaver struggles in my arms, and I tighten my hold on him to get him to be still.

"Mama, Weaver is scared!" I say to her.

"No, he's just excited," Mama says in a soft voice. "Let him go, sweetheart."

I do as she says and release Weaver, who eagerly runs over to the screen Mama is watching. He nods in an approving way.

"This is perfect!" shouts Weaver. "This is sure to be a swell time!"

I'm starting to become angry that no one is telling me any details about what is on the screen. I beg Mama for information.

"You'll find out tomorrow, Aemma. Now, let's go to bed."

I can't sleep. My mind is not wanting to calm down, and all I can think about is how far away the Games are. I know three days is not a long time, but to me it feels like three years! Today is Wednesday. Tomorrow is Thursday, the day of the private sessions. Mama says they take place at 10:00 until 1:00. Then they reveal the scores at 6:00. I wish I would just go to sleep so it would come sooner.

I think back to Vinna. She seemed angry to see me, and for a second I thought she was going to kill me. Well, she's a Career, so if we were in the arena, she really would kill me. Gosh, it would be so cool to be in the arena. I know I can't go in there with the tributes, but I want to be a part of something that fun. I would probably be a Career, like Vinna. My weapon would be a bow and arrow because girls who use those are always pretty. I'd score a 12, probably, and wear a beautiful dress for the interviews!

The Games probably aren't all peachy, though. You could go hungry, or thirsty, or get eaten by a Mutt. Whenever I think of the polar bear mutts that killed Royal, my tummy starts to get upset.

Still, it would be very fun to be a tribute, I think.

I remember that I left Vinna a note yesterday. I wonder if she saw it, or knew it was from me. I suddenly realize I had forgotten to sign it. Darn!

Oh well. She probably never wants to see me again.

I remember the sun and moon shinies, which makes me feel scared instantly, because I'm thinking about what would happen if someone found them. According to Dream Weaver, someone almost did, but whoever it was did not tell Mama, thankfully. The person who does have it, however, needs to give it back.

Uneasy, I get out of bed and sneak past the Avoxes, who notice me but pretend not to. I press the button that takes me all the way to the ground floor, and I'm taken there by another Avox.

Once I reach the ground floor, I shoo away the Avox as I spot Incy, who won her Games long before I was born, even before Mama was born, I think. After I gave the moon shiny to Esther, I was happy, but sad once Dream Weaver told me it had been stolen. It was definitely Incy who stole it, she's old and mean. She wouldn't want Esther to have gifts. She would want to keep it for herself.

Incy can't keep it, though. It belongs to the tribute, not her! I notice when Incy steps into the lift, and I stand by it, waiting for a big enough amount of time to pass before I follow her.

Incense Vasquez, 44, District 8 Victor

Lacey's been much more secretive than usual. She hides her messages from me when I approach her, before sneaking off to some corner. She says that she, like everyone else, deserves a little privacy, but it seems as if she is keeping something from me. I remind her that she can tell me anything.

"It's nothing," she always insists.

I accepted that answer until I caught her with a strange binder in her arms. I simply question her on its contents and she's stumped, until she gets defensive.

"It's none of your business, Incy!" she snaps at me. That's a red flag. Lacey is calm and collected, and almost never loses her temper. For the longest time I assumed she was incapable of doing so.

I give her a suspicious look and she sighs in defeat.

"Fine, I guess I can't keep this from you."

I was shocked to discover that she and Alysanne had been plotting about the Games behind my back, especially considering I have about three times more experience with sneakiness than those two girls. She says the word 'moon' around once a sentence, almost like she's obsessed with the glowing stepsister of the sun.

Lacey explains how she found a strange idol with a moon emblem in Esther's room, which she gave to Alysanne. The binder contained all the other moon details Lacey had documented.

"Why would you give it to her?" I question, fearing that Lacey gave away a valuable item for no reason.

"You don't know what it does. It could blow up whoever is holding it at the beginning or it could not do that. I don't see any good coming from having it!"

"Make Alysanne give it back," I demand, crossing my arms. "It was in Esther's possession in the first place, and it belongs to her. To District 8." I can see Lacey deflating like a balloon at the prospect of once again owning that mystery medal, so I take on a softer tone.

"I know Alysanne is your friend but we have to think of our kids first, Lacey." I put my arms around her shoulders, and she gives me an unreadable look. She just turns and heads out, presumably to Alysanne's flat.

Hours later, when Lacey returns with the moon medal, I snatch it from her almost instantly.

"It's smaller than I thought," I whisper, the oversized coin fitting in the palm of my hand. It's a deep blue with light blue gems surrounding the edges and an almost iridescent moon symbol on the front. Mother of pearl, I think to myself as I recognize the material of the moon carving.

It's enchanting, almost captivating. I've even begun to block out what Lacey is telling me as my eyes stay glued to the beautiful… shiny…

"Incy! Are you listening?"

Lacey's tinny voice brings me back to reality.

"I had to steal it. The flat was empty. If Alysanne asks for it, I'm just going to play dumb."

I open my mouth to respond but nothing comes out.

"You can keep that stupid thing, but I want nothing to do with it," Lacey says in an exasperated voice. She disappears behind her door and I'm left with the medal floating in the palm of my clammy hand.

Was it really worth it to steal this silly idol? What if it really does bring harm, like Lacey theorized?

"Pssst…"

I yelp as I hear a sudden call, a hushed whisper, the tone of someone who is not supposed to be here.

"Come here real quick!"

It's coming from a closet, and I wander over until the closet containing a water heater's door swings open, and a small hand grabs my wrist, urging me to come inside.

At first I'm certain I'm being killed for even holding this medal, but as the light clicks on, I notice the form of a tiny little girl. Why would they send a baby to kill me?

"Look, lady," she says in a self-righteous voice, "I don't know where you found that, but it belongs to Esther, not you. I gave it to her." She suddenly looks quite fearsome.

I shake my head at her. "Well, then she should have hidden it better." The girl gives me a pouty look. "I'll give it back if you tell me what it does."

The girl's face goes red. "It's supposed to be a surprise, dummy! If you don't give it back, I'll make sure both your stupid kids get blown up at the beginning!"

I chuckle at the small child, which only makes her more angry.

"How could you possibly blow up Esther and Brocade? You aren't a Gamemaker." The girl's soft face contorts into a wicked grin, an expression I didn't think was possible in someone so small. A chill runs down my spine.

"Life will be a whole lot happier for you if you just give Esther back her shiny. Trust me, lady."

Without warning the door opens and an Avox swoops in and lifts the girl off the ground, cradling her in her arms as he dashed for the lift. The child sticks out her tongue at me as the lift doors close and she disappears.

I stumble out of the closet, nearly dropping the medal. I feel like tossing it off the edge of the Training Center building but I know that's not a good idea. If that girl's words were true, there's only one thing I need to do with this. I can just brush off the silly child's threat as empty and move on with my life, but if both of my tributes really did end up in pieces before the gong even sounded, I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself.

Why was that child making such threats, anyway? She's obviously too young to have too much power. Is she related to someone who might be able to fulfill her promise?

Numbly, I enter Esther's empty room. The sunset is filling her room with beautiful rays of gold. Training ends in around fifteen minutes, the end of training altogether for the tributes, as the private sessions are tomorrow.

Lifting her pillow, I slide the medal underneath it, staring at its features. I pick it back up and kiss the face of it, smiling.

"For good luck," I say to no one in particular.