"Wait up," calls Johnny. "Lemme walk you." I smile but shake my head, saying "All the way to the waterfront? I don't think so." "What?'"he cries. "You can't go all that way tonight. It's like 10 miles." I hadn't realized how far I still am, and shrug to hide my disappointment. He continues, "Come on, it's my fault you aren't already home. Just crash here for the night." I hesitate, countering "I think Mr. Cresta's got enough on his plate." He gives me a funny look, then says, "No, not there. With me." I must look dubious because he switches tactics. "And my friends. At least let me get you some dinner?" "Well, maybe," I reply. "We can walk there together and I'll think about it." He grins. "It's my brother's place really, but I've been staying there too, what with the uprisings. His crew always gets the best intel thanks to me."

I raise my eyebrows, and can't resist teasing him, "Don't tell me you're really a spy. Shouldn't you keep that kind of thing, I dunno, secret? I might report you to some Peacekeepers." "Nah," he deadpans. "You wouldn't do it. You're a spy too, and anyway, I think we're on the same side." He turns his head to wink at me as we turn down a narrow road, hardly more than an alley. "What!? I'm not a spy," I retort, though ... I'm not exactly who I say I am either. I wonder what Johnny's thinking and hope the growing darkness conceals the pink flush on my cheeks. "Then what're you doing way out here if you're from the waterfront?" he asks. Hells teeth."None of your business," I answer defensively. This kid is too smart for his own good, I think. He leads me to an apartment in another rundown building.

Remembering the initial cold reception at the healer's, I hesitate at the door. "Are you sure ...?" but Johnny's already pulling me in to the apartment. It's small but not as small as Katniss' old house in the Seam. "Johnny, that you?" comes a voice from a back room. "Yeah – busy day out there! Dinner on?" he calls back. The voice doesn't miss a beat, saying "Let me guess, you found another cute girl to follow you home?" I don't know how to react, but Johnny grins and waggles his eyebrows at me. "What? I'm not the only spy in the gang." Another lanky figure appears in the dim hall, leaning on the door frame. He drawls, "Don't worry, darlin'. I'm just teasin. Lookout saw you on the street." There's no doubt they're related. "So you must be big brother." I answer, a faint challenge in my voice. He laughs, "That's me." Then he turns back to the room, calling over his shoulder, "Soup's on, don't dawdle now."

Johnny fills bowls with some kind of shellfish stew. At the end of the dim hall, we find a room with Johnny's brother and 3 others sitting around a table strewn with papers. Johnny pulls up two chairs while I meet the gang. Johnny's brother Carlo is tall with flashing brown eyes and dark hair shaved short. Next to him is a red-haired woman named Marai, whose stillness seems to belie an inner intensity. She eyes me appraisingly as I settle in to a chair with my stew. My first impression of the other two, Bear and Spinner, is of a pair of paradoxes. Spinner is compact but there's something about him that makes him hard to ignore. He lounges in his chair, propping new-looking shoes on the edge of the table. Bear, on the other hand, draws no attention to himself despite his broad, burly frame.

I start in on the stew. To be honest, it doesn't compare to Adrian's fish from lunch, but who am I to complain? While Johnny & I eat, the others get back to their conversation.

Apparently the organized rebels in district 4 had told people to keep things quiet during the games, make it seem like they'd lost their fight. They wanted people to watch the viewings in public squares, as much as possible, but no one was supposed to get violent or start anything. They were supposed to wait for orders. Apparently someone got restless. Now, Johnny's friends are worried about the damage done by the mob scene today, about how many people were shot, and what retribution it might bring from the Capitol. I can't follow half of what they're saying, about people and places I've never heard of. Marai leans over a map on the table, and is constantly tucking her short red hair back behind her ear. Spinner keeps getting into all sorts of details that are unintelligible to me. He and Carlo talk the most. Johnny pipes in regularly with things he's seen, or to answer questions that come up in the conversation. He's much younger than the other four, like a kid brother who won't leave the older kids alone. Even so, they treat him more like an equal than I'd expect. Also, I'm pretty amazed by how much he has to report. I'd forgotten he left the healer's place for most of the afternoon.

I've made some snap judgments over dinner. I'm pretty sure I'd be safer here than out on the streets tonight, if they'll have me. "Thanks for the soup. I'm headed to the waterfront but lost track of time. I hope it's okay that I'm here. I don't want to impose."

Carlo smirks and shakes his head. "Johnny's friends are always welcome."

Bear, who has been quiet throughout, announces he's going on lookout duty and leaves the room. Spinner explains, "Bear's on night shift. I was on lookout earlier, saw you and Johnny comin' – that's how Carlo knew he'd brought ya'. Most of the time one of us is keeping an eye on the street for anything off. And on the broadcasts from the Capitol now, just in case."

"Just in case what?" I ask.

Spinner happily admits, "Don't really know. But you know how the Victors were the base of the rebel network - our link to other districts and the Capitol. I don't know if we have any connection outside the district now, other than what the Capitol broadcasts. There've been tons of rumors - that the victors would refuse to fight, that they'd blow up the arena, that district 13 is going to rescue them. All we really know is that they've been planning something big. You haven't heard anything, have you?"

Marai jumps in, obviously annoyed, "We're not supposed to know anything. Loose lips sink ships and all that, you know? Obviously Finnick is doing anything he can to keep 12 alive. All wecan do is wait" she sighs.

"And fight the Capitol," adds Carlo pointedly.

When things wind down for the night, Johnny hands me a light blanket and points me to a couch.

An obstinate couch spring is poking me in the back, but it's not that bad. I lay awake on the couch a long time, thoughts swirling in my head. I wonder if Haymitch is part of the rebellion. It had never seemed like it, but he definitely hates the Capitol, so why wouldn't he be? And now Katniss and Peeta are mixed up in it somehow. But with all the time I spent with them, bringing them dad's papers from the Capitol, I'm sure I'd at least know if they were a part of some bigger plan. The only plans I know about are Katniss wanting to keep Peeta alive, and Peeta's plan to save Katniss. If Finnick is protecting them, maybe there is some plan to get the victors out alive. I don't see how it's possible though.

I'm amazed by the trust these people put in their rebel leaders. That's something we'd never have in 12. Who would people rally around in rebellion? Not my father, not Haymitch. Not even Katniss and Peeta, I think.

Tomorrow I'll get to the waterfront and join my aunt's family. And if I ever need to come back to this part of the city, I'll know who to come to.

Eventually my rambling thoughts turn into restless dreams of beastly muttations and angry peacekeepers.

When I wake in the morning, my back aches and my head hurts, so I pull the blanket over my head, not wanting to move. Someone's whispering, "Maddie. Psst, Maddie, are you awake?"

I'm about to roll over when the realization hits me that they mean me, and jolts me upright. "I'm awake. I'm awake." Johnny gives me a sheepish grin. "Oh, sorry," he says, "Carlo got an update and I thought you might..." I nod. "yeah, I want to hear." I follow him back and join the others.

First, he tells us about the games - Peeta giving Katniss his locket which had pictures of her family, Enobaria and Brutus barely avoiding the bloodrain. We're down to 8 victors already. Bear speaks up then. "There's something with the bread, I just ..." he shakes his head. "I don't know what it means! They got 24 rolls from district 3, twice. Finnick was acting weird about it. It's gotta be a message. " But nobody knows what it might mean. There's some discussion that maybe because the bread's from district 3, it's something about the 3 o'clock wedge of the arena, but nobody can explain how and eventually we run out of ideas. The conversation moves to the rebellion. The good news is there've been no bombings; the bad news is that the Peacekeepers have been cracking down in the area, after yesterday's mob scene. Several rebels were captured in the square and executed. Not only that, but the rebels planned for an attack today, and now the Peacekeeper forces are already on guard. Carlo can barely control the disdain in his voice when he tells us they're still going through with it.

Marai fills in the details. "It's way too risky. But they want a coordinated protest tonight. When the victors get more food from their sponsors, that's the cue. We're supposed to begin the protest at public viewing screens, then converge on the administration buildings and take control of whatever we can." The administration buildings are the best asset in this part of town, but other groups have their own targets - the train station, the port and the marina are all key.

The news sparks a lot of debate about if the rebels are trying to get us killed. But in the end Spinner announces he's going, because the rebel network has to have better information than we do, and asks who's in. Bear speaks up first, but Carlo dismisses him. "No way, not you. You're still recovering." I look over to Johnny, hoping he'll explain, but he's not looking my way. Around the circle, the others all agree to go. Then everyone looks to me expectantly. "Maddie?"

I hesitate, and in the quiet Johnny launches into what they must have already worked out amongst themselves. "You don't have to. We figured you'd be going back to sector 2 today, and maybe your family's worried. But they're coordinating this stuff district-wide. We weren't sure you'd have time – to find out what's happening and help there? We get it if you want to go back. But, you could fight here, if you wanted to."

Considering my aunt doesn't even expect me, I don't have a clue what I'll be walking into in sector 2, and I want to help the rebels if I can, it doesn't take long for me to agree to stay and fight. Johnny teaches me the layout of the closest public viewing square and the government buildings only a few blocks away, tracing his hands over a faded map until I've mostly got it. At some point he explains that Bear was shot in the initial uprising, and still isn't fully recovered. Apparently Bear is nocturnal, too, as he heads to bed immediately after the decision.

At some point Spinner turns up with sandwiches. Later Marai comes by and asks what weapons I've got. I show her the knife, and after weighing it in her hand, she nods approvingly. She tosses me a roll of fabric that turns out to be a change of clothes. "Figure we're about the same size," she says chirpily. She outfits Johnny with a wickedly curved blade, and slings a peacekeeper gun over her shoulder.

When we get to the viewing square, there are already hundreds, maybe thousands of people watching the screens as Finnick pulls fish from the sea. Carlo positions us out of sight of the peacekeepers up on the rooftops. We hear noises from the far side of the square and crane our necks to see through the crowd. Another squadron of peacekeepers has arrived, lining the street. I wait anxiously, palms sweating. It's nerve wracking, waiting and watching Katniss and Peeta on screen. I can't figure out if I'm more worried about what will happen next in the arena, or what is about to happen in district 4.