Author's Note: The victors begin to adjust to what is about to happen in just a couple of days' time and what they're going to have to do, whether they're tributes or mentors.

….

Secrecy

Maria made her way through the Training Centre and down to the kitchens. If anyone questioned her, she would claim that she preferred to collect the extra food she requested rather than accept room service. But she doubted anybody would find her. The avox and staff entrances were particularly useful and covered by fewer cameras than the main doors and nobody else she came across would query her presence.

She arrived in the kitchens with no questions asked. It had been a busy day with the private sessions and the catering the Gamemakers required, so she could blend in with all the activity in the room until she made her way to the Training Centre's head chef.

He had been a contact for years since Maria had helped to strike a deal to supply the Training Centre with District Ten produce from her former village in what was a win against her former rival Abraham and his farming contacts. Since those initial business meetings, Maria had worked on the man, drip-feeding information that would slowly alter his worldview. Now, he was dedicated to working for Maria and committed to the rebel cause.

They handled the niceties in confirming the 'official' purpose of her visit and more food for Ten's floor was duly prepared. Then, Maria was taken on a tour of the kitchen, highlighting where to find the knives that could be best adapted to fighting whilst her guide turned a blind eye to the victor's pocketing of several knives of choice.

She was able to leave the kitchen with weapons, the food and crucially, an envelope slipped under the takeaway cartons labelled with Plutarch Heavensbee's writing. It held the key card to the weapons store in the gym along with a series of times during which Maria supposed the camera footage would mysteriously stop working and the guards would be on a break.

Plutarch was delivering. He knew they would need everything they could to get as many of the victors out of the Mentors' Centre as possible. There would be the matter of guns too. But there were peacekeepers aplenty, and they were careless. In the event they were attentive, there was always brute force.

The wider alliance was working. The inside man was doing his job. Maria was angry about the situation he had put them in, for the inevitable loss of her two beloved victors who she had treated as her own children. But she knew, as did they, that the plan must now come first.

As she left the kitchens, her ally promised to help in whatever was coming, for he knew it would be soon. Their work had been building for years, the wider scheme for decades and he knew it was about to come to fruition. Whatever Maria and her friends needed; he would do his utmost to provide.

Nobody suspected him or his staff. They worked in the kitchens and did exactly as they were asked. But he had decided his path, and he would be capable of swaying the colleagues who had not yet joined him. The problem for the Capitol would be that he continued to follow orders. It would just not be theirs he chose to obey.

….

"It's too early," Liev whispered.

"I want her gone," Sawyer replied.

"We all do. But we can't let anyone question us. Going now, or even tomorrow would give them time to question us. And if they find out, there's no avoiding it, we'd be done for. It's murder, of an escort too. Johanna and Blight would end up as dead as her. And we would too."

"It could lead to us all being exposed," Linden said.

"So, when do we move?" Sawyer asked.

"As close to the end as possible," Linden replied.

"The second night?" Liev suggested.

"But Blight doesn't get the satisfaction of knowing it's done."

"That's not the point. I'd love to be able to tell Johanna that we've done it. But just get it done. Without trouble. Waiting is the best way," Blight answered.

"Are they good to wait?"

"They won't go until you say so. They're prepared."

"Good. And you're being careful, Sawyer, Linden?"

"Why do you think you danced with her all night, Liev?"

"And why do you think I smell of a different perfume every time I leave the bathroom?" Linden laughed. "She can't associate us with it happening. In case it goes wrong, and we have to get more…involved."

"The guys have avoided her too. No photos this year. And they'll be the ones to do it. You just have to get her there."

"And she loves a party."

"Simple. You're going out, doing what you can for Johanna. And she can't be left out of a good party."

"Great," Sawyer hissed. "Another night out with her."

"It's the last one," Linden replied.

"And we might be dead before the next. My last night out with old Vespa tagging along. Claiming she can still "smell the district on me" or whatever else she carps on about."

"What was the line you used on her last time she said that?"

"That I can smell the Capitol on her, and it stinks."

….

The Gamemakers' scores had been announced and Finnick went straight to District Three's floor and made a beeline for Halley when Pluto opened the door.

"That girl is going to get me killed," he said, as soon as the pair were alone.

Halley laughed, "They could have had a nap in front of the Gamemakers and scored twelves. It doesn't matter what they did or didn't do. It just formalises what we all knew. Besides, Brutus won't go for her at the start."

"It's just a matter of who will go for them."

"So, you watch out for those who feel like they've got nothing to lose."

"Hal, I've seen him staring at her. Maybe Barric, but he didn't turn up to training, so I don't know."

"Then they're the two to watch closely if they're in sight at the start. Obviously, check where Brutus goes too, but you know that."

"What about you?" Finnick asked.

"What about me?"

"What are you worried about?"

"Well, Lyme has as good as told me that Brutus and Enobaria are going to target Beetee from the start."

"Crap. I'll let Johanna know."

"Thank you. It's not entirely unexpected but I could do with being able to guarantee they're going to get away cleanly, wire in hand."

"Wire?"

"Yes, Beetee needs it. Johanna and Blight know. And there's no harm in me telling you that either."

"What else? I can see it on your face. You're holding everything together, but you're worried."

Halley clasped Finnick's hand, "It should be me asking you that."

"We're friends, I'm allowed to help you after all the times you've helped me. Tell me. Mags knows I'm here. I've got time."

"There's so much that can go wrong. The start, them getting injured. Wiress is already falling apart. Cecelia is going to be in there too. They all are. You are. Then I've got to get home, alone. It's just going to be me, and everything is going to change."

"And you can't control everything like you want to," Finnick replied.

"No."

"Well, you control everything you can. That means you looking out for yourself and taking care of Wiress whilst you're together. Everything else, you work out as best you can."

"Look at you," Halley said. "Giving out sound advice. You're growing up!"

"I've had Mags give me the same advice for years."

"You've always been a good listener. Ever since you were that smelly kid I met ten years ago," she laughed.

"I didn't smell!" Finnick said, faking outrage.

"You were a teenage boy, of course you did!"

"I was a breath of fresh air; I have you know!"

"No. You stunk. But it was okay because you were a kid."

"And look at me now!"

Halley rolled her eyes and the two started laughing raucously.

"Seriously, Halley," Finnick started, his face turning serious, earnest even, his eyes staring right at hers, "Thank you for never seeing me like that."

"I couldn't. You were fourteen when we met. You were Mags' kid. Loveable, charming, eager to please. And I'm not a pervert. I can say that you have turned into a brilliant man, but I've never wanted to sleep with you."

"And you're about the only person I can hear that from and not be insulted."

Halley laughed and swiped Finnick across the arm, "Never change, Finn. Never change."

They stayed in Halley's room for most of the night, talking about everything, whether it be serious, funny, light-hearted or their worst fears for the coming days and weeks. Finnick had always confided in Halley. When he needed someone who wasn't from Four, when he needed someone he could trust after his worst nights in the Capitol, when he needed someone who could look at him without pity in their eyes, he turned to Halley. In turn, Halley loved Finnick fiercely, like she loved so many of the victors. They were her family and Finnick was her brother, the younger sibling she never got to have, and she could become the sibling she always wanted to be.

"She's gonna kill me, Halley. There's no way I can get her to trust me," Finnick said.

"Haymitch will have to come up with something," Halley replied.

"She doesn't listen to Haymitch."

"They you're going to have to do something to keep her arrows at bay."

"But what? She'll shoot me on sight."

"What's the most important thing to her?"

"Her sister."

"In the arena?"

"Peeta. She may not love him like they're claiming, but she likes him more than any of us. He's the only one she'll trust."

"Exactly. Then that's what you do. Keep Peeta alive. Save Peeta. Work for the same aim and she'll keep you alive too."

….

Haymitch let the door to Eleven's floor slam shut behind him as he entered and picked up the nearest glass. He took the bottle of whisky straight from Chaff's hand and poured himself double the usual amount.

"You're lucky she doesn't want you as an ally, she'll get you killed. Well, they both will with the display they put on."

"She didn't need to do anything," Chaff laughed, "She could have been distinctly average, and she would have got a twelve. The boy I wasn't so sure, but Snow will want a target on both of their backs."

"They didn't need any help with that," Haymitch spat as Chaff continued laughing.

"Relax, brother. It really doesn't matter what she did. It was going to happen anyway. Besides, what do Seeder and I care if being allied with Twelve makes us targets too? We're in this together."

Seeder nodded, "Haymitch, it really doesn't matter. It's hardly going to change our minds."

"But go on, what did they do? You obviously want to tell us," Chaff said.

"The boy painted your girl from last year, surrounded by the flowers," Haymitch started.

"Could be worse."

"Well, yes. It is. The girl hung Seneca Crane in effigy."

Chaff immediately resumed laughing and Seeder failed to hide her surprise, "Your girl sure is something, Haymitch!"

"She sure is stupid. I thought Peeta would maybe be a bit smarter but clearly not."

"They're young, Haymitch. You were young once too."

"Look where being young got me."

"This is going to be different. Me and Chaff, we don't care. We like them and we love you. That's good enough for us."

"I'm not sure about love, Seeder," Chaff joked.

"You know that's not true," Seeder replied.

Haymitch remained with the pair long into the night and as Orchard slept. Their time was running out and he wanted to try to put his victors to the back of his mind for the few moments he could before there was no turning back.

….

The day before the interviews started in the same way across the Training Centre. None of the tributes were going to do any of the usual designated preparations. Whilst Katniss and Peeta spent time on the penthouse rooftop, Haymitch made a brief sponsorship visit and then spent the rest of the day on Eleven's floor.

District Three's victors visited the Fours for a strategic discussion following which Pluto escorted Mags to Eight's floor where the other victors had arranged a lunch for their most respected senior victors before the arena was upon them.

Pluto, Mags, Woof and Orchard ate together and looked back over the decades they had known each other, reminding Woof of many of the key events in their lives. Their friendship and their ideas for revolution had grown under the constant shadow of the Hunger Games that had brought them together.

They had brought so many others into the fold, mentored many a fallen tribute and raised several victors of their own. They had witnessed the darkest of times whilst finding joy in each other's presence and strength in their shared goals. They had worked in the interests of their districts and dedicated almost their entire lives to upending the Capitol regime. Now it was about to start, and they each knew they would not see the end. But they had helped place their districts in the best position possible and done all they could for those they would leave behind, to give those closest to them a chance to live a better and free life.

In the adjacent room, Cecelia, Poppy and Halley ate together, spending what final time they could before their friendship in its current phase ended. Cecelia did not have to worry about Woof, she knew he was safe with his friends. Maria, Charo and Adan had invited Cotton to lunch with them and Cecelia trusted them to keep her girl afloat in her absence. It was time for her to spend with the friends who had given her their enduring love and support, who she trusted with her children's lives before their separation as she left for the arena.

During the afternoon, Poppy would leave to spend time on Seven's floor whilst Halley would return to dote on Wiress whilst she could. It would be an afternoon of waving off Capitol escorts and stylists trying to make interview preparations and spending time with each other before everything changed.