Hi there! Welcome to the next chapter of this story. Hope you like it :)

Final Words Of Advice

"What do you mean you—that is, whoever is in your body—can't swim?"

"I, I mean you, just can't! Golias and Bongo can swim because they have arms or big ears that work like arms, but I, you, don't! And my," Nessa couldn't help but sigh, slightly frustrated with continuously having to correct herself, "your neck's a teensy bit too long for swimming too…"

Effie sighed, in not just disappointment, but also fear. "So…in the unlikely event that I'll find myself trapped in a flood, with no one to rely on to keep me afloat, how am I supposed to manage?"

"Why would you get trapped in a flood?"

"Well, two nights ago Bongo told me that sometimes your magic can work on its own because you thought it would be a good idea to transfer it to Matt, Yuri, and Lili…"

"Oh." Nessa awkwardly glanced away from the woman she'd swapped bodies with and thought hard. She was glad Effie had pulled her aside, reaffirmed what each team would be doing upon parting ways, and asked her to teach her how to do particular things in her body right, after everyone confirmed that Clove would be staying with them. But she hadn't thought the escort would ask her about swimming, which was the one thing that giraffes—even magic ones like her—just couldn't do. Lili, Matt, Yuri, Golias, and Bongo had all known giraffes couldn't swim by the time they'd each first met her, and so did everyone that, until the body switch, hadn't been able to see or hear her. So Nessa had assumed that it was a fact everyone just knew; it was even the reason why none of the Big Big Friends and their best friends' magical adventures had ever required them to swim or go underwater, and the reason why, when Lili had stranded herself alone on an island, swimming to her hadn't been among the rescue plans she and her remaining friends had made. So, how come Effie was asking her how to solve the one problem that was impossible for her to solve?

Nessa brushed off that question. Effie didn't live in America, and Lili, Matt, and Yuri's teacher Ms. Carol did once say that different animals lived in different continents. Maybe giraffes just didn't live in Panem, not even as zoo animals, and because of that, Effie and everyone else who was from Panem didn't know much, if at all, about that species. Besides; being surprised that the person she'd switched bodies with didn't know giraffes couldn't swim wasn't really important. Making sure Lili and all the good people from Panem were okay was. She herself might not be able to take part in rescuing her best friend and company from the Peacekeepers, but that didn't make her any less worried about those of the rebels who would. Or about Lili—she felt really bad that she wouldn't be going to get her back, and she hoped with all her heart that Golias, Bongo, Effie, and the others would be able to save the girl. And Matt.

So, she might as well do the only thing she could do: make the rescue as easy as possible by helping Effie…but not by showing her how to swim. Giraffes just couldn't swim, but that didn't mean they couldn't do other neat stuff. So, she turned back toward her companion and said, "Effie, I'm sorry, but…you'll just have to make sure you don't get trapped all alone in a flood or something. But don't worry! Being in my body's not so bad. You won't have to worry about carrying stuff because you can just use m—your mouth! Or you can put it on your head and walk around with it…or use your head to push it if it's too heavy. And your ears won't just be able to help you hear either. You can also cover your eyes with them, and you can even use them to wipe your head if you get sweaty."

"But don't giraffes like hot temperatures?" Effie asked, perplexed. "It's everyone's favourite fact about them."

"Of course we do!" Nessa assured her. "But we do get sweaty when we're pushing heavy stuff around with our heads." A fact that, honestly, the former giraffe would never have learned if Lili hadn't asked her to push her special stool around so many times that other day—but of course she didn't tell Effie that part.

Luckily, Effie didn't seem to even come close to suspecting that Nessa knew that information because Lili had mistreated her in a certain way. She simply nodded and said, "Ah."

"Ooh! And if you'll have to throw things you can throw them farther away than anyone else!"

"Really," Effie replied. She tried to smile, and appear impressed by what Nessa was telling her, but…the truth was, that wasn't at all the kind of emotion hearing this fact was instigating within her. A scenario in which she would have to throw something particularly far was more likely, and the reason why she knew this was because of an unpleasant memory she had trouble forgetting.

Caesar Flickerman's interview with Glimmer had confirmed that the Capitol knew it wasn't really the District 12 escort that was responsible for the arena breakout, and that the real her was the magical pink giraffe that had been with Golias and Bongo during the Peacekeeper incident in District 1. And despite being with Golias, Yuri, and Lili when the Capitol's Peacekeepers were targeting the former three, Effie and the disguised-as-Capitol-residents mentors (well, with the exception of Johanna, Blight, and Chaff, since they were the ones who had saved Katniss from the troop's clutches, but still) technically hadn't done anything that could be considered rebellion. Yet regardless of that, the Peacekeepers hadn't bothered to pull their apparent own fellow citizens out of the way when those particular Peacekeeper vans started driving around them in circles nonstop, or when that humongous swarm of tracker jackers was sent flying towards them. President Snow had always assured his citizens that he respected them and would always treat them in the best ways possible, and still…

Effie wouldn't have been surprised if the Peacekeepers had left her in such a dire situation because she had tried to hurt them or because she had been the one who'd rescued Yuri, Lili, and Katniss, but that was just it. She hadn't done any of those things, and if the Capitol knew what Nessa's body truly looked like, then they had to also know that her using Nessa's powers to stop the District 1 Peacekeepers had been completely accidental! And they had still left her in danger, as if she had done something wrong. Why had they done such a thing? President Snow couldn't have lied to his own townspeople. He couldn't have! He was too good of a man to them…right? Of course…but then again, the Peacekeepers would only have gone after them if they'd had his permission. Or would they have? It didn't make sense! Why had the Peacekeepers left her and those of the disguised mentors who hadn't deliberately interfered with their duties in danger?

"Psst. Effie! Over here!"

"Wha…oh." Effie turned her attention back to Nessa, unable to help getting a little flustered. She felt silly telling herself this, but from this moment on, paying attention to what was happening around you was on her list of proper etiquette lessons intended for her tributes. If she'd be able to return to her escort duties after all this was over, anyways…although she knew now was not the time to consider that. Nessa had clearly been trying to tell her something while her thoughts had been wandering, and she assumed it was something important.

Luckily, Nessa giggled, apparently forgiving her right away. She then happily said, "I was just gonna show you how my, well, your neck, can help you throw things really really far."

"A neck can assist with that?" Effie asked, surprised.

"Well, a giraffe neck can," clarified Nessa. She looked around, as if trying to find a specific object, but didn't seem to find anything. She then lifted up her left leg, took off the boot that was on its foot, set her foot down, and gave the boot to her companion. Or at least, she tried to give it to her; she thought Effie would use her mouth to take it, but the escort just stood there, confused, but mostly uncomfortable as she realized that, all this time, the soul in her body hadn't been wearing socks.

Nessa's smile faded, but not in an impatient or rude kind of way. "You have to pick it up with your mouth for it to work, Effie."

Reluctantly resisting the urge to ask Nessa about the absence of her socks and the urge to express her disdain over using her mouth to do something she usually did with her hands, Effie did as she was told and, very slowly so she wouldn't accidentally tilt her neck the wrong way, lowered her head to scoop the boot into her mouth.

"Great!" Nessa praised, excitedly. "Now just spin your neck around in circles really fast and—"

"What?!" Effie cut in, inadvertently dropping the boot to the ground as she opened her mouth. "If anyone spins their neck around like that it could break!"

"Not when you have a long one like mine," assured Nessa. "It's very strong, even if it doesn't look muscle-y."

"No. No, I really shouldn't…"

"It won't hurt, Effie. Really! Just try it!"

The escort sighed. She didn't want to think much about the tasks she would soon have to help Golias and the others complete because of the whole situation with the nasty experience she'd had during the Peacekeeper chase, but she knew the time to do them was approaching. And more importantly, that she'd need to help her allies as much as she could, regardless of her now-stronger-than-ever conflicting emotions, and the other complicated circumstances that the body swap had caused. The more oriented she was in Nessa's body, the better things would be.

So, even though she still felt highly unprofessional doing the first task and understandably anxious about the second, she shakily lowered her head and once again scooped the boot into her mouth. After that, she gulped and slowly started to tilt her neck to the left…but almost immediately her fears overtook her and she quickly tilted it back the other way.

"I can't," she said. "It…it is simply too risky."

"But you have to at least try," Nessa told her. "Like Lili always says, you can't learn if you don't practice."

"But, well…that is a good point, however…perhaps I'll practice while we're on our way to District 4. To save time."

Nessa looked at her in suspicion, clearly detecting that part of the reason why Effie was saying this was because she was still nervous about actually performing the neck-spinning task, but shook it off after a second. Even if the escort's mention of saving time was just an excuse to avoid doing something she was afraid of doing, it was also true. They did need to save time. Lili, Matt, and Rue's captured sisters weren't going to get any booboos as long as Katniss was with the Peacekeepers too, but how long would she be able to protect them? And what would happen if she got to a point where she couldn't protect them anymore? The former giraffe didn't want to find out, and she knew nobody else wanted to either. Which meant they had to get everyone the Peacekeepers had taken away from the bad guys of Panem as soon as possible.

Her determination to make sure Lili was rescued (even if she herself wouldn't be able to do the rescuing part) taking over, Nessa voiced her for-the-most-part agreement with Effie's decision and then led her back to the others. Once the group was once more back together, Haymitch asked the once-human-now-giraffe if she "learned anything good" from Nessa.

"I did," Effie answered. "But…" she paused awkwardly, hoping no one else would pick up on the hidden extra reason why she was saying this, "I suppose I'll have to demonstrate it to you later. We do have to get going…"

"Yeah, we do," admitted Finnick.

After that, before anyone could blink, a tense and, in at least half of the rebels' cases, sad, silence enveloped the scene, as the realization that the time for them to part ways had arrived sank in. Before long, one of the united teams would be on their way to District 4 and then the Capitol, while the other would be on their way to Districts 8, 3, 12, and 11. For both teams, there was an undeniable chance that not everyone would be able to avoid being captured (or killed, but that thought didn't register with Nessa, Golias, or Yuri) themselves, but nobody needed to say it. Everyone already knew it was there, and could tell that each soul around them knew too just by looking their way.

Half a minute passed before Geolo finally broke the silence by awkwardly murmuring, "I'll…I…I guess I'd better get the hovercraft ready."

"Backbone," Wiress told him after inhaling lightly, her tone of voice only slightly louder and stronger than his despite the obvious wisdom and encouragement within it. And hearing his partner-in-mentoring responding this way, Beetee couldn't help sighing wistfully. The normally-demure woman who rarely finished her sentences had seemed a bit more lively ever since first learning about the body swap, the rebellion, and etcetera, and he'd suspected it had something to do with her amazement over first discovering the existence of magical creatures. It had been a surprise to see her that way, but it was of course a pleasant surprise, and he'd hoped it would be a permanent one for the sake of her mental health. However, she (unfortunately) seemed to have reverted back to her soft-spoken nature, either because of all the suspenseful exigencies they'd gone through during their escape from the Capitol or from the nerve-wracking debate she'd witnessed over whether or not Clove should continue accompanying Nessa's team. It really was saddening…but knowing Wiress and her strengths, the intelligent man doubted that this circumstance would interfere with their quest.

Geolo, meanwhile, could only nod, swallow back the once-again-present lump in his throat, and reply, "I'll try to keep it strong. I'll…I'll try."

"Don't simply think of it as trying," advised Beetee. He said nothing more about it so as not to embarrass him in front of those who weren't aware of his confidence crisis (for all they knew, "backbone" could have meant something different), and neither did Wiress, but they didn't have to. His tribute saw the looks in their eyes, and the rest of the message became clear: the way the District 3 victors saw it, he was more valued and capable of success than he was letting himself believe. In their perspectives, it wasn't trying to be confident that he needed to do—it was just being confident. Simply doing it, and not necessarily thinking of it as trying to do it.

Geolo simply nodded in response, and then walked over so he could give his mentor and Tally's mentor (well, technically her main mentor; since Tally hadn't always been able to fully understand Wiress's quotes back in the Training Centre, Beetee had sometimes helped her out too) each one last tight, affectionate handhold. He then turned and headed back inside the hijacked hovercraft…and it wasn't until he was inside the pilot's cabin that the boy sighed sadly. Thinking of it as doing rather than trying? For Beetee, Wiress, and even Tally, that was something that had always come to them naturally.

They were just all confident, which wasn't surprising because they all had reasons to stand out amongst everyone in District 3 including each other. Beetee was the kind of person who always seemed to think of the right solution at the right time and always deliver what he had in mind flawlessly, and Wiress's intuition allowed her to always stay one step ahead in even the most dire situations. And Tally…well, she didn't exactly have (or at least hadn't exactly had) the significant skills her mentors possessed, but she did have an amazing quality that would have gotten her out of the arena too if it hadn't been for the incident in the gymnasium. She'd had a strong sense of observation that had allowed her to deduce exactly how other tributes became excellent at using weapons. Though unlike Rue and Foxface, who had chosen to keep a low profile upon learning from what they saw, Tally practiced doing what she'd observed herself as soon as she had a good feeling that she'd acquired everything she needed to know. Regardless of who might be watching her demonstrating her new abilities.

The point was, even though everyone he knew aside from the Careers, from his mother, Tally, Sonia, and Rue right down to the antisocial Foxface, kept assuring him that he did stand out and they believed in him, Geolo just wasn't convinced that the former was true, or that their faith in him was really worth it. It was true that his decision to avoid as many bloodbath seconds as possible had paid off, but then again, Nessa (though she probably and hopefully hadn't realized it at the time) and most of the tributes on her team had made it as far as they did because they'd done the exact same thing. And it was true that he was the first Hunger Games tribute that had thought of reusing the Cornucopia land mines, but…did that really separate him from many residents of District 3? There were a few past Hunger Games where one or both of District 3's tributes were killed off in the bloodbath before they could show Panem what they were capable of. How could anyone know for sure that, had they survived longer, those tributes wouldn't have done the land mine trap as well? Then there was his fear of fire, his hopelessness with weapons, his physical feebleness…

Geolo shook his head and directed himself toward the control panel, both physically and mentally. Even though his self-esteem crisis always seemed to find a way back into his mind despite the positive things he was told, he knew he had to push through. He was still greatly needed by his allies, and if he let his confidence shortage get the better of him, it could not only endanger himself, Nessa, and their teammates. It could also endanger their loved ones, including his own mother. The only family he'd ever known.

As soon as Geolo disappeared inside the hovercraft, some of the other rebels exchanged goodbyes of their own. Firstly, Seeder was able to remain calm as she wished both of her tributes the best of luck on their journey, but it was still apparent in her eyes that she was worried about them all the same.

"We'll be careful, Seeder," promised Rue. "Thanks for teaching us everything you know. And…and for seeing us as strong."

Seeder gave her and Thresh (who, despite remaining silent and for the most part stoic, was unable to hide his own appreciation and concern from his expression) each a heartwarming smile, before allowing Rue to hug her tenderly—a gesture she instantly returned. Two seconds of silence passed, and the two released each other; Seeder then turned to Thresh, but understanding he wasn't exactly as outgoing as Rue, she simply held out her hand. He took it in his, shook it, and said, "Don't die."

The wise woman sighed wistfully, knowing all three of them knew that she couldn't promise such a thing. Still, she stayed strong, and advised her tributes, "Just worry about your own wellbeing and that of those who will be with you. Mine shouldn't have to be considered until we're back together…if that can happen."

The rest of the mentors, along with Rue's present siblings and Foxface (and technically Clove, but nobody had solid proof that she didn't actually have any regard for her companions), who didn't really have much emotional goodbyes to give due to not being quite as close to anyone on the opposing rebel group to theirs, simply wished everyone good luck and then stepped aside, watching as their allies and friends spoke, hugged, and handheld their hearts out. Well…that is, all of them except Johanna wished everyone good luck. Not exactly feeling up for all the emotional stuff, she only focused (with a noticeably weary expression) on one particular part of the scene before her: the moment between Yuri, Golias, Nessa, and Effie. Although, the thoughts going through her head weren't exactly the same as the ones she could hear them expressing…

With her unpleasant memory, her conflicting emotions, and the scary knowledge that her lessons on how to survive in Nessa's body in specific circumstances hadn't exactly gone as planned (but after her decision to pause the neck-spinning practice, she knew she couldn't go back and finish her training session with the soul she'd swapped places with; at least not anytime soon) stuck in her mind, Effie wasn't as chatty during the conversation. She did, however, wish Nessa well, and thank her for doing all she could to save both of her tributes. "Even if it wasn't successful with them," she added, "and it was technically forbidden…"

"Forbidden?" Nessa asked, surprised. "What does that mean?"

"Never mind," the escort said, awkwardly looking away from her. The whole scenario with her, for complicated reasons, participating in a rebellion against a man that she'd spent her entire life respecting, only to realize there was a possibility (she didn't know it for sure; it was only a possibility) that he didn't respect her or any other Capitolites in return was still a little overwhelming for her, but she knew this simply wasn't the time to focus on her thoughts and feelings about all that. The way things were had already swept her into this mess, and if she wanted Katniss, Peeta, and the children that, despite their ages and innocence, had been captured by the Peacekeepers to be safe, she would just have to play along and hope for the best. Save the many thoughts twisting and turning through her head for later.

Nessa worriedly gazed at each of her friends, this time managing to stop herself from getting emotional. "Just…just promise me you won't let Lili get hurt. If she gets a big booboo all because I wished I could switch bodies with someone, I…I don't know what I'd do!"

"She won't get hurt," promised Golias. "And neither will Matt and Rue's other sisters and your other tribute friends! We'll save them all…and after we do I think Johanna's gonna know I'm not the weakest link." He couldn't resist smiling suavely as he said that last part, and Nessa caught herself not only smiling at him affectionately, but also secretly wondering if he was really just making that face to impress her. Or hoping he was.

Her eyes widened in shock as she realized the thoughts going through her mind, and she shook it off. Luckily nobody seemed to have noticed her facial expression changes, because Effie had responded to what Golias had said right after he'd spoken, which was directing his and Yuri's attention towards her. Or was that lucky? Why was a part of her feeling disappointed that Golias hadn't seen her expression change?

"I wouldn't be so quick to assume that, Golias," warned Effie. "I've seen her with a few of the other mentors. She's not exactly…easy to win over."

"Well neither were the farm animals Golias and I helped when we played Farmer," Yuri said. "And they started liking us later, after Mother Hen saw how sad I was and helped me talk to them."

Nessa smiled in excitement, her memory of the confusing wanting-Golias's-attention-over-the-teensiest-thing-she-did instantly vanishing. "Yeah! If they decided to like you, then so can Johanna!"

However, as soon as those words came out, she noticed Johanna herself was staring right at them, shaking her head with an icy glare on her face. Uh-oh…was she close enough to hear what they were saying? This wasn't good. Now the stubborn mentor would have an even harder time liking Golias, all because she and her companions hadn't checked to make sure she couldn't hear them before talking!

Golias saw where Nessa was looking, and then squeaked in fear as the same thing she'd realized clicked with him. Yuri noticed Johanna right after that, but despite being aware of the entire story with the whole "weakest link" thing due to his best friend telling him about it during Effie's private conversation with Nessa, he managed to stay calm. Then, edging a bit closer to the elephant and whispering so the woman wouldn't hear him saying this part, he said, "Don't worry, Golias. If she tries to be mean to you I'll tell her not to."

"Aw, thanks Yuri," smiled Golias. "But um…I'm not sure she was—oh!"

Before he could finish his sentence, a sputtering noise was heard from nearby, and then the hijacked hovercraft, now overcoming whatever temporary obstacle had tried to stop its engine from starting, rose up into the air. A few seconds later the retractable ladder descended into view, and Fern was the first person to start climbing it. Toolip went next, then Astilbo, then Rue. Thresh then reluctantly allowed Clove to climb up next, before following her, but Foxface, knowing she wouldn't be able to do the same without prolonging her twisted ankle's healing process, stayed put. Looking embarrassed, she locked eyes with Nessa.

The former giraffe immediately understood her message and nodded eagerly. She then turned back toward Yuri, Golias, and Effie, and sighed wistfully. It was time for her to go. Help her tribute friends with the rest of their part of the rebellion, and simply hope that her friends and best friend would be able to make it out okay without her helping them. No matter how hard doing the latter would be.

Looking in Effie's direction, Nessa gave a small smile. "You want a hug?"

"Um, no thank you," the escort politely said, stepping back a little. She would have said yes, but despite having known of her ever since first entering her body, she'd only officially known Nessa personally since last night. Hugging her now would feel a bit awkward…

"Sure," Yuri responded, smiling affectionately. Nessa then bent down, and the boy leapt into her arms to give her a tender hug. "We'll get Lili back for you, Nessa. I promise."

"I know," Nessa assured him. Her smile disappeared, and she swallowed back a lump in her throat. "Just…just be careful. I don't want the bad guys to take you away too."

"They won't," vowed Yuri. "We're the best-ever rescuers! Just wait."

Golias nervously stuttered a little and tooted his trunk, and started to remind Yuri that the last time he'd said he was the best-ever at something (with that something being kite-flying), he'd instantly but accidentally proven himself (and his friends) wrong, but when Yuri turned to look at him, he ultimately decided to instead say, "Oh, nothing. Just uh…nervousness." If he said what he'd originally planned to say, it would only make things worse—something he had already done a lot of times as it was.

"Okay…" Nessa sighed. She released Yuri after a few seconds and then hugged Golias, who gently wrapped one of his ears around her back before closing his eyes to savour the moment. She then closed her eyes too, and rested her cheek against his forehead. "Please stay safe…" she whispered.

Golias gulped. He of course promised her that he would, and so would Yuri and the rest of his group, but unlike his best friend, he secretly wasn't so confident that this was a promise he could keep. What if he made yet another mistake while they were trying to save Matt, Lili, and the others? What if it caused the stuff that happened to Wish-Trish, Blight, and Chaff to happen to someone else on his team? If that happened, he would never forgive himself—and neither would Johanna. Even Yuri might get mad at him, since he'd gotten annoyed and criticized a lot of his mistakes while they were flying in that airplane the other day…

"Nessa?" Foxface called. "We have to leave!"

Nessa sighed and backed out of Golias's embrace. "Well…I guess I'd better go now."

Golias nodded, gazing at her wistfully. "Bye, Nessa. Good luck with finding the tributes' families and friends."

"Good luck with saving Lili," the former giraffe replied. She then locked eyes with him one more time, and before she knew what was happening, she was returning to Foxface's side…but not before smiling tenderly, leaning forward, and giving Golias a quick but sweet kiss on the forehead, complete with a "mm-wah!" that Yuri and Effie not only saw (which Foxface and the mentors did too), but also heard loud and clear.

Effie's eyes widened at the unexpected spectacle, and she let out a muffled gasp. She was downright flabbergasted. Had Nessa really just…? Was it the first time she'd…or had she done it before, in her original body? And if she had…oh, this felt so awkward! She'd swapped bodies with someone who had possibly kissed Golias in the past; she knew it was probably silly to feel the way she did about this revelation, but…it simply felt so strange, being in the body of someone who seemed to have romantic feelings for someone that she herself just saw as a friend! What if Golias secretly had the same feelings for Nessa and had all this time, until reuniting with the real her, been holding back the urge to let his heart flutter just because he'd spent so much time with her body (which he was used to being occupied by the real Nessa)'s new occupant?!

No, that's ridiculous, Effie thought. If that were the case I would have seen it on his face by now! We've been travelling together for nearly a week, and if he'd been going through such struggles he would have made it at the very least look conspicuous. That's basically how he handled it when he learned that the kids snuck into Panem…

Then she became aware that Golias was staring in Nessa's direction and nervously but happily giggling a little, apparently entranced by the kiss she had given him despite the sadness and fear involved in the scenario. As for Yuri, he was simply standing there, a certain type of innocent frown on his face, as if what he had just witnessed had been nothing more emotional than a simple goodbye hug. Then there was Foxface, who was now on Nessa's back as the latter made her way onto the hovercraft's ladder. She looked surprised that her first ally's romantic move had been public, while Johanna didn't seem to have the slightest care in the world and the other mentors, though also taken aback by what just happened, seemed to be trying to (at least for now) forget about it.

Effie stared at the ground and took a deep breath, trying to mentally reorient herself. What was she doing, standing here and worrying so much about something so mild, like Nessa's apparent crush on Golias and the feelings he might have for her, that wasn't really any of her business? There were matters she needed to tend to that were a lot more important than this; one of which involved her own tributes! That was where her mind had to be. Not here. Regardless of the complicated emotions she herself was going through, or any distractions that might come her way, she needed to maintain her focus.

Nessa and Foxface disappeared inside the hovercraft, and as soon as they did, the ladder was pulled back into the vehicle. The hovercraft then turned and flew away, but thanks to Geolo reactivating its camouflage setting, it disappeared from sight long before it returned to the skies just above the Capitol's luxurious buildings. Due to where exactly District 8 was, the hovercraft's passengers would have to, as risky as it was, cross through the wealthy city before even thinking about locating Sonia's parents. It just happened to be the quickest way there, and since the Capitol was more than likely looking for them, Foxface and Rue both agreed that the faster they rounded everyone up, the better.

Once everyone was sure that the hovercraft was gone, Yuri sighed softly, and said what he had a feeling everyone was thinking: "I…I guess we'd better find Bongo and Objectiva."

"But how are we supposed to do that without running into the Peacekeepers?" inquired Annie, worry in her eyes. "If we have to face them again, I'd rather it not be right before we come back here and get Katniss, Peeta, Sonia, and the missing kids."

Finnick stepped closer to her and gently led her into his arms. "You're right. But…I think we're better off knowing how many things they tried so far before we get started on what we will be doing."

"Well," said Golias, "we tried dressing up twice. The first time we used some clothes that Wish-Trish and Objectiva got from a store that a woman named Tigris was in charge of—"

"Which they were completely unaware of until a troop of Peacekeepers came after us," Effie quickly put in, not wanting Objectiva to be inadvertently placed at odds with the mentors, whom she knew all knew that stealing from such a beloved former Hunger Games stylist was a grave mistake.

Golias continued, "We also tried turning the clothes invisible, but the day after we got to District 1, Effie fell asleep on the ground for some reason and a lot of people found out she was there."

"I didn't fall asleep!" Effie exclaimed. "I fainted because I'd seen on television that Nessa was in the Hunger Games arena!"

"Either way, Long-Neck, you made yourself look, or at least sound, really stupid," scoffed Johanna.

Effie would have lectured her on her rudeness again, but Golias unknowingly stopped her by steering everyone's attention back to the topic at hand. "We also turned into bees—"

"Which really just means he used his abilities to make bee wings appear on our backs," Effie cut in, after Annie and even Cecelia stiffened, clearly not exactly cheerful at the thought of fully transforming from a human into an insect.

Golias nodded, and then continued, "And it ended up doing the same thing to everyone who lives in District 1."

"Okay, you're officially on my list of 'friends' with nicknames," announced Johanna, crossing her arms.

"Really?" Golias asked, smiling in excitement and apparently mistaking her snarky comment for a compliment. "You wanna be my friend? And I get to have a nickname?"

Johanna stared at him in shock and anger. "Wha—don't you know sarcasm when you hear it?! And in case you didn't notice, getting a nickname from ME is NEVER a good thing! Just count yourself lucky that I'm still working on yours."

"And, and that was it, aside from everything Finnick and Annie were there to participate in," Effie quickly said, before a hurt and disappointed Golias (or a defensive Yuri) could reply to Johanna's outburst and worsen the tension between the two of them.

"So that means we have to do something that's not any of the things you mentioned, or going inside a painting," decided Finnick. "Because by now all that was either seen, or caught on camera."

"And can we skip the scented fog thing too?" Annie asked. "I mean, no one caught us when we tried that in the Capitol, but that doesn't mean everyone from home won't notice the smell."

"Which was beyond our control, because Golias, Bongo, and I cannot always predict when or how exactly our magic is used," Effie added, seeing Johanna was about to use Annie's mention of the scented fog as an opportunity to criticize Golias yet again.

"Yeah, we can," Golias reassured Annie. He then smiled at everyone who was with him and said, "O-kay." However, he almost instantly turned away from them next, and frowned in uncertainty. "Uhh…" He scratched the top of his head with his ear. "…what are we gonna do?"

Yuri thought hard, and then his gaze fell upon the now-deserted 74th Hunger Games arena, which seemed tall enough to grant someone a spectacular view of at least most of the nation if they found a way to stand at the very top of it. Maybe if they found some way to climb up there…

Realizing what the boy was thinking by studying his pensive expression and where it was facing, Beetee advised, "I wouldn't recommend using the arena for anything. There's a dangerous forcefield inside of it, and the Capitol may have programmed it so that it also causes harm to anyone who touches it from the outside."

"Oh," replied Yuri. He looked around the area, and when he couldn't find any structures that were as tall and unguarded-by-other-hovercrafts as the abandoned arena, he disappointedly shifted his gaze toward a hole in the ground—the one that Bongo had accidentally caused the plane he, Golias, and Effie had used to get to Panem to get stuck in—and then noticed that next to it sat the park bench that the plane had started out as. Golias saw it, and instantly guessed that it must have resumed its original form at some point after he and the others had entered the Capitol for the first time.

"Good," Yuri said, happily. "That means we can use it for something else."

"Like what?" asked Golias.

"Like, um…" Yuri thought for a bit, and then smiled as an idea came to him.

And that's the end; for now! What kind of idea does Yuri have in mind? Will our protagonists succeed in each of their missions? What will be in store for everyone? Brace yourselves for the next upcoming chapter.

See you all soon—hey wait! I almost forgot…I've been thinking a lot about the progress of this fanfic, and shortly after finishing the previous chapter, I realized that two of the characters, despite playing very important roles in "The Biggest Big, Big, Big Day In The World," did not make it onto the story's cover (yes, I illustrated it myself). I feel kind of bad about that because both of these characters have become such huge fan favourites by now, and while their physical appearances have been described already, I still feel like they deserve to be seen as well as read about. So, I drew a special picture of them and posted it on my Deviantart account (my username there is also named PrimroseRaspberry). So, if you're up for it, you can feel free to check it out once you've finished reading my author's note here. I'm sure you'll LOVE it :)