Hi again! Welcome to the newest chapter of this adventurous fanfic, where the evacuees and company are now (finally) done in District 8 and on their way to their next destination. Will it be as easy as the team is hoping it'll be? Let's read and see…

Geolo's Epiphany (And A Few More)

Unlike their journey to District 8, Nessa's team's flight to District 3 was a lot shorter. This one only took 41 minutes, which seemed to somewhat relieve the majority of the hovercraft's passengers. The fact that, due to Geolo being with them, alive and well, finding his mother would be easy provided they didn't encounter any Peacekeepers also seemed to play a role in making most of the passengers feel more comfortable.

However, that didn't mean the evacuees and their allies' problems were over from now on. Clove still had to secretly brainstorm a way to get rid of Thresh, who had spent the last half hour with Paul, Twill, and Patch, trying to teach them how to fight effectively enough to not need the Career (which wasn't easy, since they hadn't taken any directly combative weapons or muscle-strengthening items with them during the arena breakout). Not to mention the fact that everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the Peacekeepers from the Capitol caught up to them, and while Foxface knew District 12 was a lot smaller than District 8 according to the nation map she'd seen, that wasn't going to make locating Katniss's loved ones (or Peeta's; despite having spent a lot of time socializing with Sonia before the hijacked hovercraft's repairs were finished, he hadn't really revealed much about his home life other than the fact that he had a mother that was seemingly a person who didn't love him, so while this had awkwardly gone unsaid by everyone including Sonia and Katniss, each member of the group had decided that, when the time came for Katniss's loved ones to be picked up, they'd look around further and see if Peeta had any other loved ones—ones that treated him in the kindhearted way he'd treated his teammates) any easier. With both her and Peeta captured by the Capitol, it was clear that the approaching stop-off in District 12 would be a long one. Maybe not quite as long as their stop in District 8 had been, but still a long one.

Foxface and Geolo had managed to fully complete the driving lessons by the time they reached their second destination, after the latter had finally accepted that the former wasn't going to come clean to anyone about what had been distracting her earlier and that he'd just have to trust that she would permanently pay attention this time. Which Foxface did, having learned well from the first time. Although that didn't mean there wasn't still an awkward energy between her and Geolo, Rue, and the latter's siblings, even as they entered a town that Geolo instantly recognized as his home district. Except this time it was an energy felt by not only her, but also them.

"We'll check my house first," decided Geolo. "If my mother's not there, she's probably doing a factory shift…or she might even be at Tally's house. Unless they saw how the first few minutes of the Games went and Tally's family blames her for me not protecting their only child, they should still be on good terms." Foxface and at least a few other people in the hovercraft noticed the boy's voice quiver a little as he said his district partner's name, and within a few seconds, they realized what was going through his mind: the long-overdue realization that, since they were here, it was only fair if they sought out Tally's relatives and included them in the evacuation too. And that there was a chance they'd refuse the offer to participate, now that Tally was dead—especially if her family found out that one of the evacuees was responsible for her death. It was an accidental responsible, but it still wasn't forgivable.

It took just six minutes to find Geolo's neighbourhood, and the moment they did, Twill and Patch volunteered to accompany the tribute (who wrapped Nessa's Peacekeeper pants around his head like some sort of bonnet and draped her Peacekeeper shirt over the front of his tribute outfit to hide his true identity as much as he could) in disguise as he left the hovercraft. This time Thresh and Clove stayed behind along with everyone else, since there were no real Peacekeepers in the area and they only had one person to pick up here, but everyone in the vehicle (except Esther, who hadn't left the cargo bay since her husband had first taken her in there) couldn't help noticing something about how both adults voiced their decision. Their heads were clearly still in the game, but something else was on their minds. Something that was bound to be addressed, perhaps as soon as their next recruit was in the hovercraft.

After once again examining the area to make sure there weren't any Peacekeepers or enemy vehicles in sight, Foxface affirmed that it was okay to leave and quickly made the hovercraft visible again before extending its ladder downward. Their helmets back on and each of them holding a stolen blaster, Patch and Twill swiftly made their way to the ladder and climbed down, with Geolo carefully following them. Once all three of them had leapt to the ground, the tribute from 5 retracted the ladder and reactivated the vehicle's camouflage mode, sighing with as much relief as she dared let herself feel. She then kept the hovercraft idling there, ready to take action in case something happened, whether it was next to her team's vehicle or down below.

As soon as the hovercraft disappeared from view, Geolo examined the houses in front of him and his two companions, not seeing his own but knowing the way there due to having long since memorized his walk to and from school. It wasn't that far; just twenty houses forward, and they'd reach it.

"Keep your eyes out for any real Peacekeepers though," the boy warned, after nervously agreeing to lead the way to his residence. "The ones from District 8 probably told the ones here that they saw Rue, Fern, Thresh, and Clove, and that they had two blasters stolen from them."

"Don't worry," whispered Twill. "We'll be on our toes the whole way."

"But what if they also found out Sonia's parents are missing?" Geolo worriedly inquired. "Paul said they've been getting picked on for what happened with the District 11 Runaway for twelve whole years. They're so infamous that the Peacekeepers will figure out they're not home anymore in a heartbeat, if they haven't already. And if they put two and two together in the right way…there could be some more district Peacekeepers waiting for us at every single one of our next stops. Until the Capitol Peacekeepers track us down because the District 8 Peacekeepers also told them about what happened in their home…"

Patch nodded, not sounding nearly as afraid as the fourteen-year-old was but still with an undeniably worried tone. "You're right. That thought actually crossed my mind while we were on our way here. But, well…I spoke with my wife and Paul about it before Thresh decided to mentor us, and we decided on a solution. It is risky, but in case the Capitol's Peacekeepers intercept us before we can accomplish our mission, I feel that we're better off putting it into action."

Geolo gulped, not liking the sound of risky. But if it stood a chance of ensuring the safety of himself and his friends, then he had no choice but to be all ears. So, doing his best to stay calm, he asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Well," Twill carefully said, "we're already in the midst of a rebellion, which has become obvious to all of Panem. However what we don't have is backup that is just as powerful in weaponry as the Capitol. I mean, Nessa's friends from America and everyone helping them have magic on their side, but as sad as it is…it may not be enough to protect them."

"And even if it was," added Patch, "not to criticize your friend, but a simple nation evacuation isn't going to prevent any future Hunger Games or make President Snow change his ways, is it?"

Geolo sighed, realizing his point and now feeling ashamed that this topic, of all things, had never once come up during the adventure. "I…I don't think Nessa even thought of that. She was just so determined to get us out of the arena, and save everyone we love…but I don't think the fact that that wouldn't change how bad life in Panem is ever really clicked with her. Or maybe she just thinks us leaving will get President Snow to make life here easier…even if it probably won't. I don't know, she didn't say anything about that, at least not as far as I know…but the funny thing is, I didn't think of that either. I guess both of us, and maybe at least some of the other people on our team, were just too caught up in the present and what could happen if we aren't successful in the evacuation to realize what could happen if we are successful."

He then stared ahead of them as they walked, and as he recognized the residences they passed, flashbacks that had once been pretty joyful came to him. Memories of him and Tally walking down this very road together and talking about their feelings, and what sorts of additions they thought might be made to the digital devices their relatives built in their factories every day…memories of him and his mother going for walks with the latter telling him about what his father had been like and how she wished he could have known him…

And then Geolo cringed, remembering one particular memory of himself walking this way with his mother. It had taken place last summer, right after his second reaping that had also been Tally's first. He had still been trying to process the fact that neither he nor his friend had been reaped, and at some point after Tally and her family left for their neighbourhood, his thoughts about the fact that it really could have been him heading off to the Capitol with Beetee, Wiress, and company had led to him wondering aloud, "I wonder if, if I end up as a tribute, I'll get to meet Dad."

Upon hearing this question, his mother had lowered her gaze, wistfully staring at the long thick sleeves of her blue dress. She didn't say anything for a while, but then, just as the boy was opening his mouth to ask if she was okay, she replied, "Promise me that you're not saying that because you think you actually will become a tribute."

"What? Of course I don't mean it like that," assured Geolo. Although on the inside, he knew that his name being drawn at any time was a possibility. Just because he had never signed up for tesserae didn't mean he was any safer than the other 12-to-18-year-old boys in District 3…

"I'm serious, Geolo. I know you haven't fully been yourself since you turned ten, but if your self esteem's dropped that low, then you need to get some help. And that kind of help isn't in District 3. I've asked…not that it was for you."

"Mom, it hasn't dr…wait, what? What do you mean there isn't any…?"

His mother stiffened. "By help I mean counsellors. Therapy offices? They're not allowed in District 3, and presumably the other districts. And I couldn't become a therapist in secret. Not when I still remember the day…the day I lost your father…"

"I don't need a therapist, Mom." But when his mother couldn't find the inner strength to question his denial, the boy dropped the subject and, in a slightly quieter voice, asked, "How did he even get electrocuted?"

"I don't know," she replied, sniffling. "I was working on some wires when I felt a wave of nausea and had to go to the bathroom for just a minute. It happens when you're pregnant. I heard a zapping noise from all the way in the stall I used, and when I came back a few seconds later, he was on the floor, and a woman told me he was electrocuted, but no one had an explanation as to why or how. We tried keeping him alive as best as we could, but too many volts had gotten into his body. By the time someone finally convinced the Peacekeepers to come and help, he was dead."

Geolo's mother had been so rattled by her husband's death that she'd gone as far as asking Wiress and Beetee if this kind of thing happened in the Capitol too. They'd both said no, having not only suspected it had probably been the case for at least the last sixty years but also heard about it from a particular tribute mentor from another district (neither of them would say who or which). And ever since then, she'd secretly held the Capitol's refusal to respect the districts' factories to as large of an extent as they respected their own complex workplaces accountable for what'd happened to her husband. She'd never made any effort to let her son know that, but unbeknownst to her, Geolo had nonetheless found out.

Two days after the reaping, he'd gotten up early after a peaceful-turned-awkward dream about meeting his father (whom he had seen through pictures but would never truly know the personality of) had woken him up and left him unable to go back to sleep. He had then left his bedroom, where he noticed the door to a particular room—the one and only room that his mother had asked him not to enter—open a tiny crack. Curiosity overtook him, and he had crept over to that door to see what it was doing open. Geolo had then peered through the doorway, and was startled when he'd seen what was behind it. A shrine (not the prettiest, but District 3 could only pull off so much when it came to decorating rooms), with a particularly fancily framed picture of his father on the table in the back of the room, in between two lit candles that looked as though they were seeing their last days due to having been lit so many days in a row.

And his mother had been sitting in front of the picture, in her pyjamas, quietly but tearfully saying, "Chip, it's me…again. I just…I wish you were still here! You were the kindest man I've ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with, and…and you should never have been taken away so soon! Especially not because of a consequence of something the Capitol's neglect toward the District 3 factories! I mean, they're the ones expecting us to make all the stuff that entertains them 24/7, so they could at least consider the fact that us not working in a factory with safety precautions for every part of our jobs could endanger their mental health as well as our physical health…I'm sorry, I'm just…I'm so darn angry at them for letting what happened to you…happen. And I'm scared. I mean every day I see our son's faith in himself drift further and further away, and I-I don't know how to help him. I wish I did, but…" She'd then begun crying and painfully murmuring, "I really need you…I miss you so much and I really, really need you…"

Geolo didn't know for sure if his father's death had really been the Capitol's fault, but whether or not it was, his mother was always going to believe it had been. It was, after all, the only explanation for the tragic event if nobody had ever figured out any other reason behind it. Which meant she'd probably thought ever since that sooner or later, the same tragic incident would happen to another employee at either the factory she worked at or another factory in District 3—all because the factories in their hometown weren't nearly as safe to work in as any workplaces that might be in the Capitol were.

It suddenly occurred to Geolo that there was a chance his mother might not be so keen on taking part in the nation evacuation; not if it didn't change the way Panem was being run for the better. The way she might see it, sure, a successful evacuation would grant them the opportunity to live a better life in America with Juniper Berryharvest and all the people and animals Nessa knew from there, but that wasn't going to avenge any of the unfair and seemingly meaningless to most of Panem deaths that the nation's current era had caused. Like his father's and Tally's. She'd already been struggling to live with the pain of her husband's death not being avenged before the 74th reaping, so if she took part in a rebellion that would only really benefit herself, her son, and most of the latter's new friends/allies, it would just make things harder for her.

Then Geolo caught himself wondering if evacuating Panem was really what they should be doing. Sure, they'd have it much easier if they were able to pull it off, but would it really be so satisfying knowing that back in their former home, billions of other people would still be suffering at the hands of a heartless old man and (later, when he couldn't be president anymore) anyone who had the cruel naivety to believe he was doing the right thing by letting the Hunger Games and district poverties continue?

Twill seemed to notice the tribute from the district they were in had zoned out, because at that moment she discreetly but audibly cleared her throat, snapping him out of his thoughts. She then said, "However, that doesn't mean we are going to discourage you or the others from continuing with the evacuation."

"Really?" Geolo asked, puzzled. "But if what you're saying is that you want us or some other team of rebels to stop President Snow's rule over Panem altogether, then what's the point of even evacuating? I mean, there'd kind of be a point if Nessa's friends from America had stayed in their home continent, but…they didn't. And it's not like I don't want to stop President Snow's rule over Panem altogether, I do, but—"

"Well," explained Twill, "sometimes, when people have been living a very difficult and traumatic life for so long, it becomes too hard for them to stay in the place they've lived in. Even if what's been causing that pain is no longer going to be a problem. When that sort of thing happens, it's normally healthier for them to move somewhere that won't remind them of all the misery they endured. A fresh start is simply what they need. It could very well be the case for at least some of our allies, both present and future."

Geolo nodded, staring at the ground. "Yeah, you're right. A fresh start would probably be good for my mother, and for Sonia's too. And maybe for me too. I don't know…I just want to do the right thing."

There was a moment of silence, and as it began, Geolo realized they were just about to pass his house and stopped, prompting his two companions to stop too. Then, with an awkward start to what he was saying, Patch said, "Well, um…as we were saying…considering those factors, Twill, Paul, and I talked it over, and we decided to put into action the very plan that your decision to evacuate Panem originally inspired us to make."

"With a few slight changes to it that is," Twill put in. "You see, our original plan was for ourselves and every other employee at our workplace to sneak away as many Peacekeeper suits as possible, put them on, and kill all the Peacekeepers who supervised our factory until we'd taken complete control over it. We would then spread the word so the same could happen at the rest of District 8's textile factories, and then band together to defeat any other Peacekeepers in our way until we could also dominate our Justice Building."

"It was a bit of an impulsive plan," admitted Patch, after seeing Geolo turn to face them with his mouth dropping open. "But with something else already happening, something way more than just an act of defiance that was already at its final and most intense stages, there wasn't much time to work out a solution of our own. We had to take action as soon as possible in case you also inspired any of the other districts and, if something happened to you, their hopes would shatter."

Twill continued, "That was why I went into the room Nessa, Rue, and Fern snuck into. To collect a Peacekeeper uniform for myself. Although I must admit, I didn't expect to find they were there for a similar reason. But nonetheless, I went with it, for your sakes. It would just be myself, Patch, and the Woolweaves leaving District 8 to assist with the evacuation after all…I'm sure at least one of our colleagues would understand if they don't think we're missing because we were killed…"

"I hope they would," inhaled Patch. "It was agreed that the two of us would go to the train station undercover while everyone else dealt with the Peacekeepers. I don't want anyone to be under the impression that we sold them out."

"The train station? To tell the other districts what you were doing and have them join in?" Geolo guessed knowingly.

"Well yes," said Twill. "But to give the districts more confidence and to be certain that the Capitol would never be able to stop us, we were planning to jump off the train we chose before it reached its destination and make a stop in…a seemingly vacant area far off in the wilderness first. We're not sure exactly what's to be found there, but…we're hoping it's what we believe is there: an underground area of civilization. If the rest of our theories are correct as well, then there'll be plenty of nuclear weapons that can help us—"

"Whoa whoa whoa. Nuclear weapons?!" Geolo interrupted, stepping back and staring at them in even more shock. "Out in the wilderness?! What in the world put THAT possibility in your minds?"

"Not stress from putting a plan together so quickly, if that is what you're thinking," Patch quickly said. "What put this possibility in our minds was a clue. A clue you can only pick up on if you pay very close attention to one of the videos played every year, just before the reaping begins."

Geolo's shock slowly faded away, making way for intrigue. A clue? In one of the videos the Capitol played every year for all the districts, just before the reaping? This was big news…except what was that clue? Which video was it in? And why would it make Twill, Patch, and many other people believe that somewhere out in the wilderness, there was an underground area of civilization stashed with nuclear weapons?

Yet before he could ask either adult any of this, he heard a creaking noise coming from his left, and he turned to find the door to his house slowly opening. For a second it just remained still, just open a tiny crack, and Geolo's heart raced in fear. What if there was a Peacekeeper standing behind it? But then a feminine gasp was heard from the other side of the door, and before he knew what was happening, it flew open. And then out fled his mother, with no sign of any Peacekeepers behind her, her arms outstretched. Within seconds, she managed to pull her son—whom she apparently recognized even with his disguise on—away from the "Peacekeepers" standing with him, and then gave him the tightest hug he ever remembered receiving from her.

"Geolo!" she exclaimed. "My little boy…I…what are you doing here? What's going on?"

Hugging her in return, Geolo answered, "Mom, before I say anything else, those two are not Peacekeepers. They're two residents from District 8, and their Peacekeeper suits and guns are stolen from the factory they work at…and from two of the real Peacekeepers that supervise it."

To prove he was telling the truth, Twill took off her helmet, but this time just for a second in case any real Peacekeepers were on their way to the area. Luckily there didn't seem to be, and whether or not that had been the case, that was still just enough time for Geolo's mother to see the woman's face, and therefore realize she wasn't really a Peacekeeper (apparently that kind of job was also only taken up by males in District 3). However, unlike Paul and Esther, Geolo's mother—a tall and undeniably beautiful woman dressed in rusty-looking burgundy sneakers, a black skirt, and a pale greyish-blue T-shirt, and who otherwise, despite her skin tone being slightly lighter than his and her loose straight hair being longer (its bottom edges rested at the middle of her neck) and having its bangs brushed off toward the left side, looked exactly like her son—didn't seem too surprised by the revelation. She even admitted why after she herself glanced around to make sure they didn't have the unwanted kind of company.

"I saw the three of you through my bedroom window," explained Geolo's mother. "I didn't recognize any of you at first, so at first glance it appeared as though a minor was talking to and collaborating with a duo of Peacekeepers on their own free will. It seemed suspicious, given that many people in District 3 aren't necessarily on good terms with the Peacekeepers here…unsurprisingly. So I came to the door with the intention of not just observing you more closely, but also listening. But a more elaborate view allowed me to see your face, Geolo, and I recognized you instantly. I know you would never genuinely want to work with those thoughtless men, and—"

"Mom," Geolo cut in, gently but firmly. She started to ask him something, probably what he was doing still in Panem if he hadn't been captured by the authorities, but he put a finger to his lips to stop her. He then looked around, and when he still didn't see any real Peacekeepers (okay, considering how quickly it would be for the District 8 ones to sniff out Paul and Esther's absence and contact the other cities' Peacekeepers, this was starting to feel weird; why hadn't they been ambushed by now?), he took a deep breath and, praying that the only camouflaged hovercraft above him was the one he and the other evacuees had hijacked, he looked up at the sky and waved to confirm to his teammates that his mother had been found, alive and well. The hovercraft almost immediately reappeared, and within seconds, so did the ladder, low enough for them to climb up it.

Twill went first, then Geolo's mother, then Geolo himself. Patch went last, all the while glancing around cautiously, in case any real Peacekeepers showed up at the last minute. However, none did, and all four people, stolen blasters and all, were able to get back inside the hovercraft without any trouble. After that, Foxface quickly used the controls to pull the ladder back up and reactivate the vehicle's cloaking device, before steering it higher into the sky. Once they were a great distance off the ground, Nessa smiled and started to introduce herself and most of the other people in the hovercraft to Geolo's mother, who, oblivious to what the former was hoping to do, simultaneously started to ask her son something. However, both were unwillingly interrupted by Rue, who had a completely different question for him: "Okay…before we leave your district, I have to ask. Since we're here…do you feel up for getting Tally's family in on this too? I know she's…gone, but…I don't know her as well as you do, but I think it's what she would have wanted."

Geolo froze. He'd been so caught up in making sure the Peacekeepers didn't come, his thoughts about his mother, and whatever Twill and Patch had been trying to tell him that he'd forgotten all about that topic! Once again he felt so bad for letting a subject that had to do with Tally slip from his mind…but of course he didn't let his emotions distract him from the current scene. He couldn't let them. They needed to get out of District 3 as soon as possible and get on with the mission, and Rue was right. Her family being included in the evacuation, or at least being given a chance to be included, was what Tally would have wanted. Sure, it would probably be a tense ride for him and them from then on if they found out about what had happened between him and his ex-friend, but…no matter what, giving them the opportunity to take part in what they were doing was the right thing to do. If that didn't show Tally how much he cared about her, then nothing would. Besides; the rest of the Gearingtons were people too. People who had already suffered so much at the hands of Panem's cruel era and didn't deserve to live in a poor style, watch another pair (or child, if one member of that pair wound up surviving) of minors get slaughtered in a Hunger Games arena, or endure watching another Victory Tour.

Taking a deep breath, and holding up a hand to stop his mother from saying something, Geolo slowly nodded and finally said (albeit quietly and wistfully), "Yeah. Yeah, let's…I know the way to her house. But…when we get there, I have to talk to them alone. No fake Peacekeeper stuff this time. I know that's not exactly our safest option, but I have to tell them about what happened at the Training Centre before they can decide whether or not they want to come with us."

"Geolo, I doubt that—" Foxface started to say, while everyone else who was aware of what had happened between him and Tally (including Nessa, who didn't say it but was now starting to suspect she'd missed out on something between Rue and Geolo at some point during the mission) could only look on, knowing this likely was a bad time to say something. As for Thresh, who hadn't been in the circumstances necessary to learn about the whole story with Geolo and Tally's ended friendship (he did suspect he'd missed something, but unlike Nessa, he wasn't even going to consider asking about it because based on the energy within the scenario it didn't seem like it was any of his business), he and the adults from District 8 (except for Esther, who still needed some time to herself) simply stood to the side, maintaining stoic expressions and trying to only focus on what was currently happening to a very small extent. Clove did most of the same, with the only thought going through her head being the pleasant fact that including Three Girl's family in this was only going to buy the Capitol more time to catch up to them.

"No, trust me," Geolo said at that moment, interrupting Foxface, "it's the right thing to do. I can't just not tell them that it was my fault Tally didn't stay in the Games long enough to be able to come with us, and it'll be better if they find out sooner rather than later. I just…I think it's the only way to really get it all off my chest. Seeing how they react…then I think I can focus more on helping us pick up everyone else." He then stole a furtive glance at Patch and Twill, to let them know that he was making this decision for them too, whatever it was they had in mind; a message they both understood.

There was a moment of silence as everyone processed the boy's words. Although no one shed any tears, and Foxface and Thresh kept their thoughts on what was now happening hidden from their facial expressions, not one passenger present (that wasn't Clove) could deny that this was quite an emotional scene. But out of everyone in the vehicle, nobody would ever know just how much the last part of Geolo's decision meant to him than the tribute who now knew about pretty much everything that had been going through his mind since they'd lost Sonia: Rue. As the person who'd comforted him after his and Foxface's first driving lesson attempt, and one of the evacuees he'd told that his mother had known he wouldn't survive the Hunger Games right from the start had the evacuation not taken place, she was most aware of the heavy burden he'd spent so long carrying, and she understood more than anyone that if Geolo did what he truly thought was best for not just Tally's family but also himself, it definitely stood a chance at easing the burden—this time for good.

Then finally, Foxface scooted to the edge of her chair and allowed herself to tumble to the floor, letting Geolo take her place at the wheel. He then steered the hovercraft out of his neighbourhood, and as everyone waited for the moment they'd arrive in Tally's, the tribute from 3's mother asked, "Okay, um…can someone please explain to me why you all haven't left Panem? And what's the girl from 2 doing here, dressed like a hospital employee too wealthy to have come from my district or any of yours?"

The whole story was then told again, from what everyone knew was the truth to the details the evacuees had received from Clove and were suspicious of. Though no one said that last part (then again, everyone could tell by the look in Geolo's mother's eyes upon hearing the Career's story that they wouldn't have needed to; she clearly also had her doubts about her, but didn't voice them), and as soon as the woman was filled in on everything that had happened so far, Nessa happily introduced herself and the rest of the team, including Esther, whom she briefly showed to Geolo's mother in the cargo bay before allowing her to take more time to herself.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," Geolo's mother then told the other members of the group. "My name is Appara, and…thank you so much for saving my son's life and for deciding to include me and the Gearingtons—that's Tally's family—in the evacuation too. I just…words cannot describe how grateful I am for this."

"You're welcome," Nessa cheerfully said.

And then right after that, not wanting his mother to realize that a nation evacuation wouldn't avenge the deaths of her husband, Tally, and all the other unfortunate tributes and then ask about that or something, Geolo quickly (and somewhat awkwardly) said, "Hey, I just remembered something. While we were on our way to my house just then, Twill and Patch were telling me some specific things about this big plan we accidentally but, now that we know about it, gladly, inspired them to do back in District 8 before we ended up recruiting them. Why don't we finish talking about it in case we'll be searching for some nuclear stuff before we go to District 12?"

"Nuclear stuff?!" everyone except Twill, Patch, and Paul all exclaimed at once. Even Esther was surprised to hear that—surprised enough to run out of the cargo bay and find out why in the world THAT, of all things, had just come up. But Nessa was the only one who innocently added, "Uh…what's nuclear stuff?"

Foxface furtively shot a glare at Geolo, who let his head fall onto a blank spot on the control panel in regret, not having realized his mistake until after the former giraffe had spoken up on her own. "I-I mean…you know, new clear stuff. Like, brand new windows that are so clear, you can barely even tell they're there. The glass part, that is. Like, so clear that it looks like it's not glass. Just nothing."

"Ahh," Nessa said, understanding what he "meant." Then she frowned and asked, "What do we need new clear stuff for?"

She'll be easier to take out than the most helpless of weak District 12 tributes! Clove thought, amazed but managing to hide it. It almost made her want to challenge her sworn enemy to a knife fight before she killed her just to make the task not seem so easy and short. Almost.

Meanwhile, Geolo anxiously and shamefully bit his tongue. Why did I do that? he guiltily thought to himself. Why did I have to say nuclear without asking her to check on Mrs. Woolweave or something first? WHY?! But quick as a wink, he thought hard, and then said out loud, "Um…to stop the Capitol. Twill and Patch were planning to try to convince the Capitol to stop being so mean to the districts, but they never listen to people if they do that with just their words. So the only way to get through to them is by playing a trick on them. By um…by hiding the tallest new clear stuff around the president's place so it looks he'll be able to leave his office, but he'll actually just be stuck between a lot of windows he can feel, but not see."

"Oh," replied Nessa. This time she didn't smile, but thankfully it wasn't because she had another question regarding the "new clear stuff" subject.

Sighing with relief, Geolo repeated all the things Twill and Patch had told him back in his neighbourhood, though he pretended that the area out in the wilderness the two adults had mentioned was said to contain "new clear stuff" instead of nuclear weapons so as not to scare the only member of their team who didn't know what nuclear weapons were. Luckily, thanks to his miraculously-camouflaged slipup, everyone else already knew what he really meant, and within just a minute, all the information he knew had been shared with everyone in the hovercraft.

"So, how close is this um…place with the underground town you're hoping is there in it…to District 3 and the other districts we need to stop at?" Astilbo asked.

"If the nation map one of our colleagues found on one of the trains back home is correct, it should be just north of District 12," answered Patch. "However, I must warn you…it is a very large place."

Foxface stared at him in confusion. "It was on the map displaying all of the districts? I do not remember seeing…"

And just like that, the tribute from 5 felt all the pieces falling into place. The only things the map displayed at all were each and every district along with the Capitol. Each and every district. Not just the twelve districts that were forced to send two tributes to the Capitol every year, but also the one district that had gotten completely destroyed seventy-four years ago as another punishment for the failed war against the Capitol back then: District 13. If the place Twill and Patch were talking about was on the map of Panem, just north of District 12, then it was the only place that could possibly qualify as a possible underground area of civilization that was believed to contain nuclear weapons (Foxface's latest school teacher had commented that the people of District 13 had been graphite miners, but unlike her classmates she secretly hadn't believed a word of it; why would a district that did nothing but mine for graphite have a population bigger than most of the other districts' and the Capitol's, while District 12 was also a mining district and had one of the smallest populations?), and as a place that the Capitol would see fit to present annual footage of at every reaping despite that being such a foolish decision.

As the realization of this kicked in, Foxface once again found herself resisting the temptation to feel impressed by other members of her team. For a district that didn't often do so well in the Hunger Games or in its many wilderness-themed arenas, District 8 was revealing itself to be more useful than she ever could have imagined! Sonia had apparently found ways to use her knowledge on making textile products to accomplish stuff as ingenious as feeling a stretched-forward rope to figure out whether or not a muscular-in-a-particular-way person was tied to the other end, and now Twill and Patch were proving themselves to be the best detectives she'd ever seen. Sure, she herself had had her suspicions about District 13 being more than everyone was letting on because of the whole humongous-population-yet-a-small-job thing, but while she'd never deduced the real reason why anyone would lie about what that district used to do, she had never assumed it could still be alive, or noticed the other clue that District 8 had picked up on! She'd never been in a proximity close enough to see the videos played at the reaping until she'd begun attending it knowing her name was in the bowl. And ever since then, she'd always been too caught up in her fear of being reaped to really notice anything off about the videos.

This was impressive stuff. Such an amazing and thoughtful deduction, and…and yet so many questions regarding it that were still left unanswered. What were the other clues that District 8 had noticed, indicating that the Capitol hadn't only lied about what District 13's job had been? And if that district really was still standing, but in secret, then why wouldn't it have given the Capitol some literally explosive payback? Why had it stayed out of touch with the other districts, who were now suffering at the Capitol's hands more than ever? If they'd been living underground for over seven decades, they must have found a way to have access to everything broadcasted live by now. And considering that last part…was it really the right choice to seek a post-war alliance with District 13? How did they know they weren't (or had become) just as bad as the Capitol was?

It wasn't until that moment that Geolo and Appara overcame any doubts about the theory Foxface was certain was the truth and the former let himself ask aloud, "Wait a second…you're not talking about…District 13, are you?"

Hearing the name of that city, everyone else in the hovercraft except for Paul froze and turned to stare at Twill and Patch in shock. Even Clove looked surprised enough to forget about the large quantity of medicine on her face. Nessa, meanwhile, was also surprised, but for a different reason. Almost immediately she exclaimed, "District 13? But, but I thought there were only twelve districts! And a Capitol!"

And as that factor came to mind, Foxface stiffened. This was going to be a long few minutes…

Oh boy. To stop at District 13, or not to stop at District 13? That is the question that will hopefully be answered in the next upcoming chapter. Be sure to stay tuned! :)