Prim is a smart girl. She knows better than to tell Snow anything willingly, but he knows ways to get people to talk. He's been in power for this long.

Peeta and I give Haymitch a lot of crap for hiding information from us, but this is the exact reason why he does it. He has been playing this game for almost twenty five years. I wish he never told us anything.

Pretending to have a good time at this party is going to be very difficult with Prim in the back of my mind. Who knows what Snow is asking her. Threatening her. Or worse… Threatening me to get her to speak.

"Calm down," Peeta whispers in my ear as we each pick a dish to try in the elegant dining hall. "Prim's smart. You know that. She's young, but she knows who she can trust."

I know he's right. I know he is. He's almost always right, and I can tell when he's just trying to make me feel better about something. But he isn't. He genuinely believes Prim won't give up any information.

"What if he threatens me to get her to say anything?" I ask him quietly. This conversation doesn't look out of the ordinary, the music is loud, so either way, we'd be talking this closely.

"She knows he can't hurt you, Katniss," he whispers. "You're overthinking this. Now come on, let's dance." He kisses my cheek when he's done whispering in my ear, probably for the cameras, and gently grabs my hand, pulling me toward the dance floor. We set our dishes on one of the tables on the way.

"You need to loosen up," he says loudly as he begins to dance. Surprisingly, he's not that bad of a dancer. "Forget about it all. We're having fun."

"You know I can't dance," I say with a small smile. We've been through this plenty of times. I don't dance.

My father taught me how to dance when I was younger. But since his death, dancing has never been the same. Nothing was the same after he died.

Still, Peeta somehow gets me to crack, and I join him, trying my best to dance to the beat. We probably look ridiculous, but when I really think about it, I don't care about any of these people around me, other than Peeta, so who cares what I look like.

It is probably best for the cameras too. Emotions and feelings I have trouble showing myself, but Peeta makes it easier. He knows how to get me to come out of my shell in front of the cameras.

Peeta and I smile at one another when a slow song begins to play. "May I have this dance, Katniss Everdeen?" he says. I smile a little more and shake my head yes.

"I'd love to, Peeta Mellark," I say in the same tone. We come together, forgetting about all of our worries in the world. It's just him and me. It'll always be that way. We're a team. We've been one since we were reaped, whether we knew it then or not.

We slowly dance to the soft tones of the instruments, ones I have yet to learn the names of. I hate dancing. I keep stepping on Peeta's feet, and after the third apology, he laughs and tells me to stop.

"It's okay Katniss, we're having fun," he says. He can tell I'm getting frustrated. Not at him, at myself. It's been so long since I'd learned to dance, and I can't seem to keep up with Peeta, no matter how slow he goes.

Of course, right when I'm starting to keep up with Peeta's movements, a man appears at our side. Clearly from the Capitol, I look the other way, pretending as if I didn't see him. It's no use.

"Katniss, play nice," Peeta whispers to me. We stop dancing and turn to the odd looking man.

"Plutarch Heavensbee," he says as he reaches his hand out to shake each of ours. "The new head Gamemaker. Pleasure to meet you both."

New head Gamemaker… Seneca Crane must have eaten the berries for us then.

"May I have this dance?" He asks Peeta next to me. Peeta, oh so polite, says yes, despite my clearly annoyed look at him telling him to say no.

Peeta walks off to the dining hall, leaving me alone with the Gamemaker. "I'll keep it brief," he says as he holds his hand out to dance, surprisingly respectful.

"I see you got a promotion," I say, almost sarcastically. He chuckles for a second.

"Well, head Gamemaker is a pretty demanding job. Not many else could fill Seneca's shoes," Plutarch says.

"Is that so?" I ask. Something about him seems off. I don't know what.

"I think you can guess where Seneca is right now," he says quietly.

"I think so too," I reply.

"I didn't come down here to talk about him though," he says quietly. "Your mentor is a smart man. He brought both of you home. I'd do everything he says, no questions asked."

He pulls a watch out and shows me the time. I catch it for a second before it disappears, but the mockingjay symbol was displayed on the face. He's a rebel too.

"It's time for me to go, I have some meetings to attend to, but it was nice meeting you Katniss," Plutarch says. With that, he walks away, off to whatever meeting he supposedly has at almost midnight.

I don't know how to tell Peeta what Plutarch revealed to me. I mean, who knows who's listening? Plutarch showed me the watch instead of just telling me he's on our side, which leads me to believe there's listening devices in Snow's mansion. I guess that was a given.

I find Peeta in the dining hall with Haymitch, talking about whatever dish they're eating.

"How'd that go?" Peeta asks when I reach him. I smile at him, showing him it was good.

"It went fine," I say. "He's excited to be head Gamemaker, that's all."

Peeta gives me a look. He knows that's not what it was about, but I can't say the truth. He doesn't question it further.

I'm still nervous for Prim. I'm trying my best not to show it, but it scares me, not knowing what's going on. Thankfully, two of our "friends" show up to distract me.

"Johanna, Finnick, good to see you guys again," Peeta says as they make their way towards us.

"You guys too," Finnick says politely. "Enjoying the party?"

"If that's what you want to call it," I say sarcastically. Johanna almost smiles.

"Snow should be out any minute now," Johanna says. Peeta and I give her a weird look. "He always gives a speech at any party he hosts."

Finnick walks over to Haymitch and says something quietly while handing him an object I didn't get to see. "We just came over here to say hello. We'll see you all tomorrow."

I'm guessing Haymitch has something planned for tomorrow then. I don't know what though. Everything is so secretive. Peeta and I are blindly walking through a minefield, and we both have no idea where the mines are. I trust Haymitch, but sometimes I wish we knew what he was planning.

Johanna was right, because as they walk away, the music fades away, and Snow appears on the balcony of the ballroom.

"Thank you all for coming," President Snow begins. "And congratulations to Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark on winning the Hunger Games!"

Cheers erupt through Snow's mansion. It seems all eyes are on us tonight.

"For all that we've lost, and all that we've gained, from all of Panem, we congratulate your victory," Snow says. "May your lives be long, and your love be strong."

He raises his glass, looking directly at both of us, and takes a sip. No signs of anger, or anything else for that matter. His expression is pretty blank. It doesn't seem like he found anything out from Prim.

The fireworks go off once he steps back on the balcony, beautiful colors fill the sky in shooting patterns. Peeta and I watch as the bright explosions in the sky burst apart with different colors. Nothing in District Twelve comes close to this.

Once the fireworks are done, Haymitch meets us with Prim by his side. Relieved to see her, I give Haymitch a look asking if we can go.

"Not yet, Sweetheart," he says. "We don't know where Effie went off to."

If there's one thing I know about Effie, she loves attention. It was no secret that Effie wasn't happy as District twelve's escort. Everybody knew she wanted to go to a district that won more often. She's always wanted the attention she couldn't get in district twelve. Well, until Peeta and I came along.

Her first Victory Party since she's become district twelve's escort. She's most definitely soaking it all in. She's Capitol at heart. While Peeta and I would love nothing more than to go back to the Tribute Center, Effie would most likely never leave the party if she had the choice.

But she doesn't have the choice, because we're leaving either way. Whether she wants to or not. To be completely honest, I don't even know why she has to escort us out too. She doesn't live in the Tribute Center.

We follow Haymitch as he takes us to retrieve Effie, and hopefully go back to the Tribute Center. It doesn't take long to spot her. Everyone in the Capitol may dress like that, but there is only one Effie Trinket.

"Effie, it's time to head out," Haymitch says once we reach her, chatting with another escort from District two. "Our Victors are tired. It's been a long day for them."

"Oh, I suppose it is getting rather late," Effie says. "Very well! I will see you soon, I'm sure," she says to the escort across from her. "Off we go!"

That was easier than expected. Effie leads us to the exit where somehow, a car is waiting to take us to the Tribute Center. I can't wait to take these heels off. My feet are aching.

I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I sat down. I don't remember the car ride, other than Haymitch asking Prim if she said anything to Snow, which the answer was no. I must've fallen asleep quickly because I woke up with my head leaning on Peeta's shoulder. We're at the Tribute Center, thankfully.

"Let's go get these clothes off," Peeta says as he gets out and reaches his hand to help me. I gladly take it and follow him inside. This elevator could not move any slower.

Prim, Peeta and I all immediately go to our rooms. The second Peeta and I make it to the room, I plop down on the bed and kick my heels off.

"So, what do you think Haymitch has planned tomorrow?" I ask Peeta quietly. He shrugs.

"Probably more meet and greets," he says. "New victors or sponsors."

"Maybe," I say. "But Finnick and Johanna are going to be there. We already met them."

"I don't know," Peeta says as he lays down. He's in pajamas already. "Maybe the Victors all meet up every once in a while." I lay down next to him, now in my pajamas, and quickly fall asleep.

The next morning is peaceful, if I had to describe it. I slept so well last night. No nightmares, no screaming. I feel refreshed. Peeta looks refreshed as well.

"Peeta?" I whisper, to see if he's awake. He hums in response. "Do you want to make breakfast together?"

He smiles before he opens his eyes and looks at me. "And what would you like to make?"

"Cheese buns," I say with a wink as I roll out of bed. We race to the kitchen and get to baking.

The small things like this with Peeta mean so much to me. You could lose someone so fast, with no goodbye, and that's something I think about often. I want to live with no regrets. I don't want to look back one day and think about how much time I wasted with my loved ones. Vick was the one that made me realize that.

"What are you thinking about?" Peeta asks me as he puts the buns in the oven. He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my stomach.

"I don't want to live with any regrets," I say.

I'm done pretending, trying to hide it, trying not to let it out. I don't want to regret not telling Peeta this.

"I love you, Peeta Mellark," I say. I can feel him freeze for a moment, before he whispers it back to me.

"I love you, Katniss Everdeen."

I can't help but smile. It's finally out there. He's probably known that I loved him longer than I did, but I've finally said it. Something I've fought against so long, yet here we are. And to be completely honest, I'm not as scared of it as I used to be.

Seeing the way my mother reacted when my father died forced me to believe that love wasn't worth it. If that's what love turned into, I didn't want or need it. But I see now that for every day she spends without her husband, she has the memory of a day she did spend with him. I genuinely believe I might react the same way my mother did if something were to happen to Peeta. Because I love him. But I do know for sure that if something were to happen to Peeta, I'd rather live in remorse than regret.

I turn around in his arms and kiss him. No cameras. No audience. Just us.

I prefer it this way.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Peeta asks lightly when we finally break from each other's lips. I smile and look him straight in the eyes.

"My heart changed the moment they announced the rule change in the arena," I say.

"You aren't going to run on me, are you?" He asks, still joking but I can tell he really wants to know.

"You've got me, Peeta," I say. "I don't plan on running from this."

He smiles when I say this. He can tell how much I mean it. Because I really do mean it.

"So cute!" Prim says, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. "Took you guys long enough."

"What does that mean?" I ask. "And were you watching us?" Peeta laughs.

"You were never fooling anyone. We all knew it was coming," Prim says. "And no, I just didn't want to interrupt."

"Knew what was coming?" I ask, getting a little bit annoyed now. Was I the only one that didn't know my own feelings?

"This! You guys are in love," she says, singing the word love.

I look at Peeta and smile. "She's right."

"Awww," Prim says sweetly. "I'm happy for you guys."

"Thank you," Peeta says. He takes the tray of cheese buns out of the oven and places them on the island's counter. They smell amazing. Prim comes over and sits on a stool at the large island.

"You know, I could eat that whole tray by myself," I say to him. He laughs and shakes his head.

"Ten cheese buns? No way," Peeta says. I reach for one off the tray before Peeta stops me. "They're hot. Give them a minute or two."

"Yes sir," I say sarcastically. Peeta gets started on the rest of breakfast while I eat a cheese bun. The rest of our group is waking up, I can hear Gale talking to someone in their room.

Haymitch is the first to walk out, surprisingly. He looks horrible. He's given up drinking, and looks like he has a terrible headache.

"Good morning," Peeta says sarcastically. "Don't think we've ever seen you awake this early."

"Something smelled good," he says back as he takes a cheese bun off of the tray. "Are you guys ready for today? Dress nicely, but there's no need to overdo it. Just a little gathering with some of the Victors."

"What time?" Peeta asks.

"Maybe an hour or two," he replies. "There's no rush."

"Okay, after breakfast we'll get ready," I reply. The rest of our group comes out to eat shortly after Peeta finishes breakfast. I didn't really help much. He didn't seem to mind though.

Small talk at the table makes for a comfortable breakfast with our group. Prim and Rory seem closer every day. I can tell there's something going on there. I'll have to tease her later for it.

Once we finish our breakfast, we go to our room and get ready slowly. Peeta seems even happier than before, which I'm glad for. We don't know what Haymitch and the rebels have planned, but we do know that we're in this together, no matter what.

"Are you kids ready?" Haymitch asks through the door. "We should get going soon."

Peeta and I take this as our cue to come out of our room and follow Haymitch to the elevator. I'm not ready at all, to be completely honest. I hate being led into new situations that I know nothing about beforehand. At least in the Games, I chose where I went and how I handled different situations. But I guess even the Game makers led me into their own traps, like the fire wall and the feast.

We really have been pawns, used by both sides of a war that hasn't started yet.

A Capitol car is waiting to pick us up outside of the Tribute Center. It's odd that Haymitch would choose for a Capitol car to pick us up, considering it's most likely bugged. Maybe this is just a gathering between Victors, and nothing more.

The car drives us to a restaurant, much fancier than any we have in district twelve. I feel underdressed for this restaurant, wearing a simple dress, while it seems everyone inside is wearing extremely extravagant dresses and expensive suits.

"Relax," Haymitch says when he sees the expressions on our faces. "A couple of the Victors wanted to congratulate you on your victory, so they invited us to brunch. Finnick and Johanna are here. Everyone that is here are good friends of mine."

Haymitch leads us inside, and immediately we can spot our group. It's like the exact opposite of sticking out like a sore thumb. Everyone else is dressed so vibrantly that it wasn't hard to find the only people in here not dressed crazily. The second Finnick sees us, he smiles and stands.

"Come on over guys," he says happily as he waves us towards them. It's like he's genuinely happy to see us.

I recognize Johanna, Finnick, Mags, Annie, and Beetee. I don't know who the woman next to Beetee is, nor do I know the man and the woman across from them.

"Kids, meet Wiress, from district three," Haymitch says as he points to the woman next to Beetee. "Chaff and Seeder, my two close friends from district eleven."

We sit down at the table, Haymitch next to Chaff, I'm next to Haymitch, and Peeta next to me. Surprisingly, there seems to be no alternative motive for this brunch. It seems like they genuinely just wanted to celebrate us living.

At first, I was thrown off when Haymitch mentioned that they wanted to celebrate our victory. But it wasn't so much that they wanted to celebrate our victory as they wanted to celebrate our survival.

Small talk ensues once we sit down, nothing more than a casual conversation. They've all been Victors for years, while Peeta and I just met them officially last week, and some today. But I get this feeling that none of them are threats, there's no danger here at this table. I feel like I can trust them.

Finnick stands up once our food has been brought out to make a toast. We're in a section of the restaurant that's been closed off to the Capitol citizens, so while some of them are looking at Finnick to see what he is about to say, it still feels like it's just our group here.

"Peeta, I think I speak for all of us here when we say congratulations," he starts. "You won the Hunger Games, only killing one tribute, and it was out of respect and compassion that you did so. I don't count that as a kill in my eyes. Some may say you were weak, but by not killing anyone in that arena, you're stronger than a lot of us in this room. The second you became a Victor, you had my respect."

Finnick's words about Peeta are so genuine that I might cry. To hear someone appreciate Peeta for who he is, like he wanted to be, warms my heart. Peeta said he didn't want to be a piece in the Capitol's Games. He made sure he wasn't.

"Thank you," Peeta says with tears in his eyes.

"Katniss, we all wanted to congratulate you on your victory too," Seeder stands and says. "You weren't my tribute, but I will say that I was rooting for you when I saw how you reacted over Rue. That reaction showed me that you deserved to win. Thresh must have seen it too, when he spared your life. Little Rue will live on forever because of what you did in that arena. From all of district eleven, we thank you, and from all of the Victors, we congratulate you. You of all people deserved to win."

"Thank you," I whisper as tears threaten to escape my eyes. The thought of Rue hurts. I couldn't save her. My plan got her killed.

"And to both of you," Finnick says as he raises his glass. The rest of the Victors do the same. "Surviving the Hunger Games is easy, Living after the Hunger Games is hard. I hope you both grow towards each other, because you both understand what it's like in that arena, and you both understand what it's like after the Games. To Katniss and Peeta," Finnick says as he brings his glass to the center of the table for the others to do the same. The glasses clink as they all repeat the last part.

Tears do come out once Finnick finishes his speech. A group that understands what Peeta and I feel. Haymitch understands too, of course, but to have a whole group that understands… I'm glad Haymitch took us here.

Brunch didn't last long after, but it was nice to get to know a couple of the Victors. It feels like all eyes are on Peeta and me, but I know that it was the same way for the others in the group at one point as well. It's comforting, knowing you're not alone.

When we get in the car, I decide I want to thank Haymitch. I'm not good at showing my appreciation for anything, or any feelings for that matter. But I'm trying to get better at that.

"Thank you Haymitch, for taking us here," I say. He laughs.

"I wanted to show you that you always will have people in your corner. Sometimes, I won't be able to help with everything," Haymitch says.

I do feel like I have other people in my corner now. It's not just Peeta and me anymore.

Peeta and I spend the rest of the day with the group while Haymitch disappears to wherever. He didn't seem mad or upset when he left, so we didn't bother asking him about it.

He does come back later in the afternoon, almost night time at that point. I give him a questioning look, and he gives me a look telling me not to question it. I decide not to. One thing about Haymitch is he loves to keep a secret. I think Peeta can tell something was going on too.

Our group decided to go up to the roof when the sun began to set. In district twelve, you're never able to appreciate the small things like the sunrise or the flowers. You're always trying to survive, but you never have time to live.

"It reminds me of you," Peeta says as the sky becomes a pretty orange and pink. "Beautiful." I try not to blush at his words.

Sleep finds us quickly tonight. Since sleeping with Peeta, it's been a long time since I've had a terrible nightmare. Prim was right. Love is my cure.

We're woken up to Haymitch banging on the door. "Get up," he partially yells through the door. It seems urgent. Peeta and I quickly roll out of bed and get dressed, meeting Haymitch in the living room. "Let's go."

We follow Haymitch to the elevator, not asking any questions. He seems nervous, and anxious. I'm not sure I've ever seen him like this before.

Haymitch leads us out of the Tribute Center, where Cinna and Portia are waiting for us by a car. They smile when they see us. When we get in the car, Cinna gives Haymitch a look.

"Are you ready for this?" Cinna says to Haymitch. He nods.

"It's time," Haymitch says. He looks over at Peeta and me. "Kids, we've decided… The rebellion officially begins today."

We both give him an odd look. "What do you mean?" Peeta asks.

"We'll explain when we get there," Portia says from the passenger seat. "No more secrets. We'll tell you everything."

"We're going to the Game making room," Haymitch says. "Well, under the Game making room. Plutarch has a way to get us out of the Capitol, along with the rest of our group."

"Plutarch Heavensbee? The Head Gamemaker?" Peeta asks. I nod. "And why are we leaving?"

"Snow has us trapped here, and he'll use you both until any spark in the rebellion has dwindled down to nothing but rumors. We need to change that. The longer we're here, the less support we gain," Haymitch says.

"We can't go back to district twelve," I say.

"We aren't going there," Haymitch says. "Plutarch is getting us to district thirteen."

"And he can get us there without Snow knowing?" I ask.

"Yes," Cinna says. "This plan will work. We just need you guys to trust us."

What choice do we have? We have to go along with their plan. We arrive at a small shop, with clothing articles lining the walls. A woman with cat-like features welcomes us inside.

"I've been expecting you," she purrs. She even sounds like a cat. "Follow me."

She leads us over to a large shelf, looks around for customers, and slides it over when she is confident nobody is looking. A staircase is revealed when she moves the shelf.

"Thank you Tigris," Haymitch says quietly. "Let's go," he says to the rest of us. We follow him down the stairs, into a dimly lit basement. He pulls the dirty rug on the floor until another hidden door is visible. He flips it open and starts climbing the ladder down.

I can hear Tigris push the shelf upstairs back in its original spot. No turning back now. We follow Haymitch down the ladder, with Cinna closing the door above. It's dark, with only Haymitch's dim flashlight lighting the hallway or tunnel we've just gone into.

"What is this place?" I ask.

"Tigris is a rebel as well. Has hated Snow for years," Haymitch says. "She runs that shop up there. But down here, there are tunnels connecting her shop to other buildings. Plutarch and Seneca both had these tunnels built, connecting us to underneath the Game makers room. That's where we're heading."

"And President Snow doesn't know about this?" Peeta asks.

"Seneca was allotted a certain amount of money each year to build arenas," Cinna says. "A very small portion of that money was used for funding the rebellion. We've been doing this far before you guys were ever reaped."

"And Snow hasn't noticed that not all of the money was used for the arenas," Portia says. "Think about what the Capitol citizens do at parties. They drink and eat until they're full, then throw up the food they ate so they can eat some more… The Capitol is wasteful. Snow never noticed the money went missing because he didn't care, as long as the Capitol had a good show. The only thing he knows is that the money was spent, not where it goes."

"Seneca Crane… Was he a rebel?" I ask.

"Yes. We all realized that if we could get both of you home from those Games, the rebellion would grow stronger. Strong enough to uprise, hopefully," Haymitch says. "Seneca, Plutarch, even me… We were all prepared to die for this. Seneca gave his own life to get you both home. To continue this rebellion."

As he talks, we appear to reach the large metal door leading to the Game maker room, I'm assuming. Haymitch bangs twice before Finnick opens it for us.

"Let's get down to business," Finnick says with a smile as he lets us all in.

We all sit around the huge table with everyone else in the center of the room, with computer screens and monitors spanning the entire table. Finnick, Johanna, Beetee, Annie, Seeder, Chaff, and Plutarch Heavensbee are the few I know in the room, but there's others I've never met.

"Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, we would like to officially welcome you to the rebellion," Plutarch says. "The first step is to cut ourselves off from the Capitol. I've set it up with district thirteen to get your family and most of the Victors out of the Capitol in less than thirty minutes. In one to two weeks, we'll all be in district thirteen, where we can air to all of Panem that we no longer stand with the Capitol."

I like the sound of that.

"The reason we're leaving on such short notice is because the third quarter quell is upcoming, and Snow was going to use the quell to get rid of you all once and for all," Plutarch continues. "He was planning to send you all back into the Games. The tributes would be former Victors. I read the quell's card before your Victory Party."

Reap the Victors? Snow knows the Capitolites would be against that. Clearly he wants us gone, no matter the consequences.

"Now, while it isn't a perfect plan, I do believe it will work. I have a hovercraft from district thirteen on its way as we speak," Plutarch says. "They'll pick your group up from the Tribute Center, along with the Victors in this room, excluding Peeta and Katniss. If I could have it my way, they'd pick the two of you up as well, but Snow has all eyes on you. It's too risky to put you both on that hovercraft. He probably is suspecting something as we speak. I'm sure he saw you two get in the car with Haymitch."

"So then how are we getting out?" I ask. This doesn't make sense. If Snow knows we're gone, he'll be searching for us soon.

"You'll have to run," he says. "We can't risk putting you on a hovercraft with Snow watching you two. It'd take one missile to blow up our whole rebellion if we did that. The plan for you both is a little bit risky, but if all goes well, it'll work. You both will go through the tunnels once this meeting is over. There's an escape passage Haymitch will lead you through."

"The mutts will provide us cover from any thermal tracking, if Snow does attempt to use it," Haymitch says. "Plutarch knows a lot, but we aren't exactly sure what Snow has at his disposal, so we're expecting the worst and hoping for the best."

"And if this fails?" Peeta asks. "I mean, I know we don't have time to think this through, but one wrong move and one or all of us will end up dead."

"We don't have time," Plutarch says. "This is the best chance we have at escaping. The hovercraft will be here any minute."

"Listen kids, we're running out of time," Haymitch says. "We need to get moving. Plutarch, you guys need to go back to the Tribute Center. Make sure they all get on the hovercraft with you as fast as possible."

"If everything goes to plan, we'll see you three in a week or two, and begin preparing the rebels," Plutarch says. Haymitch, the second you're out of the Capitol, contact us. Good luck."

"I will, thank you," Haymitch says. He turns to us. "Let's get going."

We all get out of our seats and go through two different doors in the room. Haymitch grabs a backpack sitting on the floor next to the door and puts it on his back. I'm guessing the door Plutarch is leading everyone through is to a different building in the Capitol, closer to the Tribute Center. Haymitch is leading us out of the Capitol in the other direction.

"As long as that hovercraft flies low enough, the Capitol's detectors won't read it in the air until they're too far to stop them," Haymitch says as he jogs. I've never seen Haymitch move like this. It's only been a few days but you can tell he hasn't been drinking. He's clearly sober. "As for us, we need to put as much distance between us and the Capitol as possible before we set up camp for the night. Snow will be searching for us the second he finds out what we've done. Most likely, hovercrafts and peacekeepers will be hunting us down. The further we are from the Capitol, the better our chances will be at hiding."

"Then I think we'd better get moving," Peeta says as he picks up the pace.

This whole plan is unprepared, and I don't think it'll work as well as they think it will. I know that the quell was coming, and that the longer we waited, the more risky this plan would become, but it feels too rushed. I think the rebels are so ready to finally have enough of the districts to hold their own against the Capitol that they're rushing into a war we can't win yet. Haymitch thinks we're going to run to district 13 from the Capitol? There's no way. Not with hovercrafts and mutts soon to be everywhere.

But Plutarch said to trust him. Haymitch has kept us alive this long, we can't turn our backs on him now. So all we can do is pray their plan works.

Logically, the only part of the plan that makes sense is the Tribute Center rescue mission. As long as the Capitol can't detect the hovercraft, and it's invisible to them as well, that should turn out fine. Plutarch will be with them, and he knows the most about this kind of stuff, along with Beetee. But our escape mission, on the other hand, is sure to turn out badly.

We can't outrun hovercrafts on foot, and we can't hide from them either. If Haymitch's plan was to get us killed to fuel the rebellion some more, then he did a great job making sure that happens. Because at this rate, we're going to be martyrs by tomorrow.

"On a scale of one to ten, how likely do you think it is that we actually make it to district 13?" Peeta asks as we near the end of the tunnel.

"A four," Haymitch says confidently. "But hey, the odds have been in our favor so far, haven't they?"

No, not at all.

We reach a large door, which Haymitch slides open slowly, as quietly as possible for a huge metal door, and lets us through before sliding it closed behind us. You can't even tell it's a door from the outside, to be honest. It looks like a part of the wall to me.

"Follow me," Haymitch says quietly. He starts running towards the woods a couple hundred feet from the Capitol walls. We run behind him, letting him lead the way. My heart is racing. We reach the tree line and stop once we can't see the wall anymore. "We need to run for the next couple hours before we can stop. I have water in my bag, but we'll have to find more soon. Same for food."

"How are we going to get food? I don't have my bow," I say as we start walking again.

"Check the front zipper of my bag," Haymitch says. I unzip his bag and see a small metal case, about the size of a brick. I open it and see the collapsible bow and arrows. This will do. "Beetee made this for you after you won your Games. We all knew you two were the faces of this rebellion. We've been planning this for years, but we never had a face. Now, we have two."

Haymitch pulls his pant leg up and grabs the knife attached to his leg, and hands it to Peeta. "Just in case." Peeta nods. "We need to make it to district eight. That's where Plutarch will pick us up in a few days hopefully. It's far, but we'll get there."

I'm not so sure about that.

"Do you hear that?" I ask quietly. They all listen but can't hear what I'm hearing. The Capitol repaired my ear too well after the Games. I hear footsteps. "Someone's coming towards us. Or something." I point in the direction to the left of us.

I can't tell if it is peacekeepers coming towards us or mutts, but they're moving fast. Either way, we need to run.

"Run," Haymitch says quietly. He begins leading us away from

the Capitol. "I hear them too. It's peacekeepers. Snow knows we're gone."

We run full sprint away from the peacekeepers footsteps, trying to be quick and quiet simultaneously. We don't have long before the hovercrafts are sent out for us. Once that happens, we can't run anymore.

After maybe five or so minutes, it appears we lost the peacekeepers. My legs are burning, and my adrenaline is pumping. After yesterday, I had no idea we'd be doing this. We slow down a little bit, but keep running, trying to put some more distance between us and the peacekeepers so we can take a short break. We run for a few minutes until Haymitch's communicator beeps. We stop, and Haymitch presses a button on the communicator to speak.

"Plutarch, we're out of the Capitol. What about you? Did you guys get out?" Haymitch says.

"Not all of us," Plutarch says into the communicator. "Prim's still in the Capitol."