Welcome back! Sorry this chapter took longer than usual—I had a short case of writer's block at one point, plus a few things came up in my personal life (don't worry, they're nothing serious). But both of those obstacles have by now come and gone, and I was finally able to finish this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

Aftermath Of The Breakout

"We have to go back for him!"

"We can't. I'm sorry."

"We have to go back!"

"There's not enough time! We have to get that medicine, now. Before whatever that nasty surprise is, wherever it is, reveals itself…you know how unpredictable sepsis can be, right?"

"WE CAN'T LEAVE WITHOUT HIM!"

"We'll figure out a way to save Peeta later, I promise! I really am sorry for what happened…"

If Thresh hadn't restrained her, Katniss would have shoved Geolo aside and steered them back into the arena herself. Peeta had landed in some trees, so there was a chance that the fall hadn't killed him—but it had definitely left him injured, and if he was still alive, it was only a matter of time before Glimmer found him and changed that. They had to save him before that spiteful tribute did anything to him; but sadly, it didn't look like she was going to succeed in convincing the other evacuees to choose her district partner over Foxface.

As for Geolo, despite being unable to look at the female tribute from 12 because he was driving the hovercraft, he could still hear her voice and sense her angry energy. And, well…he wasn't sure what else to say. He couldn't blame Katniss for flying into a blind rage—from what he understood, she and Peeta were pretty close. Chances were they were even official soulmates by this point, based on his love declaration for her during the tribute interviews and her reaction upon hearing it. If it hadn't been for Glimmer's last-minute ambush from below, which nobody had expected, Peeta would still be with them and they wouldn't be having this conversation. Geolo truly did feel terrible about having to leave him behind, but on the other hand, he also felt scared. The nasty surprise the Capitol had in store for the evacuees hadn't come yet, but that was likely because it had taken so long to be made and was still on its way. Which meant that if they went back to save Peeta, the surprise would have all the time it needed to corner them.

Katniss grunted loudly, straining to free herself from Thresh's powerful grasp. "We have to go back for him…!" she continued to plead, her eyes now filling with tears.

"We can't, Twelve," barked Thresh. "Or the surprise! No time."

"Katniss, you have to listen for a moment! Please! We could go back and get him, but by the time we do, the surprise will be ready for us. It's got to be a big one if it's taking the Capitol this long to set it up. If we go back for Peeta, all of us will be in danger. Especially Nessa! This was her idea, so she'll get the worst of it! Is that what you want? Someone with such a youthful spirit…having her fate sealed by a heartless old man?"

At this comment, Katniss stopped struggling, and her fury slowly began to melt away. As it did, Geolo could sense her furious energy fading into sad energy, and he let out a deep sigh (half in relief, half in sadness of his own). "I know," he murmured, "I know how hard this is. But…at least you can leave knowing that…your district partner knows you care about him. Because the last time you saw each other, you were doing everything you could to prove you care. And you have no idea how much I'd give to be in that part of this position with my own district partner. Really."

While Katniss fully succumbed to her sadness and broke down, which only increased Geolo's guilt, Rue was in the cargo bay, strapped back into her seat and telling the rest of the team about how they'd lost Peeta (making sure she included the part about the two of them landing in the trees). She did mention Katniss getting Marvel eliminated from the Games, but kept it clean and wasn't too specific on that part's details.

"Ohhh," lamented Nessa. "Poor Peeta…"

Sonia groaned, clenching her fists. "Why did that have to happen? Right after Marvel was no longer a problem! Flimsy Glimsy just had to appear out of the blue, and now…urgh! This was completely preventable!"

"Did you just say Flimsy Glimsy?" Foxface whispered.

"Hey, don't blame me for being angry at her. I liked Peeta! Well, in the friendly sense, but still! Why did she have to strike right when it looked like he was going to make it? Why?!"

"It just sounds like a name Marvel would have…come up with alongside Glims, but never crossed his mind. Which…which is only one of the things that proves…you really are a smart tribute."

Sonia turned to face her teammate, who was lying half in her own seat and half on Nessa's lap, and immediately cringed. In all the commotion while they'd been leaving the arena, and her chagrin over losing Peeta, she hadn't noticed how pale Foxface had become, or how lightheaded she looked. It was clear that she was considering the possibility that they might not succeed in healing her, and was in one of those "better fix any mistakes I made while I can" kind of moods.

"Listen," Sonia said, "you don't have to say that. I was hurt when you called me an idiot, but after I misjudged you and called you superficial…after you got such a horrible scrape, and without considering how bad your life back home might have been…I kind of deserved it. I'm the one who should be apologizing. Not you."

"I still should never have done it," Foxface insisted, her point strong despite her voice being unable to rise above a whisper. "Nobody…can be talentless…" She then moaned as a wave of dizziness came over her, and slowly enclosed her fingers around Nessa's hand.

Rue, who was sitting in the other seat next to Nessa's, nervously said, "Um…Foxface, I know you need to rest, but…we still need to get rid of our trackers. And…that includes yours."

"Trackers?" Nessa asked. "Um…what are those?"

"You didn't tell her about the trackers?" inquired Rue.

Sonia sighed. "I thought Foxface did before I got saved on Night One."

"That was before I gained faith in the escape plan," murmured Foxface, still feeling lightheaded despite her dizziness starting to wear off. "And by the time I had it, I'd forgotten the part about the trackers."

"Can't blame you for that," admitted Sonia. "With all that suspense…" She then awkwardly cleared her throat and explained to Nessa, "See um…before they get launched into the arena, these doctors inject a needle into each tribute's arm, which puts a small metal object in it. The object is a tracker, and it helps the Game Makers keep track of where the tributes are. So, as long as Foxface, Rue, Thresh, Katniss, Geolo, and I have our trackers in, the Game Makers will know where we are and they'll be able to send someone after us. We'll need to get them out of us right now so no one can follow us, but…the only way to do that is by using something sharp to cut them out. Which now that I think about it, you might want to look away from."

Nessa winced. "Does that mean you'll all have to give yourselves booboos? To get the trackers out?"

"Just be glad you won't have to deal with it because you never even got a tracker," said Rue.

Thresh entered the cargo bay, now holding one of Katniss's arrows. "Gonna be in the Capitol soon. Need to decide."

"Decide who's going to get the medicine?" Rue asked.

"Yes."

Nessa immediately said, "I'll do it. I'm the only one who won't have to cut a tracker out of my arm, so it'll be easier for me."

"No, we need to give you as much protection as possible," interjected Sonia. "You're the least experienced with Panem's environment. Let me get the medicine. You can lower me into the Capitol's hospital with the ladder and a rope—"

"You said you were not a good fighter…earlier," Foxface murmured. "It sh…shouldn't be you."

Sonia sighed, but asked Thresh, "Where's Katniss? At this point, judging by how protective you are with Rue, it's either going to be Katniss or you."

"With Three," he answered. "And no. Too upset about her 'boyfriend.' Can't take that chance."

Nobody said anything after that for a bit. They now knew who was going to locate the medicine, and nobody—especially not Rue—wanted to risk sacrificing Thresh. Not just because of his strengths either; Nessa and Sonia had both learned there was a soft spot in him by this point, and while he hadn't fully warmed up to them, they still cared about him.

Though soon, Rue had to break the silence by saying, "I…I guess we'd better cut out our trackers. Before we get back into the city."

"Close your eyes," Thresh told Nessa, and once she reluctantly did, he braced himself and, grimacing, shoved the arrow's blade into his arm, right next to the bump in it that his tracker resided under. He fumbled with it for a second, then used the blade to shove the tracker out of him, sending it falling to the floor. After stepping on the tiny device and deliberately crushing it, he regretfully took Rue's hand in his. "Ready?"

Rue only inhaled deeply, before nodding nervously. Thresh then successfully cut her tracker out, and made sure he crushed it on the floor too. Next, he repeated the routine with Sonia, who, unlike the 11s, reacted with a painful yelp once her tracker was removed. As Thresh destroyed it, she held her wounded arm against her jacket in an attempt to lessen the pain, and whimpered, "Please promise you'll find some ointment for these cuts too…"

Thresh nodded and turned to Foxface, who had dozed off again at some point during the tracker-cutting. "Your booboos aren't too big, are they?" worried Nessa, still with her eyes closed.

"Try not to think about that," advised Sonia, still discomforted by her wound. "By the way, maybe we should take out Foxface's tracker last. Since she's already going through a lot as it is."

Thresh nodded curtly and then left to remove Geolo and Katniss's trackers. When he was gone, Nessa asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to get the medicine instead?"

"Our minds are made up," affirmed Rue. Though while she didn't necessarily look as uncomfortable as Sonia did, she was also a bit on-edge.

Ten seconds later Thresh returned to the cargo bay. "In the Capitol now. Hers is out. Three wants to wait."

"Geolo doesn't want his tracker taken out?" Sonia inquired with surprise.

"No. Doesn't want driving distractions."

"But he has to get rid of his tracker at some point," Rue said. "If he doesn't, the Capitol will be able to catch up to us."

Nessa suggested, "Maybe he can teach one of us how to drive the hovercraft after we get the medicine and leave the city."

Sonia managed a smile despite the pain she was still in. "That one'll be me," she affirmed.

With the help of the hovercraft's invisibility setting, the group was able to sneak through the Capitol without any non-tracker-related problems. As Geolo searched for the hospital and eventually located it, Nessa continued to stay by the tributes' side and comfort them when needed, all the while keeping her eyes closed under Rue and Sonia's advice. Foxface stayed asleep the entire time, and at one point, Rue checked her pulse to make sure it wasn't because she was dead. It wasn't…but if they didn't prevail in their mission, how long would that be the case?

Soon they arrived at the hospital, where Geolo lowered the vehicle as close to the nearest window as he could without touching the building right next to it. "We're here," he announced. "Now, does everyone no longer have their trackers in?"

Katniss grimaced as she lifted up her arm—the one that had a deep cut where her tracker had once been. Thresh lifted up his arm too, and then Sonia called, "Only you and Foxface are left, Geolo. Are you sure you want your tracker cut out last?"

"I never said I wanted mine cut out last," clarified Geolo. "I just said it was for the best. If I'm the only one who can drive, then I can't have any distractions. And pain…well, that's pretty distracting."

Thresh gave Katniss's arrow back to her and headed for the hovercraft's exit, pulling a long rope out of his backpack. As he zipped the pack up again, he shot Geolo a warning glance and said, "You better not keep yours in."

"I won't," Geolo promised. "Believe me, if anyone else in here knew the ins and outs of hovercrafts, I would have let you cut my tracker out by now."

Although he retained his tough energy, Thresh nodded and signalled for him to summon the ladder. Geolo obeyed, and soon the male tribute from District 11 was on his way down, planning to tie one end of the rope to one of the ladder's rungs and the other end to his waist. That way, he could find his way back to the vehicle once he found and smuggled the right medicine.

When Thresh was gone, Katniss headed into the cargo bay to inform everyone there about his whereabouts. As she spoke, however, everyone who was awake could sense a bitter energy in her; even Nessa, who still had her eyes closed. She was upset about having to persevere without Peeta; not really blindly upset at this point, but still noticeably unhappy. Nobody could say they blamed her, but it was still an unpleasant situation. If anything else went wrong, she could snap big time—and likely not in a way that would help them.

After a moment's hesitation, Rue gestured toward Foxface and asked, "Should we…do it now?"

Sonia sighed and unstrapped herself, grimacing in pain as she did. "I'm going to try and talk Geolo into letting us take his tracker out. Because by now I'll bet you a quilt that the Capitol's big surprise is hidden somewhere in the hospital."

"In that case, let's take out hers," decided Katniss.

"Be gentle," Nessa warned. Sonia nodded in agreement, and then headed into the pilot's area.

Foxface wasn't awoken by her companions' warning regarding what was coming, but she was awoken when Katniss cut into her arm using her arrow's blade. The tribute from 12 was then immediately visibly shaken by the sight of the girl's fresh wound, but after glancing at each of her companions, she pulled herself together and slowly fished out the tracker.

As Foxface groaned in pain, Nessa stiffened. "Why couldn't the Game Makers think of a better way to give you and the other tributes trackers? Like making you wear ribbons in your hair with the trackers in them."

"Because they want the trackers to be as hard to remove as possible," said Katniss.

"No, but if the tributes are about to hurt each other anyway…I mean, don't they want them to feel a teeny weeny bit better before they have to…you know…"

Foxface tightened her grip on Nessa's hand as much as she could in her current state. It was all she could do, aside from praying that the only person who truly cared about her wouldn't decide to throw in an extra touch to her already-rebellious mission: returning to Panem once her teammates were all safe in America and trying to end the Hunger Games permanently.

While the hovercraft was idling in front of the Capitol's hospital, another important thing happened: the mentors finally reuniting with Effie, Golias, Finnick, and Annie. They now knew which building they were in because the former two's scenery-altering powers had helped them narrow it down hours earlier, and when they entered Effie's residence and most of them were introduced to her and Golias, they revealed some important information. That while it had taken a while, they'd finally found the building containing the districts' cameras.

"The Capitol has the space guarded by Peacekeepers and disguised as a place they knew no one would ever go to," explained Cecelia. "It looks like a windowless 'mostly-outdoor' museum of the North American life from the outside, and everyone claims it's there to give us an idea of how people lived before the nation became the way it is today. And since most of the city only favors what's new and luxurious within it, the museum's outdoor attractions are only visited by Capitol residents once or twice. Everyone also claims that the Peacekeepers only guard it every day because it contains such sacred memories."

"We passed by that space three times," continued Beetee, "and we all agreed it seemed rather strange. Why would such a large troop of Peacekeepers work so hard to guard historical material that despite everyone's knowledge of their value, no one in the city, not even themselves, truly thinks is worthy of their attention? Luckily, since the other Peacekeepers in the city weren't pursuing us, we were able to steer most of those ones away from their post the next time we came to it."

Wiress concluded, "Long enough for me to sneak past the remaining few, hack into the building's security system, and sneak in when their backs were turned."

"So what happened?" asked Golias. "Did you find out where Yuri is? And where the rest of them are?"

"Only where they were," said Wiress. "There was footage of them flying out of District 11 in a rocket, footage of them passing through District 8, and one clip of them flying over District 2…but nothing else. Their current whereabouts continue to remain unknown."

"Oh," Golias exclaimed, "but we gotta do something, I don't want my bestest friend ever to get in trouble!"

"Well now I know who your favourite person in the whole wide world is," scoffed Johanna.

"Manners, Miss Mason!" Effie snapped.

"Pfff. Like we'll be able to save Nessa by being polite. As if the Peacekeepers would think being polite is threatening!"

"Golias isn't a Peacekeeper. He is our ally."

Johanna stared Effie in the eyes, acknowledging her remarkably wise words but still determined to make a point: "Yeah. And he's got a serious problem that could ruin our rescue. Just imagine how much danger he could put us in if the Peacekeepers find those kids before we do. Especially if they take that one kid, the one named Yuri, and tell us, 'If you let yourselves get captured, we won't hurt him!'" Then, to Golias, she said, "If you had to choose between saving Yuri and saving Nessa, who would you save?"

"I'd save both of them," Golias told her, clearly uncomfortable picturing such a scenario. "I…I could never just choose one of them."

Haymitch quickly stepped in between him and Johanna before she could say anything else. "Let's leave it at that, alright? The last thing we need right before finding out how most of our tributes are doing is a serious argument about one of us liking someone better than someone else. Which might not even be the case."

Although he furtively glanced at Golias shortly after saying this, which Effie noticed. Chaff, Cecelia, Beetee, and Finnick must have noticed the glance too, because a nervous energy seemed to bloom within them once he gave it. Clearly he was worried about Johanna's point too, and knew this wasn't the time to say so.

Suddenly the national anthem of Panem began to play, and everyone turned to find that a holographic screen had appeared on a nearby table and was displaying the symbol of Panem. Then the music faded, and the symbol made way for a live video of Caesar Flickerman (the real one; not his robot clone) sitting in an armchair, in what appeared to be a fancy suite. As always, he was smiling and waving for the cameras, which Effie considered big, big, big news. If Caesar was remaining positive despite Johanna's conversations with some of the Capitol residents and everything Nessa was doing, that could only mean one of two things: that the authorities weren't as angry as many would expect, or that the authorities had come up with a plan to stop all these uprisings.

"Good evening everyone, this is Caesar Flickerman," the host of the Hunger Games announced. "Now, before I invite my newest guest in, I have an important announcement to make. First off, yes. It is true. The Game Makers and I were a little dishonest with you when the 74th Hunger Games first began. We are not hosting the third Quarter Quell one year early as we said, and there was indeed a mistake made in one of the tributes' launch rooms. For a woman that appeared to be the escort of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, from District 12, happened to wander into the tube of Clove Bronzitt from District 2."

As he mentioned that last sentence, he briefly disappeared from the screen, and a clip was shown of Nessa in Effie's body running into Clove's tribute tube just as a sharp pin came flying her way. Clove herself, along with her stylist, could be seen nearby, ducking as the pin sailed past them. As Nessa was then sealed up inside the tube, Effie noticed that, unlike when she'd glimpsed her live in the arena, she was wearing one of her wigs. Her long green one with the black lacy hat accessory attached to it…except the hat had been cut in half, and each half had been turned into bows that had allowed her to rearrange the wig into two fluffy pigtails. Sort of like Lili's, except unlike hers, they were sloped downward instead of upward. Immediately a wave of fear came over Effie. What had happened to her wig before she had first discovered Nessa was in the arena?!

"Now," Caesar told his audience, "please understand that had it happened sooner, when there was more time before the tributes were simultaneously due in the arena, we wouldn't have had to seal up the tube and launch someone other than the tribute we were all expecting. And that it wasn't as if we could delay launching the other tributes either, for that would mean disappointing our dear audience…with a late start. We all know how long you've waited for the Games to begin!" There was a pause, and he continued with a sigh, "So, I simply must offer my long-overdue condolences for the deceit you've received. The show had to go on, even if it meant reluctantly allowing a beloved tribute to be replaced at the last minute. Which, sadly, was an even bigger mistake than lying to you for the sake of keeping your interest in the Games alive."

"Uh-oh," whispered Golias.

Caesar said, "As you've all seen, thanks to Miss Bronzitt, who learned such a thing was possible two months ago, we now know that it was not really the District 12 escort who was launched in her place. What we didn't know until further into the Games, was that sometime before the tributes arrived in their launch rooms, the escort, Miss Effie Trinket, swapped bodies with a magical giraffe. You all know her well now…Nessa, the young-spirited soul who is now commandeering what we all did our best to prevent: an ultimate escape from our newest arena. An escape that has succeeded despite the arena's high security, which is why you are now unable to watch the Hunger Games. I mean, with only two living tributes remaining in sight and one of those two tributes with many injuries, the events in the arena would be a bit predictable…"

"Predictable?" Blight asked.

Caesar suddenly noticed something offscreen and smiled in delight. "Ah! Speaking of our likely winner, here she comes now! Ladies and gentlemen, District 1's female tribute…Glimmer Onixxis!"

And then Glimmer rushed into the onscreen scene, with a smile as bright as her newly-combed blonde hair, and her arms spread out like a soaring eagle. She was still wearing her tribute outfit, but it now looked freshly dusted off, and her backpack was no longer on her back. She proudly pointed at one of the cameras before sitting down in a couch next to Caesar.

"So Glimmer," the host asked, "how do you feel about this blossoming rebellion?"

Glimmer laughed. "Relieved I have nothing to do with it of course."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I came here to win the Hunger Games! Not to become your sworn enemy! If I had to be anyone's sworn enemy, I'd be Nessa's and Marvel's."

"So…you're glad Marvel has joined the Fallen. Your very own district partner?"

"Hey, we never got along since Day One. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to change the subject and make this conversation more worthy of your time. Starting with this question: why did a non-crashed hovercraft snatch me and Lover Boy out of the arena just as I was about to finish him off? I mean, you didn't really have to get us out of there. He could barely even stand! There was nothing stopping you from sitting back and relaxing, was there?"

Caesar chuckled nervously. "Well…sadly, no deeds so serious ever go unnoticed by the Capitol. He tried to participate in a rebellion and you forced him back into the arena, before everyone's eyes! So, the way President Snow sees it, you could use some relaxing time to yourself. And Peeta…well, he was quite a favourite in my eyes and hundreds of others, so…let us wish him all the best."

"Bastard," grumbled Haymitch. "Can't even pick a side."

Effie, meanwhile, was speechless. Marvel was dead, Glimmer was living it up, and Peeta…what had happened to him?! And what would happen to him? He wasn't going to be punished too harshly after the injuries he'd already received, was he? The Capitol wasn't going to treat him as mercilessly as Glimmer had apparently been about to, were they? No, of course not; like Caesar just said, Peeta was quite a fan favourite. Right? So surely his punishment wouldn't be severe…would it?

"And some guys from the Capitol having their pictures displayed in the Fallen memoriam before Cato's was," Glimmer was now saying, "what was that all about?"

"Oh, that," replied Caesar. "Well, rest their souls…those men you speak of were the Peacekeepers in the hovercraft Nessa's teammates crashed and then used to escape. Some of them passed on in the fire the crash caused…others were taken out ferociously by Katniss Everdeen and Thresh Croppez from Districts 12 and 11…but they were all taken from us in the same arena as most of your opponents were in. They may not have been tributes, but then again…they were humans like us who did technically perish in a Hunger Games arena, live on television. And all of their passings were either caused by Katniss and Thresh, or by fellow tributes Finch McLight and Rue—"

"Would you stop blaming the real tributes?!" Chaff demanded. "At least acknowledge most of their passings! The Peacekeepers don't deserve your respect at all!"

Annie and Seeder both put up a hand for silence. Then Caesar asked, "Now, how do you feel about the body swap between Effie Trinket and Nessa?"

Glimmer guffawed. "Ever since Cato read us that note from Clove, I…how do I describe it? Shocked to learn that I actually had a sword fight with a talking giraffe's soul, amazed to learn that those two tributes actually met two fairies and killed one of them, furious that the other one actually had the nerve to resurrect her plan to overthrow the Capitol…jealous that I wasn't the one who killed that first fairy…"

"Oh I can imagine that," said Caesar. "Especially since the remaining fairy and Nessa's friends from home are coming to assist this young lady with her rebellion."

"Friends from home," Glimmer repeated, looking intrigued. "For me that's a news flash."

"Well," explained Caesar, "while you and your allies were trying to remove Nessa and her allies from the picture, there were reports from your district, the Capitol, and now Districts 4 and 11 that a talking elephant, a talking kangaroo, at least one fairy, and some mysterious children have been causing a lot of trouble with many Peacekeepers around Panem. All of these incidents involved certain aspects of the scenery being altered by sudden magic, and…oh, it just seems as though they are quite determined to turn us against President Snow despite all he's done to nurture us."

Johanna rolled her eyes and made air quotes with her fingers. "Remember," she said, deepening her voice and imitating Caesar, "the president keeps us alive and we could all die if not for him! He's the entire nation's beating heart, and for that pathetic reason I can't think of a smarter explanation for, the president deserves respect no matter how a hundred dead minors used to feel!"

"So do you know anything about how the Peacekeepers are going to catch those animals?" Glimmer asked.

Caesar frowned apologetically. "Sorry, but on that question, I'm afraid I've been sworn to secrecy. President Snow himself has asked me to promise that no further details on that be revealed until after everyone in the second rebellion has been found."

"Alright," Glimmer said. "So…once all this is straightened out, is anyone going back into the arena? Because too many of us tributes are viable for there to be a victor."

"That, the Game Makers are still trying to decide. But mark my words, Glimmer, I…oh! It has just occurred to me that our time has been spent. Well everyone, we'll see each other soon, with more intriguing twists on this truly magical rebellion!" And with that, the screen vanished.

After a moment of silence, Wiress said, "I…I suppose that means Nessa and the successful evacuees are at the hospital now."

"Yeah," stated Johanna, "which means we should be there! If the Capitol's falling on its knees and begging its citizens to return to its side, they must be pretty angry at everything that's happening. Embarrassed too. Let's go." She then started to head for the door.

"Wait!" Cecelia called. "I know Nessa and the tributes she's with, one of whom is mine, are in danger, but are you sure this plan is wise? If we all just go out to the hospital and directly stop the Peacekeepers from hurting them, or indirectly stopping them by using the magic within two of us, something could go wrong either way." Turning to Golias and Effie, she added, "From what I've heard, the authorities have come into contact with your powers at least twice. By now they must have figured out a way to get past that obstacle, and I can only imagine the solution they came up with: waiting until we least expect it and then producing a substance of some kind that can make us faint."

Johanna stopped. "You're right," she realized. "Somehow, we need to intervene without giving away our presence."

"And we can't turn invisible this time," said Golias. "'Cause we did that last time, and the Peacekeepers in District 1 probably told the other Peacekeepers about it."

Smiling, Effie walked toward the door to her wardrobe and glanced at it knowingly, with everyone else immediately catching on. She then observed the door, sighed wearily, and used her teeth to grab the doorknob. Next she strained and carefully took a few steps back until the door was slowly pulled open.

As she released her grip on the doorknob and staggered backward, mustering all her strength to stop herself from falling over, Effie couldn't help but remember the same thing she had the last time she'd opened her wardrobe door in Nessa's body, which had only been a few hours ago. How easy and especially civil the simple task of opening a door had been back in her own body. Back when she'd had fingers, and only two legs. Body parts that, until now, she had never realized the true amount of handiness of…

"Um, do you have any hooded cloaks or something?" Johanna asked, snapping the escort out of her thoughts.

Effie was caught off-guard for a second. "Uh, um…cloaks?"

"Let's just say I'm not a fan of wigs."

"I'm sorry. I've only got dresses."

Johanna rolled her eyes. "Should have guessed…alright. Fine." She then headed to the wardrobe to reluctantly make do with what was available, followed by Seeder.

As the two women selected disguises, Finnick gathered a set of makeup and applied some powder to Annie's cheeks. Everyone else just waited, with Haymitch gesturing toward the dress-filled wardrobe and inquiring, "And what about us men?"

"I'll take care of that," answered Golias. And before anyone could blink, an entire realm with a purple glow that was filled with masculine disguises had appeared behind them, replacing the wall with the bathroom door attached to it.

Effie inhaled nervously. In a matter of minutes, they would actually do (at least in her opinion) the unthinkable. Betraying the Capitol, and rescuing a team of rebels who were trying to rob a hospital. The last mission any escort would imagine themselves participating in…oh, how she hoped nothing would go wrong. Not simply because she wanted to return to her own body despite the perks that came with being in Nessa's either. At this point, any mistakes would not only jeopardize the Big Big Friends and their best friends' chances of survival, but also her own tributes'.

Her heart pounded hard. If anything bad happened to her tributes or any of her allies, particularly those who were less experienced with Panem's environment, she would hold herself accountable for it. She was somewhat to blame for this entire situation, and it was up to her to make things right. Even if doing so meant no one in the Capitol would ever look at her the same way again.

Well, that's once again it for now. What will happen next? We'll have to find out in the next chapter ;)