Welcome back, everybody! Wow; it's already been over a year since I first published this story! It's kind of hard to believe it's been in progress for so long…and there's still a lot left to write! No worries—I'm looking forward to it all the same and I hope you all enjoy what's to come. :D

Happy story anniversary! Here's the next new chapter, which also happens to be the longest one here so far…

Different Minds, Same Hope For The Better

The Gearingtons, including Virt, sat in their dining chairs, in a surprised and wistful silence. Geolo had just told them not only the complete story of why he was responsible for Tally's death, but also the part about how he wanted to invite them to participate in the nation evacuation. It was a lot for them to take in, and he knew there was a moment where Dial—a young adult who was dressed in a long-sleeved denim shirt, dark grey pants, and rusty black boots, and who had hair the exact same colour as Geolo's but not quite as long as his while definitely not as short as Virt's, a short but thick beard and a thin, barely visible moustache that were both of the same colour, and basically none of the same facial features as his sister—seemed to reconsider his decision to forgive Tally's district partner upon hearing that he'd actually helped the Careers make fun of her. If Geolo hadn't quickly and with obvious honesty and sadness added that he'd quickly tried to apologize to Tally many times ever since and had even gotten so emotional during his last attempt that he hadn't even bothered to leave the hallway and instead fallen asleep on the floor, which had resulted in him being berated for it the next morning, he was pretty sure Dial would have tried to hurt him in some way.

The other two men present, however, reacted a bit differently. They were visibly surprised and upset when Geolo confessed to his mistake in the gymnasium of course, but they seemed to forgive him (Coyle first, and then Mec after a few seconds of hesitation) once he mentioned his failed apology attempts and saw the look in his eyes as he did (maybe Tally had once or twice, before the reaping in which her name was picked, mentioned to them that while he didn't have the courage to stand up to the bullies who picked on her anymore, she knew he still cared about her and deeply regretted clamming up). By the time he'd told them the full story about why he was here, Dial looked like he was debating whether or not he should take back his decision to forgive him, Virt just looked downright shocked, and Coyle and Mec, well…they looked like they were just trying to process everything.

Silence filled the room, and Geolo stepped back a little, afraid to speak. He was tempted to say that they didn't have to accept the invitation if they didn't want to, that it was all up to them, but that only seemed like the right thing to say if he were inviting them to someone's wedding or birthday party. This was a situation in which the Gearingtons would be guaranteed to be treated with cruelty for the rest of their lives if they refused the invitation—especially if the 75th Hunger Games managed to come along and Virt wound up becoming its male District 3 tribute. Particularly especially if another tribute or something in the arena killed him. Sure, Virt hadn't been fully forgiven for not volunteering and giving his sister a chance to survive, but even Dial would have to feel some grief for him should such a tragedy occur. No, it was best to just stay quiet until one of his companions spoke first.

Eventually, the silence was broken by Coyle—a 55-year-old man dressed in a light grey long-sleeved shirt, a soft brown vest with no zipper or buttons, black pants, and dark brown shoes and who had hair that, while as short as Dial's, was in a messier style and the same colour as Tally's, along with the same "near-tears-like-even-when-there-aren't-actually-any-tears-there" eyes as her but with his eye colour being a darker shade of brown compared to hers (exactly like Dial's eye colour), and the same long nose as Tally's—who wistfully, but apparently with forgiveness, said, "Well…first of all, I'm grateful that you decided to invite us to take part in your evacuation attempt, and that you tried to make amends with Tally before the Games began. She's always said you meant well despite your um…lack of confidence…and she may not have forgiven you, but…in my opinion, while nothing will ever justify her death, your actions ever since what happened in the gymnasium prove that you have the right to my forgiveness."

"What?!" Dial exclaimed. "Dad, Geolo was the only kid at school that made her happy. The only one! And then he just stabbed her in the back!"

"Don't say he stabbed her," said Mec, direct but with a normal tone of voice. "That was what the boy from 5 did."

"I was being figurative, not literal," grunted Dial. "The point is, why would you just forgive him after he did exactly what those shallow and nasty kids did? At least that quickly."

Coyle sighed. "Those kids never apologized to Tally or Geolo or even made it clear that they felt remorse, did they?"

Virt nodded, eyeing his youngest of his older brothers as if he'd done something hypocritical. "They didn't, but Geolo did and still is. And don't you remember? Not showing any grief is exactly why you're still mad at me!"

With a huff of frustration, Dial turned away from his younger brother and said nothing more. He then looked at Mec—a young man dressed in a long-sleeved light grey shirt, old-looking grey overalls, and black shoes and who had hair just a little shorter than his father's and more well-kept but otherwise looked exactly like it, a thin goatee, but otherwise the same pointy chin as Tally, and the same eye colour as Tally's and Virt's—clearly expecting him to express his opinion on the situation. Once he became aware of this, his big brother stared at the floor. A few seconds later he glanced at Dial and quietly said, "You're not going to like this, but…I forgive Geolo too. I can feel it. Tally meant everything to him and never stopped meaning everything to him. Not even after she got killed."

Coyle nodded, managing to smile a little despite the pain in the scenario. Then his smile disappeared, and he gently said, "My sons…I don't want to decide for you, but I think we should take this opportunity into consideration. We've already lost Tally and your mother because of the awful lifestyle we've been stuck in for as long as any of us can remember. I don't want to risk losing any of you too."

"Yeah, I'm with you," agreed Virt. He then got up from his chair and left the room. When he came back a few minutes later, he was carrying two large backpacks (one of which he was struggling with a little; he must have put quite a few of his family's possessions into it), which Geolo immediately recognized as his and Tally's school backpacks. He was a bit surprised when he set the heavier bag (the one that had been Tally's) down on the floor next to his father's foot, but then Virt headed for the refrigerator in the back of the room, opened the other one (his), and began stuffing bread squares, tesserae samples (clearly acquired by himself since Tally had never signed up for it), and some plums into it. And then he understood; and actually felt thankful. He wasn't sure how much food he and his teammates had left, but it was definitely not enough to go around now that so many people had joined them.

"Hey!" Dial said, annoyed. "Just because you and Dad said yes doesn't mean Mec and I did! Who said you could go through our stuff?"

"I am now," Mec told him, his voice rising and startling both of his brothers. There was also suddenly a look in his eyes that Geolo wasn't used to seeing in the normally polite, tolerant, and mature man: the kind of look someone usually gave when they were absolutely fed up with someone mistreating them after they themselves spent a long time in silence. "Personally, I'm sick of having to slave away at an unsafe tech factory just to please a city that doesn't even care if every year, someone we love that's between the ages of twelve and eighteen has to die in such cruel ways! And you know what else I'm sick of? You being so focused on honouring our sister that—"

Dial rose up from his chair so fast that he accidentally knocked it over; but of course he was too caught up in his increase of anger to notice. "So now YOU'RE being insensitive and trying to get us to ignore the fact that Tally's dead? Just Virt doing it wasn't enough?"

"I do still want us to cry for her, Dial. I could never want us to do the opposite! But where's your respect for your brothers, huh? I'm all for you being there for Tally and grieving for her too, but you can't keep lashing out on us whenever something bad happens to her or is about to happen to her! Do you know how hard it is for me to be the constant peacemaker when I have to watch my thirteen-year-old sister be reaped with no one bothering to volunteer for her, have her leg cut off and then killed, and mourn for her, while at the same time learning that you tried to force my other brother to volunteer for the Games and watching you take your anger out on him just for choosing to remain with us and therefore lessen our grief as best as he could, and then grieving for Tally and trying to help us through another family tragedy in his own way?! Do you know how hard it is for me to be the adult whenever Dad needs time to himself so he can grieve for not only Tally, but also our mother?"

Geolo gulped and anxiously stepped back. He closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself and expecting Dial to explode (figuratively, not literally). But when all he heard was silence, he slowly opened his eyes and was stunned when he saw another unexpected emotion from a Gearington, with that Gearington this time being Dial instead of Mec. Stunned, open-mouthed silence…and a conspicuous realization that his big brother had just made a very huge point. Not that it was any of his business…and then Geolo's fear was suddenly replaced by an awkward feeling. What was supposed to be a reconciliation between himself and the Gearingtons and an invitation for the latter four to participate in the nation evacuation had turned into an ultimate falling-out that pretty much, as shocking as it was for him, had nothing to do with him. He couldn't…no, he really shouldn't…maybe he should just step outside of their home until they came out, or…

Apparently now feeling just as awkward as he was, Virt, who had stopped packing food as soon as his oldest brother had snapped, uncomfortably glanced at his now just under half-full backpack and the fridge, not saying anything. He then went back to stuffing the pack full of viands, this time even faster than seconds ago, the awkwardness within his expression increasing every time a new content made its way into the bag, until the fridge was completely empty except for twelve bottles of water. Next, he zipped up the pouch containing the food, opened the second-largest pouch of the backpack, and put two of the water bottles in it (there was only just enough room for the two). After that, he zipped up that pouch too, slung both backpack straps over his shoulders, grabbed three more of the water bottles, and, already speedwalking back toward the front door, awkwardly said, "Well uh…since I'm uh…you know, Geolo and I are just going to meet you guys outside."

Geolo quickly nodded in agreement. "Y-yeah, we…we'll meet you outside."

"I'll go with you," Coyle decided, grabbing and putting on the backpack Virt had placed by his feet and getting up from his seat but in a more gentle manner. He was a little nervous about (as long as neither of them decided to go outside with them) leaving Mec and Dial alone together after they'd both lost their tempers and might do it again at any moment, but knowing Geolo and his teammates needed to save as much time as possible so they could stand a chance of escaping Panem, he felt it would be better if he accompanied the tribute and his youngest son if they were about to bring the food to the other people involved in the evacuation attempt. In case the Peacekeepers chose now to ambush them, he wanted to make sure the two boys made it to the right place safely. So…he supposed he would have to hope for the best.

Once Coyle (who had grabbed four more water bottles from the fridge before following the boys), Virt, and Geolo were outside, the former closed the door, and after two awkward seconds of silence, the seventeen-year-old asked, "Uh…Geolo, how much food and water do you and the others have left exactly? This is all the food we have, but I can go back and get the rest of the water once we bring all this to your team if—"

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary," replied Geolo. "All things considered, Mec's probably going to do that himself. But um…" he paused, as a wistful energy briefly came over him, "…thanks to Sonia we have a lot of water…or at least did before we left the arena. I'm not sure how much we have left in her flasks. Then there's the full bottles Peeta and I each got from the Careers because we were on their team, which I think Fox has now, and we found another filled bottle in Katniss's backpack before we left for District 8. So um…hopefully that's enough." But in case it wasn't, the tribute made a mental note to himself: to get all the food and water from his own home into the hovercraft before they left for District 12, and make sure to collect the staples from their next destinations as well. The more people that joined their team, the more food and water they'd need.

The trio soon arrived at the hijacked vehicle, which was immediately made visible again. In they climbed (albeit more slowly and carefully this time because of the food and water they were carrying), and once they were inside the vehicle, its cloaking device was reactivated (although, like she'd done right after Geolo had left the vehicle on his own, Foxface kept the ladder the way it was, resulting in it once again becoming invisible too) and all newly arrived backpacks, food, and water was placed in the cargo bay, except for two of the water bottles, which immediately had a quarter of each of their contents downed by Toolip and Nessa (although the latter wasn't necessarily thirsty and Foxface even had to tell her not to drink any more than that until the evening; she was just used to being given a water bottle whenever it was lunch time and drinking the whole thing in one go).

"Everyone, this is Tally's father and brother, Coyle and Virt," introduced Geolo. "We're just waiting for her other brothers to um…sort out a few things…and then we'll—"

"Wait, whoa there," Virt cut in. "You didn't tell us the girl from 2 was invited too!"

"Actually, she wasn't really invited," said Rue, and then she filled the two new arrivals in on everything (with the exception of the stuff about District 13) that had happened so far including the circumstances surrounding Clove's presence. Unsurprisingly, neither Virt nor Coyle seemed comfortable around her, and when they found out that the only reason why the team had taken her in was because they'd been lacking physically strong fighters, Virt even said, "Well then I guess it's a huge relief that Mec and Dial aren't here yet. Because…something tells me that they might need to be informed of all this before they even come in here."

Appara nodded, knowing what he was talking about. "He's right. Let's just say Dial has a…conspicuously different personality compared to at least the majority of District 3's remainder."

Clove saw the looks in those two people's eyes and recognized it. It was the look that she'd usually seen staff members at her own district's fighting academy give to the newer and weaker students whenever they were about to demonstrate their skills and muscles by going into combat against a much stronger student (for example, herself and Cato). The one that only ever appeared when the adult was warning the newcomer that they'd be going up against a particularly aggressive and powerful opponent, and that there was a strong chance that that opponent would hurt them especially badly. But almost immediately she shrugged it off. This Dial person might seem intimidating to District 3 residents like Keyship's mother and district partner's brother, but come on. She was a Career! Someone stronger than even the adults in this physically weak district! These people knew better than to underestimate her!

Two seconds of silence went by, and then Coyle cleared his throat and said, "I'm going back out there so my older sons will know where to find us. After that, you can feel free to head to our next destination."

For some reason, once those words were said, Geolo noticed his mother, Rue, her siblings, Foxface, and even Clove (except with her it somehow didn't exactly feel the same…he had to figure out why it was bringing a bad feeling to his gut; ASAP, in case it was a sign that she was going to do something to sabotage them soon) seem to adopt a different kind of energy. In the blink of an eye, a wave of nervousness appeared to come over them, which at first confused him. Why would their next destination make them feel…and then he understood. As Coyle left the hovercraft, with Foxface turning it visible just long enough for him to do so, the boy turned to his mother and worriedly said, "Don't tell me we're making that extra stop after all. After everything we mentioned, everything that happened?"

Appara sighed apologetically. "Sorry, Geolo. Those of us who were against it tried to object, but those of us who weren't stood their ground. And then Thresh changed his mind and sided with those who weren't against it, and that was what sealed the deal."

Okay, that was that. Geolo was not going to ask any more questions regarding this topic. The last thing he wanted was to infuriate the tough-in-every-way Thresh in any fashion, especially when so much was at stake. But still, why had he changed his mind about District 13? It was obviously working with the Capitol, and they already had Clove to deal with! Everything about the whole scenario made it clear that going to District 13 would be a trap, and that Twill and Patch's plan just wasn't worth the risk. And he couldn't have changed his mind because he'd given up trying to reason with the couple and everyone who'd sided with them; Thresh never backed down on anything. He was immensely confident and downright fearless, so whatever had happened that prompted him to suddenly side with Twill and Patch must have been huge.

Geolo sighed. The closest he could get to solving that mystery was asking Rue if she knew the answer. She knew him the most out of everyone here, and she was one of the most clever and observant people on the team. If anyone knew the full story of what he'd missed, it was her. Not that he was going to ask her now though; he'd feel a lot better doing it if it was after Mec and Dial were here, and they were on their way to their next destination.

A loud ahem was heard, and then the boy turned to find Virt with a confused expression on his face. "Uh," he then said, "should I be concerned about this extra stop that I didn't know about until now?"

Gulping, Geolo said, "To be honest, you probably should be. Very concerned, actually." He then told Virt everything about Twill and Patch's plan and District 13, and within seconds, he understood everything. But before he had a chance to really reveal what he thought about the whole situation, Coyle returned, now accompanied by his two oldest sons and carrying the last three water bottles. Once the group became aware of this, Foxface deactivated the hovercraft's cloaking device, allowing them to climb in and join them.

"Just so we're clear," Dial instantly but noticeably quietly told everyone, without even looking at anyone around him, "unlike my family, I'm not going with you all as a way of confirming that I forgive any of you for letting my sister perish. I'm only doing this because I'm done with living here, and because Dad, Mec, and Virt agreeing with going didn't really leave me with much of a choice. Now please don't talk to me unless it's an emergency or unless I say you can do it."

Geolo's nervousness increased. It was now time to fill the rest of the family in on the details in a more specific way…or was it? Neither of Virt's brothers looked like they were in the right mood for a discussion regarding that subject…or any subject. Mec looked like he was still calming down after letting a lot of tough things off his chest, and Dial had this energy within him that Geolo had also never imagined he'd see in him: regret and sadness, but not enough of either to make him cry. Even more, as soon as he made it into the vehicle and told his new companions what he wanted to tell them, the second-oldest of the Gearington brothers headed straight into the currently-vacant cargo bay without even taking a moment to analyze his new surroundings first. Or a moment to look at and get to know the evacuees and company. It looked like the likely difficult task of trying to get him to tolerate Clove's presence would have to wait until later.

It also seemed like Mec's sudden outburst hadn't been the last thing said between himself and Dial until their father had returned for them. Some other things seemed to have been said too—stuff that wasn't anyone else's business, but that District 3's male tribute still knew had been enough to make both young men want some space. And not just from each other either. Though still, it didn't feel right to keep them in the dark about District 13 until they were hovering right in front of it…

I guess I'll just wait to tell them until we go back to my place and collect its food and water, Geolo thought. As some kind of compromise. And then out loud, after introducing everyone aside from his mother (and watching Mec eventually decide to tolerate Clove's presence after he did notice her and was as a result filled in on that part without much of a choice, yet with very obvious reluctance) to Tally's oldest brother, who decided to stay with everyone else in the hovercraft so as to avoid Dial, he announced, "Okay now, um…while I was out there, a thought occurred to me. Since more and more people are going to be joining us, I think we should go back and get the stuff in my kitchen. Then we can leave District 3…and we can get some food and water from the rest of the districts we'll be going to as well, while we're there. I know it's risky because it'll take more time, but…I just think…you know…"

Foxface started to object to this (it wasn't that she didn't want to get more food and water, she just wanted to take as less time as possible to continue with what they were doing, especially now that they were also going to District 13; and she'd already steeled herself for a possible long time without food back in the Training Centre as a way of preparing for the Games), but everyone else in the vehicle agreed to Geolo's idea before she could voice her opinion, and knowing she had been outvoted, she sighed wearily and decided, "Alright, but we need to save as much time as possible. So when it comes time for us to make our pickups in Districts 12 and 11, only bring what you and our future team additions can carry. Nothing more."

"It's a deal," Geolo decided. Nessa then nodded vigorously in agreement, as did half of the other passengers.

Within 7 minutes, the team was finally on their way out of District 3, now with even more food and water. It wasn't the largest addition to their supply, given that only two people lived (or used to live) at the Keyship residence and Geolo had never signed up for tesserae, but the majority of the group was still very grateful to have it with them.

Since Foxface remembered that according to the map, District 12 was directly south of District 13, everyone decided that it would be better to stop at the latter district before going anywhere else. Nobody objected to that decision, for an obvious reason. The many members of the team who hadn't and still didn't want to go to 13 didn't have to admit that they wanted to get the whole thing done and over with as soon as possible, and Fern even stated a very good point: that if going to 13 ultimately led to them getting captured (or killed, but that part went unsaid) by the Capitol despite their best efforts, then it would be better if her parents and everyone they were planning to pick up in 12 weren't with them. Clove was okay with the decision too, but she didn't admit it. All she knew was that the sooner she got rid of Thresh, the easier the rest of the journey would be for her.

At this point, all of the Gearingtons had now learned exactly what Appara and the adults from District 8 had learned upon first joining the team, and they were all aware of the whole District 13 thing. Telling Coyle, Mec, and Virt had been easier to do, since they were on better terms with Geolo than Dial was and therefore reacted more calmly to what he had to say. They of course weren't happy about having to go to a district that was clearly working for the Capitol, but they decided to roll with that too, since most of the team was also reluctant to going there. Then, since Dial was still in the cargo bay, seemingly still unaware that a Career was here, Geolo asked Foxface (who was technically already in the process of driving) to stay at the wheel until further notice. She quickly but stoically agreed (not wanting to have to face the awkward energy between her and the younger Elevens as a result of not being the current driver), allowing him to spend all the time he needed in the cargo bay.

And of course, as Geolo had predicted, when he found out that the evacuees and company had let Clove stay with them for as long as they had and were, and were about to form an alliance with a long-M.I.A. district that was obviously working for the Capitol—and that Nessa was apparently willingly just letting both of these things happen—the young man was prepared to give the soul in charge of this operation a lecture she'd never forget. He even continued, "And who knows? Maybe I'll even take the reins out of her hands because she's too scatterbrained to really lead us to victory!"

"She's not scatterbrained, Dial," Geolo told him, despite being well aware of the strong possibility that the guy wouldn't listen to him and even remind him of the reason why. "She's just not used to being around evil people and situations that involve deaths."

"No, it's more than that," stated Dial. "I can tell. Even someone who lived a life that's the exact opposite of what we have to go through has to know that letting your guard down with obvious traitors-to-be will turn out to be a very huge mistake!"

Geolo uncomfortably stared at the floor. He was pretty sure that this scenario was starting to have its similarities to what he'd heard had happened between Golias and Johanna Mason that morning. No—there was no way he was letting that overly harsh critiquing transpire all over again. Nessa had already been rattled so badly that she might have given up on the uprising that had been her own idea twice; first when she'd gotten so overwhelmed by Foxface's then-serious condition that she had wound up exposing her true intentions to the entire nation and then when Yuri and Golias had informed her that they hadn't been able to stop her best friend from being captured by the Peacekeepers. If those circumstances had succeeded in putting her in an all-too-relatable position, then he couldn't see why Dial lecturing her wouldn't do the same. The problem was, the only one who'd ever won an argument against Tally's second-oldest brother was Mec, and that might have been just because no one was used to seeing the latter get so angry. So whether or not Geolo tried reasoning with him in a tone just as or even more angry, it probably wouldn't catch him off guard enough to make him obey him. So he likely wouldn't be able to save Nessa from a third heartbreaking moment.

"No more comments, huh?" Dial noted, seeing the boy's expression.

Geolo swallowed hard. First Tally, then Sonia, and now Nessa. Yet another good friend that he couldn't protect. Of course the former giraffe was alive, safe, and in no danger of dying, but that didn't do anything to lessen his guilt. Why was it, one way or another, always so hard for him to succeed in defending his friends? It seemed that somehow, there was always at least one circumstance that—

And then something else that the boy—not to mention his companion—didn't expect happened: just as Geolo was ready to accept that Dial had won, Thresh abruptly entered the cargo bay, sternly locked eyes with the former, and said, "Out, Three." Then he turned to Dial and instructed, "You, stay."

Without any second thoughts, Geolo walked out of the cargo bay as fast as he could, not wanting to run due to knowing it would prompt Thresh and Dial to receive some unwanted attention. But before he had a chance to fully process what had just happened, everyone in the large area between the cargo bay and the pilot's cabin (which was by now the entire team sans Foxface) saw him coming and turned to face him.

"So…what happened back there?" Virt asked.

Appara nodded, worried. "Dial wasn't too hard on you, was he?"

Shrugging, still trying to process what happened, Geolo stared at the floor and replied, "You both know he could never not be hard on me. But I have to admit…he reacted better than I expected. I mean, not that Thresh had anything to do with it."

He then glanced up a bit and saw that his mother, Virt, Mec, Nessa, Rue, Astilbo, Fern, and Paul were all suddenly looking at him skeptically, as though he were hiding a piece of the story and they knew it. Which was technically true; Dial had actually, in his opinion at least, reacted worse than he'd expected by nearly making the same mistake Johanna had made this morning and as a result possibly jeopardizing the mission when it was already in jeopardy as it was. But it wasn't like he could just admit that, even if Nessa wasn't standing right in front of him—if he spilled the beans to someone else, that someone would be sure to try to talk to Dial about it, and he could talk back in a way that could result in Nessa finding out anyway. And then she'd figuratively crumble, maybe permanently this time.

Still, if he didn't tell anyone the entire story, someone was bound to ask Dial regardless, and the same thing would end up happening. And then, all at once, he could feel a wave of despair returning…but just as he was about to steer his gaze back to the floor, he caught Rue's expression changing a bit; from skeptical to concerned. In an instant, she furtively glanced at the entrance to the pilot's cabin, and then back at him, all the while keeping this action discreet so that no one else saw what she was doing. And then before he could just-as-discreetly react to this in any way, she shrugged in a seemingly despondent manner and then slowly turned and walked to the pilot's cabin.

Geolo understood the message right away, and braced himself, though he too was discreet about it. Rue knew. She knew he knew that revealing every detail was going to cause a problem, and while there was no way she could know what that problem was, or why, she definitely had a plan to try to help him out of the situation he was currently in. And it wasn't something she could say in front of everyone else; it had to be done in private, without either of them giving their teammates any indication of what they were really doing.

The male tribute from 3 thought quickly, and then came up with the perfect thing to do: maintain his awkward and surprised energy and add, "No, seriously…that's what happened." He then stood there in silence for a few seconds, and then just as his mother opened her mouth to say something, he sighed softly and, feigning a slow but sure wave of fatigue, said, "Or maybe it's just me needing a break from the pressure of being out there, knowing that some real Peacekeepers could appear at any second. I don't know…"

"Oh," replied Nessa, buying what he was saying along with everyone else that had been uncertain. She then smiled and suggested, "Maybe I can take you to Rue and we can all sing a song together! That always makes Lili's brothers feel better when they're nervous."

Then her smile disappeared as she once again remembered Lili…no. She couldn't think about her now. She was her best friend. No matter what anyone said. Golias, Effie, and the others were coming to save her too; she knew they were. And they were going to succeed even if the Peacekeepers tried to stop them. She just knew it. She would just have to stop thinking about Lili until she got back with her.

But I can't just not think about Lili, Nessa then thought, now shocked that such a thought had come into her head. She's my best friend! I'm supposed to think about her for always, even when she's not with me! Then she felt silly for thinking that, because while she had been thinking about Lili a lot—even before she'd switched bodies with Effie—she hadn't exactly done it for always. Sometimes Lili would slip her mind; like when she was talking to Matt or Yuri about something that was on their minds, or when her heart fluttered because Golias did something funny or charming or he seemed like he was about to kiss her. Not that he ever did kiss her…in fact, sometimes it felt like he had no idea she was even there because he was too busy thinking about Yuri. Even when Lili was being bossy to her more than she was being bossy to any of the boys. Or when she was just being bossy to her, and not the boys.

No, of course he knew, Nessa thought. He was probably just afraid Yuri would yell at him or something if he asked me if I was okay. That's how I feel about Lili when she gets angry at him. But then she remembered how she'd sometimes proved that to Golias by giving him an apologetic smile or frown. Something that he'd never done for her even once…

Oh no, now she was starting to have those doubts about Golias too! Why? He'd NEVER been bossy to her, and Foxface had never even said anything bad about him! What was happening to her? Was it going to make her start doubting her friendships with Matt and Yuri and Bongo too? Oh, she hoped not…

No, Clove simultaneously thought, biting her tongue to stop herself from looking angry on the outside. No more singing. If you move your voice up and down in any way, I swear I'm gonna go berserk. And don't even think about playing any more annoying games or—

"Um…actually…I don't know if I'm up for even watching any fun right now," Astilbo nervously confessed. "Not when we're on our way to District 13…"

"Good point," agreed Esther, who had been in a bitter silence ever since the District 13 debate had come to a tense end. "Maybe don't do anything to make those who don't want to go to 13 any more upset than they probably already are." She stole a piercing glance at Clove as she said this, and seeing this too, the Career gulped. Maybe it would be a good idea for her to get the people in District 13 to get rid of Esther Woolweave too, in case her bitterness talked anyone else into terminating their obviously-reluctant alliance with her before the Capitol's Peacekeepers caught up to them…

"Oh," Nessa said, a little surprised to hear that. Thankfully surprised enough to snap out of her thoughts. "Well…what do you wanna do then?"

"Maybe we should all just have some quiet. At least for now," Coyle politely suggested. Mec then nodded in agreement, and after a while, so did everyone else who was in that area of the hovercraft including Geolo.

"Okay," decided Nessa, a little nervous and not daring to say anything else so she wouldn't upset Esther. These kinds of moments, moments where at least one person she cared about would rather wallow in their feelings about something unpleasant than let themselves be cheered up, had never been easy for the former giraffe to watch happen. But she knew from experience (thanks to Lili) that trying to discourage others from having moments like this only made them feel even worse, and of course she didn't want that. So, unsure of what else to do, she awkwardly stepped to the side and then stood where she now was in silence, trying to think of something to do while she waited for the vehicle to get to District 13.

When six seconds passed and no one said anything else, Geolo decided this was the perfect time to retreat into the pilot's cabin and rejoin Rue. So that was exactly what he did, although he made sure that as he walked in there, there was no indication in his expression or pace that he wasn't leaving the area to clear his mind.

Once he was in the pilot's cabin, Geolo noticed Foxface still sitting in front of the wheel and whispered his words to his friend so their companion wouldn't hear: "Okay…I'm here. Now what?"

"I won't tell anyone what really happened with him," the youngest tribute quietly replied. "I promise. You can tell me."

"Wait, so…you don't want anyone else to hear us, but you're okay with Fox being here?" Not that he didn't trust Rue with the information he kept from everyone; he did, but at the same time he was under the impression that she only wanted herself and him involved in their conversation…

Rue sighed. "We can't really stop anyone from eavesdropping on us no matter where we talk about this, Geolo. But considering everyone that's out there, I'd rather have her eavesdrop while Thresh and Dial being alone together keeps the others too busy to do the same. Unless you don't feel comfortable with that either…"

Geolo peered over her shoulder at Foxface, who was still driving and facing the windshield but wasn't necessarily far enough away from them to not hear what they were saying; even if they were whispering. She was probably eavesdropping on them right now, as they were talking about her, and was just doing a very good job at pretending she wasn't. Exactly as she apparently had done back in the gymnasium when Tally had first begun giving him the silent treatment, which he still felt a little weirded-out by.

Maybe it's just the way she works, he thought, unable to think of any other reason why she might be eavesdropping in these circumstances. She made it pretty clear that she's only helping us because she has to, and she's done a really good job at helping us so far…maybe she just eavesdrops so she'll have a better idea of how to get herself out of a bad situation later on. Analyzing other tributes' strengths and weaknesses by watching what happens in the gymnasium, even if it's stuff like what happened with me, Tally, and the Careers, is a good way to brainstorm ways to defeat them later on. There have been past Hunger Games where something caused allied tributes to get into a fight and their opponents were able to kill them because of it. Or when a tribute would get so depressed after an ally of theirs got killed that someone killed them very easily. Maybe she wants to stop something like that from happening to the rest of us, so we won't drag her down with us.

The tribute from 3 took a deep breath. If Foxface really was eavesdropping to help them, then he and Rue might as well fully include her in the conversation. Besides; now that he thought about it, she'd already proven to him during their driving lessons that she was very good at keeping secrets, and he knew she genuinely cared about Nessa and saw as more than just an ally. He wasn't sure why or when, but at some point the antisocial girl had decided to let her guard down with her, even after she was cured from her case of sepsis. He could tell, because as soon as she and Nessa had started leaving to find Golias after Johanna had left his side, he could have sworn something had changed in her. She'd just seemed more…open…just slightly more but still…as soon as the former giraffe was the only person she was paying attention to. Not that he'd been able to think much of it and truly keep it in mind due to an angry Johanna Mason standing right in front of him and everyone else filling each other in on anything they might need to know, but it was still a surprise. Yet a good surprise that was what fully convinced him that Foxface could in fact be trusted with the information he'd been withholding for the last minute.

So, without wasting a second, he held out his hand for Rue to take and then glanced at their companion before turning back to her. She caught on right away and nodded, then took his hand and allowed him to lead her to the hovercraft's control panel. Once they were standing right next to the pilot's seat, Geolo breathed deeply and gently but still a bit awkwardly told the furtive tribute, "You promise not to tell anyone what you're about to hear?"

Foxface turned to face the duo, surprised at first but shaking it off in an instant. They were probably only directly speaking to her now because just quietly talking to each other knowing that she was listening felt a lot stranger. It didn't mean she should be letting her guard down with them. Nevertheless, knowing it would probably make things easier for Geolo, she nodded and vowed, "I will not say a word…whatever it is you are going to say."

Geolo inhaled deeply, and then asked, "Uh…you didn't happen to overhear what happened out there a few seconds ago, did you?"

"I did," answered Foxface, stoically. "You told Dial everything he needed to know after telling the rest of Tally's family members, and something happened between the two of you that you kept a secret from the others. Then, based on your conversation with Rue seconds ago, which I do admit to hearing, it seems that she wanted you to follow her in here so you could tell her and preferably only her."

"Not preferably," Geolo told her. "We shouldn't be picking favourites when we're in an alliance consisting of more than two people, and I haven't been doing that. It's just…you and I have interacted, but we haven't exactly…opened up. You just never seemed to really want us to um…you know…"

Foxface quickly pushed aside what he was saying before it could prompt her to feel any temptations to fully trust him (and/or Rue or anyone else other than Nessa) or even wonder if he and Rue would have taken that long to fully include her in this conversation had she taken Nessa's advice and opened up to them before the Gearingtons had been picked up. "I understand," she then cut in. "Now can you tell us what you only want us to know?"

Geolo turned around so he could face the doorway that led to the other areas of the vehicle, just to make sure nobody was there. Thankfully no one was, and it didn't sound like Dial and Thresh had returned from the cargo bay; the nearest areas had been silent ever since he'd joined Rue in the pilot's cabin, and the two of them and Foxface would have heard them if they had come back. That meant the duo were still alone together…why had Thresh wanted to speak with him alone?

The tribute from 3 pushed that thought aside. He had something else to think about right now. So, staring at the floor, he said, "Let's just say what really happened was Dial getting so angry that what went down between Johanna and Golias almost repeated itself, except with him and Nessa because she's letting her guard down with Clove and District 13 too fast. But before he could even leave to go talk to her, Thresh came in and ordered me to leave and him to stay. He never told me why, and I didn't ask. I was afraid he'd literally throw me out of the cargo bay if I did."

"And you did not want Nessa to become as depressed and tearful as Golias did, so you never revealed those details to anyone?" Foxface guessed.

"Depressed?" Rue asked, shocked, while Geolo's eyes widened, but he still answered Foxface's question with a nod. "You didn't say Johanna got to him that hard!"

Foxface sighed, an element of woe coming to her. "Would you risk familiarizing Nessa with the full definition of depression by retelling every detail of something only you and her witnessed? Even if Johanna thankfully saved her yelling for us and was amazingly polite to him aside from the fact that she called him the weakest link?"

"She really didn't yell at him?" Geolo asked. "I thought she did."

"She did not, but that is not the point. The point is that while I doubt Nessa is as emotionally vulnerable as Golias is, she can become overwhelmed very easily in particular circumstances."

Rue nodded. "Yeah. Last night, when Golias and Yuri told her that Lili was one of the people that got captured by the Peacekeepers, she cried a lot. She was never mad at them, but…you should have seen her. It was like everyone she knew had died. She didn't even notice the man she likes was trying to cheer her up."

"Nessa has a crush on someone?!" Geolo gasped. The whole Golias-getting-depressed-over-an-unusually-mild-Johanna-lecture thing was one shocker, but he'd expected this revelation even less. He knew (thanks to some of the older kids at his school) that describing someone as "a man someone liked" could only mean saying that someone had a crush on them, and he hadn't expected Nessa to…you know. Who did she have a crush on? All he knew for sure was that it wasn't himself…

Trying unsuccessfully to hold back a giggle as she realized what had slipped out of her mouth, Rue said, "Yeah, she does. She likes Golias. We both know," she gestured to herself and Foxface as she said that, "She told us and Sonia while we were keeping Glimmer trapped on the ground in the arena."

"Why would you talk about that at a time like that?" Geolo exclaimed in disbelief. "The Career that didn't get killed in the arena was right there!"

Rue hesitated a little, and then said, "Well…we heard all those cannons, and we had no way of knowing they were only for the Peacekeepers. Sonia was getting worried, and…and I noticed she—"

"We were just trying to cheer her up, and Nessa happened to mention her crush on Golias while we were doing it," Foxface interrupted. There was no way she was about to let Geolo know that Rue—one of the most intelligent and observant tributes in the 74th Hunger Games—had at one moment teased the closest ally he'd lost to the Capitol for possibly having a crush on him. It might not even be true, since Sonia had denied it and sounded pretty serious when she'd done it. But whether it was true or not, it would only make him feel even worse about losing her. Besides, they needed to get back on the right topic.

"Oh," Geolo said, although the look in Rue's eyes told him the girls hadn't told him everything about that moment in the arena.

"As I was saying," continued Foxface, "we do not know for sure whether or not Nessa would have crumbled emotionally if she knew Dial thought those things. So…you were right to only tell us the truth."

"And don't worry," reassured Rue. "There's no way they'll suspect anything after what you told them, about you needing a break from the pressure of getting your mother and the Gearingtons in here. I glanced back just in time to see that for sure. And trust me. Dial's not going to say anything about what happened either."

"Really?" Geolo asked, not sure what to think of that last part. He knew Dial was impossible to get to simmer down, but he also knew Rue. She wouldn't say that unless it was the real truth.

Rue smiled. "Thresh was standing right next to the cargo bay entrance for a few seconds right before he told you to leave. I could tell he was doing some eavesdropping of his own. And now that I know what Dial said to you…I think he did what he did to convince Dial not to give Nessa any lectures. Maybe to protect you too, in case he thought you asked him to defend her and tried to get back at you for it."

"You…you think so?" Geolo breathed. But he knew better. She knew so; he knew it, even though she simply but contently shrugged in response this time. It all added up, and why else would he have asked him to leave before reasoning with Dial? It wasn't that it would have made much of a difference. He'd have stood a chance against Dial with or without him. The impulsive guy might be seven years older than District 11's male tribute, but Thresh was still noticeably stronger than him. He only would have ordered Geolo to leave if it was extremely important, and yet there wasn't any reason why that would have been important.

The boy's heart skipped a beat. Was this Thresh's way of telling him that he cared about him? Or at least his way of thanking him for helping them get this far despite not being the strongest physically and emotionally? He couldn't have wanted to shield him from Dial's wrath because he was their driver; not now that Foxface knew how to drive the hovercraft as well and he himself was no longer the only District 3 resident here. Or maybe he just did it because he knew he and Nessa had by now both bonded with Rue during the adventure. Maybe that was it…but then again, there was still a chance that there was something else to it…

Geolo shrugged it off. He would probably never know what exactly had been going through Thresh's mind when he'd listened to and then interrupted his conversation with Dial. All he knew was that coming clean to only Rue and Foxface had been the right choice, and that Thresh had also done the right thing. And that Beetee, Wiress, the other mentors, and Katniss and Peeta's escort had better have Golias's back in case he succumbed to his emotions again; or else it could deeply hurt not just him, but also Nessa. The new things he'd learned about them weren't exactly reassuring new pieces of information (the part about her having a crush on him would have been an exception if Golias wasn't in even more danger of joining Sonia than his lover was), but still some helpful things to know. At this point he could only hope none of those facts would put the duo—not to mention the rest of each team they were on—in deep trouble.

Sighing nervously, Geolo moved his gaze toward the control panel. "I'm worried about her," he admitted. "She's so nice, and…so vulnerable. There's so many things she doesn't and can't know about the world we live in, and…I don't think she'd hurt anyone even if her life depended on it. I mean sure, at least one of us was always able to protect her whenever danger came her way, but what'll happen when the Capitol catches up to us, if District 13 doesn't apprehend us first? I'm pretty sure the Peacekeepers learned well from any mistakes they might have made last night, and last night they had hovercrafts exactly like this one, vans, a swarm of upgraded tracker jackers, and blasters all at their disposal. Who knows what they'll have the next time we see them?"

Foxface stiffened. That was a good point. She might not have been awake for enough of the escape from the city to know what was happening at the time, but she knew the Capitol had given it everything they had to stop the entire thing, whether it involved targeting their team or Golias's. They'd succeeded in capturing two evacuees, four younger children, and killing Blight and Chaff, but that was far from enough. A ton of rebels were still out there, alive and well, and if everything they had hadn't succeeded in defeating them, then…it was like Geolo just said. Who knew what they'd have in store for them by the time they caught up to them? Even worse, would it be too much for the team to handle even if they were all together? What if the Capitol came back so strong that they couldn't keep Nessa or each other safe? Regardless of whether or not the furtive tribute prepared her for the fact that the Capitol could use her best friend and love interest against her?

The area suddenly fell into a complete silence as this thought fully registered with all three of the tributes sitting or standing in the pilot's cabin. They'd been able to shield Nessa from so many things, whether it was censored information or getting harmed by attacks, and she'd gotten extremely lucky when she'd been in that sword duel with Glimmer as well as when the bloodbath had transpired. However nobody could deny the obvious: at some point her luck would run out, and they couldn't guard her from the worst forever. The Capitol was eventually going to come back, and when they did…

"You know what?" Rue then said, startling Geolo and Foxface. "Let's not worry about that right now. Let's just worry about District 13 for now, and if anything happens…anything that bad…we'll use that emergency setting. The one that made our hovercraft go really really fast. And if the Peacekeepers' hovercrafts do the same thing, we'll trick them into crashing into something even stronger than their vehicles. But for now, let's just try to focus on what we have to do as long as we're safe."

Realizing her point, Geolo took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. If we can even stand a chance of getting in and out of District 13 alive, then it's best to get the rest of the people we need to pick up in here as soon as possible. For you, for Thresh…and for Katniss. And hopefully, for Peeta too."

The trio fell silent once more, and after a few seconds, Geolo felt a sense of warmth next to his hand and looked down to find Rue was taking it in hers. And then he couldn't help himself; he hugged her. It didn't matter if they were safe or not; he didn't want to lose her or Nessa, or anyone that was left.

As Rue correctly guessed what he was now thinking and hugged him in return, Foxface sighed sadly and tried to only think about getting the group to District 13. Yet it was impossible to stop herself from becoming aware of the temptations building up inside of her. Temptations to start trusting her two companions wholeheartedly, and find out once and for all if they would do the same with her if she just gave it a try. She resisted them of course, but this time they kept coming back. They were now stronger than ever before, and it took less than a second for her to face the truth: that it was because her companions were right. If they had something important to do, then once they got to the right places, it was now or never.

But this is not an urgent matter like the civilian gatherings and the evacuation, Foxface told herself, frustrated as she found herself fighting against that feeling at the back of her head for what seemed like the hundredth time. Trusting others to that extent isn't even an important matter, and I…please, stop it already! I—you—already know that I cannot completely trust anyone if they haven't proved that their care is genuine! I know Nessa agrees with you, but I am playing it safe by not trusting anyone else wholeheartedly! You know this!

Although even as she thought this, the fox-like tribute still couldn't stop herself from wondering what she really meant by playing it safe. She reminded herself that it was because there was still a chance Clove wasn't the only person that could end up betraying the team, but…was that the main reason why? Or had Nessa been right? Was she really just avoiding opening up to anyone else out of fear and habit?

No. She was not. Definitely not. She wasn't just doing this for herself. She was also doing it to protect Nessa…and as she thought about that, she found herself allowing one more thought to seep into her mind, even though she had no way of knowing if its latter part was true:

I hope the conversation I just participated in means that Geolo and Rue genuinely care about her…and the rest of us…

And that's it…for now! Oh boy; so much going on both mentally and physically for our heroes! What will become of everyone and the emotional dilemmas some of them are going through? What will District 13 have in store for them? Only time will tell…see you soon, and once again, happy story anniversary!