Welcome back everybody! Time to see what happens next in the part of the story that's set in District 13. Will things go well for Thresh? Let's see…

Gaining The Upper Hand

It was now Thresh's turn to make a run for it and try to escape District 13, with a group of soldiers right behind him. The problem was, the soldiers were just as fast and strong as he was, if not even more, and no matter how many times he said Coin hadn't been telling the truth when she'd said he and Two had been body-swapped, none of them listened to him. They just kept chasing him, blasters in hand. Apparently the protocol when traitors were in sight was not to kill them, but to put them in a torture chamber. The presence of which seemed pretty hypocritical to him, since torturing seemed like something the Capitol would have done if they'd been in a position like this.

Anyway, with no other choice, Thresh dashed on, making a beeline for the elevator. Unfortunately, as soon as he stopped in front of the closed doors of the contraption to push the "up" button, the soldier at the front of the group chose just that moment to increase his pace, allowing him to catch up to him just as he pressed the button. The tribute was instantly tackled down, but he didn't give up. He did his best to block any punches the soldier threw at him, and he frantically twisted and turned, trying to get over top of his opponent rather than under him so he could stand a greater chance of escaping his clutches.

Then the elevator arrived at the floor the group was on, and the doors opened. Seeing this, Thresh thought fast and used his knee to give the soldier a powerful kick in the gut, distracting him with pain long enough to shove him off of himself. Two of the other soldiers, who were now standing right behind the duo, quickly lunged forward to pin him down again, but as soon as they began this action, the tribute did a lunge forward of his own; right into the elevator. He then got to his feet, quickly found the button that would take him to the ground level, and pressed it. The doors closed right after that, and as they did, Thresh saw one of the soldiers who so far hadn't tried to hurt him flip a switch on her gun before accessing its trigger, trying and failing to do so fast enough to be able to shoot something at him before the doors closed.

The soldiers were trying to dart him. It was the only explanation for that last thing he'd just seen. He would have to be extremely careful around those people from here on out. So, as soon as the elevator reached the ground level, Thresh made sure no one was looking or nearby and then dashed out of the contraption. He didn't stop until he arrived at District 13's vehicle landing pad, where he hid inside a parked hovercraft that was standing on it.

Once there, he thought hard and quickly, and decided on a plan: reunite with Three and then get out of here once and for all. They wouldn't worry about Twill and Patch; neither of them knew for sure that Two was a traitor, especially considering the fact that they'd been absent when he'd revealed the truth, and that 13, as selfish as its motives were, was against the Capitol. He knew that now, so he knew the couple from District 8 would be safe here. Unless they questioned this place's motives enough to want out of it, but Thresh doubted that would happen. They had been so insistent on coming here, and were prepared for the fact that they might have to convince 13 to do something they didn't want to do…

Now knowing what he needed to do, Thresh looked all ways, and when the coast was clear, he slipped out of the hovercraft and ran outside. He saw the female soldier that had stayed outside with Three right away, but managed to punch her in the head hard enough to knock her out just in time before she could react.

Geolo flinched, startled by what had just happened. "What are you—"

"No time," Thresh said. "Gotta go! Now!"

"But what about Twill and—whoa!" Geolo started to say, only for his conscious companion to grab him by the entire back side of his jacket and run away from the underground bunker as fast as he could. Seriously, what was going through that guy's mind?!

"Not taking them with us," said Thresh. "Explaining later."

"We can't just not take them with us!" Geolo exclaimed. "That soldier told me about District 13 being against the Capitol and the non-aggression pact, but not having enough resources to come out of hiding, but—"

"They'll be fine," Thresh told him, sharply but with a hint of relief that he didn't have as much explaining to do as he'd thought. "Think about it."

"But they won't know why we left! They might think we did it because we don't care about them, or—"

"They won't," stated Thresh. "Now quiet!"

Geolo sighed and reluctantly fell silent. They then continued heading forward in silence, until twenty seconds later, they heard an alarming sound coming from behind them: several pairs of footsteps racing after them. Thresh started to look behind him to see whether or not the soldiers chasing them had their weapons out, but before he could finish doing so, a click! sound was heard and a sharp object flew forward, landing on the side of his neck just as it finished turning. He immediately realized it was the tiniest dart he'd ever been aware was near him, and as soon as he did, his limbs suddenly went limp, and he lost his ability to run along with his grip on his ally.

The tribute from 3 landed on the ground on his hands and knees a millisecond before the one from 11 fell to his knees and then onto his side. The soldiers stopped their sprint once that happened, but they made no attempt to dart Geolo as well. It wasn't like the boy paid much attention to that fact though—he was too busy getting to his feet and rushing to Thresh's side, having heard the dart coming out of one of the soldiers' guns and wanting to know if his teammate was okay.

"Thresh!" Geolo exclaimed. Almost instantly he saw the look on the young man's face—one that displayed rapidly-depleting strength—and the sight only scared him even more. Thresh was such a good guy! He couldn't lose him, not like this! He had to save him…if only he knew how!

The strong tribute looked Geolo in the eyes, doing all he could to resist the dart's serum, even though it was obvious that he knew he would succumb to it very soon. "Sorry…" he whispered.

"No, don't apologize," Geolo told him. "There's nothing to—"

"Save yourself," said Thresh. "Don't trust Two…don't back down…no matter what…" He tried to say something else, but he lost consciousness before he could utter a word.

An intense lump formed in Geolo's throat. He could feel it. The way those words had been said, the look in his eyes despite the dart's influence—Thresh valued him. Not specifically just because he'd saved him and Rue and bonded with the latter either; he just…valued him. Liked him. Believed in him, even though he was well aware of his confidence crisis and involvement with the Careers. And now he too was telling him to believe in himself, just as Rue, Sonia, Beetee, and Wiress all had…

The soldiers came toward the duo, and while one of them held Geolo back, another one shook Thresh, and when he didn't succeed in waking him, he checked his pulse. Two seconds passed, and the soldier announced, "She's not dead. She's just taking some time out. Just as planned."

"She?" Geolo asked, shocked. "What are you talking about?"

"That's not Soldier Croppez," one of the other soldiers told him. "You weren't there to see it or hear about it, but Miss Bronzitt had this tied-up fairy in her backpack. She forced her to make her and him switch bodies."

"No, that can't be right," said Geolo. "That's Thresh. I know it is. Inside and outside." The energy he'd felt when he had said those last words to him…it just felt too genuine, and well…too much like Thresh. He couldn't explain it in a way that would get through to these people, but he just knew. That guy might have been reserved and tough around him for the entire adventure, but what just happened couldn't have even come out of Clove and her strong acting skills. It was just too real. He could feel it.

"Well, it is the truth," said the soldier who had checked Thresh's pulse. "President Coin saw her initiate the swap with her own eyes." He and three more of the soldiers (a group that included Boggs, who actually looked like he believed Geolo but was reluctantly keeping quiet about it) then bent down and, with two of them each grabbing one of the tribute's arms, hoisted the unconscious Thresh up and began escorting him back to the underground bunker.

Geolo's heart raced. He watched as his ally was pulled away, and he expected his lack of confidence to kick in at that moment. But as he gazed at his ally, he found himself remembering the last thing he'd said to him: "Don't back down…no matter what…" And then the tribute from 3 greatly surprised himself by marching up to the soldiers, thinking of nothing but his large amount of respect for Thresh, the latter's now-apparent respect for him, and his own knowledge that he just had to honor his wish. And by saying with a direct tone of voice that he hadn't possessed in four years, "I can't let you do it. That is Thresh, and you shouldn't be taking him in."

"We have to," said the one soldier who wasn't in the middle of escorting the young man away, in a tone that was even more direct. "President's orders."

"Okay, sure, maybe you did technically receive orders from your president, but…but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to follow them! You—"

The soldier glared at him before he could finish. "Are you asking us to go rogue against President Coin?"

"Just on one thing. I'm not asking you to—"

But that sentence was interrupted as well, because at that moment the soldier grabbed him by the arm, roughly pulled him toward him, and snarled, "Don't make me make you stop defying us, okay kid? The real Thresh will be here soon, and then both of you can get back with your teammates. Then you'll have proof that a second body swap happened. Understand?"

Geolo opened his mouth to once again try to convince the soldiers that on the inside, they had the wrong tribute, but one look at the man's eyes, and in came some pretty rattling flashbacks to the day he got that black eye when standing up for Tally for the last time. Then suddenly his fearfulness returned, and no sound ever did end up escaping his lips. His confidence crisis had returned, and within seconds he found himself fighting back a large amount of tears. Once again, his shortage of self esteem had gotten in the way of protecting someone that he liked! Why did he have to keep letting people down like this? Why?!

It doesn't matter how hard I try, the boy painfully thought. Or even if I try! Or how many people try to help me. The same thing just keeps happening again and again! He'd failed Tally, he'd failed Sonia, he'd almost failed Nessa, and now he'd even failed Thresh. Who would be next? His mother? Rue? One of the male Gearingtons? He hoped nobody would be next, but at this point letting people down because of his confidence crisis was starting to look pretty unavoidable. He had to face the truth. He was never going to get his self esteem back to the stronger levels it had been in back when he was younger. It was hopeless.

The soldiers who had Thresh disappeared from sight, and then five minutes later, one of the soldiers returned, now accompanied by Clove. She had a stubborn-looking frown on her face, similar to the one Thresh usually sported, but Geolo could tell by the energy within her. She was just pretending to be him; she wasn't actually him. And yet she still had every soldier except for Boggs (who still didn't prove it for some reason) fooled.

It dawned on Geolo that this was going to be a big problem for his team. Not only was Thresh, the strongest link in the group, gone, but Clove was still in the picture. Which meant that that was it. They'd have to put up with her for the entire journey. Her, whom he now knew for sure was a traitor. Unless his mother, Tally's relatives, and Sonia's parents significantly improved any fighting tactics they might have of course, but he doubted that was going to happen any time soon.

The soldier with Clove arrived in front of Geolo and the soldier who had him, and then to both tributes, the former said, "Soldier Croppez and Soldier Keyship, you are both free to go. Soldier Marshall, President Coin expects you and myself back in our base. Don't worry, Soldier Basara is alright. She's regained consciousness and is awaiting our return as well."

"Good to know," replied the soldier who had Geolo. He then released his captive and followed the other soldier back to the underground bunker.

Once they were gone, Clove studied Geolo's expression and shook her head. "You know the real truth, don't you."

"If by that you mean that I know you're not really Thresh on the inside, then yes. You're right," Geolo nervously answered. There was no point in hiding it, really. She knew very well how smart he was, and she was pretty clever herself. If she'd picked up on his knowledge that something was off, then so be it. Might as well come clean.

Clove gave him the kind of look that could only be described as a creepy socio-psychopath gaze. "I don't think I'll ever understand why he wanted you to come out here with us. But now…I'm glad he did. The others are going to wonder why he didn't come back with us, and they'll only believe what I'll say if you back me up and make it look as real as possible."

Geolo gulped. "What…what are you…I mean what do you want me to tell them?"

"Not whose sides Coin, her soldiers, and I are really on, that's for sure," sneered Clove. "As far as they'll know, Twill, Patch, and Thresh all got shot dead…and I only had time to save your life."

"They're never going to believe that," Geolo told her, already knowing that doing so would be a death sentence. "I mean, they could believe the first part, but—"

"They'll believe the whole story if you sound convincing enough," declared Clove. She then aggressively shoved Geolo backward, and once he fell to the ground, she leapt on top of him, pinning him down. "And you had better sound convincing, because if you don't, and I get killed, someone's going to die at my hands before I do at theirs."

Sighing sadly but still feeling very scared, Geolo said, "I know. But you know what? I deserve it. I let my best friend down, and because of it she died at the Cornucopia when she could have—"

"I'm not going to kill you! And you saying that is the reason why! If I kill you it'll be far too unsatisfying. But…if I killed someone else, like your friend Rue…"

Geolo froze, now more scared than ever. "W-we're not that close! We're—"

"Don't deny it, Genius. On our way here I walked past the pilot's area of the hovercraft just in time to see you and her hugging each other like you only had seconds to live! Obviously, you two are that close. Maybe even closer than you are to your own mother!"

"Don't kill her, Clove," Geolo begged. "No matter what happens, please don't kill her. Don't kill her or my mother!" And then he became surprised and annoyed with himself for not defending both of them at the same time for his entire statement rather than just the last part of it. What was he thinking?!

"Cover my butt, and I'll leave them and everyone else in that hovercraft alone," Clove told him. "Well, okay, not all of them. Eventually I'll have to do something to our naive little team leader for causing all of this. But then again, it's not like a weakling like you can really do anything about it. You're too frail to stop me from even hurting them…and if you dare try to warn anyone, anyone at all, about me waiting for the best opportunity to betray Nessa, Rue's gonna have a knife through her back. And if I have enough time, your mother will die too…knowing you actually love a kid you just met this month more than her."

"What?!"

"Oh please. Since we picked her up I haven't exactly seen the two of you together quite as much as I've seen you and Rue together…"

Oof. Now that was true. And it wasn't simply because he'd been caught up in all of his emotions either; this was his mother they were talking about! He could have talked to her about them at any time. But nope—that factor had never once crossed his mind. So far, the only person he had talked to about his feelings was Rue, even after his mother had joined the team. But it wasn't because he loved her more than he loved his mother. It wasn't! Yet still, why hadn't he talked to his mother about all of his emotions since her pickup? It should have been a no-brainer…

Clove smiled cruelly. "It'll be your mother's very last thought before she dies…if you say a word too soon. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"No, no of course not!" Geolo cried, snapping out of his thoughts. "I won't say anything, I promise!"

"Good," stated Clove. She then got off of him, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to his feet. "Now let's find everyone else."

"They're…gone? All three of them?" Rue asked, surprised.

Geolo nodded, genuine tears rolling down his cheeks. He hadn't needed to force them, and Clove (whom Nessa immediately had Appara apply more medicine to the fresh wounds of once she'd seen her) hadn't needed to hurt him hard enough to make him cry. It was just easy to picture Thresh dead in the future, considering the circumstances he was now in, and after the young man had revealed how he had come to see him, well…thinking about it was enough to make him so emotional that what he had to say now sounded believable. He'd kept it clean because of Nessa's presence of course, but everyone else had no trouble picturing the shot dead piece.

"Yeah," Geolo said, sniffling. "Thresh tried to get Twill and Patch to safety while Clove did the same for me, but…only the two of us actually made it out of there…"

"It's true," added Clove. "I told you coming here was a mistake…"

Nessa, who had been in tears ever since about nine seconds after seeing Geolo in tears, was downright stunned and very sad about what had happened. Twill and Patch were nice people, and so was Thresh, whom she especially felt like she'd failed. The reason why she had gotten him out of the arena was to stop him from getting too many booboos! Not to do the opposite! What had she done? That thought especially would not leave her mind as she whimpered, "I'm sorry I told you coming here was a good idea…"

"You should be sorry," muttered Dial, loud enough for half of the passengers including her to hear—and of course that prompted Foxface and Rue to both get nervous and Geolo to feel even more guilty. If there was one thing that guy wasn't considering, it was honouring what Thresh would have wanted.

Nessa perked up, now feeling even worse. "I…I should be?"

"Don't say that," intervened Coyle. "Both of you."

"Why shouldn't I say that?" Dial questioned. "It was obvious we were gonna lose at least one person if we went to District 13! It was obvious! How could she not—"

"Cut her some slack, okay Dial?" Mec said, annoyed. "She just thought some of the people in 13 would turn out to be on our side. She didn't—"

"Everyone, please, be quiet!" Paul suddenly cut in, not necessarily upset but still direct for the first time since before discovering that he and wife were about to be included in the evacuation attempt. "Nessa isn't the only one who encouraged Twill and Patch to continue with their plan. And even if she was, I really don't think it is a good idea to chastise her over this. It may have not been the best thing to do, but her heart was still in the right place, as it was from the beginning. We cannot forget that, even though we just lost three members of our team to District 13."

Coyle and Appara both nodded in agreement, and seeing this, Dial reluctantly fell silent. However, this didn't make Nessa feel any better, and she simply stood there, crying some more as she thought about Thresh, Twill, and Patch. As far as she was concerned, what'd happened to them was all her fault. No matter what anyone said. Sure, she wasn't the only one who had encouraged the trip to District 13, but she'd still done it. And now three members of the group were gone, all because she'd thought there was a chance that at least some of the people in 13 could be nice…

Geolo sighed, more tears leaving his eyes. He felt terrible—he had no choice but to lie in order to save Rue's life and his mother's, but at the same time, the lie was causing Nessa to go on a massive guilt trip, which would have happened even if Dial hadn't tried to disobey Thresh! If only he could tell the truth…but then again, he knew what would happen if he didn't. All he could really do was go up to her and hug her, which she immediately did for him in return, but as he felt the warmth of her embrace, he still felt awful. His hugging her was a good thing that she needed, but it was far from enough. It wouldn't be enough unless he told the truth.

For what felt like the millionth time, silence filled the hovercraft. This one, however, lasted for a full minute, before Virt spoke up by awkwardly saying, "Uh…mind if I fly us to District 12?"

"After I give you the right coordinates," Foxface decided. She was pretty sure she'd need to keep an eye on Nessa for the next few minutes of their journey, and that it was going to take too much of her attention away from driving if she stayed at the wheel. And Geolo…he just didn't seem like he was in any position to drive. Not as long as he was caught up in his emotions once again. It was best if someone other than them took the wheel for now; someone who hadn't known Thresh, Twill, and Patch for quite as long as the other passengers had and therefore wouldn't be as impacted by the trio's loss as everyone else would.

Within seconds, the hovercraft was heading south, now with a new pilot driving it. Though once again, the ride was for the most part pretty quiet, and this time Nessa didn't bother to say anything about it. She along with everyone else besides Clove and Geolo were caught up in their sadness over "what had happened" to Thresh, Twill, and Patch, Geolo was caught up in his secret dilemma but didn't say anything about it, and Clove, well…she was just trying to maintain her act in front of everyone else. She was also hoping that her and Geolo's story would increase the likelihood that at least some of the passengers other than Nessa would start trusting her wholeheartedly, but so far there was no way to tell for sure. She'd have to just roll with it too, because there was no way she could win anyone over if she interrupted anyone's mourning for a non-urgent reason.

Still, once Astilbo mentioned it, everyone agreed to pick up Thresh's relatives as planned once they got to District 11, with each and every team member easily preparing themselves for the fact that his sister and grandmother would likely not respond as positively to being invited to participate in the nation evacuation. They could even come off as even more bitter than Esther was, since while there was still a chance Sonia could be alive, they all knew for sure Thresh was gone. Well, except for Geolo and Clove, who knew for sure that the real truth was that he was alive, but it wasn't like either of them was about to admit it.

But of course, talking about Thresh's family only made Geolo even more guilty for lying about the circumstances the oldest tribute was in. His poor relatives were about to think he was dead, when he was really just being held captive by District 13! Oh, he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand the guilt! Yet he had to keep his mouth shut, or else…

Several minutes of silence ticked by, and when Toolip yawned after that, the same thought gradually crossed the minds of most of the people in the hovercraft. Though it wasn't until another four minutes later that Fern finally said it out loud: "Say…when we get to District 12, should we sleep there? We can start looking for Katniss's family and her friend tomorrow morning. If Katniss and Peeta are both in the Capitol, there's no way the Peacekeepers are gonna think of looking for us there."

Everyone else who'd considered that thought nodded immediately, with the few who hadn't considering it right then and there before nodding as well. They'd need sleep if they were going to succeed in their mission, and Fern was right. As long as Katniss and Peeta were both in the Capitol, District 12 was an ideal place to rest in. They'd have to keep the hovercraft's engine running so it could stay invisible all night, but aside from that, nobody could see anything wrong with spending the night there. Clove was okay with it too, but for a reason she kept to herself: if they spent the night in District 12, that would give the Capitol plenty of time to catch up to them. The fact that they still hadn't was really starting to confuse her, and at this point she was beginning to wonder if Nessa's magical friends from home had done something huge and bad to them with their powers at some point today. It was the only explanation she could think of as to what was taking them so long, and it was worrying her!

Then silence filled the vehicle once more, and eventually Nessa went into the cargo bay, where she sat on the floor and cried some more. She couldn't believe it! Thresh, Twill, and Patch were gone, and it was all her fault! Why hadn't she considered the fact that those who hadn't wanted to go to District 13 were right about everyone who lived there? Why hadn't she thought of the obvious possibility that they'd lose someone if they went to 13? This was terrible…

Fifteen seconds passed, and she eventually heard someone sliding into the room to join her. Nessa looked up and soon discovered it was Foxface, sliding herself across the floor and over to her.

"Foxface?" she asked, surprised. "I thought you were mad at me."

The furtive tribute eyed her in confusion. "Mad at you?"

"Yeah. You didn't wanna go to District 13 and I did, and I thought you'd be mad at me because we lost Thresh, Twill, and Patch."

Foxface finished scooting next to her. "I am not mad at you, Nessa."

That surprised the former giraffe even more. "Really? But I wanted us to go to District 13! I didn't think of anything Dial thought of, and now three of our friends are…gone!"

"That does not mean what happened was your fault! If it was the fault of anyone besides District 13 and the Capitol, it was Twill and Patch's. They were the ones who should have thought of what Dial thought of. And Paul had a point. You were not the only one who encouraged us to let those two carry on with their plan."

"But I still said we should come here, even though you and a lot of the others said no." Nessa then buried her face in her arms and wept even more. "I'm so sorry they're gone…"

"Do not apologize to me. They might have been the strongest trusted people on our team, but you are not to blame for what happened to them. Besides, it is not as bad of a loss for me."

Nessa stared at her in disbelief. "Why would you say that? They all wanted to help us! Twill and Patch were very nice to us too, and Thresh might have been tough the whole time, but I know he liked us!"

"He liked you, Geolo, and the other Elevens. He did not like all of us."

"Well I'm pretty sure he liked you too! If he didn't, he wouldn't have gotten the medicine you needed!"

"There is a chance that he only did that because I was someone who was greatly needed for the mission."

"You don't know that for sure, Foxface."

"Well neither do you."

Sighing wistfully, Nessa looked away from her and stared down at the floor. "I just…I wish I could have known we'd lose them if we went to District 13. If I'd known that, I would have said no too. And…and…" she sniffled, and then braced herself, knowing that what she was going to say next was going to upset her ally, "…if you'd tried to get to know him, I think you would have thought he was a good person too."

Foxface stared downward as well, deciding not to say anything in response. She knew that if she did, it would probably turn into another "why don't you trust anyone besides me" discussion that would do anything but make the situation better. Although she had to admit, Nessa did have a point. She didn't know for sure if Thresh was as much of a nice person, and it was mainly because she hadn't tried to get to know him. Sure, he likely wouldn't have wanted to take the first step either, not being any more social than she was, but still. You never knew.

You never knew…unless you tried…

The fox-like tribute uncomfortably gazed at the cargo bay's entrance/exit. What exactly would happen if she gave at least some of the people out there a chance? Would they betray her in the end, or would…would they stick by her and truly care about her like Nessa did? There really was only one way to find out, and it wasn't like she would really have anything to lose if any of them betrayed her trust. At least not to a certain degree…one that didn't involve betraying the team…

And even if someone does betray you, Foxface finally let herself think, you finally have someone to talk to about it: Nessa. If someone betrays you, she will bring you any comfort you might need. She even knows how betrayals feel, as much as she refuses to admit it…thanks to her so-called best friend…

Inhaling deeply, the girl turned back towards her companion and, with a sigh, admitted, "You are right, Nessa. The truth is…I am just afraid that if I try to open up to someone, they will hurt my feelings just like the people I knew back in District 5 did. That is why losing them didn't impact me quite as much. I did not mean to sound rude or anything."

Nessa nodded, a hint of relief flashing through her eyes. "I know. And I'm not gonna make you trust them…I just wish you would. You won't know if they're good or bad until you try trusting them."

"I know that now. And…I've thought about it, and…I have decided to take your advice. Not right now, because I want to make sure you feel better first. But later…I will try to get to know someone. I will try to trust someone else."

"Really?" Nessa asked, looking at her in excitement. "You will?"

"I cannot promise it will go smoothly," warned Foxface, "but yes. I will try. For both of us."

Joy filled Nessa's eyes. "Thanks, Foxface. And don't worry. It doesn't have to go well…I just don't want you to be afraid of trusting people all the time." She then sighed as a wave of sadness came over her.

But before she could once again apologize for "causing" the loss of Thresh, Twill, and Patch, Foxface cut in, "Thank you. And do not forget. No matter what Dial Gearington or anyone else says, what happened to Thresh, Twill, and Patch was not your fault. Not at all. If anyone is to blame, it is the people of District 13 and the Capitol. Not you, or anyone here."

Nessa smiled at her, and then looked away in sadness. Then she turned back to her with a fresh smile, and before the furtive tribute knew what was happening, she was being pulled into another hug.

At first Foxface just sat there, startled by the hug and feeling a bit awkward by it. But then she heard her ally starting to cry once again, and she fully realized just how much the former giraffe needed this embrace. And as this revelation kicked in, so did the knowledge of what would more than likely significantly contribute to helping Nessa feel better. It was going to feel very awkward when she did it of course, but it felt like the right thing to do, and the right time to do it.

Slowly and unable to shake the shaky feelings building up inside of her as she did so, the furtive teen wrapped her arms around her ally, hugging her in return. Nessa became aware of this action right away, and despite her sadness, she sighed happily, letting her head rest on the tribute's left shoulder. And hearing and feeling this, Foxface felt even more awkward, yet…fine as well. This was such an unfamiliar experience…yet deep down within her, she could feel a wave of comfort not just coming from her, but also to her as the embrace continued.

Just calm down, Foxface told herself. Calm down, and it will all be fine. Calm down… She took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure, but it was no use. The scene was just too awkward for her. Her thoughts just would not stop wandering, and…her thoughts. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe if she just stopped thinking so much, and only focused on the comforting part, she'd feel exactly what Nessa was feeling…

Foxface exhaled and tried to forget about the awkwardness she felt and just think about that one particular element…and then she felt it. All the peculiar aspects slowly—emphasis on slowly—but still surely fading away, making way for the unfamiliar but amazing feeling of comfort that she'd never imagined she would ever feel. It felt so new, and yet…so good! But most of all, it provided her with an unfamiliar yet reassuring message: that no matter what happened, everything would be okay.

How can we be sure of that though? Foxface asked herself. Sooner or later the Peacekeepers will catch up to us, and when they do, someone is still bound to betray the team. But then again, that didn't mean everyone was going to do that should it come down to it…

Foxface shrugged her thoughts off. This wasn't the time to be thinking about that. Right now, she needed to bask in something else instead: the feeling of comfort that she wasn't used to, but still enjoyed. She'd worry about the trusting-others subject later.

Nessa, on the other hand, gradually stopped crying. She still felt sad about Thresh, Twill, and Patch, but at least now she knew that what happened to them hadn't been her fault. It hadn't been anyone on her team's fault, really. The bad guys in Panem had simply caused more trouble, and it had just happened to impact those three in a bad way.

I hope the same thing doesn't happen to anyone else, the former giraffe nervously thought. First the tributes that got eliminated from the Hunger Games, and now Thresh. And Twill and Patch! Ohhh…we have to get out of here. We have to stop these bad things from happening to anyone else!

Then Nessa thought of something really scary. If Twill and Patch's plan to form an alliance with District 13 and stop President Snow once and for all had failed, then what was going to happen to everyone who wasn't taking part in the evacuation? Would the Hunger Games ever come to a permanent end? What were they going to do?

She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. We'll think of something, she tried to reassure herself. We have to! We can't just leave them in trouble like that…

Yikes. What will be in store for Nessa and her allies now? Will Clove succeed in winning anyone else over? Will Geolo reveal the truth? Stay tuned for the next chapter…