Alright everyone, I'm back! And here's the newest update to this story…

The Journeys Continue

Everyone in the hijacked hovercraft sat where they were in silence. Clove, Prim, and the adults simply waited, while the rest of the younger members of the team passed the time by comforting Nessa, whose sobbing gradually stopped. After revealing to the passengers that hadn't been evacuated from the arena the sad thing Peeta had said about his mother, Rue, at Virt's suggestion, had left the vehicle alone and snuck into the bakery through one of its windows. That way, she could find out just how many relatives Peeta had and then spread the word to her teammates so they could make a plan for what to do next.

As her tears eventually ceased falling, Nessa looked at Foxface and everyone who'd rushed to her side the moment they'd heard her sobbing. She then looked away, unable to pull herself together. Lili didn't really love her…and now she wasn't sure what to do with herself when the time came to reunite with her and the rest of her friends (at least she hoped they were her friends; she didn't want to think about that right now) from home. She didn't want to go back to living with Lili if she was just going to pretend she loved her even more…but if she didn't go back to her, then where was she going to go? What was she going to do?

I guess wherever my allies from Panem go, I can go with them, she thought. It'll take me a while to get used to it, but…it'll be okay. But could she really do it? Just end her friendship with a girl she'd spent so long admiring and standing next to, and make a fresh start? Lili would definitely try to stop her, either by shouting or even by pulling on her tail to hold her back. She would never give up trying to get her back if she tried to leave her. Which meant she could be trapped in a fake friendship forever, no matter how hard she tried to escape it…

Before Nessa could wallow in her thoughts even more, however, Coyle turned the hovercraft visible again and extended the ladder downward. Rue climbed up it, and then delivered the news: "Peeta's got a father and two brothers too. I woke one of the brothers and talked to him, and he said the mother, well…beats her kids."

A sad energy instantly came over everyone in the vehicle. Nessa, who already felt that sad energy, looked up to acknowledge what her ally had said, but she was too sad about Lili to say something that would have revealed to everyone that the way she saw it, Peeta's mother just somehow always won the games she and her kids played together, probably because she always cheated. Everyone else knew the truth though, but no one dared say a word about it. Well…no one except for one person who knew how it felt to be bullied so often and felt really bad for Peeta and his brothers, despite only having met the former.

"I don't mean to sound mean, but…let's just leave that woman behind," said Geolo. Clearly he felt peculiar and nervous saying this, but well, Peeta was among those who'd been there for him unconditionally. It was only fair if he returned the favor…even if it was in such an awkward way…

"Yeah," Dial agreed. "Not bringing her along would prove to me once and for all that you meant it when you made it clear you all wanted to get a fresh start. Just let her sleep and then she can wake up to an empty bakery."

It felt so strange and even wrong saying this, because nobody was certain that Peeta would be okay with them not including his mother in the evacuation attempt. But on the other hand, if he was going to make it out of Panem alive, the last thing anyone who had opened up to him and knew the truth about his mother wanted was for an abusive person to be involved in his new life. Even if that person was his own mother. Plus, they were technically already leaving Foxface's relatives behind as well…but then again, that was solely because she'd told them not to pick them up.

"We can't," said Nessa, pushing aside her thoughts about Lili so she could help her real friends (or allies) as best as she could. "Just because she wins every time she plays a game doesn't mean we should leave her behind!"

"What if she's also a really mean person?" Rue apologetically asked her.

"Oh," the former giraffe replied. "Well…then I guess we should leave her behind."

"Yeah," said Dial. "And the dad and the brothers, if they're just as bad as she is."

"We can bring his brothers," Rue confirmed. "The one I talked to only said she was mean. He and the other brother just sound like they're on the receiving end of the behaviour, and the father…it sounds like he's nice, but only when his wife's not around."

"Then let's leave him behind too," decided Foxface. "Clearly, he cannot be trusted."

"Actually, I think we should give him a chance," said Rue. "I had my doubts about him too, but the brother asked me to do what I could to make sure he was included. He even said his father doesn't want to be married to his wife. He only did it because the woman he actually likes wanted to be with someone else."

"It's true," said Clara, a look of sadness suddenly wafting into her eyes. "He is a nice man. It's only fair that we bring him along."

Rue studied the look in the woman's eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. That particular kind of expression…could it mean that she was the woman Peeta's father actually loved? If it was, then what would that mean for their future? Obviously something must have happened with Clara's love interest at some point before the arena breakout; either they'd broken up or he'd died. Or even both. If he was still in the picture, then Clara would have asked them to bring him along too. So that meant Peeta's dad had a chance with her…but would she jump at that chance? And what about Peeta himself and Katniss? Would his father and her mother getting together, if it worked out that way, make their own story more awkward?

She mentally shrugged. Only time would tell, and she and everyone else had other things to focus on right now; like how they were going to get Peeta's father and brothers out of the bakery without his mother waking up and realizing what was going on.

"Let's get the brothers in here first," said Mec. "Then we'll worry about their dad."

Everyone agreed to this plan, and then Appara, Coyle, and Paul, still in their Peacekeeper outfits, left the hovercraft again. Five minutes later they returned through the front door with two blonde boys, both of whom were carrying several loaves of bread and looked at least three years older than Peeta as well as sort of like him, but with slightly different facial features. They were all let into the vehicle the moment their teammates spotted them, and then the two brothers put their food with all the other food as they were introduced as Etain (the second-oldest brother, and the one Rue had spoken with while in the Mellarks' residence) and Bizz (the oldest brother).

"Thank you so much for including us in this," Etain said. "I…I can't say that enough."

"Neither can I," added Bizz. "I've always wanted an opportunity to get away from our mother permanently. She can be a real pain, in more ways than one."

Fern sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been hard, growing up with someone like her."

"It was," said Etain. "Very hard. It'll be good to leave it all behind, and see what life would be like without her."

"Okay," Esther stated. "Now we just have to get your father in here, and we can go to District 11."

"I thought we were sleeping here," Toolip said. She then yawned again.

"You can sleep now and on our way there if you want," Foxface told her. "There has been a slight change of plans."

"Okay," the young girl said. She then retreated into the cargo bay, followed by Fern, Posy, and Vick. Everyone else, however, stayed where they were, too focused on the task at hand to feel up for trying to get more sleep.

"Well it won't be easy," said Bizz. "Our parents sleep in the same bed, and our mother's not exactly a heavy sleeper."

"Don't worry," Paul stated. "I've got just the solution, but I'll need one of the Capitolite outfits we snuck in here."

Astilbo brought over the outfit he'd worn when mocking Rue and Thresh's escort. "Will this one work?" he asked.

"It's perfect," the man said, taking the outfit.

"What do you need the outfit for?" inquired Nessa.

"You will find out very soon," Paul told her. "Because you'll be coming with us."

So, everyone who was dressed as a Peacekeeper except for Clove left the hovercraft once again. With Paul carrying the Capitolite outfit and Coyle and Appara each carrying a blaster, the group used the apparently now-unlocked front door to get inside the bakery before heading upstairs as quietly as possible. Two tries, and they found the bedroom belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, where both parents were sound asleep. Luckily, Mr. Mellark was on the left side of the bed, closest to the door leading into the bedroom. Unluckily, there was a window on the wall next to Mrs. Mellark, moonlight streaming through it. It wasn't waking her up now, but it could. She wasn't that heavy of a sleeper after all…

They had to make their move fast. So, while Paul snuck to the other side of the bed, ready to take action if necessary, the other three removed their helmets. Nessa then used her free hand to gently shake Mr. Mellark awake, and once he woke up, she whispered, "Shhh. It's me, Nessa. I'm the one who tried to get Peeta out of the arena."

Mr. Mellark flinched at those words. But before he could say anything, Appara put her index finger to her lips and whispered, "Don't make a sound. We're not here for your twisted wife. We're just here for you and your sons. Both of your remaining sons are already in our vehicle."

At that moment, Mrs. Mellark stirred a little, either because of their whispering or because of the moonlight. It was impossible to tell which of them it was, and all the rebels could really do was hope it was their whispering that was threatening to rouse her. Thankfully, she didn't truly wake up, and in a few seconds she was fully asleep again. Which meant it was their whispering that had nearly woken her.

When he was certain that his wife was asleep, Mr. Mellark peered over at her, hesitating for a short moment, but then taking a deep breath and ultimately decided that he could do it. His oldest sons had done it already, and as long as these people were here, nothing bad would happen. So, shaking ever so slightly, he slowly and carefully pulled back the part of the covers that he was under, sat up, and got out of bed.

Crrrrrrreeeeeeaaaak!

Everyone froze as the floor made that noise the moment he stood on it. Mrs. Mellark stirred again, and this time she opened her eyes too! But just as she did, Paul quickly draped the Capitolite outfit over her face and, gently and quietly but not exactly in a whisper, said, "See? District 8's not so bad. It's in charge of making beautiful things like this. Now, which of these would you like?"

Mrs. Mellark smiled sleepily, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep. Once everyone was absolutely sure that she was out again, they all quickly but quietly rushed out of the room, with Paul closing the door behind them. Stolen blasters, Capitolite clothing, and all, the group then headed back downstairs, now with Mr. Mellark accompanying them. They took the rest of the loaves of bread that were in the bakery and then headed outside, where the hovercraft was turned visible. This time though, the ladder stalled for a few seconds before it emerged into view, which startled Virt and worried Geolo once the news was spread to him and everyone else in the vehicle. That one part of the control panel that was demolished beyond repair must have finally been starting to take its toll on the hovercraft…

But they couldn't let that stop them. They'd already come so far! All they needed to do now was go to District 11, pick up Rue's parents and Thresh's relatives, and leave Panem. And that was exactly what they were going to at least try to do. Sure, the Peacekeepers could ambush them at any moment, but there was no turning back. Not now. They had to keep going.

Nessa, Appara, Paul, Coyle, and Mr. Mellark climbed back into the hovercraft, carefully so they wouldn't drop the food they were carrying. Once they all made it in, the extra food was put away, and Etain and Bizz shared a reunion with their father. "Don't worry," he reassured them, "things will get better. I promise you that."

"Do you also promise to be here for us all the time?" Bizz asked. "Instead of only some of the time?"

"Of course," said Mr. Mellark.

"Even if she tracks us down? Or the Capitol? You are only nice to us when she's not there…"

Mr. Mellark sighed, tempted to say something but hesitating to do so. Virt, meanwhile, retracted the ladder and turned the hovercraft invisible again, but this time neither of these tasks could get done without the vehicle stalling once more. Yup—something was definitely wrong. They had to get to District 11 and complete the last parts of their mission, and fast.

Within seconds, Coyle had begun steering the vehicle south, wanting his sons and everyone else to be able to get some rest. However, before anyone went to sleep, Clove said, "Wait, hold on. Before we do anything else, where's my backpack? I need it in case we have to fight any Peacekeepers."

"No," Esther said. "That's not why you need it. You need it so you can use your knives, or should I say greatly camouflaged nuclear arsenal, to stop us in our tracks once we leave Panem!"

Nessa and everyone who had been asleep or absent during the moment where the former had unsuccessfully tried to stop Clove's backpack from being disposed of—including Clove herself—stared at Esther in shock, and in Geolo's case, absolute fear. "How did you come to that conclusion?" Mec inquired.

"Well, technically, Foxface was the one who came to that conclusion," admitted Esther. "Then she let me know, and we were able to get rid of her backpack, saving us once and for all."

"Uh, how do you know Clove wasn't planning to use those against the Peacekeepers instead of us?" Geolo nervously asked. Nessa nodded in agreement, but not because she knew the truth and had been threatened. She did it because she still trusted Clove, which a bothered Gale picked up on right away.

"I know it because of how long it is taking the Capitol to catch up to us, despite the enormous advantage they have over us," said Foxface. "So they must have a resource as strong as they are right here with us. Clove is the only person here who could have had access to the authorities within the Capitol at the correct time, for the correct amount of time. It is also quite strange that they would have so much faith in only one person that Thresh could have easily taken out at any time. Therefore, all this time, she was a traitor secretly armed with things that are more than just knives."

Wow. Another guess that was really good and yet so wrong. It was so good, Clove was almost disappointed that it wasn't the real truth. Almost, because if it really had been the truth, she would have instantly been toast. Still, that didn't change the fact that she was now once again in grave danger…

Dial stepped forward, folding his left hand into a fist. "I am gonna make you regret crossing paths with us, lady."

"No, don't hurt her!" Nessa cried, rushing in between Dial and Clove to protect the latter. "I know she wanted to hurt us, but that doesn't mean we should hurt her back!"

"No, Nessa, you have to believe me!" Clove exclaimed, very very scared. "I know you did, please keep doing it! I would never set you up like that! I mean, those knives were technically nuclear objects that President Snow himself said I could have, but he said that to me after I stopped being that cruel bloodthirsty girl! I was never going to use them, I only took them so I could get to you and help you escape Panem!" Right now she could only hope deeply that everyone here would remember the "lack of real fighters" thing and keep her on the team, and say anything to make that scenario more likely; even if the odds weren't in her favor. Like, REALLY weren't in her favor.

"Y-yeah. We still need her here anyway," added Geolo, as if on cue. "Now that Thresh, Twill, and Patch are gone, she's the strongest person here."

Yes! That's it, Genius, Clove anxiously thought. Be that feeble weakling you know you are! Stand up for me and don't stop there!

Nessa pensively studied Clove's expression, and the Career did her best to make her expression look more convincing. A few seconds of silence went by, and Clove gulped. She couldn't die, or get separated from the team. She had to be here, alive and well! She couldn't let anything bad happen to herself…

Finally, Nessa sighed and came up with a decision. Turning back to everyone else, she said, "Either way, Esther…you said that without her backpack, she can't hurt us. And Geolo's right. We still need her in case the Peacekeepers try to stop us like they did in District 8 at the factory we got these Peacekeeper outfits from! So how about we keep her with us for just a teeny weeny bit longer, and then when Rue's mom and dad and Thresh's grandma and sister are with us we can leave her in their district and get out of Panem?"

Foxface inhaled deeply, and Esther stared at the floor. Neither of them wanted to keep Clove with them any longer, but if the former's hunch was correct, which it had to be, then she wouldn't be a threat to them without her backpack. Unless the Capitol's Peacekeepers decided to show themselves, the only threats they stood a chance at facing were the Peacekeepers from District 11. People that, as long as pretty much everyone in the vehicle was inexperienced with physical combat, they'd need Clove to be able to surpass. So, reluctantly, they along with everyone else made a deal: the Career could stay with them, but most of the adults would have to keep an eye on her as they worked harder than ever to practice combat skills and work on strengthening their muscles.

Clove shrugged. "Works for me. However not to sound bad…but you're making a mistake by not trusting me." But on the inside, she was very nervous. The Capitol had better come soon, because she was running out of time. Once they picked up Rue's parents and Thresh's relatives, that would be it. She'd be booted off the team, probably knocked out cold as it happened, and by the time she'd wake up, they'd be gone. She would fail her mission…no. That wouldn't happen. Or would it? No…well, it had better not. That was the only part she knew for sure.

After the "Who Am I" song, things became pretty quiet in the larger hovercraft. Golias, Bongo, and Effie were caught up in their respective thoughts and didn't feel up for talking about them anymore, Johanna was taking some time to herself, and everyone else was unsure of what to do now that they'd heard that song. Should they start a conversation with everyone who'd sung it, or just give them some space? They were also worried about what was to come. Would they be able to get to Nessa and the others in time to warn them about the dangers coming their way? Would they stand a chance against the Capitol now that they too had magic on their side? And then there were the two extra thoughts going through Haymitch's mind: what Seeder had said about Bongo and the dagger, and the question of how much longer he'd have to pretty much be the peacemaker every time something came up between Golias and Johanna.

Yet as frustrating as the latter topic was, it didn't take long for the subject regarding Bongo to take up more of his attention than it. What Seeder had said—that Bongo had charged down a hallway with a dagger nobody had even known he'd had with this energy about him that wasn't unlike the bloodthirstiest of Career tributes—was pretty worrying, especially since this was Bongo she'd been talking about. Sure, the mentors didn't know him quite as well as they knew Golias, but they did know one thing: he could be a bit too excitable or panicky at times, but Career bloodlust just didn't seem like a characteristic he would possess. Something was up, and as the only person other than Seeder who seemed to know that, it was up to him to figure out what the problem was.

So, about six minutes after the song was over, Haymitch put the hovercraft on autopilot, went into the cargo bay, and said, "Hey, Matt…do you feel like going out there and telling the others that there's nothing to worry about? That that song was just something that had to come out and everything's fine?"

"Uh…sure," Matt replied, a little confused by the question at first but deciding that the lyrics of the song probably had in fact made Objectiva, Iris, and Daisy at least a little worried. He then left the cargo bay to find them and talk to them.

When Matt was gone, Haymitch stepped forward and quietly said, "Okay. Now that he's gone, Bongo, is there anything you want to tell me? About, say, the knife Seeder saw you with?"

"Uh, knife? What knife?" Bongo smiled nervously, pretending he didn't know what the man was talking about.

"The one Seeder saw you holding," Golias said. "It wouldn't happen to be that thing you were putting in a box that you put in your pouch when we were coming back to you back in the prison building, would it?"

"Oh yes, that's right," Effie recalled. She stared at Haymitch in disbelief. "But that's absurd, Haymitch! You know Bongo's far too honest and merciful to carry such a thing around without telling us!" But then she noticed the kangaroo getting more and more nervous as she went on with that sentence, and began to feel nervous herself. "Right?" she inquired, now solely hoping Haymitch was wrong.

"Bongo, we know there's something in there," said Golias, using his right ear to point at the kangaroo's larger pouch. "You should probably just tell us what it is."

Sighing in defeat, Bongo replied, "Only if you promise not to tell Objectiva. 'Cause I'm uh…not exactly supposed to have it."

"Oh. Don't worry," reassured Golias, before Haymitch could stop him. "I won't tell her that it's in your pouch."

"Okay," said Bongo. "See uh…while Objectiva and I were on the island where the amulets were, she got really sad because everything there reminded her of Wish-Trish and Starpoint."

"Who's Starpoint?" Haymitch asked.

"She was Objectiva's other cousin and Wish-Trish's sister," answered Effie. She then whispered to Haymitch so the other two wouldn't hear, "She was stabbed two months ago by someone from one of the districts by someone who was nicknamed the 'Knife Witch.'"

"Oh." Haymitch fell silent after that. He didn't know Objectiva very well, but suddenly she seemed very relatable. She wasn't the only one who had lost at least two relatives, after all…

"So anyway," Bongo continued, "Objectiva wanted to be alone, and she said she just couldn't help me with the search for the amulets. So I had to do it myself. I knew where to go though, because she told me that a girl named Annabelle Andrews who lived in a town called Shady Grove had the amulets. So I went there, but along the way I got a box of red liquorice. That way it could keep my tummy happy until I got back to Objectiva. I was looking for a city-to-city bus, and then wham! I bumped into a police officer putting boxes into her car! I dropped my box, and she dropped hers, and they looked exactly the same, so we switched boxes and we didn't even know it! Not until she left after taking me to Shady Grove, I mean."

"And why didn't you tell that 'officer' about the switch?" Haymitch asked.

"Well I was going to, but then part of the knife glowed red and it started whispering to me. It's a magic knife, and you know who probably also has a magic knife? The Knife Witch! So I thought it would be good to keep it, in case we'll have to see the Knife Witch while we're trying to save Nessa. But I knew Objectiva wouldn't be happy if she found out that I kept the knife with me, so I didn't tell her about it."

"I think you should," Haymitch told him. "Because if I didn't know any better, I'd say that knife's trying to control you."

"Control him?!" Golias and Effie exclaimed in unison.

"Okay, maybe it's trying to control me a little bit," admitted Bongo. "But I can handle it!"

"No you can't," said Haymitch. "The way you charged like that, like you were possessed or something, that proves you can't handle it."

"But I can handle it! I just needed to know it was trying to control me."

"No. Just give me the knife, so I can get rid of it."

"No, don't get rid of it! We might need it!"

"What we need is to get rid of it."

"Yeah," agreed Golias, "I don't want that knife to control you Bongo!"

"Me neither," said Effie. "We already have a lot on our plate as it is."

"But—"

"Bongo, I'm not going to ask again. Just hand it over."

"Alright, fine," the kangaroo reluctantly said. He then reached into his larger pouch and pulled out the box, which he then opened. Next, he took out the dagger and gave it to Haymitch, who started to leave the cargo bay with it.

Swiswiswiswasisswaswis…!

Suddenly the dagger's right eye started glowing bright red again, and Haymitch stopped in his tracks before he could leave the room. Then he slowly turned around and said, "Actually…you're right. We do need this."

"Really?" Bongo asked, confused. "But you just said we need to get rid of it!"

"It was a joke," said Haymitch. He then walked back toward the trio, in a now-apparent trance, and gave the dagger back to Bongo. Next, he turned and walked out of the cargo bay, and a second later, the three animals heard a loud thud! After that, they heard Daisy call, "Uh, guys? Haymitch just passed out. Should we be worried?"

"It's probably nothing," Effie called back, hoping the man had only fainted because he'd been away from alcohol for so long. But a feeling deep down within her was telling her that that wasn't what had happened at all. In fact, it was fully convinced that the dagger had cast some kind of spell on him, preventing him from getting rid of the weapon.

Sure enough, the dagger's right eye was still glowing red, and now Bongo could hear it whispering in that scary angry tone again. Gulping nervously, the kangaroo put the dagger back into the box and closed it, then put the box back in his larger pouch. Yet he could still hear the whispers loud and clear, as if he hadn't tried to muffle them…

"Oh, I don't like those whispers…" Golias nervously said, stepping back a little.

"You can hear them too now?" Bongo asked, surprised and worried. When not just Golias, but also Effie, nodded yes, he said, "I don't think it wants us to get rid of it."

"Well what are we supposed to do with it then?" Effie asked. "We can't have it controlling anyone…or making us faint, if that's what just happened!"

"I know!" said Bongo, now even more scared. "But if we try to get rid of it, it'll control us just like it controlled Haymitch! It might even control us if we try to tell Objectiva that we have it!"

Yes. You are on the right path.

Bongo, Golias, and Effie flinched when they heard that voice. It was an eerie, calm, gender-nonspecific voice speaking in whispers, and they were almost certain it had come from the dagger. Okay, this was absolutely creepy. This dagger undoubtedly had a mind of its own, and now it was proving it by talking to them! This was so weird and scary…but still, Bongo knew better than to get rid of the object, as did his two companions. There was still a chance they might encounter the Knife Witch, and now they had a new reason to hold onto the dagger: the fact that if they tried to do the opposite, whatever had happened to Haymitch would probably happen to them.

"He is not waking up," Objectiva said, worriedly fluttering into the cargo bay. "Johanna, the children, and I are doing all we can, but it simply is not working!"

"Have you tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?" Effie asked, remembering a year where an eighteen-year-old tribute had used that technique to resurrect his district partner in the Hunger Games.

"He's breathing, Effie. He's breathing perfectly fine. There is no need."

Golias thought for a second and then had an idea. "I know a way we can wake him up!" He then rushed out of the cargo bay to put his plan into action, with Objectiva flying after him, apparently not hearing the whispers coming from the dagger.

Effie looked at Bongo, not saying anything for a while. Then she finally said, "Not a word to the others about what happened, alright? I don't want what happened to Haymitch to happen to anyone else."

"Okay," Bongo replied. "So uh…are we keeping the knife?"

"Yes. But only because it's not giving us a choice."

"Oh. Okay then." An awkward and tense silence came over the cargo bay after that, but it was quickly interrupted by a loud noise coming from outside the room.

CLANG!

"Oh. Uh, sorry…you'll have to do it again," came Golias's voice.

Bongo and Effie slowly came out of the cargo bay and then saw what was going on. Haymitch was still lying on the floor, on his back as they could now see, and everyone else was crowded around him. Matt, Iris, Daisy, and Objectiva all had their hands over their ears, and Johanna was holding a large pair of cymbals that must have been created by Golias's powers. She then clanged the cymbals together, with the impact being a little bit louder than it had been the first time. However, Haymitch didn't wake up.

Groaning loudly, Johanna clanged the cymbals together as hard as she could, and finally, Haymitch woke up. He then stood up and slowly walked over to the hovercraft's control panel, where he deactivated the autopilot setting and went back to steering the vehicle himself. He then flinched, finally coming out of the trance he'd fallen into, which Effie noticed right away. "Oh you're alright, Haymitch!" she happily exclaimed.

"Alright?" he asked her once she ran up to him. He looked genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?"

Effie stared at him in surprise. "Aren't you wondering how you ended up back here?"

Haymitch eyed her like she was crazy and said, "Why would you think for one second that I left the windshield unsupervised?"

"Because you did," Johanna told him. "I saw you. But you can forget about it, you're probably just going nuts from no drinks."

Of course. The dagger must have erased Haymitch's memories of the conversation they'd had about it! Maybe even his memories of what Seeder had told him! Oh no…but it wasn't like she or Golias or Bongo could tell him this. It would only prompt the dagger to target him again, and maybe even the other passengers. So, reluctantly, Effie made it seem like she, now that it had been said, agreed with Johanna's statement. Golias, who didn't realize Johanna had been talking about alcohol when she'd said "drinks," then worriedly offered Haymitch some apple juice he produced with his powers, which the man accepted.

As she watched Haymitch down the juice, Effie stepped back so she could stand next to Bongo. He became aware of her presence, and the two of them nervously looked at each other in silence. What were they going to do now that they knew how terrible it was having the dagger with them?

And that's the end of the next chapter. Will Nessa's team be as fortunate when they get to District 11, or not so fortunate? Then there's that pesky dagger…man, things are looking so suspenseful right now! Stay tuned for what's coming next ;)