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When we wake up, Tigris serves us an early morning breakfast consisting of liver pâté and fig cookies. Like we did yesterday night, we gather around the TV as we eat. In one of Beetee's break-ins, we see a new tactic for avoiding the pods in the streets. Someone came up with the idea to send abandoned automobiles down the streets ahead of the troops, so that it sets off any pods in the way, making it safer for the soldiers to pass. They're trying to make their way to the Capitol's heart, marking off every block they've successfully passed so far. Gale starts to criticize the strategy,

"This can't last," he says. "In fact I'm surprised they've kept it going so long. The Capitol will adjust by deactivating specific pods and then manually triggering them when their targets come in range."

Surely enough, they show an unfortunate troop that got terminated by exactly that, all twenty soldiers were blown to bits after their new strategy proved the area to be safe.

Man-made traps created and controlled by man themselves just to kill people? We all might as well be in the Hunger Games. I bet it's people like the Gamemakers who create these tactics, since their work for the Games seemed to be so exciting for them.

"I bet it's killing Plutarch not to be in the control room for this one."

The broadcast goes back to the normal Capitol TV, where news broadcasters are telling which areas civilians need to evacuate from. We can hear the scuffling footsteps outside.

Tigris agrees to be a temporary spy, and tells us she will go out to possibly get any new information that might help us.

So we wait in the cellar, we all try to relax again, but it's hard. Katniss paces back and forth, deep in thought. Gale prompts her to sit down more than once, but she doesn't listen, she just stares around at the walls with her mind probably thinking through all of the outcomes of any possible plans, or even the outcome of this war. When I fiddled around with my cuffs, I noticed her glancing over at me only twice.

When early morning turns into late afternoon, we begin to worry about Tigris, and wonder if she will ever actually return. The others talk over possible things that could've happened to her, until around six o'clock we hear shuffling upstairs. Before I can worry about intruders, the lovely smell of cooking food fills the air as the panel above us opens.

Tigris has prepared us some chopped ham and potatoes, we all seem to rush over to it in a hurry. It's been the first real food we've had in a while. I can feel the saliva building up in my mouth when I finally see the food.

Tigris tells us that she traded her furry garments to Capitol people out in the streets, even with Snow opening his home to citizens, people don't have a place to stay for the night. There is a large crowd of refugees in the City Circle. Peacekeepers are starting to go door to door, searching for places to put all these people, putting them in empty homes or finding hidden citizens to share their homes.

They show the plan on TV, they announce that Snow will accept guests tomorrow, and everyone, including shopkeepers, should be willing to let in anyone in need of a place to stay. When they announce this, I immediately realize what danger it brings to us. We can't stay here anymore.

"Tigris, that could be you." I say.

The news reporter states that anyone who thinks they've seen a rebel, they must report it to authorities. Apparently the crowd ruthlessly beat up a citizen whom they thought was me. They show a picture, and aside from the fresh bruises, the man looks nothing like me besides his blonde hair that is, unlike mine, bleached.

At the sight of him, it leaves me pretty shocked. What if they actually saw me? Would they kill me themselves or actually report me to the authorities? What would the authorities do? Would they kill me immediately or imprison me again? I shudder at the thought. I'm never going back there again, they'd have to kill me first. I can't imagine the others being captured as well, the thought of Katniss being held captive in the hidden prison under the Training Center like I had sends a deep feeling of unease down my spine.

"People have gone wild," Cressida murmurs.

Another rebel update comes in, they report on a lot more blocks that have been cleared today. Katniss studies her paper map, marking it with each update we get.

"Line C is only four blocks from here," she announces. At first she looks pleased, then her eyebrows furrow together in deep thought. She's trying to formulate a new plan, when suddenly her eyes flicker at me with a questioning look. For a long moment I prepare myself, thinking she's going speak to me, but instead she says,

"Let me wash the dishes."

"I'll give you a hand." Gale says as he gathers all of the plates in his hands. I watch them walk together out of the room. I have a feeling that they are discussing a plan, but I just turn back to the TV, listening to the reporters say how dangerous we are.

When Katniss and Gale come back, they tell us that we should leave in the morning.

"We will leave separately, like we already planned. Cressida and Pollux can go first, to show us the way, then Gale and I will follow. Peeta, you should stay here." Katniss says.

"Why's that?" I ask her.

"You might... put the rest of us at risk."

"Ok." I understand where she's coming from, I haven't handled everything that has already happened very well, I shouldn't hold them back any longer, but then again I can't just sit in Tigris's cellar and do nothing while the questioning thought if Katniss is still alive or not hovers over my head. There must be something I can do, maybe if the peacekeepers get too suspicious about Katniss, I could reveal myself to the crowd. If it means keeping her safe, I feel like it's worth something.

"I'll keep my distance, but I'm going out too. I'll go out by myself."

"To do what?" Cressida asks.

"I'm not sure exactly. The one thing that I might still be useful at is causing a diversion. You saw what happened to that man who looked like me," I say.

"What if you... lose control?" Katniss asks.

"You mean.. go mutt? Well, if i feel that coming on, I'll try to get back here," I tell her. All I know is that a diversion would shift anyone's focus off of Katniss, whether she's in danger or not.

"And if Snow gets you again?" asks Gale. "You don't even have a gun."

"I'll just have to take my chances," I say. "Like the rest of you."

Gale stares at me for a long moment before pulling out his nightlock pill from his breast pocket. He holds it forward and I open my hand. He puts it on my palm, but I don't immediately accept it.

"What about you?" I ask.

"Don't worry, Beetee showed me how to detonate my explosive arrows by hand. If that fails, I've got my knife. And I'll have Katniss." Gale says, nudging her with a smirk.

"She won't give them the satisfaction of taking me alive."

I stare at the pill in my hand, already feeling guilty if I decide to take it.

"Take it, Peeta," Katniss says, closing my fingers around the pill. "No one will be there to help you."

We try to sleep through the night, but it's hard. Everyone constantly wakes up, probably anticipating our next mission or remembering our last one. Somehow every time I close my eyes, the lizard mutations that killed Finnick come back.

In the morning, we eat whatever remains of our food supply. I can tell that I'm not the only one thinking this is our last stop. When we leave a can of salmon for Tigris as a bit of thanks for all she's done, she's overjoyed. She excitedly purrs, then swoops through her closets, handing us clothes to cover our uniforms and weapons. After that, she gives each of us a makeover to disguise us. She gives me a furry hat and brushes swirly strokes of mild color onto my face.

When she's done, we all look like the Capitol citizens fleeing around in the crowds outside. When I look in the mirror, I'm astonished at the moving colors she painted onto my face. The design itself would distract people from my actual face that they know too well.

"Never underestimate the power of a brilliant stylist," I say.

We go to Tigris' front door, she peeks through the shutters, then cues Cressida and Pollux to go.

"Take care," Cressida says, then they're out the door.

Tigris waits and watches out the shutters again. Katniss steps forward and unlocks the cuffs. The relief is unbelievable, my fingers graze over my wrists as the tight pain disappears.

"Listen," Katniss says. "Don't do anything foolish."

"No. It's last-resort stuff. Completely." I reply.

Before I know it, her arms are wrapped around my neck. At first I'm startled, a jumble of emotions not knowing what to feel. Something comes over me as she lingers, and I hug her back. I try to push away the thoughts that tell me this might be the last time I'll ever see her, but there's no controlling that way of thinking at this point. I refuse to think like that, there is some part of me that believes nothing can get worse after this, and if I deserve to live in that kind of world then Katniss deserves it too.

"When I see you again, it'll be a different world." I tell her.

"All right, then." She says, releasing me.

"It's time." Tigris says. Katniss leans forward to kiss her on the cheek, before pulling her hood up and walking out the door, gone.

I have to wait until Tigris says so to leave. In that time that follows, I use the time to thank her again.

"Thank you Tigris, for everything."

She nods, glances through the shutters, then looks back at me.

"You take care, boy." She purrs. "I hope someday you can find peace."

I don't know how to reply, so I just stare down at the colorful doormat. Tigris grunts an ok and I grab the doorknob, but before I leave, her patterned hand lightly grasps my shoulder, and she whispers something before I step outside,

"Finding yourself isn't as hard as you'd think, trust me on that."