How It All Goes Down
- Katniss is with her team, who are prepping her for the opening ceremonies of the Games. Her team is super upset that she has to return to the Games, and they can barely keep it together.
- She keeps thinking about how the people of Panem feel about the victors going back into the arena.
- Cinna comes in and helps Katniss hold it together. He's clearly upset too, but says that he channels his frustration into his work.
- They go to a nice lunch. Afterward, Cinna helps Katniss get ready. He braids her hair and makes up her face with bold colors and strokes.
- Her outfit looks like a plain black catsuit, but Cinna shows her its secret weapon: it lights up as though it's on fire. Katniss appears to be a smoldering coal and thinks it looks amazing.
- She draws courage from the outfit.
- Cinna coaches her on how to act during the ceremony: she should be stern and focused.
- Katniss leaves him and makes her way to the gathering place where all the other tributes are waiting.
- Finnick, from District 4, comes up to her. He's one of the most famous and celebrated tributes in Panem and is dressed in quite the revealing costume. He's exquisitely beautiful and one of the youngest people to ever win the Games. He had advantages going into his Games, none more so than his good looks. Since the Games, she knows, he's had tons of lovers and lived a decadent Capitol lifestyle.
- He flatters her, but Katniss is unimpressed. He tells her that he's collected other people's dark secrets from the Capitol.
- He leaves and Peeta appears. They commiserate about what's happened to the other tributes (they've all turned weird since winning), then get into their transport for the ceremony.
- They turn on their costumes and look like they're on fire, which is going to go over really well with the audience.
- It seems Peeta and Katniss are the standouts of the initial portion of the ceremony.
- They return to the Training Center and meet some of the other tributes, including Chaff and Seeder from District 11, Rue's home. Chaff is missing a hand, and Seeder is in her 60s. They both hug Katniss.
- They head up to their rooms, and on the way they meet Johanna, the tribute from District 7. She's dangerous because she won her Games through sheer trickiness and manipulation.
- She strips naked and flirts with Peeta during the elevator ride up to their rooms, which really irks Katniss.
- When Katniss and Peeta are by themselves, he tells her that all the other tributes are just messing with her.
- Haymitch and Effie come in, and the four go to the area where they'll be staying.
- Inside are their two servants, both Avoxes – people who've been punished by the Capitol and had their tongues cut out. One of them is Katniss' old friend Darius. It's horrifying to realize he's been punished in this way.