How It All Goes Down
- In the hovercraft, Katniss relaxes a little with Gale. They're both sad about the destruction of their home.
- Katniss mentions that two of the people she met in the previous book didn't make it out of 12.
- Then, she describes what 13 looks like now and explains its history: how it separated from the Capitol (which it could do because it had nuclear weapons) and took on an almost mythic status among the other Districts.
- In 13, everyone has to live underground and can only go outside for a short while each day. Each morning the people receive temporary tattoos that dictate their tasks for that day. Katniss doesn't really follow hers, though.
- Katniss and Gale return to the underground in 13. They meet her family in their rooms and present them with the things she brought back from 12: for her sister, the cat, and for her mother, two books (wedding pictures and plant drawings). She keeps her father's coat for herself, though.
- They're heading to the evening meal when Gale and Katniss are called in to meet with the officials in the headquarters, also known as Command.
- The people in Command are watching a broadcast of Peeta in conversation with Caesar Flickerman.
- Katniss is super relieved to see that Peeta is apparently in good health. She has been so worried about him.
- In their conversation, Peeta admits that, during the Quarter Quell, he had tried to save Katniss by giving himself up, but that it hadn't hurt. They remind everyone of the story Peeta and Katniss told – that they were going to have a baby.
- Katniss thinks Peeta knows what really happened – that the revolutionaries had known they would interfere with the Games all along.
- Between them, Caesar and Peeta rehash the events of the last Quarter Quell.
- Peeta gets worked up, saying he should have saved Katniss and couldn't. He screams at Caesar about Katniss's innocence.
- Caesar asks about the District 12 mentor, Haymitch. Peeta doesn't know much, though.
- Katniss thinks about how Haymitch lied to both her and Peeta, but yet he's safe with her in 13.
- The final thing Peeta says is a warning against war. He pleads with the citizens watching the broadcast to stop fighting.
- The broadcast ends, and Katniss struggles with all her feelings – again.
- The other revolutionaries are upset with what Peeta said and Katniss runs out, even though she's totally not supposed to.
- Gale comes to find her – he's being punished with a demotion for standing by her, though.
- Katniss is glad they're friendly once more. She begins to think more highly of the people in 13 and what they've gone through.
- She and Gale disagree about why Peeta would have called for peace in the broadcast. They think President Snow put him up to it, but why? Gale thinks it's because Peeta is still trying to take care of Katniss.
- Katniss has an epiphany: this situation is just like the Games, only now they're outside the arena. They're still fighting for their lives.
- There have been too many sacrifices to give up now, Katniss thinks.
- Katniss decides she'll be the figurehead of the revolution. That definitely wasn't on her temporary tattoo for the day.