Chapter 8 and 9 by Erin
Chapter 8 Kat runs back to her room, ignoring everyone. She is appalled by what she done, and hopes the Capital will only punish her, and not her family. She cries for an hour until Effie comes to get her for dinner. Kat picks at her food while the others make small talk, until Haymitch finally ask how bad it was. Peeta tells him he threw weights while the Gamemakers sang drinking songs. Haymitch then says “How did you do, sweetheart?” which makes Kat so mad she blurts out that she shot at the Gamemakers. Everyone gasp and Kat tells them exactly what happened. Haymitch laughs, and Effie says they deserved it for ignoring them. Haymitch says that the low scores don’t matter, that people only pay attention to the highest numbers for betting. Kat relaxes and finishes eating, then they gather around the television to get their scores. “The number, which is between one and twelve, one being irredeemably bad and twelve being unattainably high, signifies the promise of the tribute.” Kat is surprised that Rue gets a seven. Peeta’s score appears, and everyone is excited that he received an eight. Then Kat’s score appears: eleven.
Kat retreats to her room and crawls under her covers, exhausted. She wakes up as the sun is rising, and thinks about what she would be doing at home. Sunday means all day hunting and gathering with Gale, stocking up for the week. She wonders if he’s doing well, since the two of them together always make hunting easier. Kat remembers meeting Gale for the first time. She had seen a rabbit caught in one of his snares and went to examine it, when he appeared out of nowhere to stop her touching it. They agreed to exchange knowledge, Gale showing Kat snares and Kat showing him plants. Eventually she gave him one of her family’s bows. At some unspoken moment they went from strangers to partners, sharing the spoils and trade. Kat starts to miss him, and wonders whether she and Gale are more than friends. She gets up and meets everyone, except Peeta, for breakfast, but no one is talking. She keeps eating and asks what going on; interview coaching starts today. Haymitch tells her there’s been a slight change of plans. Peeta has asked to be trained separately.
Memorable Quotes
“I call him my friend, but in the last year it’s seemed too casual a word for what Gale is to me. A pang of longing shoots through my chest. If only he was with me now!”
Questions
Why do you think Peeta wants to train separately?
Chapter 9 Kat is torn about Peeta’s decision. On the one hand she’s hurt, but relieved to be able to stop pretending at the same time. She moves on, asking what they are doing today. Haymitch tells her they’re practicing for interviews, four hours with him for content and four hours with Effie for presentation. Kat is with Effie first. Effie makes her sit up straight, practicing smiling (Kat ducks her head and glowers) and the practice walking in a gown and heels. When it’s Kat’s turn with Haymitch, he tries to find an angle for her to work. Charming? Aloof? Fierce? Humble? Witty? Cocky? Funny. Sexy. Mysterious? Haymitch starts drinking about half way through, and finally tells her to just not let the audience see how much she hates them.
After Kat eats in her room, order plates of food and making herself sick. She starts smashing the dishes, and when the red haired Avox comes in, she look shocked. Kat tells her to leave the mess, but the girl goes to the bathroom and starts wiping the blood of Kat’s hands. Kat looks at her and apologizes for not helping her in the woods, but the red haired girl just shakes her head. They clean the room together, and the girl tucks Kat into bed.
Kat wakes up to her prep team standing over her, and they get to work. She’s covered in gold dust and her nails are painted with flames. Cinna brings her dress in covered in a garment bag, and tells her to close her eyes. He slides the dress over her head, and the team falls silent. Kat opens her eyes and is astonished. Everything shimmers, and the dress looks like its made form jewels that reflect like fire. She’s radiant. Cinna dismisses the rest of the team, and starts with finishing touches. Cinna asks her if she’s ready for the interview, and has obviously been talking to Haymitch. Kat tells him she doesn’t know what she’s going to do, and Cinna tells her to be herself. Kat says “herself” is sullen and hostile, and Cinna replies that she’s only like that around Haymitch. She’s fine with Cinna and the prep team. He asks who her best friend is and she replies “Gale”, but he would never ask her those questions. Cinna tells her he will be in the front row, and to pretend she’s talking to him.
They leave for the interview, and Kat wishes she could go first and get it over with, but since the go in District order, girls then boys, she will be second to last. Haymitch reminds them to be “the happy pair” and Kat is surprised. Despite Peeta’s request, their public front stayed the same, so Kat just shrugs. The interview space is packed, Gamemaker’s on a balcony, stylists, and tons of cameras. The citizens of Capital are packed in, standing room only, and every TV in Panem is watching.
Caesar Flickerman, who has been doing the interviews for the Games for twenty years, come out and warms up the crowd, and then the interviews begin. Each interview lasts three minutes, then a buzzer sounds. Caesar does his best to make each tribute shine, relaxing them, laughing at jokes, and drawing responses from the crowd. When the tiny girl from district 11, Rue, comes up, the crowd is silent. She is dressed in a “gossamer gown complete with wings” and she tells Caser she’s hard to catch, and not to count her out. Finally it’s Kat’s turn, and she floats to the stage, and barely hears Caesar’s first question. He asks her what has made the biggest impression on her since arriving in the Capital, and she thinks for a minute and replies, honestly, the lamb stew. Everyone laughs, and the interview continues. Caesar asks about the opening ceremonies, and Kat gushes about Cinna. She twirls in her dress, and the crowd gets excited and the way it sparkles. Kat actually giggles as she twirls. Caesar asks about her score, and finally, about her sister. Kat tells him she loves her more than anything, and that Prim made her promise to win.
Then it’s Peeta’s turn. Kat is still in a daze and misses the first part of his interview, but she can hear the crowd laughing, because Peeta won them over right away. The last question Caesar asks is if Peeta has a girlfriend, or a girl he likes, back home. Peeta says there was one girl, but she didn’t really notice him until the reaping. Caesar tells him that if he wins the Games, he’s sure to win her over. Peeta tells him he doesn’t think that will work. When Caesar asks why Peeta replies : “Because . . . because. . . she came here with me.”
Memorable Quotes“Betrayal. That’s the first thing I feel, which is ludicrous. For there to be betrayal, there would have had to been trust first. Between Peeta and me. And trust has not been part of the agreement.”
When you’re asked a question, find me, and answer it as honestly as possible,” says Cinna.
“Even if what I think is horrible?” I ask. Because it might be, really.
“Especially if what you think is horrible,” says Cinna. “You’ll try it?”
Questions
Do you think Peeta really has a crush on Kat, or is this part of the strategy?
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