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CATCHING FIRE -- CHAPTER 3
Katniss is left dazed by President Snow’s visit. She now is more pressured than ever to prove again that she is in love with Peeta. She isn’t sure if she’s up to the challenge.
Katniss lies to her mother, saying that the president’s visits are normal prior to touring. Katniss then describes to the reader how she has tried to make amends with her mother. Years back, her mom had fallen into a great depression due to the passing of Katniss’ father. Only now does Katniss begin to really realize that her mother wasn’t ready to handle the passing of her father and the depression that kept her from being the mother that she should have been. The depression is long gone and her mother is being more supportive than before. After the Hunger Games, for example, Katniss’ mom made it clear that Katniss was too young to have Peeta as a boyfriend.
Katniss takes a bath that her mother has prepared. As she baths, she wonders if she should let anyone know why the president came to visit her. She reasons with herself and knows that she shouldn’t tell Gale since he already hates the Capitol enough as it is. She knows she shouldn’t endanger Cinna with the information, and she also knows that she shouldn’t tell Peeta since he is already sincere in his love towards her (he doesn’t have to pretend he’s in love with her). She knows that the only person left to confide in is Haymitch.
As Katniss continues her bath, she begins to reminisce about swimming at a lake that her father would take her to during their hunting and gathering excursions. She’s kept the lake a secret from Gale and she’s visited there on her own from time to time.
Suddenly, Katniss’ prep team arrives and barges into the room where she is bathing. Venia, Octavia, and Flavius scoff at how Katniss has let her physical appearance go. Katniss is taken back a bit by the green color that Octavio has tinted her skin; apparently, people in the Capitol really get into odd fashion movements.
Her prep team is excited to have Katniss and Peeta back in the Capitol for the conclusion of the Victory Tour. They are also excited about the Quarter Quell. Katniss doesn’t know much about the Quarter Quell. Apparently, it happens every twenty-five years and this year Katniss gets to be a mentor for it.
The prep-team works to make Katniss’ face and hands look girlish again. Then, Katniss’ mother comes in to fix up Katniss’ hair as the prep-team watches eagerly.
When Katniss is done getting ready she goes outside to meet up with Cinna. They’ve talked on the phone since the Games, and now the sight of him brings great relief to Katniss.
Katniss and Cinna discuss the talent, the hobby, which Katniss has undertaken since the Games. During the tour, the winning tributes must discuss their new hobby. Peeta now paints and Katniss still hunts. The Capitol, however, would not be pleased with showcasing her hunting. Cinna decides to make it look like Katniss has developed a hobby revolving around fashion, and he fixes up her room to look like she’s some kind of designer. Lastly, Cinna hands Katniss a script to read off of cards while the Capitol’s people film her room.
Katniss, then, leaves her room to record the script. In the kitchen, she sees her sister Prim being interviewed. In the process of watching Prim, Katniss has a sudden moment of anxiety in which she remembers how she failed at protecting Rue in the Hunger Games. She now fears that she will not be able to protect her loved ones if she fails at making the president happy.
Katniss is then forced out the door to meet up with Peeta as the start of their tour is filmed. She runs to him, they slip and fall on top of each other, and they kiss. Katniss knows now that she isn’t in this alone and that Peeta will work to also convince the audience that they are in love.
During the train trip, Katniss sneaks out to talk to Haymitch. She hints at the fact that they’ll need some privacy, and he has them walk to the caboose of the train where they can talk outside. After learning of Katniss’ talk with the president, Haymitch makes it clear that Katniss must make everything seem believable. He also awakens her to the fact that she and Peeta will have to mentor every Hunger Game tribute from their district until her district wins again. During every Hunger Games, she will have to continue with the romance plot; this means that she will probably have to get married to the boy she has to pretend she loves.
by Suzanne Collins
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