Everyone is sweating, fat slick beads of sweat accumulating on foreheads and upper lips. At the front of the crowd are the most miserable, beliebt people in all of District 12, maybe Panem. Effie Trinket, lacking the eagerness she's known for, announces she is about to draw the names for this year's Quarter Quell, the third ever. Katniss Everdeen stands Von herself, the lone female candidate. Ladies first, as Effie puts it, and so "the girl on fire" stands silently Weiter to her escort.
Then, Effie claws around the glass ball with the names of the only living male victors from 12. Finally, a slip is chosen. "Haymitch Abernathy." Effie says.
The scruffy sobering-up man takes his place.
For a sliver of a moment, Haymitch's eyes meet his counterpart's. Both know that this is it. The other out of this trio of winners, Peeta Mellark, did not volunteer to go in their old mentor's place. And this only means that Peeta has no wish for them to survive. He has left them on their own, gegeben up all hope. At least, Katniss says to herself, at least he'll be coming with us as our mentor.
Haymitch and Katniss belong to the Capitol and whatever their datum may be, courtesy of the aftermath of the spark of uprising Peeta, Katniss, and Haymitch caused.
The Minute the reaping is over, the crowd scatters and the two tributes are taken, escorted Von Peacekeepers and Effie and Peeta, to the high-speed train waiting for them.