Haymitch Abernathy, the last person from District 12 to win the Hunger Games, is Katniss and Peeta's mentor for the games. He is the town drunk and the person they must rely on for help during the games.

A drunk Haymitch has thrown-up on himself, so Peeta gives him a shower to clean him up. Peeta is a nice guy, who is willing to help anyone who needs it. This is Katniss' reasoning for Peeta helping Haymitch and giving her the bread five years ago.

The next morning Effie Trinket wakes Katniss up and tells her to get ready for her big day. Today is the day she and the other tributes will be presented to the public in the Capitol.

During breakfast Peeta and Katniss ask Haymitch for advice on how to survive the Games. He tells them to not die and Peeta, upset with this counsel, knocks over Haymitch's glass of spiked juice, which earns him a punch in the jaw. Katniss reacts by stabbing her knife between Haymitch's fingers, as he reaches for more alcohol. It is then Haymitch decides the two might make decent fighters.

Peeta waves to the crowds awaiting them at the train station in the Capitol. He tells Katniss one of the onlookers might be rich. It is in this moment she realizes Peeta is not as nice as she thought and he will kill her if possible, because he is going to try to survive the Games.

Katniss is put into the hands of stylist Cinna, who has a unique idea for how she will dress for the opening ceremony. Each tribute is dressed to represent the main industry of their district, since coal is the mainstay of District 12, Katniss expects to wear some sort of mining uniform. Cinna has another idea, he wants to focus on what coal provides, which is fire. He proposes she will wear fire and Peeta will be dressed to match her.

They are dressed in black unitards with capes and headpieces. The capes and headpieces will be lit on fire using a synthetic flame. Katniss and Peeta are skeptical about this decision, because they fear they will be burned. They are put on their horse drawn chariot and then at the last moment Cinna sets the capes and headdress on fire, which tingles, but does not burn them. The effect is stunning, causing the crowd to go wild with approval. They are calling out Katniss and Peeta's names as they ride the route holding hands and the attention gives them hope of finding a sponsor, to provide supplies for the Games. Katniss reminds herself not to like Peeta, because she knows it is part of his plan. He thinks it will be harder for her to kill him, if she likes him.

Peeta and Katniss have been assigned a floor in the Training Center, which will be their home/prison until the Games begin. At dinner that evening with Effie, Haymitch, Cinna and Portia, Peeta's stylist, are served by a girl who Katniss has seen before.

The girl, who is an Avox, a person who has had their tongue cut out for committing a crime, is known to Katniss, and causes her distress. The girl and her friend, a young man, were seen in the forest by Katniss and Gale. The pair seemed to be on the run from the authorities, who caught up with them. Gale and Katniss could have helped save them, but they hid because of the fear of being caught in the woods. The young man was killed and the girl had her tongue cut out, then she was forced into servitude.

After deliberating the pros and cons of confiding this information to Peeta, Katniss tells him her story. She did this because he covered for her at dinner, when she made the mistake of telling the others she recognized the girl.

Katniss realizes Peeta can lie easily, after witnessing him lying for her to the others. She files this bit of information away in her mind, to remind herself all he says to her may not be true.

The shame Katniss feels for not helping the girl permeates even her sleep. She manages to dress in the clothes chosen for her and makes her way to the dining room for breakfast. Haymitch meets her and Peeta to discuss their training. He tells them to focus on the skills they are weakest at and not to go near the training areas which feature their strengths. Katniss is strong in archery and Peeta is strong in weight lifting. Haymitch also tells them they are never to leave each other's side during the training sessions. The other tributes will be training alone, so this will set them apart from them in the eyes of the Gamemakers. These are the people who watch every training session and with whom they will have a private session at the end of the training period. The private session is when they are to show off the areas they are most skilled at.

It is difficult for Katniss to pretend she is friendly with Peeta. He, during their talk with Haymitch, said "She has no idea. The effect she can have." Katniss took this as an effort to demean her. She also found out Peeta's mother told him she expected Katniss to win the Games, not him.

During her private session with the Gamemakers, Katniss at first isn't as effective with the unfamiliar bow as she wishes to be, but after some practice she is back to her old self. She is upset they aren't paying attention to her, so she shoots an arrow straight at them hitting the apple in a roast pig's mouth. This got their undivided attention.

Katniss and Peeta make a blazing entrance to the opening ceremonies, which earns them the approval of the crowd. Katniss doesn't know whether Peeta is her friend or trying to make it hard for her to kill him.