The Hunger Games Chapter 21 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • Katniss camouflages the opening of the cave and thinks strategy: her ability to kill from afar will help, but she'll still have to jump into the fray to get the backpack.
  • Katniss settles down to sleep, though it's freezing. She thinks of her family, who will watch the feast back home tomorrow. School will probably be canceled. Everyone will be cheering and watching. Gale too.
  • Katniss wonders what Gale must think of the romance plot.
  • About three hours before dawn, Katniss begins to prepare to leave. Remembering to keep up the star-crossed lovers plot, she gives Peeta a big old kiss before she leaves.
  • Katniss heads to her old hiding place near the Cornucopia to see who shows up. As the sun rises, a round table raises out of the ground with the backpacks. Showtime!
  • Suddenly, someone darts out of the Cornucopia itself, grabs a backpack and speeds off. Foxface! Katniss kicks herself for not thinking of hiding in the Cornucopia.
  • Katniss sprints for the Cornucopia and a knife whizzes by, which she deflects. She turns and sends an arrow straight at the tribute who threw it (Clove), injuring her in the arm.
  • Grabbing the backpack, Katniss gets sliced by another knife right in the forehead. Yikes! Blinded with the blood, Clove knocks her to the ground.
  • The two exchange barbs: Katniss says Peeta is out hunting Cato (not true), and then yells his name. Clove silences her and calls her a liar. She says she'll kill her just like they killed Rue.
  • Clove starts to cut Katniss's mouth with one of her many knives, when all of a sudden Thresh appears and attacks Clove. He apparently heard her mention killing Rue, and he's back for revenge. He bludgeons Clove in the skull with a rock. WOW.
  • Thresh turns to Katniss with the rock. Katniss tells Thresh she was Rue's ally and that she killed Rue's attacker. Thresh lets her go, saying that now the two are even.
  • With Cato approaching the scene, Katniss takes off for the woods. She makes it back to the cave, takes out a hypodermic needle from the backpack (medicine for Peeta, duh), and gives him a shot.
  • Still bleeding from her head, Katniss blacks out.