The Hunger Games Chapter 26 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • Katniss and Peeta spit the berries out and flush their mouths with water. A hovercraft appears and zips them right up.
  • Doctors whisk Peeta away behind a glass door and Katniss pounds on it. They're working away, though his heart stops twice.
  • The hovercraft lands at the Training Center, and Katniss starts throwing herself against the glass. Then she's jabbed with a needle and all goes black.
  • When Katniss wakes, she's naked in a bed in what seems to be a kind of recovery area. Her body is totally healed, clean, and all her scars are nearly gone. Her hearing is back in her left ear too.
  • An Avox comes in and Katniss asks if Peeta made it. The Avox nods yes. She eats the clear broth the Avox brought in and realizes she will soon be home! She tries to get up but instead slips back into unconsciousness.
  • The waking, sleeping, and eating cycle continues for a bit. Then Katniss wakes one day and nothing is plugged into her arm. No restraints anywhere. All her scars are gone. Her skin feels like satin.
  • Katniss dresses and immediately finds Effie, Haymitch, and Cinna. Hugs all around. No Peeta, though, since their reunion is to be televised.
  • Katniss goes with Cinna to be readied for the reunion. She tries her best not to be annoyed by the prep team.
  • Cinna brings out a simple yellow dress that is padded with curves since Katniss has lost so much weight. Cinna tells Katniss that they did want to surgically change Katniss.
  • Katniss looks very unassuming and innocent in her outfit. She knows there's a reason for the simple dress, but Cinna doesn't fill her in. Or can't. He just says he thought Peeta would like it.
  • Before she is taken to the stage, Haymitch clues her in that she's kind of in trouble with the Capitol. They're furious at the whole suicide stunt thing. He tells her that her only defense is to be madly in love with Peeta.
  • Katniss asks Haymitch if he already told Peeta this, and Haymitch says that Peeta is "already there" (26.59).
  • Katniss knows she's in danger. So is Peeta, and possibly her family. She's got to pull this off. Now, there's so much more at stake.
  • What did Haymitch mean when he said that Peeta was "already there" (25.67)? Is he in love with her? Does Katniss have feelings for Peeta?
  • Katniss has no idea. It's all too complicated. And she has time to think about it now because "the most dangerous part of the Hunger Games is about to begin" (25.69).