Launch Room

The Launch Room is the underground chamber beneath the arena where tributes receive their final preparations before being lifted into the arena to begin the Hunger Games. In the Capitol, it is called the Launch Room; in the districts, it is referred to as the Stockyard, a name that captures the Capitol's view of tributes as animals destined for slaughter. The room is brand-new for each Games, as the arenas are historic sites preserved after the competition, and the Launch Room is used only once by a single tribute. The arenas become popular destinations for Capitol residents to visit and vacation, where they can rewatch the Games, tour the catacombs, and visit the sites where deaths took place, with the food said to be excellent.

Final Preparations and the Launch

Inside the Launch Room, Katniss showers and cleans her teeth, and Cinna does her hair in her simple trademark braid down her back. The clothes arrive in a package, the same for every tribute, over which Cinna has had no say. He helps her dress in undergarments, simple tawny pants, a light green blouse, a sturdy brown belt, and a thin, hooded black jacket that falls to her thighs. The jacket's material is designed to reflect body heat, suggesting cool nights ahead. The boots, worn over skintight socks, are made of soft leather with a narrow flexible rubber sole with treads, good for running. Cinna then pulls the gold mockingjay pin from his pocket, which he had retrieved from the green outfit Katniss wore on the train. He fastens it on her shirt, noting that it barely cleared the review board because some thought the pin could be used as a weapon, giving her an unfair advantage. Katniss walks, runs in a circle, and swings her arms about to ensure everything feels comfortable, and Cinna confirms it fits perfectly.

The Wait and the Ascent

With nothing to do but wait for the call, Katniss turns down food but accepts a glass of water, taking tiny sips as they sit on a couch. She gnaws on the inside of her cheek, which has not fully healed from a few days ago, and soon the taste of blood fills her mouth. Nervousness seeps into terror as she anticipates what is to come, knowing she could be dead in an hour. Her fingers obsessively trace the hard little lump on her forearm where the tracking device was injected, pressing on it until a small bruise begins to form. When Cinna asks if she wants to talk, she shakes her head but holds out her hand to him, and he encloses it in both of his. They sit this way until a pleasant female voice announces it is time to prepare for launch. Still clenching one of Cinna's hands, Katniss walks over and stands on the circular metal plate. Cinna reminds her of Haymitch's instructions: run, find water, the rest will follow. He tells her that if he could bet, his money would be on her, then leans down and kisses her on the forehead, saying "Good luck, girl on fire." A glass cylinder lowers around her, breaking their handhold and cutting him off from her. He taps his fingers under his chin, signaling her to keep her head high. She lifts her chin and stands as straight as she can. The cylinder begins to rise, and for maybe fifteen seconds she is in darkness before the metal plate pushes her out into the open air, where her eyes are dazzled by bright sunlight and she is conscious only of a strong wind with the hopeful smell of pine trees. The legendary announcer Claudius Templesmith's voice booms all around her: "Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!"