After leaving the private session, Katniss runs to her room in tears, convinced that shooting an arrow toward the Gamemakers has destroyed her chances and may even endanger her family. She imagines punishments ranging from public humiliation to harm against her mother and Prim, and she assumes the Gamemakers will retaliate by giving her the lowest possible training score and depriving her of sponsors. As time passes and no guards come, Katniss begins to think any punishment will be saved for the arena itself.

At dinner, Katniss reluctantly joins the others and finally admits what she did. Effie is horrified, but Haymitch responds calmly, arguing that the Capitol is unlikely to punish Katniss's family because the private training session is secret and any retaliation would have little public effect. Peeta adds that the Gamemakers ignored him as well, and the conversation gradually shifts from fear to grim humor as Haymitch laughs at the image of the Gamemakers' shocked reactions. Portia also notes that low or middling scores do not necessarily matter much, which further reassures Katniss.

When the televised scores are announced, the Career tributes receive the expected high marks, Rue surprisingly earns a seven, and Peeta receives an eight. Katniss braces herself for disaster but is stunned to receive an eleven instead. Haymitch explains that the Gamemakers value spectacle and may have rewarded Katniss's fiery defiance because it makes good entertainment. The high score restores some hope, though Katniss and Peeta's mutual congratulations are strained by the fact that only one tribute can ultimately survive.

The next morning, Katniss wakes relieved but homesick and thinks about Sundays in District 12, which leads into a long memory of how she first met Gale in the woods after both lost their fathers in the same mine explosion. Their early suspicion turned into an exchange of skills, then a partnership that kept both families fed, and finally into deep trust and companionship. Remembering Gale makes Katniss feel the difference between that honest bond and her uneasy, strategic connection with Peeta. At breakfast, just as interview preparation is supposed to begin, Haymitch reveals that Peeta has asked to be coached separately, signaling a new complication between the two tributes.