Celaena has always hated reaping day, but this one is most decidedly the worst. As she stands in the crowd of smelly children, she scoffs at the Capitol propaganda and thinks about what she'll eat for dinner that night. Probably some juicy strawberries and her mother's overcooked lasagna. Maybe some cake as well to celebrate her safety. Because she won't be reaped, of course. Her name is only in that bowl once, unlike those of most of the children in District 12.
The lady on the stage is horrendously dressed. Celaena hopes that that isn't how all capitol people dress, or she'll never be able to contain her laughter. Looking at the woman's giant puffball of pink hair and clownish makeup, she smirks.
"Ladies first." The lady dramatically leans down and plucks a slip of paper from the bowl. "Primrose Everdeen."
Wow. Wasn't that girl's name only in the bowl once? Celaena looks back to where she knows Katniss is standing with her sister. Although she cannot see Primrose's face over the crowd, she is able to stand on the tips of her toes and see Katniss's expression. Her eyes are wide, her mouth open slightly. Moments before she does it, Celaena knows what the girl is going to do.
"I volunteer."
Two voices ring through the shocked silence. For a moment, Celaena freezes in confusion. Did she really just do that? Looking at the faces around her, she sees that it is true. Everyone backs away from her, a large oval opening up so that she has a full view of Katniss as she kisses her younger sister on the forehead and hands her to Gale. She turns to Celaena and silently thanks her. But Celaena can see that her gratitude is not for what she will do but for what she is willing to do.
As Katniss strides toward the stage, Celaena unfreezes from her shock. As Katniss starts to pass her, giving her a small nod, Celaena shoves her back into the crowd. Smirking, she saunters onto the stage and dramatically greets the frivolous capitol woman with a light kiss on each cheek, imagining that she is one of those French women from the old movies her family is rich enough to own.
Reluctantly, she meets the eyes of her father. He is frozen in his seat on the stage, looking away from her. Although Haymitch is drooling on his shoulder, he doesn't push him away.
"This is quite a pleasant surprise. Two volunteers." The woman blinks back her obvious surprise and continues with the proceedings.
Celaena looks out over to crowd but doesn't see her mother. Maybe she fainted. A commotion in the crowd catches her attention and she sees two peacekeepers struggling to pull Katniss away from the stage. Their gazes lock for a moment and Katniss gives her a glare that says, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Then another peacekeeper joins them with a taser and they drag her away.