24
Summary
- Maude Ivory confronts Billy Taupe, telling him to leave the Covey as they no longer want or need him.
- Billy Taupe is rejected by the Covey and pleads with his apparent brother, Clerk Carmine, to leave with him. Carmine refuses.
- Peacekeepers intervene as Billy Taupe becomes belligerent and a fight breaks out in the Hob, with the lights being cut and chaos ensuing.
- Coriolanus gets involved in the melee, experiencing a wave of primal aggression while defending himself.
- After the skirmish, Billy Taupe disappears, while Maude Ivory and other members of the Covey are also absent.
- Coriolanus observes Mayfair Lipp being reluctantly escorted home for her safety by Peacekeepers and encounters Billy Taupe hiding by Mayfair's house.
- Coriolanus decides not to reveal Billy Taupe's presence to the Peacekeepers, pondering the implications of his actions.
- Upon returning to base, restrictions are imposed on the Peacekeepers, limiting their movements due to the altercation at the Hob.
- Coriolanus and his friend Sejanus plan to secretly visit Lucy Gray, with Coriolanus wondering about receiving gifts for her.
- Coriolanus improvises and brings ice, a rare luxury, as a gift for Lucy Gray.
- They head to Lucy Gray's home, encountering Maude Ivory, who directs them to Lucy Gray in the Meadow where she sings a haunting song about the hanging tree.
- Lucy Gray and Coriolanus share a passionate reunion in the Meadow, exchanging stories and forming a stronger emotional bond.
- Lucy Gray shares her experiences in the Hunger Games and how she felt connected to Coriolanus through her darkest moments.
- Coriolanus reveals how he secretly aided Lucy Gray in the arena by acclimating the snakes to her scent.
- Back at Lucy Gray's home, Billy Taupe is seen giving Sejanus directions, which prompts Lucy Gray and Coriolanus to intervene.
- The chapter ends with the couple discovering Billy Taupe drawing a map of the base, indicating he may be plotting something.