In the town square of District 12, a somber, tense atmosphere hangs heavy over the crowd, pressing down on every face like a shroud. The sky is overcast, casting a gray pallor that deepens the dread simmering just below the surface. Rows of people stand in silence, their features etched with weariness, dressed in the drab, faded colors of the district’s oppressed.

The Capitol’s banners flutter sharply against the wind, symbols of opulence that mock the reality of the dirt-streaked miners and laborers assembled below. Hovercrafts hum ominously above, a constant reminder of the Capitol’s watchful gaze, while Peacekeepers stand rigidly in formation, their white uniforms spotless and coldly indifferent.

At the front of the crowd, the platform is set with two clear glass bowls, each filled with tiny slips of paper that hold the fate of District 12’s people. Effie Trinket, dressed in her bizarre Capitol attire—a bright pop of color in a sea of gray—stands at the microphone, her forced cheer a stark contrast to the grim faces looking up at her.

She announces the opening of the annual Hunger Games, then tentatively reaches into the bowl to fish for the only slip of paper present. She pulls it out of the bowl, and expression on her face that would give you the impression that she was being held at gunpoint. After she reads out Katniss Everdeen, she moves onto the male tributes. She reaches into the bowl the same way she did with the female version, her lips taut into a thin line and her eyebrows furrowed as she reads out the male tribute's name...