I hate the reapings in district 4. They hold them on a makeshift stage near the docks. Always at the crack of dawn. And because the sea faces east, we have to squint into the rising sun to see the platform. The glass reaping ball is erected in the center of the stage, casting its shadow into the crowd below.

    Ah, there she is. Bubbly and neon-colored as usual, Tabbie Crankshat bounds up onto the platform. Fashionably late, as always.
    
“Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be EVER in your favor!” she warbles in the thick...