A/N: Hey guys! This is gonna be my very first fanfic ever. I am in love with The Hunger Games trilogy and even more in love with the fanon pairing of Gale Hawthorne and Madge Undersee. This is going to be a Fanfiction about Gadge connecting while Everlark is in the Games and all the tricky things that come with that. Madge is feisty, Gale is rebellious, together they are perfect. Okay, without further ado, I give you the first chapter of Treacherous. I hope you like it.
One year before the 74th Hunger Games
Summer nights in District 12 are a bit like the district itself: suffocating, hopeless, and unmerciful. Tonight, a sticky, hot August night, is no different. The air is heavy with moisture and heat. If you look into the distance, you can see the hot air rippling off th gravel road. It is hard to get a breath of fresh air, what with the humidity and coal dust floating around. The sun is setting, but there are about 2 hours of daylight left. Somehow, my father thinks this is a perfect time for a garden party.
Daddy dearest has invited 25 of our closest friends in the district and their children for dinner and a soirée in the backyard. He has no regard for the fact that this may actually be the hottest day of the year. Sweat is making its way down my back, and I have only been outside for about five minutes. Father sent me on an errand to pick up some cookies from the bakery for the party tonight, and also to remind the Mellarks what time to come over. Of course the Mellarks are invited. My dad wants to set me up with one of the sons. Preferably, the middle one- Rye, I think his name is? Anyways, whoever I marry has to be worthy of being the Mayor's husband. My father and I don't exactly see eye to eye on what "worthy" means.
When my dad envisions someone worthy of the lifestyle that we as the mayoral family lead, he thinks of a rich, upstanding boy from town who is a little older than me and has another way to provide for the family. Rye fits the profile exactly. He can work at the bakery while being married to me, and he is a good representation of what District 12 merchants are like. Snobby, selfish, and always looking to climb the social ladder. But that kind of man is not for me. I don't care where the person I'm married to is from. All that matters to me is whether I love him or not. And I most definitely do not love Rye Mellark.
That thought carries me all the way to the bakery, giving me something to hold on to for the night. I push the frosted glass door of the bakery open, and hear a bell ring to notify whoever is behind the counter that a customer has arrived. Lucky for me, the youngest Mellark, Peeta, is working the cash register today. Peeta is one of my closest friends. He is the kindest boy I have ever met, always quick to smile and slow to judge.
"Madge!" He says, grinning, when he sees my face. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for the party tonight?"
"Actually, that's what I'm doing right now. I need 3 dozen of the famous Mellark cookies," I reply, smiling back at him.
"Coming right up!" he says, pulling out a cardboard box and beginning to fill it with soft sugar cookies, delicately frosted with flower designs. "Did you do those?" I ask, gesturing to the cookies with a jerk of my head. "Yeah," he says, a sheepish smile growing on his face.
"They're beautiful," I respond.
"Well, thank you," Peeta says. "Can't wait for the party tonight! What time should we be over?"
"Around 7:30 would be perfect."
"We'll be there. Bye, Madge."
"Bye, Peeta!" I say with a wave as I push my way out of the bakery and into the heat of the setting sun. I take my time on the walk home, trying to stay out of the house as long as possible. It's not that I hate parties, or my father, for that matter. I just hate that we can pretend to be so carefree and happy in the face of the Capitol.
Growing up in the Mayor's household, I know what the Capitol does better than anyone. I see how any signs of resistance are immediately squashed with an iron fist in all of Panem, not just my small district. I see how many children are forced to take out tesserae so they can eat. Meanwhile, I am living in the lap of luxury, what with my pretty white dresses and hair ribbons. And there is nothing I can do about it. As I near my father's house on the back road that weaves through the Merchant section of the district, I feel dread rest in my stomach like a rock to the bottom of a pot of stew. The staff, consisting of a housekeeper, two maids and a butler, are busy setting up lanterns and carrying out tables, all in anticipation of the party. Another thing that incites anger in me in regards to this party is that it is being held right after the Reaping. Although both kids who were chosen were from the Seam, it seems viscerally wrong to celebrate in the face of such cruelty. My father would say that we are celebrating because "none of our own" were sent off to die. But it just feels unnatural to relish in someone else's pain.
"Miss Madge!" My housekeeper, Appolonia, runs up to me, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. Appolonia was sent to us directly from District 2 at the ripe old age of 20. Whatever reason a well-to-do girl from one of the Career districts was doing cooking and cleaning for the mayor of District 12 was beyond me. I have tried to figure out Appi's story many times, but her lips- and those of my father's- were sealed on the matter. "Your father is looking for you. He says he needs you to get ready for the dinner tonight."
"I'm on my way in, Appi," I say back. "Oh, and give these to my father, would you? He requested them especially." "Sure thing, Miss Madge." I push the screen door open and walk into my house, the cool blast of a fan hitting me as soon as I slip into the kitchen. I sigh in relief. I have no idea how tonight is going to go, or if I'll have to walk in to cool off every five minutes. Worst comes to worst, the whole party will be crammedinto the kitchen, hoping to stand in front of the cool air. I sure hope that doesn't happen. Either way, tonight's party is not something I'm looking forward to.
"You look gorgeous, Miss Madge!" Appolonia stands in my doorway, surveying my outfit. Tonight I'm wearing a pristine, brand new white dress imported straight from the Capitol. There are no sleeves, just straps as big as two of my fingers put together. It is tight right over the bodice area, then flares out just below my waist. This dress is very figure flattering, and my father bought it just for the occasion. My father bought me a dress to impress Rye Mellark. I shake my head at my reflection. He will not win, not tonight. I pull my closet doors open and rifle through the clothes inside until I find what I'm looking for- a conservative, midnight blue cardigan sweater. I don't care if I have to stand in front of the fan all damn night, this party will not be one full of lustful glances from the Mellark boy.
I pull the sweater on over my dress and instantly the room feels hotter. "Miss Madge, why did you put that sweater on? It looked great, you didn't need to add anything," Appi asks. I look at her. She was once beautiful, but hard work and stress has aged her unnecessarily. Green eyes, pale skin, and graying caramel colored hair. A slightly lumpy body adorned with a simple, long, gray skirt and white t-shirt. This is my stand-in mother. She knows all my secrets, even the ones that I don't even tell my biological mom. She knows that my father is setting me up with the baker's son and I don't like it one bit. One look at my face and she understands exactly what I am doing.
Appi leaves the doorway and I finish getting ready. My feet slide into white, strappy sandals with a slight wedge. I pull my hair into a high ponytail to get it off my neck and tie it with a blue ribbon that coordinates with my sweater. I face myself in the mirror again. I look like myself- wavy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, creamy colored skin. "Madge!" My father calls me from downstairs. This means the first guest has arrived and I have to come say hello.
As I descend the stairs, I strain to see who the first person to get here was. I have a sneaking suspicion it is the Mellarks, as the she-devil who is Cassidy Mellark is just as supportive of a union between me and Rye as my father is. My suspicion is confirmed when I catch a glimpse of five very blonde heads, four of them male. I come to stand next to my father in the kitchen and smile at Peeta. I nod politely at Rye and simply half-smile at the rest of the family. "Hi, everyone."
"Madge! You look amazing. Was that dress brought in from the Capitol?" Mrs. Mellark asks, elbowing Rye as she does so. Rye, slow on the take-up, gets the message after the third elbow in the stomach. "You really do look gorgeous, Madge," he says. His eyes travel over my body, appraising me. I turn towards the counter, where various appetizers and drinks are set out. This way he can't see me as well, and I'm acting as a gracious hostess. "Would anyone like anything to eat or drink?"
Just as the words escape my lips, there is a knock at the door. More people. Quickly, I say "I'll get it!" and rush to the front door. God, I hope it's Delly. I need an ally right now. As I pull the door open, I realize that the odds must not be in my favor, because not only is it not Delly, it's my worst enemy. Lavinia Hughes, in all her curly haired, big chested glory is standing in front of me, flanked by her two parents. The Hughes' run the apothecary in town. But the problem that Lavinia and I have is that she somehow thinks that I actually like Rye Mellark. She's had the hots for Rye since she was 5, so our potential arranged marriage does not please her one bit.
"Madge!" she says, fake smile on her face. "It's so good to see you!" Her eyes are twinkling with hatred, her back straightened and chest pushed out in a defensive stance. "You too, Lavinia," I say, returning her fake smile. "Mr. and Mrs. Hughes, I'm so happy you could come." I get a nod in response from Mr. Hughes, but Mrs. Hughes does absolutely nothing. I open the door wide for them, shut it, and take a half second to close my eyes and calm down. I can't wait for Delly to get here. She and I have been friends ever since she shared her crayons with me in first grade she knows me better than anyone, except maybe Appolonia. Delly also has the semi-annoying tendency to see the best in absolutely everyone. Except maybe President Snow.
As if on cue, one Delly Cartwright bursts through the door with a squeal. "MADGEEYY!"
"Hey, Dell," I say, giving her a big hug. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're here. No idea."
"Oh, is your dad forcing Rye on you?" she asks, smiling at me sympathetically. "He's really not that bad."
"Delly, I know that!" I exclaim. Her parents walk past us and I lower my voice. "I feel absolutely nothing for him. Nothing. I can't marry someone I don't love."
"Who says this is about marriage?" Delly asks, leading me into the kitchen.
"My dad."
"Oh yes, your dad. Ever the forward thinker. He's really just trying to look out for you, you know."
I start to say something, but then we are swarmed with people and I can't anymore. I wonder if this will be how it is for the rest of my life. Never being able to make decisions for myself, reduced to quiet rebellion. Leaving my life up to others.
I feel like I'm suffocating. Rye Mellark has just asked me to be his girlfriend. In front of the entire party. I feel their eyes on me, expecting me to say yes, say anything at all. But I am frozen- stock still in the middle of my backyard. Lantern light casts an orangey glow over everything, making it seem like I am in the middle of a hellish nightmare.
It is unforgivingly hot, and I feel my sweater sticking to my skin. What do I say? If I say yes, which is what everyone is expecting me to say, I will please my father, the Mellarks, and the entire Merchant district. I will pretend to be happy and I will go on dates with Rye that are awkward and void of feeling. If I say no, I will horrify everyone here and embarrass my father and Rye. This party will disband quickly, and I will be grounded. Appi will be my only companion for the next month. The reality of these possibilities washes over me, and I realize I am stuck. Damned if I do and damned if I don't. My stomach starts to churn. I am struck with a sudden dizzy feeling, and my heart begins to beat at a breakneck pace. "I need to sit down," I force out between pants. "Madge?" My fathers voice is accusing, as if he is saying, Don't you ruin this for me. I can't focus on anything but the lightness in my head and how incredibly hot the room has become and then I am falling and everything goes black.
"Miss Madge?" Appi is leaning over me, a concerned look on her face. A cool cloth is on my forehead and I am laying on top of the covers on my bed. I sit up with a jolt. "I fainted. Didn't I?" I ask, trying to figure out what exactly is going on.
"Yes, about 20 minutes ago. Your father is very worried, but something from work came up, and he's at the Justice Building."
"What about the party? What about Rye and Peeta and Delly?" I am terrified that they are all still here and that I will have to face them and tell Rye that I will date him. I really had no choice there.
"Everyone went home. But your friend Peeta said he'd come by to check on you." Sweet boy.
"So why did I pass out? What happened?"
"You were overheated and stressed. Putting the cardigan on was not a good idea."
Really, I feel fine. A little tired and a lot stressed, maybe. But I'm not light headed anymore. I just have to get out of this house. I can't stay here, because I will have to deal with the staff and my parents looking at me, ashamed. I need to get away for a little.
I get out of the bed and stand up. "I'm going out," I say, marching out the door as I go. Appolonia follows me, asking questions like "Where are you going? Why? When are you getting back?"
"Appi, I'll be back before morning. If my father asks, tell him that I'm fine and that I went out. And that I'll be back."
With that, I push the back door open and walk away from my house, as far as I can. I don't even know where I want to go, just that I don't want to be anywhere near anyone who was at my house tonight. I need peace, I need somewhere to clear my head where no one will bother me.
And then it hits me. I need the Meadow.
The Meadow in front of the fence surrounding the district has been my place ever since fifth grade, when I found out that my mother was sick, and she was not going to get better. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I ran out of my house crying hysterically, running as fast and as far as I could until I reached the fence. I was in the Meadow, a grassy field that seemed to be seperate from District 12. The wind rustled the dry grass, the sun shone brighter than it did in town, and best of all, I could see the woods through the chain-link fence. It looked so full of life. What a sharp contrast to the other side of the fence. But the Meadow had some other quality that calmed my soul. I couldn't describe it, but it made me feel like I could escape this place that was Panem, even if it was for a few hours. From then on, whenever I needed comfort and peace, the Meadow is where I went.
Tonight the Meadow is dark and quiet, save the noises of animals beyond the fence. The stars and moon are brilliant with light, and it reflects over the grassy field. I pick a spot to sit, facing the fence but still close enough to the district that if I wanted to, I could flee from Peacekeepers into the depths of the Seam. I lay back and watch the stars, letting my problems fade away. All there is is me and the universe. And...someone else?
At the sound of footsteps I shoot upward scouring the darkness for the source of the noise. A tall, obviously drunken boy stumbles out of the shadows and into the grass, as I watch. Then I realize who this boy is- Gale Hawthorne. Gale is Katniss Everdeen's best friend and hunting partner. I have met him through Katniss and also because he sells me strawberries. It astonishes me to see him drunk. I never took him for the drinking kind of person. I always saw him as fiercely devoted to his family, willing to do whatever it took to keep them alive. Never one to put them in jeopardy. If a peacekeeper found him drunk, he would be imprisoned.
Gale is about to sit down in the grass when he realizes he is not alone. He looks over at me, narrows his eyes, and says with a slurred voice: "Who're you?" His gray eyes are cloudy with alcohol, his senses not as sharp as they normally are. "Were you at the party at that kid's house? That was a wild night." He starts laughing out loud. "Crazy for us to be having fun when Olive and Bram are gone, dead. No! Not crazy, wrong. Like the Games. The Games are so wrong." I have had my quiet opinion about the immorality of the Capitol and the Hunger Games ever since I became aware of the world. But I have never heard someone voice rebellious thoughts. It doesn't surprise me that Gale feels the way he does- his family has had to face the scary possibility of one of their children being taken from them for years. He continues this string of rebellious thoughts. "It's not like anyone cares about the tributes. They're just a piece of sick entertainment for a few weeks and then they're gone. And all because of the fucking President! Our sorry excuse for a President. More like a dictator." If anyone heard what he was saying besides someone who agreed, he could be killed for saying those things. "I agree with you," I say. "Most people do. But you might want to be careful what you say. You never know who's listening."
"I DON'T CARE!" He booms. "Not anymore. Fuck the Capitol!"
"Gale. You should care about someone finding out about you saying something like that. You could die."
It's only because he's drunk that he's saying this, I know it. But he needs to be more careful.
"Why do you care?" He says accusingly. "You in your fancy white dress from the Capitol and your new shiny shoes and your big house and your garden parties." He is scoffing at me. "You have no idea what the Capitol does, little miss Mayor's daughter."
"Wrong," I say. "I have seen way more than you know. You are the one who has no idea what the Capitol does."
"It doesn't matter anyway," he retorts. "You've never had to starve or see your little siblings starve. You've never had to go without. Never. You have more than anyone!"
"Like I could control that! It's not like I picked what family I was born into, Gale. I can't control how much money my father has."
"One day none of this will matter. One day, the Capitol will be a pile of smoking ashes. One day, I will have more money than you!"
"Be careful, Gale!" It's only when I say this that I realize how close we are standing. I cam feel the heat radiating off of his body, smell the whiskey on his breath. He is beautiful, even intoxicated. Especially intoxicated. I shake off this moment of temporary attraction and say in a low voice: "Like I said before, you could be killed for that. Your family needs you."
I see his eyes ignite in a silver fire, watch him stand up straight. He is ready to yell at me.
"Save it, Gale. It won't change anything."
And then I leave him.
A/N: Please review and tell me what you think. I write to please you!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Gadge is perfection. I want Liam Hemsworth to touch my body. The end.