The first time I saw her she was standing at the front of the class. Just standing there staring at her hands. "Madge was kind enough to volunteer to begin the presentations." the teacher states and I realize I should have been paying attention. Once a year we are forced to do presentations on something we learned, the teacher says it is mandatory across the Panem school board to have presentations but since most of our schooling is only learning about our district's job we do the bare minimum of presentations. The blonde girl, Madge, looks up and she begins speaking but I'm not listening. I look at her outfit, mostly new clothes although still plain like everyone else's, jewelry too. She's definitely not from the seam like I am. She can't know what it is like to work so hard to have to work so hard just to keep your family alive. She meets my eyes from the front of the class and I quickly go back to staring out the window.
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I'm sitting at lunch with other boys my age when she approaches us. "Hi, I'm Madge." she says sticking her hand out for me to shake. I just stare at her. Her smile falters but only momentarily before she is beaming up at me again. "Are you going to introduce yourself?" She asks but I don't respond. The boys around me are laughing now, apparently amused by the situation. She stays for a few more seconds, just watching me before she sighs in defeat and turns to leave. Once she is out of ear shot I say "Who is that girl?" The person closest to me looks at me incredulously.
"Man, how do you not know? She is the mayor's daughter." I only shrug. I guess I haven't been paying enough attention. I've never even seen the mayor before and wouldn't recognize him or his family.
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Madge has been speaking to me everyday at lunch and walking part way home with me every day even though we live in opposite directions and she has to double back to get home. I don't know why she bothers. When I asked her why she cares so much she just sighed and said "I just want to be friends." and I laughed and said "Believe me, my friendship isn't worth the hassle." but she just shook her head and told me not to underestimate myself. She asks a lot of questions and at first I kept up my silence but the more time we spent together the more questions i answered. She is very curious about me and about life in the Seam which I can't understand because life in the Seam isn't a good life. She says she has lived like a caged bird all her life. Stuck in the mayor's house attending the mayor's parties and she has to keep up this image of goodness or else it would reflect poorly on the mayor. Her whole life is governed by her father because he is the mayor. I had never heard what life was like in town as I usually avoid them. Kids from the Seam don't get along with them because they are rich. I used to think the same way but now I don't understand people who do.