Hello there, lovely readers! I've always been curious about why Mrs. Mellark was such a witch, so I tried to get into her mind and see what caused her to become so awful to the core. No names were ever really specified for the maternal and paternal figures of the Mellark and Everdeen families, so I've chosen to keep them unnamed. Though this is in third person, it follows the mind of Mrs. Mellark, so it's sort of in her point of view. It might be confusing, but I didn't want to assign any names for the characters. Enjoy, and please review if you have the time!
IF HISTORY WERE TO REPEAT ITSELF
: set aflame by resentment
Burning in her eyes was a flame of hatred, unable to be put out. No matter what she did or whatever she accomplished, it was always that Seam woman who was one step ahead of her without even trying. They both had the blonde hair and the blue eyes, as did virtually anyone else who had once lived in the Town. It just so happened that her eyes were a few shades too dull and her hair was not silly enough, nor was it the shade of golden straw like the woman she found her husband had once been mesmerized by.
Ever since the beginning of time, it felt as if Mrs. Mellark was always pitted against Mrs. Everdeen in something. For as long as she could remember, they were in a competition and the other woman won every single time. She didn't realize it was a competition, mainly because she was crowned as victor each time. The woman who once lived in the Town was infallible in every sense of the word, and it positively boiled her blood. For once, just once, she wanted to come out on top.
At school, they almost always were opponents when it came to the days they had to climb ropes competitively for class. She won each time, unsurprisingly enough. When their class had to create a speech on the history of Panem, the other woman got the highest score in the class, beating her by only one point, a point that made all the difference. In class, every single time her hand shot up in the air, it was always the other girl that was given the opportunity to answer in a way that was more eloquent than anyone could wrap their head around On and on, this cycle continued, like a sick game fate was trying to play Whenever she moved one step closer, it was constantly the beloved girl that got them wrapped around her dainty little fingers, she was always one step ahead of her. It only escalated by the time they were sixteen, and the stakes grew higher.
For a boy who grew up in the Seam, that Everdeen man stole quite a number of hearts in his days, hers included. Whenever he sang, everything went silent, and note only option was to listen to him. Though he was destined to be a miner, something inside of her did blossom and she could find herself falling quite hard for the Everdeen man. Unfortunately, so did she, and much like always, she got what she wanted. She gave up life in the Town to be with that coal miner, and while she knew she would never give up her life for a man like that, no matter how extraordinary, she was still infuriated that he never cast her so much as a glance.
Eventually, she met a soft-spoken man much kinder than she, which allowed her to become Mrs. Mellark. She could see from the look in his eyes that he craved that horrid but perfect female newlywed that took on the surname of Everdeen as well as the drab Seam life. Her heart clenched painfully, her gripped knuckles white with anger; couldn't she have something without that other woman constantly in her way? Though she got to keep the Town life and stake her claim on the ever-handsome Mellark man, it wasn't enough for her, not until she won.
She bore one, two boys, and for a few years, she was content. Not happy, she could never recollect a time where she was happy, but her heart was a little softer and she finally beat Mrs. Everdeen at something. She had not one, but twochildren, and she was wed a few years later than the Everdeen woman who everyone seemed to love so much, that is, before she abandoned the Town for a ruddy coal miner. For the first time in her life, she managed to outrun Mrs. Everdeen in an obstacle that could ultimately put her ahead. For once, she was satisfied. It was short-lived, however, because immediately after she found out she was pregnant with a third child, she find out that Mrs. Everdeen also was preparing to bear a child.
Something inside her snapped, and Mrs. Mellark became sourer than ever. Many were quick to blame her snippy attitude on her subsequent pregnancy whenever she was within an earshot, but she knew what they were thinking. She didn't care, though, because why should she smile when that blasted Everdeen caught up to her? For once, just once, she wanted to beat her, and while she beat her in bearing children, it didn't matter, because she was catching up, and fast. Eventually, Mrs. Mellark gave birth to her third, and last child (she wasn't going to have another child, not so Mrs. Everdeen could accidentally humiliate her by defeating her once again); a boy whom she and her husband named Peeta.
As they looked down at their final son for the first time, she dared to look at the husband she somehow managed to snag. Everyone - she included - knew it wasn't her radiant inner beauty or her brilliant personality that hooked him like a fish. The glint in his eyes said more than his words did; as beautiful as the son was, it was Mrs. Everdeen that he wanted in her place, and that was the final straw. When the realization crashed into the woman like a ton of bricks, it left her cold and callous, not to mention horribly unamused. Mrs. Mellark was doomed to a life of eternal unhappiness and fury, all because of the fact that she could never be perfect. She would always be second-best to that girl that always grappled up the rope faster and captured one point more intensity in her speeches. Her husband only cared for her on a surface level and used her as a poor replacement, to try to take the place of the woman he wanted, and the woman he could never have.
Mrs. Everdeen gave birth to a girl not too far in months than she, naming her Katniss. Such a vile name for a girl that, if history repeated itself, would consistently overshadow her son. Stupid girl with a stupid name and an equally stupid set of parents. Peeta was a son she could never be proud of, just a sign that Mrs. Everdeen always had the upper hand without even trying. Investing her time in trying to be content with having another child felt like another hopeless endeavor which would be lost on her, so she didn't bother to try. Her kids were better at screwing up and being punching bags than helpful and happiness-inducing. Her anger was better contained when she took it out on everyone in her life; it wasn't as if they loved her anyways, especially not while Mrs. Everdeen was still alive and kicking. In fact, it wouldn't matter whatstate her arch nemesis was in, they would still adore her more than she could ever dream of being liked.
As her youngest son, Peeta, grew up, he bore more of a striking resemblance to his father both physically and mentally. If history was due to repeat itself, then he would be stupid enough to fall in love with that hideous Seam child, Katniss. It didn't surprise her; it was just her luck to bear an idiot of a child that matched her idiotic luck and his idiotic father that clung to the notion that it was women like Mrs. Everdeen that were worth pining after. Who cared if she had a heart of gold? Underneath it all, she was bound to have been craving self-satisfaction and a higher self-esteem. Her ego must've been skyrocketing until it burst through the roof, because she could do that and no one would bat an eyelash because she was so prettyand smartand perfect and had so much potential. It made Mrs. Mellark sick to her stomach.
Not long after her son turned sixteen did he get chosen to participate in the Hunger Games, his opponent none other than the Everdeen girl herself. It was inevitable; the Everdeens were always there to constantly defeat her. Why should Mrs. Mellark have an easy life where things were okay when it was so much more interestingto see everything go wrong before her very own bitter and judging eyes? Her nose faithfully turned upwards in disgust, and if history were to repeat itself, then her son would undoubtedly be no match. The Everdeen girl would win hands-down and her youngest son would die, probably at the hands of the Seam girl herself. She had no faith in him, not when it surrounded the Everdeens, who had long since become a name of bad luck since the day that woman dropped the Town and became one. It didn't matter anyways; she loved no one, not even herself. Another dead tribute, even if it were her son, would always be just that; another dead tribute.
The problem was never in Mrs. Everdeen or Mrs. Mellark, or anyone for that matter. The blame could not be pinned on any one person; there was no cause to put at fault for Mrs. Mellark's inability to feel anything anymore. Emotions were lost on her, connections couldn't be found. She starved for the attention she could never have, and so she just gave up; what was the point, anyways? She was merely dead inside, resurrected in a scorching blaze of fire, swimming in a sea of flames. The scintillating anger seared her from within, until she was charred to bits, leaving behind a trail of smoldering embers to retell the history of the Girl Who Never Lost, and the Girl Who Could Never Be Happy.
If history were to repeat itself, maybe more people would understand what it was like to walk a mile in the shoes of Mrs. Mellark.