Chapter 1

'Really?' Katniss says when Madge tells her what happened this afternoon. 'I don't believe you!' Katniss and Madge have been friends since they were 12 years old, the same year their fathers died in a mine accident. At first they kind of kept their distance due to the fear of losing another person in their lives but they grew closer over time and started to hunt together. Now, seven years later, they can't imagine life without the other.

'I swear, he just came up to me and asked me out!' Madge responds. Even though she's from the seam, Madge doesn't look like all the others who live there. She has long blonde hair that has lost its sparkle over the years, because of the district's unending amount of coal dust in the air, but her blue eyes are just as sparkly as they always were. Despite the fact that she looks so different, many boys like her and would love to go out with her. However, she's never interested.

'I must admit, I didn't think he had it in him,' Katniss smirks. Roger, a shy, dorky guy who is so obviously in love, almost obsessed, with Madge, has asked her out. 'He got me flowers and everything,' Madge says. Madge hates flowers, especially extravagant ones that only people from town can afford. 'It's kind of sweet in a way, maybe you should go out with him,' Katniss teases. 'Haha yeah, boy would we have a good time,' Madge laughs.

The friends have made a deal that after work they will alternate going to Katniss' house and Madge's house. Madge and Katniss both work in the mines, much to their frustration. They think that it isn't fair that only people from town can get good jobs. They just finished work and this time they are at Katniss' house. They are sitting comfortably on the Everdeens' couch still laughing about the thing that happened, as Primrose Everdeen walks in.

'So, I see you are having fun,' she smiles. 'What are you laughing about?' Primrose Everdeen doesn't look like a typical seam person either. Her hair is also blonde and she has quite a resemblance to Madge. Only, their personalities can't be more different.

'Oh nothing Prim, just some guy that likes Madge,' Katniss smirks. 'As always,' Prim rolls her eyes playfully. 'Tell me everything.' And so they do. Madge has always considered Prim as her own little sister. Seeing as she is an only child, she liked the idea of having a sibling. She and Katniss have been very protective over Prim ever since she was born and when Madge got to know her. But that all changed when she turned fifteen. They started to include her more in their lives and they let her do more things on her own.

Mrs. Everdeen walks in while the three girls are deep in conversation. When they notice her, they all instantly stop talking. 'What are you girls up to now?' She asks suspiciously. Madge's cheeks flare pink, 'nothing, Mrs. Everdeen!' she says quickly. 'Right,' Katniss' mom says with a smile. 'Are you staying for dinner, honey?'

'Oh, I would love to but I don't want my mother to eat alone.'

'That's not a problem, dear, you can just invite her over and we will all have dinner together!' This is not something uncommon. The Everdeens and the Undersees do this all the time. They have dinner at each other's houses to catch up with each other's days.

'No, we had dinner at your house last time, we can't possibly…' Madge started, before Mrs. Everdeen interrupted her.

'Oh, I don't want to hear it, the food is made from the animals you and Katniss caught anyways and the next time we will just go over to your place again,' she waves off.

Madge doesn't like it when she feeds off of other people, she feels like she owes them. But this time she accepts the offer since she and Katniss caught the animals together, so it's basically eating her own game right? 'Ok,' she says hesitantly. 'I'll get my mother,' and she runs to her own house, only a few houses down from the Everdeens.

She opens her worn down door by shoving against it a few times as it's always stuck. 'Mom,' she says quietly not wanting to increase her headache. Mrs. Undersee has great headaches at times but she is improving a lot. She can go out, cook, walk around but she has to lay down for just a tiny fraction of the day.

'Mrs. Everdeen invited us over for dinner tonight,' Madge raises her voice a bit when she notices that her mother isn't laying down on the couch with an icepack on her head but is instead reading a book. 'Ok, honey, just wait a second, let me finish this chapter.'

'Did you rest at all today, mom?' Madge says when she sees her mother furrowing her eyebrows once in a while as if she's in pain. 'Honey I'm fine, don't worry about me.' But Madge is worried, her mother looks pale like she's about to pass out. She decides to let it go and to bring her to the Everdeens for dinner. That ought to make her feel better.

So, Madge and her mother make it over to the Everdeens and Mrs. Everdeen greets them enthusiastically as if Madge wasn't at their house earlier. 'Welcome, welcome, please come in, the table has already been set!' They all sit down around the small dining table designed to fit three people, but they manage to squeeze in and make it work. Katniss, Madge and Prim continue to talk about the date, Madge now less embarrassed because the parents don't seem to find it a big deal. But while they are talking, Madge can't stop glancing towards her mother who appears to be getting paler by the minute.

'Mom, are you ok?' Madge says concerned. Katniss seems to have noticed the deteriorating condition of Mrs. Undersee too, 'Yes Mrs. Undersee, maybe you should lie down for a minute.'

'Oh, don't mind me girls, I'm just feeling a little...' She didn't get to finish that sentence as she drops from her chair to the ground.

A/N: My first Fanfic! :) What do you think? Please leave comments, I would love to read them!