Author's Note: Obviously, none of these characters are mine. I wrote this before Mockingjay came out, so if there's anything wrong with continuity or something like that between what actually happened in District 12 and to its citizens and what occurs here, it's probably because of that. XD
Acceptance
For all her life, she'd always thought that Katniss Everdeen was the luckiest person in the world. Of course Katniss had never agreed but she had a feeling that Katniss never wanted her life. Madge never felt like anyone had wanted to be her, they wanted the wealth – but nobody wanted to be her specifically. She wished she could be anybody else, but of all the people, she wanted to be Katniss.
Sometimes the jealousy she felt disgusted her. It wasn't just the fact that boys fell over their feet for her, but the way she got to live her life. She had Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne at her disposal. Her young sister Prim idolized her as did many other people in the District.
Where did that leave Madge? Of course, people thought of her as the daughter of the mayor, no one worth knowing because she was rich and did not need to sign up for the tessarae. But of all things she wished she had, it was Gale Hawthorne she had wanted the most. Not because she wanted a boyfriend like the other girls, but because he seemed like the only person who couldn't simply leave her be as the mayor's daughter.
He criticized her, but at least he paid attention. Even at times, Madge could feel that Katniss did not pay attention to her and zoned out during their conversations, too preoccupied with the thought of her later rendezvous with Gale in the woods.
It was when Katniss had left for the Hunger Games that she'd been finally been able to approach Gale.
He'd been abrasive, called her names about how it was her fault for being rich – how she never understood anything, even though her first words to him had been of comfort.
She ignored him after that. There was no point in trying to get to know a person who'd judged her in such a way. Could he not understand that she was one of the few people that could relate to Katniss absence?
Yet as Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen grew closer, Gale only grew more morose and ruder to her. She'd simply sit down and listen to him as he vented his frustrations against the upper class despite the fact she was part of the upper class.
For all the time she'd known Katniss and Gale, she had always had a feeling that they'd marry each other. But the intrusion of Peeta had been enough to sever that future – Madge could tell that Katniss had begun to place whatever she had with Gale on Peeta.
Most days she'd wish that Gale would look at her the way Peeta looked adoringly at Katniss, yet those days never seemed closer despite the fact he continued to talk and to give her strawberries.
She'd simply eat and listen to him, as his words became more desperate and his anger become more obvious. Her clear blue eyes would glance at his handsome face and she wondered if he could tell she sat with him in the hopes that he'd heal over the pain Katniss brought him.
But no, when Katniss returned, he stopped talking to her and forgot they'd spent hours together each day. So as he had forgot about her, she did her best to forget him.
Madge would let someone else buy the strawberries and would hardly venture out of her house anymore, instead she'd let Katniss come over to hers. If there was any mention of Gale, her face would look uninterested and Katniss would quickly drop the subject.
When they announced their engagement, Madge didn't bother to seek Gale and ask him if he needed someone to talk to. Instead, when he'd come to talk to her, she'd lied and said she was feeling unwell.
Although many thought her to be air headed, she was not. She knew there was no point wasting energy on a boy who was too busy chasing a girl that was already engaged.
Sometimes during a lull in conversation, Madge wondered if Katniss had ever fully severed off Gale's romantic feelings for her and vice versa. She seriously doubted Katniss would keep both boys – but would she?
It was when Gale had suffered the harsh beating that Madge understood why Gale had never let go of his hope that Katniss would come back to him and assure him of her love.
What Katniss displayed for him could be interpreted in two ways, a deep friendship or love. Gale no doubt assumed that it was love. When she gave the stolen morphling for Gale, her heart beat quicker. It was the first time in a long time since she had seen Gale – and she could tell that even in his barely conscious state that all he wanted was Katniss.
After that, she'd remained confined in her room and pretended she felt the constant headaches her mother felt. She'd stay wrapped up in her sheets and wondered if all that had separated her from Gale was the fact that she hadn't been born in the Seam.
But no – she doubted he was as shallow as that. There was one important quality that was missing.
She was in no way or could ever be, Katniss Everdeen.
It was the harsh reality of life, so she simply accepted it. When she felt questioning eyes on her, she ignored them. As she cheered on Katniss for victory, she felt guilty knowing that Gale would be lost forever if she did not survive the ordeal.
Several nights since the Quarter Quell had started; she could feel an uneasiness rise. The peacekeepers were stricter; they'd begun to enforce too many rules – the people were starved and some were dying.
Madge did her best to feel calm, but she couldn't – and what was worse was that she had no one to talk to about it. On the night that Peeta had told Katniss to choose her 'family' over him, Gale stopped by her house.
His face was tired and she wondered why – the mines were closed. She said nothing and they both made their way to the bench where she had listened to him talk.
"Are you alright?" he asked in the usual harsh voice of his, most likely something he'd adopted in years of hardship that's she'd never experienced.
She nodded mutely – no point wasting words.
He stared at her intensely with his grey Seam eyes as if searching for something. She stared back at him with an indifferent expression. She could almost feel a headache coming up from just sitting next to him.
"Can I go back now?" she asked hollowly, after a few minutes of having her face studied by his searching eyes.
She stood up to leave, but he took her wrist and stood up as well. His rough hand held onto her delicate wrist for a bit longer, so she turned around to face him properly.
"Why did you listen to me talk?" he asked finally. "I've barely done anything good to you and I hardly know anything about you. Did Katniss ask you to look after me?"
Her temper flared, "Katniss, Katniss, Katniss." The words came off steely, and she realized how bitter she had sounded. Her eyes widened in shock and she pulled away from him. "I listened to you because I liked you. Now I know that my feelings were misplaced."
She walked away from him with tears running down her face as she prayed that he would go and follow her.
He didn't.
Chaos erupted soon after; people were terrified and had begun to flee for their lives. Capitol war machines lingered ominously in the sky and shot down fire at the district. The peacekeepers shot down those that ran, and stormed their house only a few minutes after it had just began.
Madge screamed as her father got gunned down, she ran to her mother and begged her to move, to awaken from her groggy state of mind, but the woman would not move. She yelled and screamed louder as the peacekeepers entered the room.
They killed her mother in front of her and took hold of her arms. She kicked and screamed yet all they did was hit her a few times, but never enough to kill her or knock her unconscious.
She sobbed loudly and her eyes widened at the state of her district. Bodies littered the ground and she watched in horror as the people she lived with were shot down or unknowingly ran into the electric fence.
They dragged her through the streets and she screamed for help – for Katniss – for anyone. She summoned her strength and screamed for Gale but only sobbed louder when he did not come to her aid.
"What do you want from me?" she shouted, but the men that held her back ignored her question. As they neared the train – she caught sight of him, standing still amongst the chaos, watching her.
Mrs. Everdeen and Prim were at his sides, both begging him to leave because it was only a matter of time before the full extent of the Capitol's destructive powers would be shown.
Her heart clenched painfully in her chest as she realized once more that Katniss was once again the chosen one. He had let her family get killed in his efforts to save Katniss' family, not caring that her family was the only ones that had ever cared for her.
Madge opened her watery eyes but refused to let the tears spill out as they continued to lead her away. It was selfish of her, but she wanted him to leave Katniss' family and save her. She watched him with sorrowful eyes and she realized soon after, that she would just be another casualty to him. The peacekeepers holding her stopped and she could see even from a distance, Gale had no intention of risking his life for her – she was not Katniss.
Her head dropped and she wished they would kill her, but if they had ever planned to do it, they would have done it earlier. It seemed as if they were determined to make her life worse by keeping her alive and to watch all the people she knew die.
As the peacekeepers began to move, she mouthed one last word to Gale in the hopes that he would pick up any of the pieces that had been broken and leave anything he felt for Katniss behind – she was in love with Peeta now, and he could do nothing to stop it, his helpless position mirrored her own for she could not tell him how much she had truly felt for him.
"Go."