Disclaimer: Unfortunately I didn't make up these characters and they belong to the beautiful Suzanne Collins.
I wake up in the morning to the smell of coffee. Coffee is a delicacy in District 12, even to those who live in the town like us, so something special must be going on.
I rack my brain for an explanation of having coffee this morning. It's not my birthday, or any kind of holiday from what I can remember. I'm still sitting in my bed when suddenly I realize why we're celebrating.
It's Reaping day. Yay.
One would expect the Mayor's family to be privileged. From what I understand, it's considered a privilege to be treated like an outcast and live in town.
Some privilege.
My full name is Margaret Paige Undersee. I reside in District 12, the very outskirts of Panem, a country that grew from the ashes of North America. Here, I am nothing but the Mayor's daughter. I am virtually invisible.
Every year in penance for our ancestors uprising, each of the twelve districts are forced to give up two children, one girl and one boy between the ages of twelve and eighteen, to travel to the ruling city called the Capitol and compete in the Hunger Games. The twenty-four kids, called tributes, fight to the death in some crazy arena, the winner is bathed in riches. At the annual reaping, the tributes are selected when their names are drawn out of a glass bowl. At age twelve, your name is entered once, twice at age thirteen, and so on until you turn nineteen. Being from District twelve, having your name pulled is nothing short of a death sentence. You could say we don't exactly have the best reputation.
Because people in the Capitol expect that the Districts meet their standards, everyone is forced to dress up. I go through my closet for nearly an hour until I decide nothing fits anymore since my growth spurt. Stupid puberty.
Right as I'm about to give up, I find an old looking white dress in the back of my closet. Aside from a pastel pink ribbon tied around it, it's beautiful. It has long sleeves and a floral lace design. I shimmy it over my newly developed hips and smile at myself in the mirror. I love it. It looks old, sure, but it's different. I like different. I zip it up and quickly decide the ribbon would look better in my hair as I promptly place my Aunt Maysilee's Mockingjay pin right over my heart.
Maysilee Donner. Born to Fredair and Saybile Donner. Maysilee and my Mother Madelyn were twins. Maysilee was killed second to last in the 50th Hunger Games after being reaped alongside our districts sole living victor Haymitch Abernathy. We don't speak about her much in my house, but I've seen her games more than once, and today her screams are echoing in my mind.
I step carefully down the stairs trying to scoot by the dining room before my Father is able to sit me down for our annual "Reaping Talk". Every year he ends up going on for an hour about the odds being in my favor, but if my name gets pulled to be strong for the family, especially for my still grieving Mother's sake. I make it half way down when my eyes lock with hers.
"Good morning, Mom" I grin, noting my Father's absence, who must have already left for the square, and make my way into the kitchen.
"Hello Sweetheart," she replies, failing to look up from her Capitol style magazine.
I pour myself some coffee. I turn around and find my Mother's eyes trained on me.
"Madge," she finally says "Where did you find that dress?"
"It was in my closet," I say
"Why? You don't like it?" I smooth out the creases and self-consciously cross my arms across my chest.
"No, no.. I do. It's just.." she is cut off by her own sobbing.
I catch on quickly and run into the dining room to console her. We sit in silence for a while until I decide it's a good time to start talking.
"Mom," I whisper "Did this dress belong to Aunt Maysilee?"
"I'm sorry sweetie, you just look so much like her. And the pin.." She pauses as she chokes up another sob.
"You just look so beautiful." she smiles and wipes her tear stained cheeks with the sleeves of her sweater. She pulls me in for a hug and we stay there, connected for a while, until we hear three short knocks on the back door. She begins to get up before I sit her back down.
"It's okay Mom, stay. I'll get it." I plant a quick kiss on her cheek and make my way to the back door.
When I open it, I see Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne.
Katniss is in my year at school and she is the only girl I actually somewhat enjoy speaking to. She isn't interested in gossiping like most of the other girls, she just enjoys the company, as do I. I've even heard that our mothers were friends a while back and could even have been mistaken for sisters. I guess you could even call us friends as well. But Gale and I have a very different relationship. He's eighteen this year, and we only know each other because of Katniss. Even though he's never actually said it, from his sarcastic remarks and devilish eye rolling I've always had reason to assume that he hates me. I really couldn't care less, anyway.
Gale and Katniss are the only two people in the whole district brave enough to go beyond the fenced barrier and hunt enough for everyone in town. It's against the law to do anything of the sorts but I've witnessed our own head Peacekeeper buy from them. I guess everyone must be unhappy with the Capitol's rules.
Every week, they bring me a hearty amount of strawberries, which they know are my favorite and in turn I pay them more than enough money.
They don't need to know that, though.
"Pretty dress," Gale says.
As much as I love strawberries, I would say that I hate Gale just as much.
I shoot him a death stare, knowing nothing that leaves this arrogant boy's mouth is genuine. My dress is pretty. It's technically a hand me down from my Aunt Maysilee.
I smirk, and reply sarcastically "Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?"
Now its him who's glaring at me. He doesn't hold it for long, and he eventually looks down at his feet and I even catch his cheeks beginning to turn a shade of red that almost makes him look innocent.
Gale Hawthorne. Innocent? As if.
"You won't be going to the Capitol," he finally replies. His eyes shoot up again to meet mine, but they end up on the Mockingjay pinned to my dress. "What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was just twelve years old."
Tessarae. How could I have forgotten? The ration of grain and oil, which nearly everyone from the poorer part of town needs, gets your name in the reaping bowl once more, and it accumulates over time. Most kids must have already had their name entered more than six times at thirteen. Mine was in less than half as much. But.. how many does that equal now for Gale?
Luckily Katniss replies before I'm able to pick a fight with him.
"That's not her fault," she says defensively
"No, it's no one's fault. Just the way it is," Gale sighs, gives me a quick nod and turns on his heel.
My eyes bolt to the floor. I'm nothing but the Mayor's privileged daughter, I think, That's all I'll ever be to him.
I finally float back into reality and look up at Katniss who is intensely studying my facial expression. It must be void of any emotion because she almost seems sorry for me.
"Good Luck, Katniss" I manage a smile as I hand her the money for the berries.
After Gale and I's little episode, I can barely imagine how guilty they would feel if just one of the five slips that say Margaret Undersee were chosen out of that glass bowl. There's no way I would make it out of there alive, and there's no way anyone would volunteer for me either. I want so badly to hug her, the girl who has been my friend when she had no real reason. I'm sure she would understand why too. Everyone feels a little closer the day of the Reaping.
"You too, Madge." she smiles back at me and turns to follow behind Gale.
I shut the door and take a deep breath.
Good Luck? I think. But why would I ever need it?
I'm privileged.
Authors Note: HI ogmsdlkjfsda okay so this is my first Fanfic ever. I've always written headcanons and such, but I've never actually committed to writing my own Fanfiction so I thought the time had come. I have a lot of Gadge feels so my Chapters will get better and longer as well, I just wanted to give Madge a backstory before I actually got into the whole thing.
Also, I've always looked at Madge as wanting to be like Katniss. I believe she admired her strength and sort of envied her in a way, so on that note I hope I was able to properly depict that the same way I saw it in my head. Please review! Thanks to anyone who read. xo Brionna