When a man truly loves a woman she becomes his weakness. When a woman loves a man he becomes her strength. This is called an Exchange of Power.
Maybe there was more to Madge Undersee. She wasn't a Princess at all; she wasn't spoiled or put on a pedestal... she was trained, skilled, ignored by her powerful family, an afterthought of the district, she was the victim... and it was her turn to have all the power.
Madge wandered the alleyway along the fence, dragging a stick along the ground. She watched the line sink further into the soil and coal dust. Her long blonde hair flew in an out of her line of sight, trying effortlessly to have it stay behind her ears; she gave up and tied it back in a blue ribbon. The moon faded in and out between the clouds and the air was brisk with the end of fall. She looked out beyond the fence into the demanding darkness. Voices startled her from her trance state and her limbs flew out around her, dragging her to the nearest point of safety.
"How long we got?" A man asked. Madge shifted her weight against the wall and glanced around the building. Four Peacekeepers stood looming in the shadows, alerted with guns at the ready. She pressed herself closer to the building and took a deep breath.
"Less than two hours," another answered, "they'll start evacuating us soon."
"They better; I'm sure as hell not dying today." Madge was wide awake now, her ears straining to hear the rest of the conversation.
"Shut up, Heist. Thresh said we'd get out on the train."
"Think we'll be able to watch it- A spectacle like 13?" They started moving off and Madge took the opportunity to run. She ran as fast as she could, ducking between buildings, in and out of the shadows. Her ears pumped with blood and her hands were shaking but she pressed on.
The seam was out of power and she had a hard time figuring out where she was. Lost, Madge took time to catch her breath. She bent of her knees and panted, her head rang with the start of a headache. The words "spectacle like 13" played over and over in the back of her mind. She stood up and crept through the tiny houses around her.
She found the Everdeen house quickly after that and she knocked softly, glancing around her with panic. The door opened. Mrs. Everdeen looked haggard in the candlelight and Madge let out a relieved breath. "Where is the Hawthorne house?" She whispered. Mrs. Everdeen's expression morphed from surprise to determination.
"That way, two over," she pointed, "Madge, dear, is something wrong?" She asked.
"Grab everything you can carry," was all Madge said, "be ready to leave." She left the sinking porch and sprinted to the house. She didn't wait to gather her composure, she opened door and marched in. "Gale? Mrs. Hawthorne?" She called into the darkness.
"Who's here?" She recognized the voice and drooped against the wall with utter relief. A candle flickered on and she could make out Gale's face through the orange licks of light.
"Gale, the district is in trouble." She said and moved closer to him.
"Undersee?" He grunted in confusion.
"The district is in trouble," she said louder.
"What do you mean in trouble?" he asked. Mrs. Hawthorne moved out the bedroom and into their space. A look of concern crossed her face.
"Madge? Is everything alright?" She asked and rested a hand on her back.
"They're going to bomb us- like 13." She said and swallowed a sob painfully. "I was out walking and-"
"What were you doing outside?" Gale demanded.
Madge ignored him, "I heard a group of Peacekeepers talking. Talking about escaping- leaving on the train- and then one said he didn't want to die and then they said 'do you think we'll get to watch it like the spectacle of 13?'"
"Dear God," Mrs. Hawthorne gasped and ran back to the bedroom.
"Are you sure?" Gale growled.
"Positive," Madge nodded, Gale wandered away from her and set the candle down. "Gale, we need to get on that train," she whispered.
"The train is too risky, we'll get caught." He told her, "No, we need to get to the woods, now."
"The fence is on," Madge reminded him.
"Do you know how to turn it off?" He asked, "perk of being Mayor's Daughter?" Madge shook her head.
"No, my dad doesn't do anything," she told him honestly, "this district is fully run by Peacekeepers."
"Hell's Teeth."
"We don't have a lot of time," Madge pressed, "I have the Everdeens packing but I need to go back for my parents… the Mellark's too."
"Will you make it?" Gale asked.
"Probably not, but it's worth the chance." They stood in awkward silence for a moment.
"Just us?" He asked. Madge didn't answer, "Why didn't you save your parents and the Mellark's first?" He elaborated. Madge couldn't answer his question; she was as confused as he was.
"Uh…" she started, "I… I don't know." She told him honestly, "I heard them talking and all I could think about was… you?" She questioned.
"… Thank you?" He murmured in the darkness.
"Goodbye, Gale. Be safe." She murmured and slipped from the house. Madge raced to the nearest shadow and took a deep breath. Tears flooded her eyes. She couldn't leave them. She turned around and ran back to the house. Gale met her in the doorway.
"Don't leave," he whispered.
"I won't make it," she told him. They stared awkwardly at each other. Madge came back into the house and leaned against the wall. The clocks in her head started turning. "Gale… how do the alarms go off in the mines?"
"What?" He asked.
"How are the alarms triggered in the mines?" Gale starred at her. "I have an idea," she told him.
"Ma, we'll be back- go to the Everdeen's." He called. Madge dropped over the side of the porch and pressed herself to the side of the house. Gale ran down the steps and joined her side; together they ran back through the seam. A screeching grabbed their attention, realizing it was the train pulling into the station, they made eye contact. Madge reached out and grabbed his arm, "hurry," she told him.
Reaching the mine entrance, Gale and Madge were surprised to find it relieved of guards. "What are we doing?" He asked her.
"After hours, the mine is activated with alarms, I think it is to prevent accidents, suicide, and manipulation but even then there are usually guards here."
"Do you think the alarm will still be on?" He asked.
"I'm banking on lazy Peacekeepers," she told him honestly. They ran up to the entrance and Gale took a deep breath.
"What do you think we have to do?" She asked him
"I have no idea."
"Hell's Teeth… or whatever," Madge whispered. Gale chuckled and Madge smiled up at him but they caught themselves and looked painfully on at the mine. "Gale, the power is off- even if you pressed the elevator button it's not going to work."
"You're right," he growled and shook his head, "we're all going to die," he muttered. He started pacing in front of her with anger and turned lashing out with a hard kick to the solid door in front of them. The alarm flooded their heads and Madge only had seconds to realize what was happening.
"We have to get out of here!" She screamed over the droning. Running towards the Everdeen house, Gale and Madge watched with hope as whole families stumbled from their homes.
"Bombs," Gale told them.
"Prepare," Madge added. Beyond the seam, town lights flickered on. Madge let out a strangled cry of pride, "its working."
"They will drop the bombs here first," he told her, "we need to get out."
Madge nodded, "we can get people into the mansion- I don't think they will bomb us." They made it to the Everdeens porch, meeting up with wide-eyed Hawthorne children.
"Did you do this?" Mrs. Hawthorne asked walking around her children. Gale pointed at Madge, Madge pointed at Gale. "Well, it got attention but I don't think it is enough, people are starting to panic and the Peacekeepers will be suspicious," she practically growled at her son, her face turned soft with a smile as she turned towards Madge with a blue bundle, "Here Madge, we gathered some clothes and things for you." Madge took the pack with a smile.
"Thank-" the ground shook and Posy Hawthorne lost her footing, tumbling into her older siblings. Madge reached out to Gale, supporting herself against him. In the stir, the family looked back towards the district. Madge could feel her heart shatter and her face lose color, "NO," She screeched and propelled forward. In the distance, her mansion stood ablaze and crumbled apart, fire and smoke tremendous even in the dead of night. The bombs had started.
