AN: Hi, I am very, very new to all of this so I would like to say a few words. Firstly I may forget to do ANs at the beginning of chapters so I may also forget to disclaim so I will do that now for the whole story in case I forget to do that in the future. Secondly I do love to write but it comes after school, after assignments, after appointments, and after the important stuff. Thirdly because it comes after all of this I will not know when I will update next, it could be the next day it could be in three weeks time, I don't know specifically unless I say so. Fourthly I have read and reread the chapter but I can only pick up so many errors before I upload in other words I am saying I need a beta if anyone knows someone or would like to, just PM me or something (I have no idea how it works). Fifthly I don't know how the image for the story works, I just cropped a picture I took from last winter and just used that but if anyone has a better legal idea please be my guest and tell me. I used to have skills in photoshop but I haven't used it in a while so trying to use it would be like stepping on to a mine field, but if anyone else wants to make a cover picture by all means let your creativity take over. Lastly I would love reviews but please don't go overboard on the hate, I am only human. I am willing to answer questions so if you want to know a bit more (but not too much) about me then leave a review or PM me. Thanks for reading I really, really do appreciate it.
Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins owns The Hunger Games franchise. I merely just play around with it.
Hazelle Hawthorne knew that she didn't need to do this for Gale, but she didn't want the same fate that took her husband take her son. She knew that by having her eldest son in the mine she went tempting the devil or death whichever one got to him first. When the mine collapse happened she went into pure shock, she didn't shut down like Mrs Everdeen but she went thorough a stage where she didn't know what to do anymore. It was like all basic skills evaporated from her mind, she didn't know how to cook, (well what she did cook tasted like Greasy Sae's lumpy rat soup), she couldn't sew or take care a screaming baby Posy anymore. So at the ripe old age of 14 Gale balanced his school work as well as taking care of his family. For him it wasn't the weekly trips past the fence and into the forest which was difficult, it was Posy, yes she is a sweet girl and now when you look at her you wouldn't think it, but as a baby she was a screamer and a very good one for that matter. Every night she would scream bloody murder like no tomorrow and with Hazelle not knowing how to deal with a baby anymore Gale sucked it up and took care of her. Within a year of his father's death he had done more than what a lot of people go through in their entire lives. This included polishing every aspect of his appearance and that doesn't just mean his physical. Gale's pride as well as his ego was too big for his own good, and everyone knew it, Thom, Bristol, Vick, Rory…especially Rory. Hazelle knew about his buffed up pride and ego yet here she was making her way to Mayor Undersee's office in the Justice building to get an application for the butler job at his house. Hazelle nodded at the peacekeepers at the front door, made her way up the creaky stairs and sat down in the dusty chair outside his office. She quickly glanced up at the secretary and then too the old but well taken care of intercom. Unlike Gale and many other people living in the seam Hazelle had nothing against the Undersees, in fact she was in the same class as Mayor Undersee throughout high school, hell they were assigned lab partners one year, well there wasn't enough money for labs so science was more like 'Do whatever you want just don't leave school grounds' session which they both used to their advantage by sitting in silence finishing homework.
The secretary looked up at Hazelle who thought the twenty something year old was pretty until she talked "Mayor Undersee will see you now" the rough texture of the voice surprised Hazelle and she wasn't too sure how a pretty girl like her ended up with a voice like that. Through gritted teeth Hazelle smiled, stood up and slowly made her way to the office door, all whilst brushing off the invisible dust from her nicest shin length skirt and trying to find a reflective material to check her appearance in. She didn't and gave up as soon as she knocked on the door. Hazelle hadn't talked to Mayor Undersee in person since their high school graduation, so when she saw him smiling up at her from his desk she was surprised to say the least.
"Hazelle Hawthorne how wonderful to see you again, how many years has it been? 25?" He beamed and asked extending his hand.
"26 actually" She took his hand, gently squeezed and smiled weakly.
"What might have brought you here today?" He said still for some reason beaming at her.
"Well Mayor Undersee-" Hazelle started before being cut off by the man.
"Oh please call me Mr Undersee, Mayor sounds too formal" She nearly snorted but caught herself just in time.
"Well M-Mr Undersee my son, Gale, he works in the mines…" at this mayor Undersee gave her a solemn look. "And-And I heard you where looking for a new butler and I know Gale's ego is bigger than his head but it's just I don't want to tempt fate for a second time, everyone in the Seam knows about Gale and what he did after the mine collapse, with his troubled school life and raising Rory, Vick and Posy and I just want him to have a safe job. I don't know what I am going to do about Rory when he starts working in the mines in a few years, but he's-" Hazelle quickly tripped over her words.
"Hazelle. Mrs Hawthorne. When I knew you at school you were the hardest working, most indestructible human being I had ever met. I don't know much about your husband but from what I saw from field reports from the peacekeepers in the mines and around the district he was a good man. I heard he kept the mood up, down in the mines, always making jokes and trying to make people laugh, I also heard that he would help anyone who needed it." He paused for a second "Mrs Hawthorne, I hear and see and hear a lot more than what people expect." Hazelle nodded and smiled shyly wiping her eyes as politely as possible. Mayor Undersee shuffled through a pile of papers on his desk before quickly going through a filing cabinet then a drawer. He smiled when he found what he was looking for.
"Look Mrs Hawthorne, Yes I am looking for a valet-"
"I thought you were looking for a butler" Hazelle cuts in, Mayor Undersee gives her a pointed look.
"I can't promise you that your son will get the job. My daughter, Madge, is doing the interviews, she insisted, she says she has nothing else to do." Mayor Undersee sighs passing a yellowed, wrinkled piece of paper to Hazelle. "Just talk to Gale, I've heard what he's like." Hazelle glares at Mayor Undersee, she knew what everyone thought of Gale but no one had actually said it. Placing her hands on the desk she stood up staring what she was hopefully hoping was not intimately. Mayor Undersee clapped his together then stood up and engulfed his dry hands into one of Hazelle's before she could protest. "It was great seeing you again Hazelle, you should come to dinner sometime." He shook her hand, too hard for Hazelle's liking but she put on her best fake smile, nodded and walked out the door. As it slammed shut behind her she sighed thanking God that, that was over. "Mrs Hawthorne when you are done with the form just come back and place it on my desk. I'll put it through to Madge" Hazelle cringed when she heard the secretary's voice. "Mayor Undersee also told me to give you this" The girl got up and strutted towards Hazelle before shoving a tiny card in her face.
"Thanks" Hazelle plucked the card out the girl's hand looked at it. It read:
Hazelle, call my home phone sometime so we can arrange a dinner between our families – Mayor Undersee
She turned the card around and saw the number. Hazelle then wondered how she would call it considering she didn't even have a phone. Hazelle put the card deep into her pocket and rushed out wanting to get out of the stuffy room and into some fresh air. Well as fresh as it could get in District 12.
Hazelle hears the front door to the house open then slamming shut, wincing at the sound. She wipes her hands on her tattered apron, plasters a smile on and turns around to face the adjoining 'living room'. It isn't much of a living room, more of a space with two old couches with patches in the fabric and indented cushions from the many times bums have sat in the same spot. Hazelle sees Gale engulf Posy in a hug before ruffling Rory and Vick's hair with Posy still in his arms.
"Gale" Hazelle squeaks but he doesn't hear. "Gale" She says again a little louder with the same reaction. "Gale!" Four heads snap towards her. Gale sets posy down on the couch still looking at his mother. "I-I need to talk to you" She says.
"Ohh someone's in trouble" Rory snickers. Gale glares and whacks him in the back of the head.
"Kids go to your room" Hazelle says sternly looking between the three youngest children. Rory takes posy's hand and leads her to the shared bedroom, dragging Vick by the shirt along behind him.
"Is everything okay Ma?" Gale asks fear etched across his face.
"I just wanted to talk to you about something" she says sitting down placing a pillow on her lap. Gale stays standing and fiddles with a thread on his miner uniform. "I saw Mayor Undersee today" Gale's head snaps up, his eyes dilate. "There's this job offer he's…he's looking for someone to be his butler or valet either one I'm not sure" She takes the yellowed paper out from the pocket in her apron. "It's better than the mines, safer and better paying. You'd work Monday through Friday eight-thirty through to seven and Saturdays seven through to one. At the moment you're paid next to nothing, with this job you would actually be able to buy posy, a dress or a teddy or even just ribbon" They both knew that bringing Posy into the conversation was a low blow, a slap in the face for Gale. Before she could say anything else Gale was out the door in the blink of an eye. Hazelle returns to the kitchen picks the pan up from the stove and slamming it down on the table with such force the chipped plates, fractured glasses and mismatched cutlery move out of the perfect lines Posy had made.
"Kids dinner is on the table." She shouts louder than anyone had ever heard her shout.
It was the worst dinner they had since Mr Hawthorne died.
It was two o'clock in the morning when Gale bashed at Thom's door. The rough, old wood door splintering his fist. Gale swears under his breath.
"What the fuck are you doing here at this time of the morning?" Gale was surprised to find Thom standing wide awake and in only a clad pair of red and blue dotted boxers with a hole in the most awkward position. Trying not to look down or into Thom's eyes Gale addressed the issue at hand.
"My mum want's me to be the butler for the Undersees" He lowers his voices to a whisper so that only Thom could hear even though there was no one but a few drunk seam teenagers singing and staggering around on the opposite side of the street going most probably to the slag heap. Thom's eyes widen in shock and he steps out the door leaving it ajar behind him.
"Shit, Gale." Thom rubs his face. "why would your mum do that?"
"How the hell should I know? I was perfectly fine in the mines" Thom gives him a pointed look silently asking Gale if he was being serious.
"Look, Gale, Bristel is waiting for me inside, I can't leave her waiting, you…um you interrupted us. Your mum just wants what's best for you. She doesn't want what happened to your dad happen to you" Thom says. The cold chill getting to him he bounces on the balls of his feet. A smoky voice suddenly interrupts the conversation and Gale knows exactly who it is.
"Thom who was at the door? Are you coming back to bed" Bristel's head pokes out the door, she is wearing one of Thom's shirt's, her lace underwear peeks out from under the very short dress and the moment Gale sees her he know she is in a very bad mood and seeing him isn't helping his case. The three of them stand there in a deafening silence, Gale and Bristel stare at one another, his eyes dart down to her bare legs and she suddenly feels very over-exposed. She tries to pull the hem down, only resulting in her cleavage being more prominent; she gives up upon realizing the fault.
"Gale how great to see you, if you don't mind I would like to have my boyfriend back so we get back to what we were doing before we so rudely interrupted." She tugs on Thom's arm. He leans down and whispers quietly in her ear. Gale suddenly finds the wall very interesting. Giving Gale one last glare Bristel makes her way back inside. The cold breeze breathes down Gale's neck and he suddenly feels unwelcome.
"I have to go Bristel will kill me if I don't go in soon. Your mum has her reasons for wanting you to take the job" Thom goes to pat Gale's shoulder but Gale steps out the way not wanting to know what part of Bristel's body his hands have touched. It wasn't that Gale was disgusted it was more the fact that Bristel was like a sister to him, they always teased each other, always looked out for each, always came to each for help and Gale most certainly didn't want to know where his best friend had put his hands on his sister. Thom get's the message gives Gale a salute and leaves him standing on used doormat outside the house pondering about the most important decision of his life all while the cool autumn night becomes colder and grass become icier.