Canidae, please come back soon! I dedicate this chapter to your return.
CHAPTER -2
Seconds turn into minutes, minutes to hours and hours to days. The mines are ominous as ever. The recent accident has left everyone shaken and angry, but a very few are ready to listen to us. The section of the tunnel that had caved in has been sealed off as unsafe, but where's the guarantee that some other tunnel won't cave in and bury us all alive?
As it is, I have always dreaded working down here. But after the last accident, it feels like these walls are waiting to collapse and take us with it. Needless to say, after every stroke of my pickaxe and hammer, I strain my ears, waiting for a tremor here, a rumble there. Thom says I was as quick as I needed to be, but when there's an accident, nobody can be quick enough. People die down here all the time. Our father did. So did many others. Katniss' father. Katniss, I'm not sure I even want to go there. I crumple up the thought and throw it at the back of my mind.
I'm doing this for Rory, so he won't have to take out tesserae. For Vick, so he can have a new pair of shoes. For Posy, so she doesn't have to go to sleep on an empty stomach.
For Madge. Because she loves the fight in me.
She fights the darkness the hardest. And I haven't seen her in a while. Last Sunday when I had gone to drop off her strawberries, she looked radiant as ever. Sunshine, ocean and warmth. Then she had surprised me completely by giving me ideas. She didn't tell me to stop; said that wouldn't be me. Instead she told me exactly how to go on about it. It never fails to amaze me that she has taken me apart, figured me out, knows what makes me work and put the pieces back together again. Without even letting me get a wind of it.
Like sunshine, she has been all around me. Like rain she has me falling-harder each day.
I count the hours till I can see her again, and with each count, I let my pickaxe tear into the seam.
Dad has been at work almost all day for the last two days, coming home very late at night. The worry's starting to show, with his eyes having light purple bruises around them. He looks extremely tired, and a little terrified even. Heaven knows what brings Snow here. I can only hope it's not some really nasty business. From what my father says, Snow's visits have always been followed by some unfortunate event or the other.
As for my mother, she's sick again. Her frail health does not allow her to worry so much, and as expected, she's up in bed with awful headaches.
Even when I'm at school, I don't really pay attention to what the teacher is talking about in class. Another safe method of mining bituminous coal without hacking ourselves to death. As if all these useless trash really help miners down there. As if by listening to her bogus lectures, Gale didn't have that hunted and terrified look in his eyes the night of the accident. I scoff at her mentally, imagine strangling her with my bare hands.
Whoa, Madge! Officially a rebel, and now violent too!
I try to control this sudden rage that bubbles inside me, and focus on the new melody I've been trying hard to perfect. How did people from before the Dark Age manage to play such difficult pieces? Either their fingers had no bones or they had too many fingers. Yes, that might explain the inhuman speed of this piece.
I keep tapping my foot impatiently, and glance at my watch every few seconds, waiting for school to end. As soon as I hear the bell ring, I gather my things and run out at top speed, where I run into Vick this time.
"Hello, Madge! Long time no see. Posy keeps asking about you."
"Things are pretty rough now at home. I'll see you around, OK?", I nearly run out on him, leaving him looking a little surprised. Vick never thought I'd be the avoiding type, but it's not him I'm avoiding, it's the danger that is about to step onto the district soil.
As I pass the Justice Building, I see the District Square milling with Peacekeepers. I see a few friendly faces, Darius and Purnia among them, looking tired but tensed. Even Peacekeepers are frightened of that snake that has the power to poison us all at one small whim. I nod at them before moving on, I don't need to be a part of this spectacle here.
I meant to pay my father a visit at the Justice Building, but now it seems that I'm too late, so I head home. I might just help out Rose with her laundry today, if I am to remain in her good books. When I enter the house, I'm surprised to find my father in our living room, shooting rapid-fire instructions at Rose and Mr. Aaron.
"Rose, will you please let know that I will not return home tonight? And Mr. Aaron, if somebody comes looking for me here, tell them to come back later. Am I clear? And please don't let Madge into the Justice Building today-oh, there you are!"
"Dad? Aren't you supposed to be at work at this hour?" Hasn't Snow come yet?
"I am, I made a quick getaway to warn you .The President is here already, and I won't be home. So you should be wise enough to not attempt to contact me while I'm away. Alright?"
"Then how come you left him at the Justice Building?", I shoot back at him in confusion.
"He's headed out towards the Village.", he speaks rapidly, as if afraid slowing down will make him sick. " I don't think he's up to any good. But you don't end up going there now, OK, Magpie?"
What!? Snow at the Victor's Village? Did he come here to pay our esteemed Victors a courtesy call? That too without prior notice and all the pomp and show that arrives before he does? This is not good- not good at all.
My father nods, he understands my concern. "I'll let you know when it's all over." He heads back out and disappears into his Officials' car.
I come back up after taking another stomach-churning elevator ride. Another day; and I'm still lucky to be alive. Dog-tired, covered in a solid inch of soot, coughing my lungs out, but still alive. After making a half-hearted attempt at cleaning myself at the old latrine, I slowly make my way home. I try to form a speech that I'm about to give Rory for wanting to be ready to bite the bullet. That he thinks he's ready to go to the other side of the fence and hunt after catching a rabbit by sheer dumb luck makes me all the more worked up. I tried my damndest best to keep him from doing it, but the odds haven't exactly been in my favour lately.
A few Seam girls I had known back in school pass by and throw me sultry glances; one even boldly catches my eye and gives a cheeky smile. What's her name again? Lindy?... Lily?... Leah?... Lina? Oh, whatever. It's supposed to be seductive- and not so long ago I would've returned a wicked smirk her way or even stopped to flirt, maybe even give a few world-class ass-hat cheeks guaranteed to earn me a resounding slap from my mother- but it just makes me scowl at her. Huh, I still haven't lost my edge it seems; even when covered in soot and straggling along. I think back to when I obliged them by taking a trip to the slag heap. Happy days. What a world-class jerk I was. Still am, I laugh at the thought.
But all I can really think is how happy and relieved I was to find Madge on our sofa that terrible evening, how she lit up our living room. I miss her on the days I can't make a trip to the town- I'm so tired nowadays. I drag myself home in a half-dazed state and hear Rory and Vick's playful shouts coming down the street.
This is how Rory should be. This is how I should have been at his age. He shouldn't have to grow up too fast like I had to; shouldn't have to worry about where the next meal will come from, or how he must help. This makes me sick-the desperation we have to face to make children sign up for tesserae, to brave a trip outside the fence. Really. If only those cowards choose to act, and quick.
"Gaaaaaaale!", Posy runs and jumps at me as soon as she hears the latch on the gate open, and just like that, teases a laugh out of me. I catch her mid-jump and carry her into the house. At least Posy is simply elated to see me home, and starts her mile-a-minute recital of how she learnt a new song at school, and a new lesson.
"Did you know, Gale? We burn coal to make fire?", she bosses me to sit quietly and listen as she teaches me how coal is used to make fire. My mother smiles at her antics, and goes back into the kitchen.
"Mum! Guess what Rory did, he asked Prim-" thwack.
Vick has come tearing into the room and before he gets the sentence out, he gets a whack on his head from Rory. Rory sidles into the room, his face red, looking anywhere but at me.
"What have you done now, Rory? Prim not taking you seriously, eh?" I joke, ruffling his hair. He jerks his head away from me, and stomps away into the bathroom, shooting daggers at Vick all the while.
I laugh at my brother's attitude. Why does that feel so familiar?
I finally crack up when little Posy puts her hands on her hip, and tells Vick off sternly for bothering Rory.
"Enough now, Pose" I laugh, "At this rate, you'll put Ma out of work."
Just then a slight knock at the door gets my attention, and I disentangle myself from posy to get the door. At this time, it can either be the Peacekeepers- but they don't knock, they hammer down the door- or Katniss, and I'm pretty sure she has other important things to do; like choose her wedding dress. Sick.
Wondering who on Earth it can be so late in the evening, I open the door slightly, and I see her.
Looking as beautiful and out-of-place as ever.
"What are you doing here at this hour, Madge?" She looks a little worried, a small frown creasing her brows, but just as lovely as ever.
"I had to come see you." She says so quietly that I have to lean forward to catch her words. I hold the door open wider and pull her inside.
"Come on in, you don't need to catch a cold standing out there in this weather."
Vick drags over a chair by the fireplace and Magde smiles gratefully at him before sinking into it.
"Miss Madge!" Posy jumps into her lap at once and starts reciting her lesson again at once. But Madge looks a little distracted, enough that even Posy notices and trails off after a few minutes.
"Posy, use your manners. Miss Madge just came and you started bothering her already!" My mother chides her gently as she sets the table for dinner.
"No, it's no problem, Mrs. Hawthorne. I came to see Posy." She smiles at Posy as she says this, and my sister starts her chatter again.
"Then will you have dinner with us?" Posy shoots at her gleefully.
Madge catches my eye, and I nod at her. "Thank you, I'd like that."
I don't know what came over me that I decided to get out of the house at this hour. May be it's because I'm feeling restless since Dad hasn't said anything; or maybe it's because I'm so worried about Gale that I'm past caring about manners and etiquettes and decide to finally make my way down to the Seam after sundown. It's a week-night on top of that.
Once I see Gale, I can feel the worry leave me at once. It's like I was holding my breath for too long, and now I can breathe again. He does look a little confused at my arrival, but doesn't ask too many questions in front of his family. We can both talk later.
I don't talk much during dinner, just politely answer when Rory lobs a joke at me, or Posy shoots a question at me. After I help Gale with the dishes, we sit around, and I let Posy and Vick engage me in a round of "bother Rory"-much to Gale's amusement and Rory's chagrin.
"Let's get you home, it's getting late." Gale softly says before pulling me up to my feet.
I thank Hazelle for the lovely meal, and promise to come around more often than I've been doing since the Games ended.
As we round the corner and step on to the road that leads to Town, I stop walking and turn to look at Gale. He looks at me expectantly, wanting to know what made me come here.
"The President's here." I cut directly to the chase. Even if we are alone at this hour on a lonely stretch of road, there's no surety of who might be listening. Gale looks around him, making sure we're alone.
"Why." He whispers.
"I only know that he's at the Village, it's a secret visit. People aren't supposed to know he's here." I look intently at him. "So stop whatever you are doing, Gale. At least for now. It's lucky my father got to know this before Snow's arrival."
He says nothing for some time, but resumes walking. I follow. I don't even know what to say to him now. It's terrifying already that I get to see Gale once in a while, and he's deep down inside the earth.
"They'll be leaving for the Victory Tour tomorrow. Will you go to see her off?" I ask, feeling a little anxious. I don't want Gale anywhere near the cameras now.
"I'm not on the list." He says simply, without any inflection. For some reason, his apathy rubs me the wrong way. Sure, he likes me now, but then Katniss still holds the power to hurt him- just like he's hurting now. I take his hand in mine and he wraps his fingers around mine- we walk like that the rest of the way to town.
When we reach the back porch of my house, I turn to say goodnight, but my voice catches, and I choke out the word, as I move away to open the back-door. The entire week's worth of exhaustion and the stress of constantly worrying about Gale comes down on me like a wall, and I don't want him to see me cry.
Gale pulls me back gently and turns me around, a hundred emotions flickering on his face.
He cups my face gently in his hands, his long fingers tangling in my hair; and I lean into them, forcing myself not to cry.
"Madge," he whispers softly, bringing his forehead to touch mine, "It helps a lot when I see you." And then his lips capture mine and he kisses me gently-a kiss so heart-wrenchingly sweet that I want to cry. I realise that I'm really crying when Gales wipes off my tears with his thumb.
Gale ruins everything. Though he hasn't ever said it in words, this is how it must feel to have him love me. It's just like they say, when somebody loves you back, the idea of losing him is a thousand times more painful.
"Don't, Madge. I'm afraid too. More for my family than for myself. I'm being careful, just like you said."
The tears well up with a vengeance and fall freely down my face. I hide my face on his chest and try to stop my sobs as they threaten to wrench out of my throat. I hold him tightly to me and before I can stop myself from making him weak too, I whisper out the words, more for my benefit than his. "I love you, Gale."
Note: The tune Madge is trying so hard to master has a name. Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu in C# minor. It's fast as crazy for someone like Madge who, i assume is self-taught, and needs real practice to be attempted at its intended tempo.
p.s: please leave a word or two if you liked reading. thanks.:)