Disclaimer: I'm just playing with Suzanne Collins' characters and her world. They're hers. Not mine.
A/N: Heard the nickname 'katpiss' in an interview with Jennifer Lawrence and it was too awesome not to use.
Down the Rabbit Hole, pt 4
The Games' beginning is always stressful. The Bloodbath, the high death count, the brutality, it always nauseated Madge. She watched though, as was required. School was cancelled for the day, no homework, no excuses.
Her mother was given a sedative and a letter of excuse from the mandatory viewing. Her father was at the Justice building, he'd been preoccupied since reading the message. He'd been worried, edging on irritable, snapping at her when she'd asked about it. So she'd spent the morning in her garden. She half expected Vick to materialize and keep her company, but the boy never came. She understood, he had his family, he had Gale to comfort, especially on this day.
So she stands in the Square, off to the side and by herself as she watches the Bloodbath, like she's done every year for as long as she could remember. She nearly curses when Katniss goes for an orange backpack and is nearly cleaved by the boy from Seven, then again when she barely deflects the knife of the girl from Two.
Madge has had many years of practicing keeping a cool exterior, but watching her only friend dodge death was almost enough to drive her to tears.
11 Tributes, 11 children, are dead when it's over. Katniss and Peeta aren't among them.
When the bodies are taken by the hovercrafts and the Careers are sickeningly, gleefully, going through the Cornucopia the people of the District are allowed to leave the viewing. Madge is about to walk home when something on the screen catches her eye.
Peeta is pinned to a tree, the male monstrosity from Two, Cato, has a sword at his throat.
"If it isn't Loverboy? I should gut you and see if you bleed the same silver your pretty little tongue is coated in." Cato growls.
"You could," Peeta manages to sputter out, "but I'm much more useful alive."
The leggy blonde from One, Glimmer, saunters up, eyeing him. "Oh let him talk, Cato. You can always kill him later."
Cato gives her a feral grin and releases Peeta who rubs his neck, red from Cato's grip. "Spit it out, Prince Charming."
Peeta smiles weakly. "Katniss is going to beat you."
Glimmer leans into him. "Have a lot of faith in 'Katpiss', huh?"
"Endless." Peeta answers easily. "She's smart, but I've had years of experience with her. I'll help you find her, but I won't help you kill her. She may not return my feelings, but I can't kill her." He chuckles. "She'll probably kill this whole pack before we even realize it. I just hope I live long enough to see it."
Glimmer sighs. "How romantic."
Madge fights off a gag.
"Plus," Peeta looks to Glimmer, the obvious easy target, "I'm strong. I could be useful."
Glimmer gives Cato a simpering smile. "Oh, can we keep him? I just want to see the look on Piss-pants face when she sees Charming here has joined us."
And with a pout and batted eyes from Glimmer, Peeta is a part of the Career pack.
Madge wants to laugh. The Careers are so dense they don't even see what Peeta is doing. Or maybe, she thinks wearily, he doesn't see what they're doing.
"Didn't know he had it in him." Emmer is leaned against one of the walls of a building in the Square. He gives Madge a pained smile. "I should have, but I didn't."
Rhys is sitting with his head back against the wall next to him. He chuckles. "Should've. He was always more clever than we gave him credit for." His eyes are red rimmed as he glances up at Madge. "He's gonna die for her, isn't he?"
There aren't words for the pain that shoots through Madge as she smiles sadly at them and nods.
"He's smart, but smart isn't the only thing that wins it." Emmer shakes his head. "Especially when you're suicidally brave."
"Always wanted to be a hero, right Em?" Rhys laughs bitterly.
"I'm sorry." Madge whispers. She can feel the tears forming behind her eyes and she forces them back. She quickly bids them farewell and walks, faster than she usually does, home.
She's just barely through the gate when she sees Vick and Rory sitting on her back porch, looking sullen.
"I thought you said he was helping Katniss?" Rory gives her a glare worthy of his elder brother.
With a sigh Madge sits between them, pulling her knees to her. "He is." She puts her legs back down, stretching them out. "He's tricking the Careers. He's playing the Game. He's going to help Katniss, I don't know how, but he is."
"Are you sure?" Vick's voice is small and his eyes wide as he waits for the answer.
"No," Madge answers very carefully, "but it makes sense. Peeta's betting on Katniss killing the Careers. He probably wants to be near if she needs help, and the best way to do that? Be with the Careers, of course."
"Won't that mean she'll hafta kill Peeta too?" Vick frowns at the thought.
The tears Madge had forced back welled in her eyes again and she looked back at her legs. A small hand patted her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Madge. I didn't mean to make you cry."
She swiped furiously at her eyes. "Not crying, just…misty."
Neither boy seemed to know what that meant, but nodded anyway.
"Gale went off." Vick almost whispers. Madge only knows he's actually said it by the dark look Rory gives him, plainly telling him to be quiet.
"He said." Vick ignores Rory, "I told Undersee he was going to mess her up. He's playing a game alright. Then he went off."
Madge wraps an arm around his skinny shoulder. "He'll come back. Don't worry. He'll come back and he'll see Peeta is still trying to help Katniss."
She prays her guesses are right as she gives Vick another little squeeze. A thought hits her. "Katniss survived the first day. We should celebrate! Have either of you ever had chocolate?"
########################################
She'd dug through the pantry until she found the chocolate bars. One of the less awful women from the Capitol had given them to her a few years before, when the Mayor had to host a small delegation sent to investigate the mine conditions and determine efficiency. They were large, wrapped in golden foil with raised decorations swirled across their fronts.
Vick and Rory's eyes were moons when they saw them and nodded that they would share with both Posy and Prim.
Gale would be furious when he saw them, which, for some reason, brought Madge a vindictive sort of happiness.
When she got up the next morning she saw that the girl from Eight had been killed. She watched the recap, Cato stabbing the poor girl, and then Peeta going back. Madge let herself cry as she watched Peeta whisper an apology to the girl and then urge her to let go.
"It's okay, you're okay now."
Then the cannon fired.
She sat with tears streaming down her cheeks until her father came from upstairs and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Do you need to stay home from school today, Pearl?"
Madge shook her head. She never stayed home from school, it just feeds into peoples' imagination that she can do whatever she wants. "I'm fine."
Her father stands across from her. His face scrunches in thought, then relaxes as he comes to a decision nodding to himself. "Let's go check your garden before you head off."
It's an odd request, so Madge quickly gathers her things and follows him out.
The air is still slightly chilly, dew clings to the grass as they stand and survey Madge's little plot of land.
"I was sent a picture the other night, you remember?"
She nods.
He crouches and picks up a stick. In the soft dirt he draws a few crude pictures. They could have been doodles, Madge imagined they were scribbled in the margin of the note, much like the Archer and stars.
A flower. A box. A heart, her father makes a point to make the edges deeper on this picture. Finally, several pointy stars.
Madge frowns down at her father and he smiles up.
"Come on. Think."
Madge wrinkles her nose. A flower-a katniss is a type of flower. A box-a gift, sponsor gifts? The heart was easy-Peeta, deep lines meant solid, true, but she'd already guessed that, his kindness to the dying girl from Eight had cemented that for her. Then the stars, bright, shiny, far away…many of them…lots of sponsors?
She arches an eyebrow and crouches next to him. Her voice is barely audible, "Mr. Abernathy has lots of sponsors for Katniss and Peeta, because of what Peeta said? About loving Katniss? And he really is in love?"
His eyebrows rise as if to say, yes, and what else?
She lets out a huff of air and examines the picture again. The flower is touching the box.
"Mr. Abernathy has picked Katniss?"
"Young Mellark is bright, but I feel the girl will do better." Her father recites the note's lonely sentence.
Her father pats her on the back. "You know the fate of Victors, Pearl. It may be for the best if neither comes home."
##############################################
On that happy note, Madge left for school.
It was unnerving and comforting how little changed after each Reaping. The teachers of the taken students ignored the vacant seats. There were no ghosts allowed in the schools of Panem.
Except for the children of Mayors.
Madge sat at the back of the room still, but Katniss' seats in the classes they shared were haunting reminders. The rest of the students simply over looked it, looked past it, over, around it, but Madge couldn't. She spent most of her history class staring at the empty seat, only rousing when the teacher called her name.
"Madge? Class is over."
She'd looked around sheepishly, noting everyone else was long since gone. She gave the haggard teacher a small smile before gathering her things and quickly and quietly making her way out the door. Her other classes were just as unfocused for her, but then, they had been since the Reaping. None of the teachers really cared, though. School was only for indoctrination, and really, none of their hearts were in it.
When lunch finally rolls around she's relieved beyond words.
She sits with the dry sandwich and reads one of her books. She's about to start on the bruised apple when someone cuts off her light. Looking up she finds Gale, flanked by a pair of older students, dark haired and grey eyed, olive coloring, from the Seam, just like him.
He's staring at her apparently waiting for something, but the intensity is too much for her so she breaks it by taking a large bite of her apple. She chews on it and tilts her head, her eyebrows rise as she swallows the bite. "Can I help you?"
Gale seems to be chewing his tongue. He glares at her. "You told my brothers the Doughboy was still trying to help Katniss."
Madge gives him a pleasant smile and nods.
"You told them he joined the Careers so he'd be there to help her."
She nods again.
"And you gave them chocolate." He looks most irate with the last statement.
Madge snaps.
"Wow, Hawthorne, you caught me." She lowers her head a little and shakes it. "I gave my opinion and, heaven and stars above, I gave chocolate to a pair of kids. Oh, what have I done? What an egregious sin." She rolls her eyes, "Unless you have something better to talk to me about than a list of what I did yesterday then go force your presence on someone else." As an afterthought she quickly ads, "Please."
She turns in her seat back to her book, ignoring Gale and his cronies.
Then one of them laughs.
"Wow, Undersee, you're funny."
She's confused at first. Is he making fun of me? When she looks up though, there is a genuine smile on the skinny boy's face. Madge's own face contorts in confusion. Him not making fun of her is actually not something she's prepared for. "Thanks?"
He slides into the seat across from her and puts out his hand. "Thom Lacewood."
Cautiously Madge shakes his hand, "Pleasure."
Thom leans in conspiratorially. "You really think Mellark is as much a sap as he's making himself out to be?"
Madge gives him an even look. "I think he genuinely cares about Katniss, yes. And playing a sap is going to get him, and Katniss, far. You saw how well it worked against Glimmer, and most of the women in the Capitol will eat up that stuff even more than she did."
He nods thoughtfully. "Lot of guess work."
"Yep," Madge agrees. "I'm right though."
"How do you know?" Gale is glaring at her again. "How do you know you're right?"
Madge levels her gaze at him. "Don't you remember what I said the other night." His face registers confusion. She stands and grins up at him. "You know how to survive, butI know how to play the Game."
She turns back to Thom and gives him a tight smile. "Lovely to meet you." Then she marches off, praying for a less confrontational end to the days.
########################################
Watching Katniss struggle from dehydration was nerve racking, especially when Caesar Flickerman kept flashing the map showing just how closeshe was to water up on the screen.
The only saving grace of those long days was that it showed Peeta was trying to lead the Careers away from Katniss. He hadn't been lying when he said he'd spent years studying her. He clearly had a good idea of where she would go and made quick work of leading the Pack away from her. If not for the fire he might have led them completely astray.
The lack of deaths had bored the Capitol and the Gamemakers had brought out a spectacular show.
When Katniss became trapped in the tree with the blood thirsty Careers below, Madge fought the urge to curl up in her bed. She finally just went in the kitchen.
She's compulsively cleaning her favorite mug when she hears a knock at the door. It's Vick, he's later than he's ever been, probably because of the fire. She opens the door for him and he rushes in, throwing his arms around her.
"I've been at the Everdeens'," he mumbles in her shirt, now wet with his tears. He pulls back and shakes his head. "I couldn't stay anymore. Everyone's crying, and Gale keeps snapping if we get too loud, and Mrs. Everdeen doesn't talk. Posy is so scared…"
"Shhhhh," Madge pulls him back into a hug and rubs his back. "It'll be okay."
She hopes she isn't lying to him.
After a few minutes his tears subside and she lets him sit at the table. She hands him a cool rag for his face and sits across from him. He tells her about Gale's surliness, no doubt caused by trying to feed two families, about not getting quite enough to keep him through the night, about hearing Posy scream with nightmares about the Games. He's never told her anything like this before and she knows he's just finally reached a breaking point.
"I'm just so scared!" He whimpers loudly. "What if Katniss dies and Gale is never happy again and we all starve and…"
"Do you think I'd let you starve, Vick?" Madge gives him a watery smile. "No. Of course not. Because friends look out for each other. That's why I send the vegetables with you. I would never let you or Rory or Posy or Prim starve."
He sniffles. "What about Gale?"
She gives him a thoughtful look. "Well, maybe Gale."
This earns her a chuckle.
#########################################
She takes Vick and they go to the bakery. Mr. Mellark is sitting at a little table behind the counter when the bell chimes announcing them. He smiles weakly.
"Hello Madge. Your family's delivery isn't for a few more days." He frowns to himself. "Unless I've lost count. Possible."
Madge quickly shakes her head. "No, you're right. I'm picking up a visiting gift. I'm going to the Everdeen's and-"
Before she's finished he's pushed several rolls and a loaf of still warm bread into a bag for her. Spotting Vick he grabs a box and tosses a dozen iced cookies into it before passing both to them.
"How much?"
Mr. Mellark shakes his head. "No cost." He presses his finger to his lip and glances over his shoulder. His wife might hear.
Madge mouths the words 'thank you' before pushing the bewildered Vick out the door.
"I never get free stuff!" He laughs, peaking into the box.
She gives him a sharp look, "Don't tell Gale."
They take his shortcut, weaving through the Seam before finally reaching the Everdeen's house.
Vick doesn't even knock, just barrels in gleefully announcing that he has cookies. Madge is hesitant to go in and hangs back on the rickety porch. Vick finally realizes she isn't behind him and sticks his head back out the door.
"Come on, Madge!"
She's about to take a step in when Prim appears, her eyes are red rimmed and puffy but she smiles brightly at Madge. "It's so good to see you again."
They pull her in and the whole sad group greets her. Except for Gale, who only glares at her irritably.
"Mr. Mellark sent the goodies," she explains.
"Katniss is cutting the tree up!" Posy announces as she wraps her arms around Madge's legs.
Madge makes a face. "What?"
"She's spotted a tracker-jacker nest. She's cutting the branch. She's going to drop it on the Careers." Rory elaborates.
The Anthem is ending and Katniss has stopped her efforts on the branch. As she's crawling back on the tree, Prim squeals. "A gift!"
Sure enough, a silver parachute and a small pot await her. It's cream and it heals her burns almost instantaneously.
"How do you like that Biscuit Brain? Katniss got the gift, not you."
It's not loud, just enough for Madge to hear and she turns to look at Gale. He has a darkness in his eyes that worries Madge, he doesn't conceal his anger, he doesn't mask his contempt. He's dangerous.
She wants to tell him that Peeta won't get any gifts, not because he doesn't deserve them, not because he hasn't earned them, but because Mr. Abernathy has made his choice.
Gale narrows his eyes at her, but she only tilts her head slightly and smiles faintly at him. She turns back to the television and notices Vick watching her.
The group on the television settles in for the night and the Hawthornes and Everdeens update Madge and Vick on what they missed. What they assumed Katniss was doing with the tracker jacker nest, the girl from Eleven, and the analysis from several previous Victors, the green-haired girl mercifully not among them.
They sit around, Gale glowering at her and the kids and women talking animatedly about the recent developments.
"She's really got a chance." Prim smiled tentatively at Gale.
He was still tense, but managed a tight smile. "She'll be back. You watch. She's the best hunter I know. She'll be back and things will get back to normal."
Madge wanted to tell him it wasn't that simple, that things would never go back to the way they were and Katniss wouldn't be the same. She wanted to tell him that killing a person, even ones as savage as the Ones and Twos weighed on a person. She wanted to tell him the Katniss that may come back won't be the same one that left, that she won't be theirs, she'll belong to the Capitol. Forever.
She holds her tongue though. This isn't the time. Not with Prim and the other children sitting there, full of hope. She couldn't take it away. Maybe, she thought morbidly, hating herself for it, she never would have to.