A/N: the scene of Rue's death in the movie made me cry, but what made me cry harder was actually the scenes after that showing people in the districts rebelling. I'm weird like that.

4

None of us can bear to look at the screen. The silence is heavy, punctuated by Posy's muffled sobs into my mother's skirt. The sound is ripping into my heart, though I can't tell if my sister's crying is responsible or it's the memory of the little girl lying amidst the flowers. Too young to die.

It's not fucking fair.

My mother doesn't say anything as I brush past her and go out the door. I think all of them can understand why I want to be alone. They probably want it too. The walls felt too suffocating, like it's trapping us in. Reminding us this entire world has been doing that, ever since my mother was born, and her mother, and hers...

There's a light drizzle outside. Nature's pitying us too. I start to run, which is so stupid, of course. Where can I run to? Where can any one of us run to? I think of how it's only been a few weeks ago when I brought up the idea with Katniss. Even then we couldn't do it. Catnip knew it, that we're trapped forever. I guess I knew it too, but just didn't want to admit it.

I run, not caring that the rain is flying into my face. I run to the fence. The fence. One of the most obvious things they've put here to trap us. Because we're their possessions.

The woods behind the fence have always looked inviting, but today? They're like a cemetery, it's so fucking depressing. The thought that this is where Catnip and I first met, spent so much time together, and now... if she comes back -

Suddenly I can't stand to be there right now, so I turn the other way and start running again. I don't even care where I'm going. What does it matter? My life is a dead end. It's always been.

By the time my legs are so weak they're ready to give out, I've reached the town. Funny. Why did I come here? Looking at the lights, muted by the rain, at the quiet, clean-paved street, it does feel kind of soothing, though.

I don't know how long I've walked when I see another silhouette, a small distance ahead of me. Whoever it is doesn't even have a sweater or umbrella on, and they're walking too slow to be heading off somewhere with a purpose.

As I walk closer, I take in the long blond hair and I almost laugh. Why do I always run into her in the weirdest places, the weirdest times?

Madge flinches and jumps a little when I tap her on the shoulder. Her eyes are red-rimmed. Silently I fall into step with her. We don't speak for a long time. There's nothing to say. The rain's let up now, but there are still a few drips now and then.

Then she sneezes just as the rain completely stopped. "Go home," I say.

She shakes her head. "I'm fine," she says, her voice thick.

I don't have a sweater on either, but I have a tank inside this shirt, so I move to take the outer one off. It's not very dry but it's at least long-sleeved. "No," Madge says, stopping me. "I'm not cold."

"You're shivering."

"I'm not," she counters. I swear, sometimes she's even more stubborn than Katniss.

"Just take it," I say, ignoring her protest as I shove my shirt at her. I don't want to add that the rain has soaked her front and the fabric's getting see-through. That'd probably make both of us pretty uncomfortable.

The street is deserted, with everyone else in their house. Even the Peacekeepers are nowhere in sight, though they're supposed to be on patrol duty to make sure there aren't stragglers like us. I appreciate that our distrcit's Peacekeepers aren't bad people, the laidback type they are, but I still work up a rage when I think of who they're serving. If they really have a conscience, how can they live like that? Doing the Capitols' dirty work in exchange, for what, a bigger paycheck? They can't honestly think they're really "keeping the peace."

"White," Madge says suddenly.

I stare at her. Has watching the Games driven her insane?

"It's the color of the Capitol," she continues, looking straight ahead of her. "You've seen from the broadcasts. The buildings are all white. And the Peacekeepers' uniforms. They're white too."

Why's she telling me this? Like I give a fuck what color the goddamn Capitol likes.

"It's supposed to represent purity," Madge says. "Innocence. To show they're a force of good, not - "

"Good, my ass," I say under my breath.

"-evil, which is what most people think of black," says Madge, speaking over me. "Brides wear white. Clean is associated with white. What a coincidence, huh, that our president is Snow?"

"Ok, what are you-"

"Did you know?" asks Madge, interrupting me yet again. She's turned her face now, watching me with her blue eyes. They're strangely dark today. "White has a forgotten meaning. A long, long time ago, in some cultures people wore white, for mourning, at the funerals. To them, white stood for death."

I search her face for one ounce of meaning, but all I see are the water droplets on her eyelashes. "So you're saying..."

She steps back and that's when I realize how close we were standing. "I'm not saying anything."

We just look at each other, and there's something about the stillness of the air. I feel calm. Calmer than I have in a long time. To know that the girl in front of me, the mayor's precious only child, thinks the same thoughts as me every night. Maybe every moment, even. She just hides it better.

Then I hear it, and the alarm flickering across Madge's face shows she does too. "I have to go," she says hastily, while in the distance we hear the yelling again. Madge! Where are you? "Thanks for your shirt. See you later."

She waves and then she's off, her ponytail flying behind her. The shirt in my hand still feels warm from her skin. When I put it back on, I shiver. Hope I'm not catching a cold too.