Chapter 7
"Sorry, I was so angry that I forgot you were at Peeta's. I was just about to come back for you now."
I shake my head at him letting him know that I don't care about that. All I care about right now is finding out what just happened with Katniss. "What happened?" I ask hesitantly because I'm not sure if he wants to talk about it just yet.
He inhales deeply and says " I don't know what her problem is. She's lost her mind."
"Who is she angry with? Me or you or is it the both of us?" I ask still trying to understand what's going on.
"Me. Or both of us. I can't really tell. She's mad about us going into her house the other day. I'm sorry Madge, I swear I never thought she'd care for a second if I took you there."
I think back for a moment to the afternoon when we slipped into the privacy of her old Seam house. I'd questioned if it would be alright or not and Gale reassured me that it was fine. I'm not mad that he turned out to be dead wrong though. I can apologize to her for being where I shouldn't have, that isn't a problem but it seems to be more than just the unauthorized use of her house that's angered her. "Is that all?"
"No. She had a freaking hissy fit about me taking you out in the woods and for showing you where the lake was."
"Oh." I say quietly, suddenly feeling like I've stolen something from Katniss. The woods don't belong to her of course but how on earth could I have known that it would bother her for Gale to take me out there? Was it so sacred to her that my seeing it, enjoying it, ruined it for her in some way?
"Hey, stop that. Don't you for one second let her get to you. She's got issues, none of which are your fault. Or mine for that matter."
"Did she say anything else? Is there anything else wrong?" I ask, almost afraid to hear his answer.
"Called me a fool. Said you'd never marry me, said you and I had no future."
Tears well up in the corners of my eyes and I look down at the gravel beneath our feet trying to hide the tears from Gale's view. I can't believe she thinks I won't marry him. And who is she to say we have no future together? This is so unlike her. So cruel.
"But I wish you could have seen the look on her face when I told her that our whole reason for stopping by was to tell her about our engagement." He adds.
I don't say anything for fear of breaking out in a full fit of tears. I just keep walking and looking at the ground. Gale doesn't say anything but instead wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me a little closer to him. We get all the way to my house before another word is uttered between us. We walk around to the back porch and sit down on the swing. Once we're seated and I'm curled up next to him we talk again.
"Gale, you two have to work this out. She's your best friend. Maybe I can talk to her, explain that I can back off if she feels like I'm intruding where I shouldn't."
"No way. That girl is not my best friend. My best friend went away to the games and never came back. This version of her isn't even tolerable. And don't you dare back off. She is the one with a problem. She is the one who needs to fix it, not you and not me."
"But Gale, everything she told you today, it all had to do with me. Don't you see? I'm the intrusion, I'm the problem."
"You have not intruded on anything. Hell, Madge, I swear I don't know what her deal is. I'm sorry that she's making you feel this way." He says, still obviously fuming himself.
"I just don't want to be a reason for the two of you to not be friends. If she doesn't want to be friends with me anymore, I'll deal with that but I can't bare the thought of being any part of the reason that she isn't friends with you anymore."
"This is absurd. We are not wasting anymore time on this nonsense. We just got engaged, with your father's blessing no less, I say we enjoy our day. C'mon, let's go see my family. Your new little sister will be dying to see you." He says with a smile.
"Best idea you've had all day."
As we start to walk towards the Seam, I decide I want to stop by the bakery to pick up some cookies or cupcakes for the Hawthornes.
"Gale, would you mind if we stop by the bakery? I want to get something for Posy. Rory and Vick too of course."
"Madge, they don't need anything."
"Please Gale? It would make me really happy."
He shakes his head and smiles, knowing full well he can't refuse me my happiness. Even if it does come from feeding sweets to his family members. We stop in the bakery and I get a half dozen cupcakes. All of them devil's food cake with fudgy, chocolate frosting except Posy's. I make hers extra special by having Mr. Mellark adorn it with a pink frosting rose on top. She'll love it.
"You know, if you treat our own children the way you treat my siblings our children will be both fat and spoiled rotten." Gale teases.
"One can only hope." I tease back with a grin.
When we walk into the Hawthorne house the kids have just finished up their lunch and Posy rushes over to greet us.
"Hi! I brought something for us! Would you like some dessert?" I ask her, knowing exactly what her answer will be.
"Yay!" She cheers throwing both hands up in the air in delight.
We go back over to the table and Gale opens the lid on the bakery box to reveal, the cupcakes.
"Thanks Madge!" Rory says as he takes a massive bite out of a cupcake.
I hand Posy her extra special one and watch for her reaction. She stares at it and then looks at the other plain chocolate ones and then back at her flower adorned cupcake again.
Gale leans over and whispers to her "Miss Madge got that one special just for you!"
She gets out of her chair and rushes around to my side of the table where she climbs up into my lap and gives me a big hug and her toothiest grin. "Thanks for making mine pretty!"
"Pretty girls deserve pretty things!" I tell her with a wink. "I got something pretty today too, want to see?" I ask her.
She nods eagerly as she licks frosting off her tiny little fingers. I hold out my left hand and show her my ring.
"Gale gave you that!" She giggles.
"Yes he did! Isn't it pretty? I think he loves me!" I say.
"I know he does!" She whispers to me, leaning in close, effectively getting frosting on my cheek.
"Yes he does!" Gale chimes in coming over and kissing my cheek and swiping off the frosting with his finger.
We spend time playing games with Posy for a while before she goes down for a nap. I can't imagine how she can sleep with all the sugar I just fed her but she somehow manages.
"I should probably get home. I want to show my father my ring and thank him for giving us his blessing. He should be home soon and I'd like to be there when he arrives." I tell Gale.
"Of course. C'mon, I'll walk you back."
"No, you still have a little bit more of your day off left. Stay and spend it with your family. I had you all of yesterday and they deserve your attention too."
"I love you. See you tomorrow evening when I get off work?" He says kissing my forehead and then my cheek before my lips.
I nod "Tomorrow. Love you so much, can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."
He pulls me into another kiss leaning into it as I do the same. We force ourselves apart, knowing we have no means of privacy at the moment to get carried away in our love for each other. I walk back to town, happy after my afternoon with the Hawthornes. That Posy is nothing short of pure, delight. I daydream all the way back to town, oblivious to my surroundings, lost in the joy of the love I have with Gale. The joy I continually find in becoming a part of his family. I'm sure I have a silly girl smile plastered all over my face. That's just what love does to a person I guess.
When I get home, my father is already there. I hate that he beat me home but I throw my arms around his neck the moment I can reach him. "Thank you so much!" I hold out me hand and show him my ring, beaming with happiness.
"Ah, so does this mean your answer was yes?" He asks with a smile and a raised brow.
"Oh yes, a thousand times yes!"
"Well, congratulations. It does my heart good to see you so happy. Let's remember though that this is to be a lengthy engagement, shall we? I do not intend to have a daughter who failed to finish her schooling."
"Don't worry, I'll finish. And I'll keep up all my normal responsibilities. You won't have to worry."
"Well, I wish I could stay and take you out for dinner to celebrate, however, I've got business to tend to in the Capitol and need to catch the next train out. Should be back in a few days." He says as he kisses my forehead and bends down to pick up the suitcase I only now notice.
"Have a safe trip, I'll see you when you get back." I wave goodbye and then go up to my room where I melt backwards onto my bed. I am the happiest girl in the entire world. That's the only way I could possibly describe myself right now. My heart is literally overflowing with love right now. I wish I'd known my father was leaving town so I could have told Gale to meet me here after his family went to bed. I'm debating whether or not to go back and get him when I decide to just let him stay at his house tonight. He won't get enough sleep if he stays here. Maybe I'll have him spend the night tomorrow instead. I could order dinner for us and we could have a romantic evening, just the two of us. I'll surprise him after he gets off work tomorrow.
I soak in the tub, relaxing in the warm water as I daydream back to my proposal. It'd been so unexpected; even he didn't plan to do it. But the moment, it was so right, so much more than I ever could have dreamed it would be. The church we found would be forever my favorite place now. Just being inside had stirred emotion within me, made me feel a zest for life, made me want to know what life was like before the Capitol controlled everything. Oh how I longed for a life where people had freedom to do as they pleased. Because the Capitol outlawed and destroyed all the churches in the districts, weddings were no longer held the way they used to be. In school they say church weddings were most common long ago. Now, weddings are much different. Always held at the Justice Building, usually with some sort of celebratory meal afterwards. If you're from town, most often you have a fairly large gathering of family and friends to help you celebrate. There's lots of food and drinking and dancing into the wee hours of the night. If you're from the Seam, it's usually with a lot less fanfare. As daughter of the mayor who performs the ceremonies, I've been to quite a few weddings in town. I haven't been to a Seam wedding though so I can only go off what I've heard. I have no idea what my wedding will be like. I suppose my father would be expected to throw a party for the whole district in honor of my wedding. There would most certainly be a slew of Capitol guest, most of which I probably wouldn't even know. I wonder if Gale realizes what a lavish affair our wedding is going to have to be? I envy the people of the past. The ones who were able to have church weddings. Something about a church ceremony seems so much more personal and special. I'd love to marry Gale in the church we found. Just him and I and our streaming through the colorful stained glass windows as we pledge our love for one another. It would be perfect. At least if I can't have the ceremony I want, I did get a church proposal. A perfect, private proposal.
I sleep so soundly, unable to remember if I dreamed or not. If I did dream, it must have been a happy one because I wake feeling just as happy as I went to sleep. Guess that's to be expected with all the excitement on being engaged. I get dressed and hurry downstairs, excited to tell Mabel the good news.
I find her in the kitchen, already fixing my breakfast plate.
"Good morning!"
"Morning Miss Madge. Do you want to eat on the porch or at the table?"
"Table is fine." I say as I pull out a chair and seat myself at our kitchen table. Mabel places a plate of eggs benedict and a glass of white grape juice in front of me.
"Mabel? Guess what? Gale and I got engaged this weekend! We're getting married!" I spit out, unable to hold it in a moment longer. I hold out my hand for her to see my ring.
"I had a feeling he'd be the one you'd marry. Never have seen two people fall so hard, so fast for each other as you two did. And does your father know about this?"
"Oh yes, he gave Gale permission to ask. We have his blessing, provide of course I finish school first."
"Pretty ring."
"It's been passed down in his family for generations. I love it."
"I'm very happy for you dear. He's a spirited young man with lots of determination and he'll make a fine husband." She says with a smile and a pat of my hand.
I smile back and finish off my breakfast as she goes back to her work. Before I leave for school, I slip an extra pear into my lunch bag for Rory. He never has enough food in his lunch and I can't stand watching him survive on so little. He takes what I give him but never tells Gale. Though if Gale were to find out at this point I doubt he'd have much of an argument. Rory will be my brother in law soon and it isn't considered charity of you're feeding your family. At least that's what I plan to use as my defense if he ever were to find out about it.
I've just gotten settled into my third morning lecture, still plastered with my silly girl smile and still finding myself staring down at my ring, when a Peacekeeper knocks on our classroom door. Peacekeepers rarely disrupt lectures so it's a little unnerving when they do.
"Pardon the interruption Professor, I am here to collect one of your pupils." He says as he hands my professor a document. The professor reads over the paper and nods before handing it back.
"Miss Undersee, please gather your belongings and come with me."
I gulp. Me? Why does a peacekeeper need to speak to me? And in the middle of class? I nod and gather my books trying not to look as nervous as I feel. Every eye in the classroom is on me as I walk to the door, smiling at the Peacekeeper with every ounce of illusion I can muster.
Once out in the hallway, I look to the Peacekeeper and wait for further instructions or explanation. He remains stern faced, per his position, and simply says "You are to come with me, the train is waiting for you. You have been summoned to appear before President Snow."
"President Snow? Regarding what?" I asked, eyes wide as fear pierces me to the core.
"Miss Undersee, I am only advised to collect you for the train that is waiting. Everything will be further explained once you are in the Capitol. Please, we must go now." He says, gesturing towards the exit.
"Right now? I need to go home first, to pack a few things." I point out. And I need to wait for Gale to get off work so I can tell him where I'm going I think to myself.
"Not necessary. We stopped by your house this morning and had your housekeeper packed a bag of your things and had it delivered to the train station. President Snow sent his personal train for you. "
"Oh, I see." I say, trying desperately to think of any other reason we could stall meeting the train for a few hours. I just have to talk to Gale. He'll be worried if he doesn't know where I am. It's worthless though; my mind is drawing a blank as to anything at all that I could do. I walk silently alongside the Peacekeeper towards the train. Once there, he hands me off to a Capitol official, some sort of train staff, who leads me to my room without saying a word. Tears sting my eyes and I fight them away. I will not panic. I will not cry. I have no idea what's going on but I will be strong. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself. Tea. I need to go find some tea or at the very least some water so I can try to calm myself down. I open the door to my room and peek down the hall. I don't see anyone to bring me anything so I decide to go find the dining car. I've only been on a train a handful of times but every time the dining car is towards the front so I head that way, trying to look as calm as ever all the while my insides are doing flip flops. I find the door marked dining staff and enter it. Someone is loading a freezer with boxes but I can't see who it is and they clearly haven't heard me come in.
"Excuse me? Could I trouble you for a cup of tea?" I ask, my voice only shaking a bit, hopefully not noticeable.
"Madge?" Tripp Krull comes from behind the large freezer door and stares at me with as much surprise as I stare at him.
"Tripp! Oh my God, Tripp!" I rush over and throw my arms around his neck, tears finally breaking free. Seeing someone I know, someone who can get a message to Gale, is the best thing I could possibly find right now. He pulls back from my very unanticipated embrace and looks at me with total alarm.
"Madge, what's wrong? Are you okay? Why are you on the train?"
"Why are you on the train? Are you going to the Capitol?" I ask, hoping amongst all hope that he's not going to the Capitol; that he's staying here.
"No, I'm just filling an order for Chicken Kiev. President Snow's advisors told him about it and he personally requested it from my parents. I'm just loading up the freezer and then I'm off of here. But Madge, why are you on President Snow's personal train?"
"I've been summoned by President Snow. No one will tell me anything else. I didn't even get to pack a bag, they took me straight out of class."
He looks at me and fear fills his face. He knows this can't be good. I know I don't have much time and I'm suddenly afraid that with this being the President's personal train our conversation may be recorded or at the very least, monitored so I embrace Tripp again, leaning up to his ear so I can whisper. "Please, you have to find Gale. Let him know where I am and that I'll somehow get word to him as soon as I can about what's going on. Please, you have to help me." I beg. I pull back and look into his eyes, still seeing the fear on his face.
He nods. "Well Madge, I hope you enjoy your visit to the Capitol, you should call me and let me know how your trip is going. I'd love to hear about it. You can call the café, I'm there almost all the time." He says almost a little louder than he should and with a wink. I get what he's telling me. He saying I can call him and he will give Gale a message once I know what's going on. He's letting me know he will help me.
"I'll be sure to do that." I say giving him a weak but very grateful smile.
"And as for your tea, I'll have one of the train attendants send some to your room. I'm all finished here and the train is needing to leave so I must go." He says, hugging me quickly and whispering, "It'll be okay." in my ear.
I nod and wipe the tears from my eyes. I can't have anyone see me crying. It won't help me to look weak or scared. I feel the train begin to move and I race back to my room so I can look out my window. I get there just in time to see Tripp. He waves and gives me a nod as our eyes meet. He's going to help me.
