The sound of bone cracking ripped the air. Madge was sent hurtling backwards, as the fist collided with her jaw. The impact of the force knocked the wind out of her lungs. "Get back on your feet," she could hear Natalie order in her head. Rolling to her side, Madge felt a pair of hands grab her by the shoulders and pin her to the ground. Slamming her back against the ground, a broken groan erupted from her throat, as her vision swarm around her. Lolling her head to the side, she could make out the nearing footsteps running towards her, guns at the ready.
"Hey, eyes on me Twelve," her attacker hissed, grabbing the sides of her face to face him. Madge squinted her eyes, as she could barely make out the features of her attacker. Blue eyed and red faced. "You think you can just storm into my district and try to rally up my town to join the side of the Mockingjay? Huh?" he yelled, slamming her back against the ground. Madge tried to dig her nails into his arms, but they just seemed to encourage the arms tightening their way across her neck. "You want us to join the girl who killed my son? Left him to die with the mutts?"
Madge felt herself stiffen. Cato's dad. It all made sense now. The way he had charged at her, a warrior's cry erupting from his lungs, his hands ready to kill. But that didn't mean Madge was taking suffocation to be her exit way anytime soon. Scouring the ground around her, she felt for the cool metal of her dagger. "How dare you?" His hands were tightening around her throat. "How dare you?" She couldn't breathe. "How dare you?" She could just about feel the handle of something. "You're a-"
Plunging the dagger into his thigh, Madge heaved and gasped for air, as Cato's dad groaned through gritted teeth; flinging his hands off of her. She felt a weight lift off her, as Bran and Jake lifted him off of her. Rolling to the side, Madge spluttered for breath, as she felt Thom's arms wrap around her and heave her onto her feet.
"Do you have any idea what that's like, huh?" he yelled, thrashing against the clutches of Bran and Jake. Natalie had her gun trained on him now. "Do you know what that's like? To see your own flesh and blood be devoured by a pack of mutts on national television?"
"Actually I do." Madge said, pushing forward away from Thom's clutches, trying to level her breaths. "My Aunt Maysilee was fed to a group of mutts just like your son was. She made it to the final five just like your son did. And she died just like your son did. A pack of squirrel mutts designed by the all mighty Capitol that you all place above your heads. Devoured her to pieces. Ripped her apart. Tore my mother's sanity apart, just like you're being torn apart now."
Madge was nearer to him now. His body had slackened and he was looking at Madge with what seemed to be a mixture of embarrassment and sympathy. "I didn't have the opportunity to meet my Aunt because the Capitol took her away. Snow took her away. Our family may still be here if it isn't for these stupid Games where our friends, brothers, sisters, children are sentenced to death."
Madge could see the crowd gather behind them now. She raised her head a little, speaking to them all. "That's what Snow does. He rips us apart and tears our sanity to shreds. All the suffering, loss and death that surrounds us is because of Snow's regime. His ruthless tyranny will continue unless we voice our most basic right. Our right to survive as equals."
"You were slacking today." Natalie said, circling Madge as she checked her stance. "You weren't focused. Didn't even react fast enough to the man who tackled you."
Madge sighed as she held her feet firm on the ground. "Well I would've been more alert if it weren't for your early morning endless training and then late night sparring sessions. You've got me all burnt out."
"Excuses don't stop you from being dead." Natalie snapped.
"Last time I checked my safety was your job. I'm not the only whose slacking." Madge smirked, quipping her brow.
"Don't get cocky with me. You're the one who asked to be trained," Natalie said, finding her place opposite Madge, ready to spar. "Besides the whole point of these training sessions are for you to be able to defend yourself. Defending yourself physically, involves you being alert mentally," she said, throwing a punch near Madge's face.
Madge blocked the punch with her arm, "Maybe my teacher isn't any good," she quipped. Natalie went into the direction of Madge's stomach, but ended up hooking her foot behind Madge's and swiping her onto the floor.
"Or maybe the student isn't any good," Natalie replied, with her brows raised. "Get up." Madge raised herself up, only to be slammed back down onto the ground during the process. Natalie had her arm pinned against Madge's throat, and suddenly Madge was back to being pinned onto the ground by Cato's dad.
"Stop," she whispered, but Natalie pushed harder. "Stop," she said again, louder this time and through heavy breaths.
"Fight back," Natalie ordered. "A Peacekeeper isn't going to stop just because you asked nicely."
Madge inhaled sharply and slammed her head against Natalie, causing her to recoil. It wasn't ideal, but it was a start. Scrambling to her feet, she grabbed hold of Natalie's arm and shoulder and slammed her against the wall. "IS this good enough for you?"
"Use the techniques I showed you. Go through them, in order," Natalie hissed, twisting her arm free and elbowing backwards into Madge's face. Madge groaned and stumbled backwards, feeling the hot blood spread from her nose. "Don't get distracted by the blood!" Natalie ordered, kicking her feet in Madge's direction.
Madge backed away, blocking Natalie's kicks and rolling to the side. She heard a gun cock, and looked up to see Natalie's gun aimed at her head. Well she sure had her attention now. With arms raised, Madge slowly got to her knees. There was a moment of surrender, before Madge lunged forward and grabbed Natalie by her middle, slamming her to the ground. The gun skidded across the ground, and Madge pinned her knee against Natalie's shoulder. "I think this is one of those situations where the student bested the master," Madge said, with a smirk on her face.
Natalie chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Don't be cocky."
"Was it true?" Jake asked, glancing at Madge. "What you said the other day?"
"About what?" Madge asked, squinting her eyes to shield them from the sun. They were on the move once again. Moving to their next location. Next village for her to inspire.
"About your Aunt?" he frowned, looking at the ground now.
"What, d'you think she'd make up something like that?" Thom snapped beside her. Madge pursed her lips as Jake sighed, shaking his head.
"It's not that foreign a concept. Propos do it sometimes, to paint the better picture." Madge felt something drop in her stomach, unease spreading through her.
"Those are bold accusations." Bran said, from the front of the line.
"Well he's not wrong," Natalie replied with equal certainty, behind them.
A moment's silence passed through them, as they continued to walk in line of each other. "Yes." Madge said, looking back at Jake.
"Oh," he said, lowering his voice and his gaze to the ground. Madge could sense his shame and discomfort; quickly quipping up to say, "But I'm not the only one to suffer at the hands of the Capitol."
A few grunts passed through the team, and Madge hesitated before speaking again. "The Mockingjay pin was hers. Passed down to her living doppelganger. And I passed onto Katniss. From one tribute to another."
The air felt heavy and she could see everyone nod around her, processing the information. "She inspired a revolution," Natalie said, her voice thick with respect. Madge nodded a little, coming to a stop as Bran turned around to her face.
"Alright, you're up, Princess." Bran sighed. "Win them over."
"Death doesn't have favourites. It infects us all. Privileged or not." Madge said, her head held high, trying address them all. As time went on the villages turned into towns, and the towns turned into more privileged towns. She knew how to tackle this crowd. "Trust me, I know. The Capitol dropped bombs on our districts. Tried to wipe us all out. And my father's house was the first house to go. Mayor's house. A member of the government. The most privileged out of the district. Decimated into flames."
She could feel her voice waver, as she spoke of her parents' death. Not today. She couldn't crack today. Biting on her lip, she held her breath as she could see unease and trepidation flicker through the crowds. "Snow doesn't have favourites. He won't favour you just because you're higher up. He'll destroy anyone who'll pose a threat to him."
"You just said it yourself. If we rebel we end up dead," a man said, from the middle of the crowd, his arms crossed over his chest.
Madge pursed her lips and sighed. "Either way at the end of it all, we're going to end up dead. Strewn into another vicious Hunger Games if the Capitol wins. Where we hand our children over to death. The Games themselves are evidence that death spares no one."
"Or we can die trying to make a difference. Trying to survive. Trying to make sure that our next generation never have to live the horrors we have witnessed. A future where the safety of our childhood isn't placed in the hands of an entertainment show."
She heard a few murmurs pass through the crowd that had accumulated in front of her. Some of them nodding their heads in agreement. "Like our lives can be trivialised and reduced into some form of entertainment for others. Where they gamble with our lives through their sponsors and publicity stunts."
There were more firm, audible yells of agreement now. Arms raised and claps spreading through the crowd. "I say no more of that! We are human beings. Our lives have value and purpose and no one can take that away from us."
A sense of unity flared throughout the crowd, as they cheered and agreed in unison, moving forward towards Madge. She felt adrenaline course through her as they circled her, like a stampede of supporters. She glanced at Bran who shook his head at her. It's not safe.
Madge didn't care though. These people trusted her. These people listened to her. These people wanted change like her. So she took a step forward into their clutches. Into their embrace.
And that's when the first shot fired.
A/N: I know some asked for Madge's speeches, and as promised here it is. Let me know what you think :)
P.S. You can also find me on tumblr under 'biglittlebluebox'
