A/N: Trouble in Hell :(

I don't listen to him. Instead, I stand in the square with hundreds of others watching the man being marched up the gallows. I thought I'd never see him again. I was wrong. It's the rebel from the other day. He looks awful. His face is beaten and bruised. His arms are visibly broken as they're bound in front of him. He's even missing patches of hair ripped clean from his scalp. It would normally be customary for all district officials to attend an execution, but my father, unsurprisingly, decided against it. Every Peacekeeper is here, though. They would never miss the show. Thread comes to the front of the scaffold to speak.

"This man," he doesn't even have the common decency to refer to him by name, "is a danger to the order of District 12 and the order of Panem. He has been sentenced to hang until he's dead. Let this show you all that no matter what you try, you will not overthrow the Capitol. Any other conspirators out there. We will find you, and you will meet the same fate!"

It is dead silent. They throw a bag over his head and wrap the noose around it. There is a single gasp from crowd. It's a woman. A young woman with long dark hair and tears in her eyes. An older woman, who resembles her, holds her close and turns her away. I don't want to imagine the sadness she is feeling, whoever she is. Others hardly even shed a tear for him. I don't know if they truly don't care, or if they're afraid of connecting to this man. Afraid that showing sadness in his death will put a target on their backs, as well. So cowardly. But, who am I to say anything? I can't help but do the same.

There are no final words given to the man. A lever is pulled. I close my eyes and turn my head, trying to keep myself from the horror of it. However, the sound of the trap floor dropping and the rope tightening is more than enough horror by itself. I wait to hear them cut him down, but they don't. They can't just leave him there, can they? Of course they can. What better reminder than a visual display? I trek back to my house. No more death for me.

The execution puts my mind in a horrible place. Even worse, it makes me think about my parents. I don't have to wonder if that will happen in the event of their arrest. I imagine Peacekeepers bursting my house, and hauling us all away. I imagine my father and my mother looking as tortured as the rebel did and lead up to hang. But, I can't shake the thought that it would be even worse. If they've been involved in these plots for ten years, a simple hanging wouldn't do. I shake my head of the thoughts. I don't want to cloud my mind with negative things. This plan will work. It has to. I spend the day trying to convince myself of that.

I know that I'm supposed to meet Gale here in the meadow tonight, but for the first time, I really don't feel like being here. I have a bad feeling about tonight. There have been rolls of thunder and gray clouds all day, and the mood hasn't been light. Even as dark as it is, you can still see the clouds hanging in the sky. It doesn't feel right. My fears were only heightened when Gale showed up. He looks much angrier than usual. He's not in a hood mood, that's for sure. He sits in the grass without so much as a greeting and props his arms up on his knees. Why did either of us even bother coming?

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah," he says, sounding short.

This is just as bad as first night that we met up. Distant stares. Awkward silence. It's definitely familiar. It's worse, even. It's worse, because he's not just exhausted. He's actually angry this time.

"I know that you're mad about the man today."

"Gibb Vinnings"

"Oh, that's his name? Well, I can tell that it's bothering you."

"No, it's not. I'm just thinking." He's so closed off again. He's not very believable.

"What are you thinking about?"

"There are some things that you don't talk about to some people."

"You can trust me, though. I won't say anything to anybody. I promise."

"Even if it's about a rebellion? Can I trust you with that?" He wants me to say no. He wants me to accuse him of being a traitor for even mentioning it and run off to tell Peacekeepers of his evil words. I won't.

"Yes, you can."

"We were talking in the mines today. We always talk. They're ready, and I'm ready."

"What do you plan on doing?"

"We're coming together in two days and charging the Justice Building. Take out any Peacekeepers we see and anymore that they send in. We'll control communication, transportation, supplies, everything."

My mouth drops. I look around us to see if anyone is within hearing range. They're not, but I'm still worried. Not about anyone hearing him, but about what he's saying. This is exactly what my father was talking about. Brute-force. It will be the death of them and any other rebellion in our district. I can't let that happen.

"That's insanity, Gale."

"Why is it insanity," he asks rolling his eyes.

"Because, you'll die trying. The Peacekeepers have guns, and they're way better equipped to fight. They'll have no problem taking you out."

"We're not going after your dad. He'll be fine, okay?"

"I'm not worried about my dad. I'm worried about you. You don't understand them. They're prepared for rebel charges. That's what they want. You can't…"

"What are you saying? You're saying that we shouldn't try? We should just accept our lives? That we shouldn't rebel?"

"No, not at all. I'm just saying that it would be in everyone's best interest to re-think your strategy. I don't think that you should revolt so soon. Keep going on normally for now. Give it some time."

This isn't coming out at all like I want it to. I don't want him to think that I'm saying that rebelling is wrong. I just want him to see that he's doing it wrong. I'm only trying to protect him and the other miners from certain death. That's all I want him to see. If he waits a little longer without causing too much of a stir, my father's plans can go through and everyone will benefit. I want so badly to tell him this. But, instead, it seems that I've done nothing but anger him more. His eyes pierce through me like balls of fire. He's repulsed by my words. He looks thoroughly betrayed. I'm not betraying, you. I wish I could tell him that. But, right now, I doubt that he'd even listen to me anyway.

"See, that kind of attitude is the problem! People are too content with everything, and they don't think about the struggles going on in their own district! They don't think about struggles that need to be taken care of now; not later!"

"You don't know that," I say defensively. I must remember to keep things to myself, so I sigh and continue calmly, "Just wait a little longer and things will work out."

"Work out? You think that things will 'work out?' Well, things don't just work out in the Seam, Undersee. We have to actually work for what we want over here, and we still don't get it." There is venom behind the way he says my name.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I'm wasting time," he growls, standing up to leave. Then, he turns around and looks down on me. Looking down on me never seemed as true as it does now, "You don't know. You have no idea what we go through over here. Who are you to say that we shouldn't rise up? You'll never know!"

"That's not true," I struggle to bite my tongue and calculate my words before speaking.

"Of course it's true! Talking to someone like you about starving and hardships and torture is no use, because you wouldn't understand. You all stay on your side and play along with the Capitol. Just obedient because… Well, why not? The Capitol never did you wrong. You have no reason not to be obedient!"

That does it. That's the straw.

"And, where are your revolts getting you now, huh," I snap, "Is it putting any more food on your table? Is it shortening your work hours? No, because it's not working! It's hurting you more than it's helping, whether you think so or not. This is not the way to go about it! You don't trust me when I say that some of us do care about others! You're so quick to throw everybody together and judge us all so poorly, when I've never done that to you!"

By the brief look of shock on Gale's face, I can tell that he wasn't expecting me to yell. I wasn't either. The fiery words don't even sound real coming in my naturally soft-spoken tone. They definitely aren't words that I would say often; not out loud, at least. I can't help it, though. He says that we don't know; that I don't know. He's the one that has no idea what's really going on. If only he knew. How ignorant would he feel? As quickly as his shock appeared is as fast as it leaves and is replaced by resistance.

"I've had a hard life. If the Capitol is allowed to continue like it is, I'll keep having a hard life. And my children would have hard lives, and their children. It won't stop. It'll just be an endless cycle of this," he speaks. Behind his rage, I can see sadness in his eyes attached to those words, "Your children, though, they'll grow up healthy and happy with plenty of food to eat and a much better future, just like you have."

"All right," I say as I pick up my backpack and flash light, "There's obviously no changing your mind. I have somehow wronged you so much that you harbor animosity towards me. You're just going to keep seeing me through your jaded vision, no matter what I say to try and change it. You're right. I'll never understand you."

"Madge, you just need to wake up from your fantasy world and see the pain around you."

"I see it every day!"

"What? What do you see every day? What could the mayor's daughter have possibly gone through in her lifetime that was so bad?" I stand up, closing much of the space between us and match his angered glare.

"I see my mother, who isn't even allowed to go to the Capitol to get proper medical care. So, she stays locked in her room dying from pain. I see this. This anger that people have towards me because of who I am and where I'm from. This dissension amongst our own District, these sides, created by the Capitol to keep us from coming together. Created, so we all remain 'obedient.' And, I lost my best friend to the Capitol… twice! My best friend! My only friend! Did you forget that?"

The shock returns to him. That seemed to strike a nerve. He doesn't reply. He couldn't have been expecting those words to come from me, of all people. It's as if he'd forgotten what Katniss meant to me, as well. Our friend was gone. Not just his. He stares at me with a softened gaze, but it's my turn to be angry. It's my turn to look down on him. His mouth drops, and he looks as if he is trying to sort out a rebuttal but one is not coming. For a change, I truly didn't want to hear a word he had to say.

"I'm… I didn't…" he stumbles.

"I'm hurting, too, Gale," I say sorrowfully, "I'd love to be this perfect little creature with a fantasy life that you speak of. It sounds amazing."

With that, I push past him and across the meadow. I feel the drops of water hit my folded arms before I notice that I'm crying. Why? Maybe it's just because I'd been keeping my anger inside for so long, and I took it all out on him. Or maybe it's the fact that it won't change. We can be as friendly as we like to each other, hang out and joke around. But, it will always come back to the same thing. I don't know what he's been through. I don't know what suffering is. I get everything I want and need without any problems. Whatever it is that separates me from them, from him, resonates whenever something goes wrong around here. He's made me the poster child for 12's corruption. I'm sorry, Gale Hawthorne. I'm sorry that I single-handedly caused all of the suffering in District 12. I did it. I did everything. Is that what I'm supposed to say? My tears fall faster than I can wipe them away.

Last night in the woods never happened. It's nothing but a distant memory now. No, a sweet dream.

A/N: Sadly, this was bound to happen.