Chapter 12

"You're the mole?" I say in shock.

Madge gives me a nervous smile and nods her head. She then gets up to come towards me. My eyes stay wide in disbelief.

"I guess I should be pleased that you are so shocked. It must mean I'm playing my role well," she says.

I shake my head and then open and close my mouth multiple times as I try to come up with the right questions to asks.

"How?" is all I manage to come up with.

Madge sighs and then offers me a seat. I perch on the end of it, my eyes still glued in amazement to my friend.

"It's a long story so I think it's best that I start from the beginning," she says.

I nod my head but my mind is racing a hundred miles a minute as I try to piece things together. Madge takes a deep breath before speaking.

"Hardly anyone knows this, but I fell pregnant just after I left college," Madge starts.

The surprises keep on coming and my eyes widen again. I didn't met Madge until she started going out with Cato and it's only now that I realise that I don't know much about her life before. Madge's face goes sombre and she looks down.

"It was an accident and I was twenty-two and unmarried. I had been brought up to believe there was only one thing I could do in that situation. I didn't even contemplate the consequences before I booked the appointment at the family planning clinic," she says.

I look at her sadly as she relives this moment again and reach out to give her hand a squeeze. Madge takes a deep breath before looking up and giving me a grateful smile.

"As soon as I left the clinic, I regretted it. I felt so hollow and empty inside. I barely got to my car before bursting into tears," she continues.

My grip on her hand tightens and I shake my head.

"I can't imagine how painful that must have been for you," I say.

Madge sniffs and nods her head.

"I didn't handle it well. Looking back at it now, I can see it was depression. It was a struggle to get out of bed in the mornings and I cut off my friends and family. I just kept picturing what the baby's life would have been like and then hated myself for what I did to it. Unsurprisingly my relationship with the father didn't survive as a result," she says.

She then takes a deep breath and looks back up at me looking more composed.

"But I somehow managed to drag myself out it and I then felt a whole new emotion. Anger," Madge says.

I nod my head to show her that I'm listening and understanding what she is saying.

"I was angry at Coin and the government for creating the Coin Laws. I was angry at them for not giving me a choice. For making me think I only had one option. As soon as I felt that there was really only one thing to do," she says.

"Join the rebellion," I reply.

Madge nods her head before letting go of my hand and leaning back in her chair.

"I found the rebellion quickly enough and then did all the things new members do. I went to the meetings and painted signs for the rallies but I wanted to do more. I wanted to have a significant impact on the fall of Coin and her regime," she says.

I nod my head again and the sadness in Madge's eyes has gone. In its place is a steely determination.

"I got the idea after I was in the same bar as Cato and he came over to flirt with me. Suddenly I saw an opportunity to get close to Coin and her family," Madge says.

My eyes widen in realisation and I sit back in my chair. Finnick was right about Madge having alternative motives for being with Cato. He just got the motivation wrong.

"The whole time you have been with Cato it's so you can be close with his mother. You've never been in love with him. The whole relationship is a lie," I say.

Madge nods her head and then hangs it a little guiltily.

"Yes. I know he was your friend and probably don't approve of what I did," she says.

I shake my head.

"I just don't understand how you kept it up for three years. How you slept with a man you don't care about? How you nearly got engaged to him? That's a lot of dedication to the rebellion. I've got to admire you for that," I say.

Madge nods her head as she looks down.

"It hasn't been easy. Particularly since Gale," she admits.

I furrow my eyes in confusion.

"Gale?" I ask.

"When I told my contact in the rebellion about my plan with Cato they went straight to the top. The plan brought me onto Gale's radar and once I had successfully planted myself in their family he wanted to work with me directly," she replies.

I shake my head as I think I see where this is going.

"We didn't like each other at first. We came from such different backgrounds and didn't always agree on the best way forward. But my plan meant we spent so many late nights, dissecting things I found out about Coin and her government. Slowly walls began to break down and I began to make him laugh. I learned that Gale is everything Cato is not. Intelligent, passionate and determined. One day I just woke up and realised I was in love with him," Madge says.

The penny fully drops and I realise several things at once.

"I asked Gale if he was in love with Katniss but he said that his heart belongs to someone else. He was talking about you," I say.

Madge nods her head.

"And you are his alibi for the family bombings," I add.

Madge nods her again.

"And when I asked you why you forgave Cato about his drunken proposal, you said that I shouldn't underestimate what people do for love. But you weren't talking about love for Cato. You were talking about your love for Gale," I say.

Yet another nod of the head before she looks at me fully.

"There have been so many times I've wanted to walk away from Cato but the intel I have got since I started dating him has been too good. Coin has made it pretty clear that the only reason she keeps me in the job is because my relationship with Cato makes him and the family look better," she replies.

I shake my head, not quite sure how someone could keep up a lie for so long.

"Gale has never forced me to keep seeing Cato. In fact there have been times he's been quite angry about it and told me to quit but deep down we both know I'm too valuable to the rebellion to just walk away from it," she adds.

"Jesus, Madge. This is a lot to take in," I say.

"I know your head must be exploding with all this new information. You are only the fourth person that knows. Katniss doesn't even know," she replies.

"But you know about Katniss and me," I say.

"Yes. When Paylor did background checks on you, my name came up as one of your connections. Paylor came to me to ask about you character. I have to say I was a little surprised that out of everyone in the group you strayed to the rebellion but I vouched for you. I knew you would have had only good intentions," she says.

"Thank you," I reply.

Madge smiles.

"It was so hard pretending I knew nothing about what you were up to. I wanted to approach you so many times to tell you we were on the same side," she says.

"Well you have been very convincing," I say with a smile.

Madge smiles back at me and then turns to look at what is laid out on the desk.

"I promise you know everything now. No more secrets," she says. "We might actually now get onto what you came here for in the first place."

I smile and nod my head before turning to look at papers she passes to me. It's a lot to process but I need to wait until I am on my own to fully come to terms with everything I have just found out.

"I was finally able to get hold of these but I can't made heads or tails of them. I showed them to Paylor too and she is just as clueless. You were the only accountant we knew that we could 100% trust," she says.

"I'm honoured," I reply.

I look over the first few pages and they weren't lying about them being a mess. Things are out of order, or in the wrong column and sometimes just blank. There is no way these would pass inspection.

"I'll need to re-organise all the information. It's like a first-year college student has put them together," I say.

"I'm sure that's deliberate. Her accountant, Romulus is pretty hard and devious," Madge replies. "How long do you think it will take to sort it out?"

"At lease three or four weeks. I start back at my job on Monday so I won't be able to work on them day and night," I say.

Madge sighs but nods her head.

"I know you will do it as quick as possible. We can be patient," she says.

"Where am I supposed to work on them? It might look suspicious if I keep coming here to work at night," I ask.

"Agreed. We're going to let you take them home. Someone managed to do a sweep of your house for bugs and while there are some in the main house there are none in the pool house," she replies.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

"They really bugged my house?" I ask.

"It's standard procedure for anyone arrested for assisting the rebellion. They would probably have done it before you got transferred to Capitol Prison. It's just audio though so be careful what you say," she says.

I nod my head in understanding. I kind of half suspected that they may have bugged the house and have censored what I have said in there but the other half of me thought I was just being paranoid.

"You can't mention anything that happened in here today to anyone. Prim is going to have to stay in the dark and if anyone asks why you were meeting here just tell them you were meeting me with the potential to bring Gold Pin Industries on as one of your firm's clients," Madge adds.

"And what do I say Gold Pin Industries do if someone else asks me?" I say.

"If you Google it, you will find that Gold Pin Industries mine and supply precious metal to jewellery makers. It's a shame the firm will go bust in a couple of weeks," Madge replies with a smile.

I laugh and marvel at how thorough the rebellion is. Madge then tells me that we have the room for another hour and I make a start of trying to sort the mess out.


I so desperately want to tell Prim everything I found out but have to pretend my day was uneventful when I see her later. It's made even harder by the fact she has become a lot more active in the rebellion since I've been away.

"You're helping unqualified mothers?" I say one night a week later.

Madge was able to tell us exactly which rooms are bugged in the house and thankfully they left Prim's room alone. I lie on top of her bed as I watch her get ready for drinks tonight.

"Yes. I clear the records of any unqualified mothers that come through the emergency room and then send them to an address Paylor gave me. The rebellion look after them there and help them get to the border," she replies.

"Wow. I am impressed. It must be pretty dangerous to delete hospital admissions," I say.

Prim shrugs her shoulder as she finishes curling the ends of her hair.

"I can't look at the pleading face of an unqualified mother any more. It's cruel and I would rather go to jail for something I believe in than sit back and do nothing," she says. "Do you regret going to jail for Katniss?"

"No," I reply without hesitating.

Prim turns to me with a smile.

"We're on the right side, Peeta. And we're going to win this sooner rather than later," she says.

I smile back and love her confidence. I couldn't be prouder of my baby sister.

Prim puts on a stroke of lipstick but then our watches start beeping to remind of us the next news bulletin. I sigh as I roll off the bed.

"We need to get to a room with a TV," I say.

Prim reluctantly nods her head as she gathers up her things and then we head downstairs to watch the new.

Caesar Flickerman's grim face is already on screen when we enter.

"Today the rebels have demonstrated another act of defiance. At just after 6am this morning some rebels masquerading as peacekeepers snuck into the medical units in Capitol Prison and stole medical equipment that is used to sterilize prisoners. The sterilization of male prisoners was due to start on Monday and President Coin has been quick to condemn the rebels for this atrocious theft," he says.

Prim's eyes widen in surprise and she then turns to give me a look that asks "Did you know this was going to happen?". Conscious of the bugs in the room I can only smile and nod my head. Prim gives me a big grin in return and then turns back to eagerly watch the rest of the news. Coin is now on screen giving her statement.

"I want the rebels to know that their act of rebellion will not deter the prison from carrying out the first sterilization on Monday. The prison has already contacted the suppliers and they will be providing new medical equipment tomorrow. The rebels may think they are being clever but theft is still a crime. They have just proven that we are completely right to sterilize them. People who demonstrate such rash and impulsive behaviour should not be allowed to reproduce. When we catch those responsible they will be sent straight to the sterilization room," Coin announces.

Prim and I share a look but I can't help but think Coin's words are a bit desperate. I no longer think that the majority of the public agree with her.

Coin carries on but then the screen starts to crackle and the picture cuts out. I smile when Beetee's voice comes clearly through the TV speakers.

"People of Panem, this is Beetee Latier, one of the members of the rebellion," he starts.

Prim turns to me with a massive grin.

"The rebels are claiming responsibility for the theft of the medical equipment and we are speaking to you now because we believe that many of you agree it was the right thing to do. So far over one hundred women have been sterilized under the bill. Many of them haven't even been found guilty yet and have just been in holding cells. We've had word that some of the operations haven't been performed under sterile conditions. We believe that these sterilizations are not only unethical but a mutilation on a person's body. As decent human beings we can't stand back and let this happen," he says.

I nod my head, impressed with the speech Beetee is making.

"The majority of people in Panem are decent people so we are asking you to come and stand with us. Join us outside the delivery gates of the prison and refuse the supply trucks entry. Show President Coin that we will not stand for such horrific treatment of fellow citizens. Show her that you are a much better person than she is. Together we can bring justice back to Panem," he continues.

Prim nods her head in steely determination and I can only hope that many other people are doing the same around the country.


None of the rest of the news is as interesting and Prim and I head out to a bar downtown to meet up with Finnick and Annie. We had to rearrange drinks last week because Annie didn't feel well and I'm in a very good mood after Beetee's interruption earlier.

Prim chats to me about the medical supply theft as we walk from the metro station to the bar.

"Gale was able to plan the whole thing from inside his cell, wasn't he?" she asks.

I nod my head.

"I may have helped him come up with the idea," I reply.

Prim's eyes widen in amazement and I can tell she has a hundred different questions running through his head.

"I knew you met him in jail. Wasn't he heavily guarded?" she asks.

"Gale has friends in there. They can help him move about," I say.

"And it was these friends that helped with the theft?" Prim asks.

"I would think so. A laundry cart was also involved. Though I'm a little surprised they were able to organise things so quickly," I reply.

Prim nods her head.

"Everything seems to be happening so quickly at the moment. That's how I know we're approaching the end," she says.

"I hope you're right," I reply.

Prim gives me a smile before we push through the door of the bar.

Finnick and Annie are already there and have secured a booth in the corner. Annie's belly is really starting to show now and she cradles it lovingly as Finnick whispers in her ear. Finnick manages to drag his eyes away from his wife long enough to give me an enthusiastic greeting.

"Peeta! So glad you're free!" he declares.

I chuckle as he wraps his arms around me and picks me up to spin. I turn to Prim when he puts me back down.

"Why didn't I get a greeting like that when you met me?" I say.

Prim rolls her eyes at me.

"I bought you take out when you first got out so don't complain," she replies.

I grin at her and then Finnick pulls me down to sit beside him. He pushes a beer in front of me and encourages me to drink it.

"I know you are teetotal but this is a very special occasion," he says.

I pick up the bottle to inspect and ponder it for a long moment.

"I don't think I have drunk beer since you forced me on my twenty-first birthday," I reply.

"Oh for God shake, Peeta. Stop being a pussy," another voice says.

I freeze and turn my head slowly to meet Cato's eye. Madge stands beside him with her arm looped through his but I can't stand the sight after everything I know. I clench my jaw and tighten my grip on the beer bottle.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

Finnick looks guilty between us.

"I know you two had some sort of falling out but I thought you might want to fix things after everything that happened," he says.

I turn to him angrily.

"Being in jail only strengthen my decision to stop being friends," I say.

Finnick opens his mouth to say something but I shake my head to stop him. I then stand up abruptly and stride away to the bar. I brush past Madge on my way and I catch her eye just long enough to see her looking sympathetic.

I slump down on a bar stool and order an orange juice. My nails scratch at the counter as I try to work out my anger towards Cato. The bartender comes back with my drink and I pay him before taking a long slurp. As I slam my glass back down, a hand comes to rest on my shoulder. Immediately I spin round and prepare to fight the person. But it's only Finnick and he puts his hands up in surrender as he steps back.

"Hey. It's only me. Calm down," he says.

I relax my shoulders and let out a sigh as I rest my elbow against the counter. Finnick looks at me as if he can't figure me out.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know things were so bad between you and Cato," he says.

"He's an arrogant asshole. How can you not see that?" I reply.

"Yeah, he can be at times but he just acts like that to hide his insecurities," Finnick replies. "We were all such good friends at college. It would be a shame to lose that."

I shake my head.

"No. He has no excuses. He's a bad person," I say.

"What did he do to make you think that because I'm not sure I know who you are at the moment. You're getting arrested and defensive. The Peeta I knew forgave anyone," Finnick says.

"There are some things that I can't forgive," I reply.

"Tell me. Because I want to understand. I don't want to lose you," he says.

I stare at him for a long moment trying to figure out if I can tell him. Katniss is safe over the border now and I might be able to make him understand without giving the full details.

"I found out he raped a girl. A waitress that hadn't flirted back with him. Is that reason enough for you?" I ask.

Finnick recoils in shock and it takes him a few moments to find words.

"Jesus, Peeta. I wasn't expecting that. That's messed up," he says.

I nod my head.

"Now can you see why I don't like the thought of spending an evening with a rapist?" I reply.

Finnick nods his head.

"I'm sorry. I should have known you would have had a good reason. I'll tell him to leave," he says.

"Thank you," I say.

Finnick nods his head again and I finish my orange juice. I then get up to follow Finnick back to the booth. I want to tell Cato to go as soon as we get back but Prim is the middle of a big debate with Madge and Annie.

"Well, I'm definitely going to protest tomorrow. As someone in the medical profession I think it's morally wrong what the Sterilization Bill allows them to do that to people," she says.

"But aren't you scared about what they will do if they catch you there?" Annie asks.

Prim shakes her head fiercely.

"It's not against the law yet to protest peacefully. Madge can go and tell Coin personally that I plan on going but it wouldn't stop me. I need to stand up for what I believe in," Prim replies.

"The government just want every child to have the best life possible. Most of the women that have been sterilized live in a life of crime or poverty. Any child they bring into the world would have a hard life," Madge says.

I'm impressed at how smoothly she lies. But I guess she has had three years to perfect it by now.

"That's bullshit, Madge," Prim says. "I know people that work in the prison medical centres and they say that a few times the area has been trashed so they carried out the procedures in the inmates' cells. That is unsafe and barbaric."

Madge stays quiet while Annie shakes her head.

"I just don't see how anything we do will make a difference," Annie says.

Prim lets out a groan of frustration and bangs her hands against the table.

"The only way change happens is if a big enough group of people get together to challenge the norm. We need everyone we can get," Prim says.

Annie looks down guiltily as she strokes her stomach.

"I understand you have an unborn baby you want to protect, Annie, but sitting and doing nothing makes you just as bad as the people that made the laws in the first place," Prim adds.

Silence falls around the table and Finnick looks stunned. Cato zoned out of the conversation long ago and plays on his phone while Madge quickly glances in my direction. Prim then turns to her.

"You can call the peacekeepers if you want and tell them all the bad things I have been saying but I'm tired of being quiet. I've seen too much heartbreak at the hospital due to the Coin Laws," she says.

I know Madge wants to desperately agree with her but she still has a role to play.

"I won't call the peacekeepers. Like you said it's not against the law to have an opinion," Madge replies.

She then looks at me, then Cato and sighs. She tugs on Cato's arm and encourages him to leave.

"I think it's best we leave. I don't think we're wanted," she says. "Congratulations, Peeta, on getting out."

I smile and tip my head at her as she leads Cato away. He just has enough time to through me a cold look over his shoulder as he leaves.

Another moment of silence falls once they have left and Finnick looks around the booth.

"Well, don't say I don't know how to organise a drinks party," he says.

This breaks the tension and everyone laughs. Finnick slides in next to Annie and I take a seat next to Prim. Everyone's careful not to bring up the rebellion again but I remember being like Finnick and Annie. It becomes even more obvious how I annoyingly naïve I was.

Prim isn't the only vocal one about the rebellion though. Over the next few weeks I overhear several conversations of people defending the rebels and condemning Coin. The prison cells in the local peacekeeper stations become full as peacekeepers arrest anyone they hear supporting the rebellion but the peacekeepers can never keep them for long. As Madge says, it's not against the law to have an opinion yet. Though I grow increasingly wary that Coin will announce a new bill soon outlawing any association with the rebels.

But the rebels continue to grow from strength to strength. Over three thousand people stood outside the delivery entrance of the prison, stopping the vans filled with medical equipment getting through. Some rebels were then able to hijack them and the vans were eventually found burnt out fifty miles away.

Another two thousand people surrounded the factory where the supplies were being made and a fire ripped through the building late one night, destroying everything in but thankfully killing no one. The protests outside the prisons haven't stopped and Coin has been forced to delay any further sterilizations as they try to find a solution that doesn't involve hurting the protestors.

I would love to join Prim at some of the protests but I have an important job to do. I spend my evenings after work in the pool house trying to order Coin's personal accounts. It's long tedious work and I feel Katniss' presence more acutely in the pool house than anywhere else in the house. Only my work distracts me from thinking about her.

There is a knock on my door one evening and I'm pleasantly surprised to find Madge on the other side of the door. I smile at her warmly and step aside to let her in. We both head straight for the pool house, knowing it is the safest place to talk. I work a floorboard lose and stick my hand down to pull out the accounts.

"I actually meant to call you soon. I think I've sorted the accounts out and was just about to look for anything suspicious," I say.

Madge smiles as I hand her the accounts and we both take a seat at the small table.

"That's great. But I didn't actually come here to check up on how it was going," she says.

"Oh?" I ask.

Madge nods her head and smiles. She then dips her hand into her purse and pulls out a small photo.

"Paylor got sent this. She thought you would like to see it," she says.

I bend closer to get a better view as Madge turns the photo around. My heart stops instantly at the sight and I reach out to grasp the photo in my hand.

It's a photo of Katniss. But she's not alone. Her hair is sweaty and stuck to her head but she has the biggest smile as she looks down at the tiny baby cradled in her arms. The baby is swaddled in a pink blanket and looks up curiously at their mother. A tear slips down my cheek.

"She had a girl?" I ask.

Madge nods her head.

"She named her Denver. It means green valley. She was born last Thursday and they are both doing well," she replies.

I can't take my eyes of the picture and my thumb reaches out to stroke the baby's cheek.

"She has so much hair," I say in awe.

Denver's hair is thick on top of her little head and I wonder what she smells like. Because as much I am happy to see this image it just reminds me that I'm not there with them and a stab of loneliness hits me hard.

I peel my eyes away to look back at Madge.

"Thank you for this. It means a lot to me," I say as I struggle to hold back more tears.

Madge reaches across to grab my hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.

"We'll get them back soon," she says determinedly.

I nod my head and know she isn't just talking about Katniss and Denver. She has a man she misses too.

I wipe away the tears and then offer Madge a drink. Now I have seen Denver I'm more determined to help the rebellion and bring them closer to home. Maybe these accounts will help with that.

I make us both tea before laying out all the accounts and explaining to Madge what I have done so far.

"I thought I could look at transactions around the date of the family planning bombings to see if there is anything linking her to that," I say.

"Good idea," Madge says as she leans closer. "Where would that be?"

I quickly scan the papers and pull out the page for those dates.

"Here it is. It seems like she had a lot of theatre and dinner dates," I say.

Madge nods her head as we both look over them and my brow furrows when I come across three very large payments on the same day.

"That's odd. There are three payments made to different companies on this day that are over one million dollars," I say.

I point them out to Madge and she leans in to get a closer look.

"They were made a month before the bombing," she says.

I nod my head.

"Do you recognise any of these companies?" I ask.

Madge shakes her head but asks for my laptop. I get up to retrieve it and she types rapidly into the search engine bar.

"Let's see what they are," she says.

I nod my head and look down at the three names; Panem Solar, Organic District and Snow Textiles. I've heard of none of them.

Madge opens a few tabs and scans the pages for any information.

"Okay so they are a solar energy company, an organic food distributor and a fabric merchandiser. Why would Coin spend so much money on them?" she asks.

I shrug my shoulder.

"It seems odd," I say.

Madge nods her head as she continues to click on things on the companies' websites. Suddenly her eyes widen in alarm.

"Holy shit! All these companies are owned by Seneca Crane," she says.

"Who?" I ask.

"He's one of the richest people in the capitol and is known for getting richer by buying smaller businesses and expanding them," she replies.

"How does that help us?" I ask.

Madge looks up at me with a grin.

"Because the way Crane made his millions in the first place is through setting up his hugely successful weapons manufacturing business," he replies.

My eyes widen in realisation.

"And I'm assuming that his business can make a bomb like the one used in the family planning bombing," I say.

"Absolutely," Madge says. "This might be what we are looking for to link her to the bombing."

I nod my head as I look over the rest of the accounts.

"Let's check to see if she's made any other payments to them. It'd be more likely she paid them for the bomb if they are one off payments," I say.

Madge nods in agreement as we scan the rest of the pages. But I don't see any other mention of these companies. That is until I get to the last page.

"Oh shit. She made the exact same three payments five weeks ago," I say.

Madge grabs the pages and brings them up to her eyes to see. She shakes her head in disbelief.

"Do you think that means what I think it means?" I ask.

Madge pulls her eyes away from the pages to nod at me sombrely.

"She's built another bomb," she replies.


A/N: I hope that answered a lot of people's questions about Madge! I'm glad I was able to finally reveal everything about each other.

The rebellion is rapidly gaining momentum and I promise we'll see Katniss again soon.