Chapter 25

(Gale POV)

He's back. Neither of us was sure he would be but I guess now we have our answer. I warned her to steer clear of him because I'm more than a little worried that he'll retaliate against her in some way. It makes me nervous to have him back. Not for me, but for her. If he comes for me again, he'd better have his friends with him again. As I'm walking home, it takes all I have not to go find him and talk to him, make sure he understands he needs to stay away from her. I don't though, cause I know she's probably standing on her porch watching me. It's okay though. I'm in town a lot more now than I used to be and I'll see him soon enough and I can warn him then not to go anywhere near her.

At home, when I'm in bed trying to sleep, all I can think about is what a whirlwind day this has been. I survived my first Capitol interview. Madge could love me. I could love her. Her father is planning on me marrying her in two years. I am expected to become Mayor in two years. If Madge doesn't get married, her family gets banished to the Seam. Cynthel might find out who gave Katniss the money. And Marcus is back. And let's not forget the games are still going on too. That's a lot to take in for just one day. So many highs and lows and all the unknowns of the future. It takes at least an hour before I finally drift off.

And then I dream. I dream of Madge being attacked by Marcus, his grimy paws all over her, touching her, his bloody butcher's apron staining her fancy dress. She's struggling, pushing him back but he's stronger than her and he won't let her go. Her voice sounds so small and scared as she begs him to stop, to let her go. He's laughing, an evil, stomach sickening kind of laugh. And even though I can see all this happening, I can't stop it. I can't save her from him. Can't get close enough and I'm yelling but it's like they can't hear me.

"Dude, wake up!"

"What?" I ask, sitting straight up and trying to orient myself. It takes a second and then I realize I was dreaming and that Rory just woke me up. I fall back against my pillow and rub my hands over my face.

"You alright?" Rory asks.

"Uh, yeah. Nightmare."

"I got that much. You were flailing all over the place and yelling words you should be glad Ma didn't hear you saying. And who is Marcus?"

"Nobody." I tell him as I get up and start getting dressed for work.

"How come you got all those new clothes?" Rory asks, not leaving like I wish he would.

"They're for work."

"You like your new job?"

"It's alright. Pays good."

"You get keep it if y'all break up?"

"Don't you have somewhere else to be? Someone else you can bother?" I ask him, shooting him a look. I am not in the mood for pesky little brother's right now.

He's smart enough to get out and I finish getting dressed in private, without the twenty questions. Once I'm dressed, I grab a bowl of oatmeal in the kitchen and scarf it down. It's no longer oatmeal mush because we have enough that we don't have to water it down like we used too. The kids love it but it's weird to me. I think I've been eating the watered down stuff for so long that I may never be able to get used to the new stuff.

My plan was to go by Madge's house before work so I could see if she found anything out from Cynthel but I find my feet carrying me straight passed the turn towards her house and instead going straight towards the butcher shop. I want to just walk passed there. Just want him to see me and remember that I'm here and show him that I'm not afraid of him. I walk slowly and stare the shop down as I pass it. He's there. I can see him inside, behind the counter. He doesn't see me though. Doesn't seem like it anyway. I pause and stare for a second but then move along, deciding I need to just go into work early and get my mind off him. I'd told Madge I wouldn't do anything stupid and it's probably best that I at least try to keep my word on that.

(Madge POV)

By the time I'm changed and cleaned up, all Seam coal stains gone, Cynthel is no where to be found, in bed already I assume so I don't get to talk to her. In the morning though, I find her right away. Or well, I stalk out her door until I hear it opening and then conveniently happen by, bumping into her.

"Oh Madgie, there you are! I looked for you last night and couldn't find you."

I hate how she always calls me Madgie instead of just Madge but if she can give me answers about Katniss's sponsor funds then she call me whatever she wants. "I was at Gale's house until late, I'm sorry."

"As well you should be honey! If he was mine, I'd be at his house late too!" She says with a wink. "I wanted to talk to you about those sponsorship funds. I was able to find out where the money came from."

"Really? That's fantastic!"

"The funds were transferred in from a private trust account in the Capitol Bank. Now, I don't have a full name or anything but I do know that the account was stagnant, hadn't had any activity on it in more than 18 years and that was back when it was set up."

"So we don't know who the account belongs to? How mystifying!" I say, trying not to show that I'm itching too much for more information than that. If I'm too inquisitive about it she'll get suspicious and maybe stop helping me.

"It is strange isn't it? I mean, why bother putting up all that money if you aren't going to take the credit for it? Bunch of nonsense if you ask me." She says in full Capitol mentality. Capitol people never do anything without outrageous amounts of fanfare. And they certainly aren't anonymous givers of money. And then it hits me, there's no way this money came from a Capitol person. It may have been a Capitol account but it had to have been set up by someone else outside the Capitol. But who? Who outside the Capitol would have that kind of money? Not regular people. Only people partially tied to the Capitol. Victors. Mayors. Possibly Head Peacekeepers. And who would have set that up so long ago only to now touch it to save Katniss? It doesn't make sense.

I head over to see Gale and find his office empty. Against my better judgement, I go and ask my father's secretary if she's seen him. She peers down her nose at me as if I'm annoying her and says he's out with my father. She doesn't elaborate beyond that and I know better than to ask. I thank her and excuse myself. I debate waiting in Gale's office for him but I decide against it. I don't want him to come back with my father and my father to feel like I'm a distraction from the work Gale is supposed to be doing. I don't think he would care too much but I won't risk it. I'll just find him later. So I decide to go visit Tripp. It's been a while since I've seen him and I want to be sure to continue our friendship, even though I'm seeing Gale.

In the cafe, Tripp's mother tells me he's at home and that I should go over and say hello. I'm walking out the front door, when I walk smack into Marcus. My breath catches and I freeze. I stare at him, directly in the eyes and he stares back for a second before walking passed me into the cafe, a large parcel of fresh meat in his arms. The bloody smell I always hated about him and the butcher shop trails behind him and my stomach churns. I put my hand to my mouth as I gag and close my eyes, praying I don't puke. I don't. A moment later the gagging stops and I move away from the cafe entrance as quickly as I can.

I'm about to knock on Tripp's door when I notice my father and Gale coming out of a building a little ways down across the street. It's an empty building. An old shop that died off so many years ago that I can't even remember what it used to be. The family that used to live there and own the shop long since gone and forgotten. That happened now and then when shops couldn't afford the taxes. The Capitol would seize the property and the family would be sent to live in the Seam. Why would my father and Gale be there? I'm about to go ask them when Tripp's front door opens and he finds me on his doorstep.

"Hey Madge! What are you doing here?"

"That old empty shop building down across the street, do you remember what it used to be?" I ask, skipping right past hello. I glance back at it and see my father and Gale walking away from it, apparently heading back to the Justice Hall.

"The white one? I think it used to be a sweet shop, like candy and stuff."

"Oh."

"Why?" He asks, obviously curious at my strange question.

"I don't know. I was coming to see you and just noticed my father and Gale coming out of it. I have no idea why they would be there."

"Huh. Well, I'm sure it's some sort of boring stuff like inventory of empty properties for the Capitol or something. Hasn't been a working shop in at least 10 years."

"Yes, that's probably it." I agree aloud but to myself, I have a very unsettling feeling that it's something more.