...Peeta and Katniss are separated, Delly told Gale to step back, the Hob is destroyed..and Corky is causing havoc in the bakery and Buttercup is scaring Peacekeepers, but what about Madge...
Thank you to Norbertsmom for betaing at the last moment...enjoy
Madge sat in the window seat, her arms wrapped around her legs. She was in shock and she felt useless. Tears streamed down her face. Today became the worst day in the history of District 12. She felt so useless standing in her father's secret office unable to do anything. She stood paralyzed watching the Peacekeepers mount their assault vehicles and leave.
Darius ran out, but by the time he reached his office, they bombarded the Hob. The chandelier shook and everyone in the house heard the explosion. Darius fell to the floor, his hands in his hair when it became apparent they couldn't do anything. The look of defeat on Darius' face as he went home echoed what Madge felt in her heart.
She could not hide her pain or torment for what happened today. The casualties were horrid. Seventy-Seven dead and according to her Intel twenty-one injured. She'd had the foresight to round up the injured and hide them in the Victor's Village as the Peacekeepers went house to house looking for any survivors. Their orders were to kill on sight.
She wiped her face. The nightmare didn't end with the Hob. Anyone caught out mere minutes after curfew was placed in the stockades to spend the night outside. It was brutally cold tonight. The Peacekeepers collected seven residents. Madge was sure none of them would survive the night. She closed her eyes thinking of the people who she worked with, and the misery they went through today.
The morale of the entire staff was obliterated. Madge could see the anxiety on their faces as many of them had ties to those who were operating the Hob or family members who frequented the vendors' booths, with no way to find out if their loved ones were well. Madge opened the mansion for those who were fearful of being punished for breaking curfew. Some stayed behind, others left, risking their lives for news.
Things between her family members became tense.
Her mother took to the bottle and was passed out in bed. Her father had hidden in his office all day and Madge didn't want to see him, less speak to him. She did not know what she would say to him. He was her father, but he was part of the problem and not the solution.
Madge wiped her face and blew her nose. She watched through the window as snow fell steadily. What occurred today was a miscarriage of justice. It's true that a black market is illegal. A black market has disreputable and wicked business transactions. Nothing that was done at the Hob was nefarious. The Hob was the Seam's version of a market where they exchange goods for services that in town would cost them three or four times as much. It's only illegal because the Capitol has no control over it.
The destruction of the Hob was a boldly written declaration of the Capitol's might and control. It was a malicious incident that didn't end at the taking down of the Hob. They had to go after everyone who was there, stomp it out of existence.
"Madge," her father's voice penetrated the darkened room.
Madge continued to stare out the window. Fat tears rolled down her face. Her mouth felt as if she had cotton balls inside, and her heart felt heavy.
"Madge," her father said coming into the room further.
Madge looked away, choked up by a mixture of sadness and frustration. She questioned if her father knew that the attack was coming, and he allowed it? Her ire grew as she sat there and it all boiled up within her like an out of control wind storm.
"Madge," her father's voice was pleading.
"All those people, dad," Madge ground out, her voice sounded squeaky to her ears.
Her father shuffled into the room. "I am so sorry."
"Sorry," Madge said clenching her jaw. Her face flooded with heat when she finally turned to see her father.
"What happened today," her father stopped speaking, running his hands through his hair. "Your mother she.."
"This has nothing to do with my mother," Madge said, furious that he would try to redirect her thoughts.
"You're right, Madge."
"They are gone...they're dead." She turned again to stare out of the window, more tears fell down her face.
"I…" Her father stammered.
"How could you let that happen? You're the mayor. You're supposed to take care of them, aren't you?"
"Madge, sweetie, I didn't know."
This caught her attention and she turned to face him.
"I didn't know. They didn't tell me anything. You would think they would, but they didn't. Darius told me, when I saw him standing by my door. He looked so pale and lifeless."
Madge blinked. She didn't know what to make of this situation.
"If I would have known, I could have warned them. I could have suggested something else, a fine or a night in jail, but not this," her father whispered, "Not this way."
She glanced out of the window once again, her reflection showed a young determined woman. Hearing her father speak made Madge aware that no one was safe while the Capitol was in control. She clenched her hands. The Capitol would pay for this.
The Capitol would not win.
Just outside, the wind blew and snow fell from the sky blanketing the district. It was a blustery night for more than just the weather. The lack of warmth could be felt in the streets of the district. Nothing except for the wind and the crackling sounds of the Peacekeepers as they patrolled the streets of the district.
A shadowy figure stood just outside of the Mayor's Mansion hiding in the cold shadows. The figure snuck across the land easily avoiding the Peacekeepers. It was the prerogative of this shadowy figure to reach the lair. It would not do to be caught, not at such a pivotal moment.
Hiding in the shadows and using the footsteps made in the snow to disguise their steps was one of the ways to keep anonymity. The shadow of the Citizen passed by the stockades where several lawbreakers shivered in the cold.
This was the mighty hand of the law carrying out justice, the figure thought as it slipped by the putrid smell of death, decay and the pungent stench of burnt rubber. It filled the air, causing eyes to become irritated and tongues to taste nothing but the metallic taste of charred tin. The Citizen thought this was the price to pay for disobedience.
The Citizen finally made it to the lair.
There on the floor was the message that caused the restoration of balance, all for the glory of the Capitol. Picking it up the Citizen folded the paper and slipped it inside the left coat pocket. This would be a memento of today's victory.
However, despite today's triumph there was still work to be done.
Sitting down at the desk, the Citizen took out the watch list and scratched out a few of the names who were taken out today. There were still names on the list that had gone inactive though. The Citizen wondered for how long. These names had the potential to create problems for they were highly respected members of the district, by both Seam and Merchant.
The Citizen would keep a close eye on these select few, but especially Darius.
The Capitol was mighty. The Capitol was irreproachable, and just like the Capitol, even though they were completely unaware of the Citizen's existence, it proved to the disloyal citizens of District 12 that the Citizen was always watching.
