Chapter 50

I don't sleep a wink the whole night. I just lay here, holding onto Madge. We found and read her contract and she was so upset. I have to figure out a way for her to not have to marry that man. I promised her I wouldn't let that happen. How in the hell I will protect her from that I have no clue, but I have to figure it out. Running away is the only thing that I know for certain will keep her safe but that would have to be a last resort option. I would have to run with her. And I would, I really would. But then there's the whole complication of what to do with my family. Do I bring them too? Do we all run? And how does that work? Would we be setting ourselves up for disaster? And while I doubt anyone would throw up much of a fuss searching for the Hawthorne family of the Seam, I know without a doubt that the Capitol and most of 12 would leave no stone unturned in searching for the pretty, young daughter of the mayor and technically fiancé to Seneca Crane. It would be extremely difficult to escape but if it comes down to it and that's the only option, then that's what I will have to do. I can't just sit back and watch them take her from me.

Her contract is strict. Turns out they've been keeping tabs on her for years. How she looks, thinks and acts is all monitored and tracked. Mabel wasn't kidding when she said Madge had been being groomed her entire life for this. The contract also says she has to marry on her 18th birthday and start trying to have a baby immediately. The thought of that skeezy man laying his hands on her, trying to get her pregnant makes me shudder.

I need to think out the options, see if there's any kind of loophole the Capitol missed. Obviously, she can run away. I wonder if she were to marry anyone else first if that would supersede the contract? It's doubtful but the contract doesn't state anything about not marrying someone else first. And if she's already married, she legally can't marry Mr. Crane. But would they simply force her to get a divorce from the first marriage in order to make the second marriage possible? Would getting pregnant, married or not, have any bearing on the contract? It isn't like Mr. Crane would want to flaunt off a new, young wife if she had a baby with someone else. Or would they just remove the baby from the equation? And could she marry Mr. Crane and then divorce him before having to do anything with him? Would they grant her a divorce? Not likely. What would happen to her? Would she be punished? Would they make her become an avox? Would they lock her away for defiance of the Capitol? With the Capitol, anything is possible. I shake my head in frustration and look down at her as she sleeps in my arms. She's so beautiful. Her ivory skin and silky blonde waves of hair and soft pink lips. Of course Seneca Crane would want her as his bride. Young, gorgeous, from a good political family, poised and mannered. He'd be revered as some kind of God for landing her. She's just a show piece to him. Something he can own and brag about. Why the hell else would he want to televise their freaking wedding? It's disgusting. Of all these options of possible loopholes, marrying her myself seems like our best bet. I'd marry her today if I could. I already know I love her and only want to be with her but she's still so young. She hasn't even finished school yet. And in 12, if you get married, they don't let you finish school. She'll be 17 in a few days and that's the legal marrying age in 12 so technically we could do it. But this isn't at all how I want it to be. When I ask her to marry me I want it to be perfect and with the only purpose being to spend our lives together. And I don't want her to think, not even for a second, that I'm marrying her to free her from marrying Mr. Crane. No, when I marry Madge, I want it to only be about us. I don't want there to be any other influence or complication. Besides, I don't even know at what age she'd want to be to get married.

When it's nearing sunrise, I wake Madge to tell her I have to leave. I can't let Mabel find me spending the night. I press my lips softly to her temple and whisper goodbye. She smiles and gives me a sleepy goodbye kiss before rolling over and drifting back to sleep. I slip out of the house down the back staircase like always and out in to the pre-dawn morning, It's quiet and foggy and the stillness of the morning is calming. As I walk back home I know I'll be exhausted all day. I debate skipping school and just staying home to sleep but I know Madge would freak out if I wasn't at school.

At home, I find my mother already up, working on her laundry orders. She's given up on trying to scold me for staying out all night with Madge. She just looks up at me and raises her brow in a silent questioning of my whereabouts. I sit down and start to help her fold the clothes.

"Ma, when did you know you wanted to get married?"

She drops the shirt that she was folding and looks at me. "Oh Gale, marriage?"

"It's just a question Ma. I was just curious."

"The fact that you're curious is what concerns me. Are you thinking about getting married?"

"I don't know."

"I was maybe 16. I knew I wanted to be with your father for the rest of my life and he felt the same way. There wasn't really any reason for us to wait so we married right out of school." The concern in her voice is so thick it's annoying me.

"I'm not about to go propose if that's what you're worried about Ma." I say with a roll of my eyes and a sigh. "Not yet. But one day I will marry her. I was just curious at what age girls tend to think they're ready to get married, that's all."

"Gale, I love seeing you so in love with Madge. Love is one of the best luxuries life has to offer and seeing you so happy makes my heart happy as well. But falling in love with someone from town, the Mayor's daughter no less, is a dangerous thing to do. Gale, you might not realize it and Madge may not either, but her parents likely intend for her to marry someone of status or at least of wealth. They may be alright with you two dating but marriage is a whole other deal and they may not approve of you as a potential husband."

I scoff at her last statement. "Oh we realize it. It's a fact. And we both know it. They've already promised her to someone. But I can't let that happen. She doesn't want it either."

"Gale, if she's promised to someone else you need to stop seeing her. You need to get out of this relationship. It isn't right and it's only going to bring heartache for yourselves." Her eyes look saddened and full of worry.

"It's the opposite Ma. Being with Madge is the only thing that feels right. I know it's crazy. I know I have nothing substantial to offer her. You think I don't know what marrying me would mean for her? Of course I know. I can't change how I feel though. I love her and one day I will marry her."

My mother raises her hand and places it on my cheek. "Gale, I hope she knows what a life with you means and I hope you kids don't do anything foolish in going against the wishes of her parents. I love you and I worry is all."

We fold the rest of her laundry order in silence. She's right about what Madge gives up if she chooses to marry me and I know because she's my mother it's only natural to worry about me. I wish it were different. I wish I could just be with Madge without worrying about the Capitol or her wealth or my lack of wealth. Just to be with her, that's all I want. If she were any old girl from the Seam I could just ask her to marry me and that would be that. We'd get married and get a house in the Seam and live happily ever after in poverty. But she isn't just any old girl from the Seam. She is, as Mabel put it to me, a very important girl.

A loud knock on the front door startles both my mother and I from our thoughts. It's a Peacekeeper. The sight of him on my doorstep made my heart stop beating for a moment before I realized he was just spreading the word that school and work are cancelled today. Mandatory viewing extended. That means it's almost over. The games will be ending soon. They always play out the final parts live and so we have longer viewing hours when it's down to the last few days. And it starts in an hour. So much for getting any make up sleep today. My mother leaves to go deliver her laundry early since she now won't have time later on and I get to work on waking up the kids and getting them ready.

I manage to get everyone up and dressed and we're out the door in enough time to make it to the viewing. My shoulders are full of tension. I know in my heart that Katniss could win this but I also know that Careers are deadly tributes, out for blood and Mellark isn't likely to be of much help to Katniss in fending off the boy career. Hell, Mellark may not even be alive still.

Madge finds me right away at the viewing. She has a basket full of muffins and insists my family share them with her. She's about as hard headed and stubborn as I am when it comes to things like this. I keep telling her not to give my family food and she keep finding sneaky ways to feed us. I love that she cares enough to do it but it drives me insane because it still feels like charity a little bit. I know she doesn't mean it to be charity but it still feels that way. But, the kids didn't get any breakfast and I haven't been hunting in a few days and they really could use the food so I nod in approval and a smile lights up on Madges's face as she passes the muffins around. I've never seen someone get such true enjoyment out of giving and doing for others.

Once the viewing begins, I quickly am relieved to see that the cannon we heard just before the ending of the last viewing was for the girl Katniss calls Foxface. She ate some berries that Mellark was gathering and it turns out they're poisonous. One bite will kill you in mere seconds. Katniss and I have seen them out in the woods so neither of us would ever be dumb enough to eat them but anyone who lived in town would probably go for them. They look totally safe and edible. I'm glad Mellark didn't eat them before Foxface. Not that I really want Mellark to come back or anything but I know it would've messed with Katniss's head to have him die on her so close to the end. She's far too invested in him now to lose him. Of course these berries are just one more example of how he's weak in this game and therefore weakens Katniss by them teaming up together. So It's down to just three now. The Career, Katniss and Mellark. Katniss needs to get up in a tree near the cornucopia and take the Career out with her bow so this can all be over already. I can't imagine the game makers will allow much time to pass before they drive them together for a finale. God, she is so close to winning this thing and coming home. So close.

After awhile, without any action, Ceaser Flickerman spends an hour or two recapping the entire games before the viewing breaks for today. There is of course a mandatory extended viewing tomorrow as well and I anticipate that one will be the one to end it all. The one where if Katniss and Mellark don't get over to the Cornucopia soon, the Capitol will use their own creativity to get them there where there will without a doubt be a battle.

Madge's father is back this afternoon so there won't be any sleepovers tonight. She and I share a quick kiss goodbye and she heads towards her house while I head back to the Seam. Once home, I don't even take off my shoes before I fall into my bed. I'm exhausted after being up all night and exhausted mentally from all the worry about Katniss and the Games as well as this whole marriage thing with Madge. Sleep soon finds me and my mind finally finds rest.

A/N: Thanks again to all my readers and reviewers! I'm already working on the next chapter and if things unfold for me the way I intend for them to I plan to have about 3 more chapters until this story ends. Some of you have inquired as to how soon I will have the sequel posted and at this point I anticipate taking a week or so off from writing before I post the first chapter of the sequel. Not to worry though, no long hiatus plans for me!