Chapter 26 : 73rd Games

The crowd was as always eerily silent as the members of District 12 gathered together for the annual reaping. The reaping for the 73rd games was an affair like every other before. A few measly months earlier Katniss had turned fifteen after having been publicly claimed for all to see by Finnick Odair. Much like years before the skies were gray and winds still. It was a death town.

Katniss stood on the stage sitting next to Haymitch who was seated next to the Mayor, the female victor could spot Madge amongst the tributes. At least she would be one of the least likely to be reaped, Katniss thought not unkindly. Madge unlike her father saw the world much the same way Katniss did, with one looming difference. She had always wanted a life with marriage and children. Madge was able to see a life past the reaping's and planned for it as limited at their options were. It was only when Haymitch tapped her leg that she realized the traditional opening video had finished wrapping up.

Effie as always was clapping politely, "That gets me every time!"

The woman coughed softly clearing her throat, " Alright then on to this year's tributes. As always let it be ladies first."

"This year's tribute will be…." Effie paused for dramatic effect. She scanned the crowd as usual no one was holding their breath in anticipation, only fear.

"Penny Reed" Effie called out, scanning the female section of the crowd. When a skinny girl with typical dark shaggy hair of the seam and grey eyes appeared walking towards the stage. The capitalist offered the girl a small smile, "stand right here honey."

The girl said nothing just stood where she was told. Penny did however turn to look at Katniss, when the two's eyes met Katniss felt a shock go down her spine. In those seam eyes was a fighter. Katniss showed no reaction in her outward appearance, just gave Penny a small nod of respect.

"Now for our male tribute, who will the lucky man be?" Effie tried to make light. Even Katniss could tell that the woman did not put a lot of effort into it. The atmosphere was stifling, almost as if it was a powder keg about to blow.

"Give a warm welcome to Sage Blanken!"

Katniss's eyes met the sobbing faces of Sage's parents, who were being comforted by her own mother. The victor closed her eyes as the cost of the victory she sought never tasted quit so bitter before now.

"Meet this year's tributes! Penny Reed and Sage Blanken!"

That's when one by one each member of district twelve stood up and offered up a three fingered salute.

XXX

Coin watched as the image of District 12 offering rebellious salutes to their tributes drifted back onto the screen again and again. The president changed the channel only to be accosted with pictures of another district's citizens being beaten by the supposed peacekeepers. The pattern continued, as one image after another began to imprint itself into the white-haired woman's mind. Plutarch stayed silent as he sat in the chair opposite of the leader. His face neutral as the images flashed before his eyes.

"I imagine President Snow is not to happy with District 12 at the moment" Coin commented casually checking for dirt under her nails. As if she was discussing the weather and not the possible death of dozens of people over one man's pride.

"Not just District 12, I believe the citizens are starting to get restless" Plutarch replied keeping his tone neutral.

"Things are changing in Panem, Plutarch. That female victor, what was her name again?" Coin demanded, by the spark in her eye Coin knew exactly who she was asking for.

"Katniss Everdeen Ma'am. Known as the Girl on Fire."

"Who's with her?"

"Haymitch Abernathy, Finnick Odair, Johanna Mason, Mags, Annie Cresta, Beetee, Wiress and possibly Chaff and Seeder."

"Interesting number of allies" Coin mused, a finger tapping her chin. She finally turned her attention towards her adviser.

"What is your opinion on the situation?"

Plutarch stood tall and proud at being asked for his opinion, "Madam President, it is my professional opinion that if you partner with her now, it will prove advantageous for District 13. The victor's that follow her are all key leaders across the country, a country you are no longer known in. Katniss remains popular, growing each year and not for the usual reasons."

Coin quirked a lip, " And your personal opinion?"

"Personally, Ma'am you will lose if you try to go at this alone."

Coin pursed her lips leaning forward against her desk. Her forearms holding her weight against the desk. Plutarch did not flinch when his leader met his eyes, nor did he blink. He met her stare with one of his own.

"You believe in this girl" Coin stated finally lifting her gaze to lean back against her comfortable chair.

"I believe that the people of Panem generally believe in her. A twelve-year-old who volunteered for an older girl? People talk milady. They talk about her."

XXX

Katniss slouched on the couch ignoring Effie's quiet tutting from next to Haymitch. If someone told Katniss at sixteen or seventeen that Effie would be a willing revolutionary one day, she would have laughed so hard that one would assume she had gone Annie Cresta mad. When Effie had finally caught on to some of their sneaking around, Katniss had caved in slightly. Haymitch sat the woman down and explained that she had seen the games all her life even traveled as part of her job. What did she think of the state of the country?

Effie couldn't answer, it was the norm for herself. None of it made her feel particularly good, then Haymitch and hit home that Katniss had grown up in poverty, that so had he. Effie's eyes teared up, then she said something that surprised even Haymitch.

"You are going to take him down aren't you?"

Effie never said a word about it after, the bright haired woman hugged Katniss whispering to the girl that she loved her. Effie wiped her tears and went straight to being her usual self. It was the sole reason Katniss trusted Effie. The woman could not act, she wore her emotions on her sleeves, but she was also fiercely loyal.

Katniss felt honored that Effie was loyal to her over Snow. Which is why the victor felt safe enough to ignore Effie's tutting and occasional sputter as Haymitch followed her lead launching himself onto a couch. The two tributes followed their lead cautiously stepping onto the train warily. The two seam kids looked around the train in awe. Could see the disgust and awe mixed into their eyes as they spied the large amounts of food.

"Wasteful lot the capital," Haymitch shrugged taking a knife and began to butter a bagel. Taking a bite and chewing on it, only to swallow and ask the male tribute, Sage if something was the matter.

"Is this how it always is?" Sage asked his arm spreading wide showcasing all the splendor of the train.

Katniss snorted, " Wait until you get to the capital. It's a thousand times worse."

Effie tutted, "You lot just are not used to the grandeur of the capital."

Haymitch rolled his eyes, "You seem to have no problem with my dirty bedroom, which is in no way as fancy as your tiny little capital apartment."

Effie shot him a glare, "Only because I was able to redecorate some of it! I swear you and Katniss are hopeless when it comes to décor."

The two tributes looked between the two adults bickering like school aged children. Katniss sighed, "They are always like this. I'm starting to think it's a kink of theirs with how often Haymitch angers her on purpose."

Haymitch stopped midway through a sentence to turn and look over as his mentee, "Do not go there little girl. I can still traumatize you."

"Yeah right, you are still afraid of my mother" Katniss laughs.

XXX

Madge Undersee walked carefully into the Seam where the Hawthorne's still lived. She smiled when she saw Gale's younger siblings running around, waving at her as they passed her by. Made laughed when she heard her name being bandied about by the little ones. The blonde-haired girl could not believe the changes in the past few years since Katniss's reaping at age of twelve.

Gale, the girl's once strong companion had drifted a bit becoming angrier as time went by. Madge saw the weight of having to be the man in a house of many mouths to feed, always fearing that he would be reaped and then what would happen to his family? He told her about the pact Gale and Katniss made when they first met.

"Madge?" Gale's voice could be heard leaving the small house.

"Gale," Madge blushed as the tall boy of seventeen easily took her by the arm, away from the house. Out of the corner of her eye Madge saw the giggling faces of his siblings.

"Sorry," Gale rubbed the back of his head nervously. " They mean well."

"I love your siblings it's fine. I always wanted a sibling of my own" Madge admitted.

"I'll share mine. My sister could always use more female role models" Gale blushed as Madge beamed up at him.

"How are you doing?" She asked casually. It had been only a few weeks since news exploded about Katniss and Finnick. She knew that Gale had held a flame for the fellow seam girl, even as Madge saw that the girl only ever felt platonically about the hunter.

"Fine" Madge glared at him causing Gale to chuckle nervously, "Okay. I'm pretty upset. I saw this coming from a mile away. I know there is more to this than Katniss is letting on. She would never allow a dude to flaunt her like that, which makes me think they are up to something more than just dating."

Madge hummed her agreement of his assessment, "But how are you dealing with your unrequited crush?"

"Am I that obvious?"

Madge snorted, "Oh Gale. Peeta and I have been hedging bets when you would try to punch him."

XXX

"Peeta you have mail!" His brother yelled before going into the back of the shop no doubt dealing with another of their mother's tantrums. The woman who Peeta called his mother was a very special type of woman.

But when he looked down at the letter with a District 4 stamp on it, none of his family drama mattered. Peeta truly enjoyed when the District 4 victors would come to visit, especially Annie. They would spend a few hours away from everyone and just bake, Peeta even taught her how to make some of Katniss's favorites. Annie's eyes had lit up when Katniss seemed to engross with the small treat, she looked over at Peeta when Katniss shared it with her telling her that Peeta made the best bread and pastries.

Peeta was thankful to Katniss for that bridge to the quiet girl. Annie was a sweet, kind quiet girl who seemed to take enjoyment in pleasing others. The boy with the bread carefully opened up the letter, a large smile spreading over as his eyes skimmed over the contents. The female victor spoke of her life in the fourth district, how Finnick had taken to making sure she had all the equipment she needed to try the recipes that Peeta had shared with her during their last visit.

Peeta hoped that he would be able to try some, next time she was able to travel. Peeta quickly placed the letter into his pocket before getting back to work. Over the course of the next couple hours, he baked, kneaded and prepped for the next batch. It was the same every day, in hopes that enough people in the merchant section would be able to afford some bread or offer something of value for trade. Annie's letters were a peak into a different life, a closer look into the life of his new friends. The friends Katniss had made when she changed their lives forever when she was reaped.

"Peeta!" Madge called out smiling at the boy, the blonde girl had just walked into the shop. The two friends greeted each other with a hug before either of his parents could scold them Madge brought out some coin.

Mrs. Mellark's frown turned into a large smile before asking what the girl would like. Madge looked over the selection and pointed to a few different kinds. As Peeta and his mother wrapped up her goods, Madge asked if Peeta was free for the afternoon. Mr. Mellark walked in at just this moment saying that the shop would be fine while Mrs. Mellark frowned but did not contradict her husband.

While Mrs. Mellark was occupied scolding her husband, the duo quietly made their way out the store. With Madge's bag of goodies in toe the pair made their way towards the black market. They walked in companionable silence until Madge could no longer hold in her curiosity.

"Have you heard anything yet?"

"I just received a letter from Annie today. She did not mention much about the capital, I believe it was their mentor Mags that went with Finnick this year. Annie's making progress on her baking skills. The only thing she mentioned was that a lot of the civilians were restless after they watched the recap of District 12's reaping."

Madge nodded whispering, "There's a rumor going around the lost city, District 13. I'm afraid that Gale believes in it."

"You don't think he would run to find it would you?" Peeta asked concerned. With Katniss away the only person capable of hunting with any amount of success was Gale. Gale provided food for a lot more than just his family. Peeta always thought of him as a fighter, but would he run off to join something we had no proof of?

They walked the familiar path where many of their fellow citizens sold their illegal wears. Peeta waved over to familiar faces, stood by Madge's side as she traded her treats for little odds and ends. Madge had never liked to show off the small bit of wealth her family head, she preferred using it at shops then bartering, a trade she learned after befriending the two hunters of District 12. The pair only stopping once they met with Gale who was trading some of his fur.

"Peeta" Gale nodded handing over the last of his haul and collecting the cloth Mrs. Everdeen and his mom needed.

"We brought lunch" Madge pointed to the bag of bread she still had and the small bag she had brought with her. Gale gave her a small smile leading them out of the other side leaving the noisy bustle of the market behind. The trio made their way towards the back edge of the seam, where the gate, still broken was waiting for them.

"This is how you escape to hunt?" Peeta asked, shaking off his nerves as he followed the older boys lead. Madge looked on nervously, her head occasionally turning behind her to see if anyone had noticed.

"Madge, it is safe come on over" Gale encouraged. Peeta offering her a comforting smile. Peeta cheered when the blonde girl finally crawled under the fence, a feeling of shock surging through her. Madge kept looking behind her then at the two boys beside her.

"I just crawled under the district fence" Madge whispered in awe.

"Yes, you did Madge Undersee" Gale grinned.