Disclaimer: I'm just playing with Suzanne Collins' characters and her world. They're hers. Not mine. Any lines from the books are hers too.
AN: AN: I almost scraped this chapter. It's got a little more humor sprinkled in than this story normally does, but after this week, I need a little light, and I figure some of y'all might need some too. This story is going to go on a bit of a break. I have an arc I'd like to finish writing, but it would actually need to be a separate story to tell it right, and I'm not sure I have the energy or time for that. So for now, a little break for this and I'll work on other things, then I'll be back.
Kaleidoscope, pt 23
Madge's dust coated shoes make muffled scuffing noises as she hurries down the school hall.
It's stuffy, they haven't turned on the air conditioner yet. Though if Madge remembers correctly, they aren't much help, only recycle the musty air through the old building. At the moment though, she'd take what little relief it would offer.
"You have to come to the school, Mrs. Hawthorne," the older boy, a husky blond with close cropped hair had told her, handing off a note from the principal scribbled on a paper with official District Twelve letterhead on it.
'Ms. Hawthorne: please present at school for discussion of discipline of child.'
Madge had smiled faintly at the all too familiar summons, sighed.
"You wouldn't happen to know what they've done this time would you?"
He'd simply stared at her, shrugged.
Stopping, Madge leans on the wall for moment and catches her breath, rubs a hand over her belly.
She's got another month to go, but she feels like she's larger than with any of the previous pregnancies. Even the midwife had commented on it.
"You don't-you dont think it's another set of twins...do you?" Madge had asked her.
If it happened once, why couldn't it happen again?
It's a daunting prospect, facing two new mouths instead of one, though Madge has no doubt they can handle it. Hard is nothing new to them.
Gale refuses to consider it though. The memory of her bleeding is too much for him to even consider it, accidentally speak it into existence. She half thinks he's going to prevent it from happening through sheer stubbornness.
The midwife had shot Gale a nasty look.
"I certainly hope not. Goddamn nightmare the first time around." She'd wheezed, banged on her chest before shaking her head. "Just to be safe, keep this one's dick out of you. Don't want to end up with triplets."
"That's not how that works," Gale growled.
The midwife huffed. "How do you know? For all we know, she's got two or three uteruses in there. You pork her again and we may end up delivering a whole damn litter."
It was such a ridiculous thought, and Gale had looked so offended by it, Madge had laughed.
Patting her belly, Madge laughs again at the memory of the ensuing argument between Gale and the cranky midwife and starts walking again, slower this time.
The door to the principal's office is propped open by a wedge of wood, and the blue letters on the glass, declaring it 'PRINCIPAL OFFICE', are peeling off at the edges. There's a cork board beside it with the honor roll pinned to it and a notice for a missing ball from the gym.
Stepping through the doorway, Madge sighs.
Sage is sitting in one of the little white plastic chairs lining the waiting area wall, his head in his hands. Despite not seeing his face, Madge can see dirt ground into his pants, blood stains smeared on his shirt.
A few more steps and Madge is in front of him, brushing her hand over his dusty, wild hair. He doesn't look up as he sniffles.
Dropping into the seat beside him, Madge waits.
"I'm sorry," he mumbles, his voice just barely audible.
Reaching out, Madge brushes his hair again. "What happened?"
He shrugs. "Same as always."
So her. Of course.
It had been a few months since Sage had gotten in any fights, and Madge had foolishly hoped his growth spurt had made him too big a target for bullying. Clearly she was wrong.
Who his mother is shouldn't matter, but it does, unfortunately, and I'm all the worst ways.
Madge takes a breath. "Sage...baby, they aren't worth it."
She appreciates his and Briar's protective streak, but she'd rather have them unbloodied. She isn't worth their skinned knuckles and bruised skin.
He nods, sniffs, then looks up.
His nose is bloody, smeared across his left cheek, and there's the shadow of a bruise forming on his right eye.
Chewing her lip, Madge tries not to cry, blinks back the tears forming in her eyes.
He puts on such a brave face, but he's got to be hurting.
Sage forces a smile, winces and puts his hand to his eye.
"It's really not too bad."
Madge digs in her bag, pulls out a rag and licks it, reaches out to rub some of the dirt and blood from his face.
"Mom, no," he tells her, dodging the rag.
She tries a few more times, but he weaves away.
Finally, she sighs, rests her hands on her belly, eyes the swelling and bruising.
He tries to smile again, chuckles.
"It's really not too bad. I look way better than Taver," he reassures her.
Madge supposes that's a good thing, though it worries her how that'll reflect on the punishment they'll try to hand down.
For a few minutes they sit in silence, the only noise in the room given off by the clock, which is two minutes off.
Then Sage slumps lower, rests his messy dark head back against the wall.
"I'm sorry."
He shudders a bit, swats at a few tears that manage to escape the corners of his eyes, making the blood damp again, smearing it more on his face.
"They were just-I couldn't let them keep saying those things about you!" He rubs at his nose, chin quivering. "Then they started saying things about Bri...then Daisy…"
Madge's breath catches in her chest.
That was the tipping point. The girls. All the terrible things said about Madge were now spilling over to her daughters and Sage hadn't been able to take the combined insults.
It's not a surprise, not really, but Madge wishes it were. She'd hoped being Gale's children would insulate them from the abuse, so far she's been sorely disappointed.
Rubbing his eyes, Sage slumps further in the seat.
"I'm gonna get suspended."
Madge winces at the thought, the tone of his voice.
It's hardly a tragedy, though it's costly. Gale was suspended a few times. Madge remembers him getting into fights with boys from Town after his dad died, resulting in one or two days out of school and Hazelle getting fined. The literal cost of his temper had been the only thing that had kept him from having more fights on school grounds.
The risk of a night in lockup was preferable to the fine that came with suspension.
Suspensions aren't handed out lightly, the school officials aren't looking to make life harder on the kids, but Sage is a good judge of consequence. If he thinks his fight was bad enough for a suspension, it probably was.
Wrapping her arm around his shoulder, Madge presses a kiss to his messy hair.
"No, you won't."
He pulls away, shakes his head.
"They will-"
Madge grabs his hand, gives it a squeeze. "I will not let them suspend you."
"Mom-"
"You aren't getting suspended." She leans in closer, voice dropping. "Has Bri ever been suspended?"
He frowns, nose wrinkling up in thought.
Briar has had twice as many, and much more violent, brawls as her brother. Her temperament doesn't suit her to the taunts and jabs hurled at her by classmates and she's heeded Madge's requests to not attempt to defend their honor less fastidiously.
She's never been suspended though, to Gale's constant shock.
"Are you threatening them?" Gale asked.
"No," Madge answered simply, though he clearly wanted elaboration.
"How…?" He'd prodded.
"I'm very persuasive," she explained.
"Blackmail?"
She rolled her eyes before giving a fictitious response.
"Mr. Abernathy."
Grinning, he'd kissed her, made a low growling noise against her mouth.
"At least he's useful for something."
Or he would be, if Madge needed him. As it was though, she didn't. She's perfectly capable of maneuvering her children out of unnecessarily harsh punishment.
"No," Sage finally answers, after several long seconds of thought.
Forcing a smile, Madge gives his hand another comforting squeeze and sits back, takes a deep breath.
The principal's office door clicks, opens slowly as the other boy, probably a couple of years older than Sage, steps out followed by a woman, presumably his mother, and the principal.
Madge stands, forces herself not to react, but the boy's face is a mess. Sage hadn't been joking earlier that he'd come off easy.
His nose is crooked, probably broken, and his lip is split. His right eye is completely swollen up, purple and black, dried blood matted in his eyebrow.
The woman glares at Sage, then Madge.
"You need to get a handle on that little bastard, look what he did to my little boy!" She waves a hand at her son's face. "He's missing teeth!"
Madge schools her expression into something resembling serene, smiles.
"Your 'little boy' is twice my son's size," Madge points out.
That only fuels the fire and the woman grinds her teeth.
"You should teach your son to ignore things. Words are just words," she snaps.
A lifetime of being insulted and taunted had taught Madge that words had far more power than people gave them credit for. Madge may not want her children fighting, but if they reach a breaking point she refuses to fault them.
She won't let them bare the same invisible scars she has if she can help it.
Smile widening, Madge keeps her voice level.
"Maybe you should teach your son not to pick fights he's so obviously outclassed in." She tilts her head. "Or teach him to love purée. Because if he provokes Sage again, I guarantee you he'll lose more than a couple of teeth."
"Are you threatening-"
"I'm illuminating your son's future." Madge let's her smile fade. "Are you ready for me Mr. Langston?"
The principal, Mr. Langston, sighs, looking for all the world like he'd rather do anything but discuss another fight with Madge Hawthorne. Which is undoubtedly the truth. He's had a few too many meetings with her. If he weren't already reedy and gray, he would be after the Hawthorne twins finished with him.
"Of course Mrs. Hawthorne, please step in."
Sage, who'd been hovering at Madge's side, glaring at the woman, stuffs his hands in his pockets and follows her into the office with his eyes focused on the tile.
They both drop into the faux leather chairs, dry and cracked with age and yellowed from years of use, wait for Mr. Langston to settle into the high backed swivel chair across the desk.
He does so slowly, grimacing as he sits, turns the chair, folds his hands on the chipped lacquer of the desktop.
"I take it Sage explained the situation?"
Madge nods.
"He was provoked."
Mr. Langston sighs.
"Mrs. Hawthorne, we've discussed this before, regarding Briar. Words aren't weapons, fists are, and as such Sage has to be punished."
"Sir-" Sage starts to defend himself, but Madge cuts him short with a look.
Be quiet. She can handle this.
"What punishment did the other boy get?" Madge quickly asks.
Sighing, Mr. Langston rubs his jaw.
"A week of in school suspension."
Madge nods. In school suspension didn't incur a fine.
"That's reasonable." She nods at Sage. "Wouldn't you agree Sage?"
Before Sage can say anything, even completely process what Madge has said, Mr. Langston shakes his head.
"You asked what Aiden's punishment was. Sage was the instigator, he's-"
"Instigator? Sage was bullied and harassed, had his sisters insulted, you can't possibly be thinking of being harsher on him?"
"He broke Aiden's nose," Mr. Langston tells her, his expression utterly flabbergasted. Parents don't normally argue with school decisions, though to be fair, most don't know they can.
Madge reaches in her bag, digs around and finds a battered book. The spine is broken and the back cover torn, but the gold words are still readable on the cracked front cover.
The school handbook.
Madge has read it a hundred times since Sage and Briar started school, practically memorized it, but it never hurts to provide a visual aid.
"Page seventy four, paragraph two, line thirteen, 'Disciplinary Action For Physical Altercations Between Students'." She lays the book open on the desk, turns it toward Mr. Langston and pushes it to him. "Do you remember what it says?"
He stares at her for a moment, then sighs.
"Unfortunately, I do. Thanks to your frequent citing of it."
Madge holds her stern expression
"Then why are you trying to unfairly punish Sage?"
She flips the page, points to another line.
"Right here it says that circumstances may be taken into account by administration."
"They were-"
Madge snatches up the book, begins flipping through it.
"The student code of conduct clearly states that students shall behave in an 'upright and dignified manner' and failure to do so may result in swift action. Wouldn't you say Aiden was in breach of the code? Taunting another student is hardly dignified, and in that case Sage would be justified in defending the school from his-his…" she grinds her teeth, thinks for a moment, "unbecoming behavior."
For a moment the room goes silent, punctuated by a pendulum swinging, keeping the time, this one two minutes too fast.
"That's a bit of a stretch," Mr. Langston finally says, sitting back in his chair and rubbing his eyes. "He broke another child's nose. Two weeks in school suspension and a month detention at lunch."
"Two weeks in school and a week detention."
"Two and two."
Madge glances at Sage, now sitting on his hands, chewing his lip, gives him a small smile.
She looks back at Mr. Langston.
"That's fair."
#######
Gale looks over the disciplinary note.
The other boy had been insulting Madge and making insinuations about the girls' future.
'Possibly broken nose' and 'several missing teeth' Gale reads, shakes his head.
He can't be mad for a justified fight, not when he'd had so many ridiculous ones when he'd been in school. Sage is a good boy, and if he knocked the teeth out of that kid, he deserved it.
When he gets to the bottom of the page, the line stating the punishment for the crime, he grins.
"Two weeks in school suspension and two weeks lunch detention?" He laughs. "Where were you when I was getting in fights during school?"
Madge peers at him from over the top of her book, gives him a small smile.
"Probably watching."
He chuckles.
"Critiquing my form?"
Gale never would've guessed she even knew what boxing was, but she'd had to confess to it when the twins started school and her dad had insisted on teaching them.
"It's important they know how to properly defend themselves," he'd told them.
Madge had then had to explain that she'd learned to box when she was a little older than the twins. She'd also repeated her dad's warning that it was strictly for self defense.
He watches as she wrinkles her nose in thought, lips quirking into a smile. "Maybe."
If he'd been a little less hostile to her, he thinks ruefully, she'd have used whatever persuasive powers she has for his benefit. Though he honestly still wonders if she isn't using the drunk as a threat. Gale is certain he'd bend or break rules to avoid that asshole.
Granted, he doesn't think Sage deserves any punishment. The other kid had it coming. You insult someone's mom and sisters and you're lucky to only lose a few teeth.
Crawling into bed, and trying not to wonder how she's managed to keep their child from a costly punishment, and hoping Sage actually broken the asshole's nose, Gale collapses next to her.
Ignoring his aching muscles and the friction burn on his leg from a poorly secured rope, he rolls to his side, grins at her.
"And?"
She grimaces, waffles a bit.
"Little sloppy," she answers apologetically.
Gale huffs and she reaches out, runs her hand through his hair, leans in and presses a kiss to his stubbly cheek.
"But you had a very cute butt."
"The cutest." He narrows his eyes. "It's still cute."
"The cutest," she agrees, kissing his hair and pulling him closer.
Happy they agree on something so important, Gale relaxes against her, rubbing a hand over her belly.
It's bigger than with either Daisy or Miles, and Gale hopes that doesn't mean anything, what Madge had brought up.
"What if it's twins again?"
Gale felt the blood leave his face.
"That's not funny."
"I'm not trying to be funny," she'd told him as she'd drummed her fingers on her stomach. "Do I look as big as I did with the twins?"
To be honest, Gale can't really remember. At the time, she'd seemed no bigger than any other pregnant woman, but he can't be sure.
"You look normal," he'd answered, refusing to discuss the possibility.
But now the thought is in his head and the worry inside him.
It was bad enough he'd gotten her pregnant again, but if she went through another delivery like Sage and Briar's he'd never forgive himself.
He shakes away the thought, refusing to let it eat at him. There's only one baby. One. He's certain of it.
Leaning down, he kisses her belly through the thin nightgown, silently wills it to only have one baby in it.
"I have great form, don't listen to her," he whispers to the baby growing inside.
Madge snorts.
"Sage has good form." Madge tugs at his hair. "You should've seen that boy's face. He's nearly ready for junior high and Sage probably broke his nose."
Gale settles beside her, gives her a narrow look.
"Thought you didn't like the kids fighting?"
Hadn't she told him that a hundred times?
Nose wrinkling up, she nods.
"I don't." A little half grin forms on her lips. "But if they're gonna do it, I'm glad they can do it well."
Gale chuckles, nuzzles her neck with his nose.
She won't admit it, but she doesn't want the kids to be as passive as she'd been, be forced to bare the same mental scars and live with the same insecurities she's had to. He doesn't want that either, so he lets the shaky logic pass without question.
"You want to know the best part?" Madge tells him, her cheek resting against his hair, voice getting thick with sleepiness. "About Sage's punishment, I mean?"
Gale hums his eyes drifting closed.
"There's only a week left of school."
For a moment Gale processes what she's said, the shades of sleep already settling heavily on him, then he opens an eye.
"You're devious," he murmurs.
Madge just laughs.