Chapter 2

(Madge POV)

When I wake up the next morning Natasha is sound asleep, snoring away. I quietly get dressed and slip out of the room. I still have a mind full of nothing but questions. I head to get an early breakfast before I have to meet with my stylist in an hour to get ready for tonight's ball. Getting ready will practically be an all day event. I'll be polished and shined like some sort of prized trophy. Everyone here has a stylist, some even have a team of stylists. Thankfully I just have one, a woman named Steffie, and she isn't totally awful. She won't dress me in something I'd have chosen myself but she definetly doesn't go out of her way to make me look too ridiculous. If it were up to me, I'd wear something simple and understated. Something that wouldn't draw much attention to me. I have no idea what Steffie will dress me for this evening but I do know the words simple and understated won't be used to describe it.

I grab a bowl of fruit and yogurt and head to an empty table. It's still early enough that not many people are in here grabbing breakfast yet. I like it this way. I've got a spoonful of food in my mouth when a peacekeeper walks up and interrupts me.

"Miss Undersee?"

I swallow quickly and almost choke because of it. I pull my napkin from my lap, wiping my mouth and respond trying not to sound as startled as I am.

"Yes sir?"

"Your presence is requested for a meeting with the committee. Please come with me."

Fear shoots straight through me like lightning. What would the committee need to speak with me about? My mind races as I stand, slightly stumbling as I do. Have I done something? Has something happened that I'll be reprimanded for? The committee never speaks with anyone once testing and interviews have been completed. As we walk I try slowing my breath so I won't appear as nervous as I feel when I get in there. As we enter the room, I quickly rub my palms against my skirt trying to rid them of the clammy feeling they've suddenly taken on. A long table with ten men and women, the committee, are seated and facing me. A single chair sits across from them.

"Miss Undersee, thank you for coming to meet us on such short notice. We do apologize for interrupting your schedule." A woman says as she gestures for me to take a seat.

"What can I do for you today?" I ask as I sit and wring my hands tightly in my lap beneath the table. I force a blank look and smile onto my face.

" We have run into an unprecedented issue. One we've never encountered in the history of Presentation of Heirs." A man begins explaining. He isn't smiling. I can't remember his name right now. Can't remember anyone's name at this table.

"One of the heirs has been found to be unfit for matching. Unfortunately we did not discover this until last night." He continues.

I keep my face as expressionless as possible but I start to feel a little relief. They must be bringing us all in one by one to tell us about what happened with Martin last night. But as soon as I think this, I question it. Why would they need to speak to us one by one if that's what it was about? They wouldn't.

"The young man in this case, was of course already set to be matched. And that leaves us suddenly short one heir." He continues and I wish he'd just hurry up and tell me. He's drawing this out so slowly.

"Miss Undersee, you were the young woman set to be matched with this young man."

My mouth drops open ever so briefly before i snap it shut. Martin was my match? "What does this mean? What happens now?" I ask not knowing how to word this with any etiquette.

A woman further down the left of the table responds. "We've spent some time discussing our options and we feel that the best way to handle this, given that you've already been presented as eligible, is to match you with one of the other heirs, the one who was your next best match."

I don't get it. How will they match me with a different heir if there aren't an equal number of heirs? Thankfully she continues before I have to ask for an explanation.

"This of course means one young man will be matched with two young women."

My stomach drops. What in the hell does she mean? I struggle to pull it together inside and take a deep breath in, preparing to respond. "So I will be sharing a match with another heir?" I ask quietly, my voice slightly higher pitched than normal.

"Yes. You and another young woman will both be courting the same young man for the next year. At the end of the year, the three of you will come before the committee where the young man will select which of you he feels is better suited to be his partner. Whichever of you is not selected will be represented next year for matching."

Oh my God. I am going to be sharing a capitol assigned boyfriend with a girl from another district? And then they're going to let him decide who he wants to marry? And if he doesn't pick me, I have to go through this entire process again next year? I manage to squeak out a response. "I understand."

The woman continues. "We will be speaking with each of the three of you this morning just to bring you up to speed but the identity of the matches will still have to wait until this evening. You're free to resume your schedule now." She tells me, smiling now with excitement in her voice.

I stand having now been dismissed. I force a smile at the table and nod as I say "Thank you." quickly exiting the room.

I dart into the first restroom I pass and lock myself in a stall. Leaning back against the wall I try to absorb all the information I've just been given. Martin was my match. He's not anymore. Now I'm sharing a boy with another girl. Who does that? Who shares a boyfriend with someone? How in the world was this the best solution to the problem at hand? I'm not even sure which I'm more upset about. The fact that I'll be sharing a boyfriend, the fact that I may have to go through this all over again next year or the fact that I could've, would've been matched with someone compassionate had Martin not been caught. Oh and there's also the fact that I'll be finding out the identity of who I'll be mixed up in this little trio with in front of everyone tonight. That should be fun.

I compose myself as best I can knowing there is absolutely nothing I can do to avoid or change any of this. For now, all I can do is go see my stylist and get back on schedule with what I was supposed to do today. The sooner I get today over with the better, especially at this point now that what was already dreadful has become a downright nightmare in the making.

I sip champagne all day while my stylist makes me over for the night. Normally I'd ever sip alcohol all day long but right now I'm feeling like it's a valid choice. Lucky for me Steffi isn't too chatty when she's in the zone of creating her masterpiece. So I sit and sip away, each glass making me care just a little less about the life that never feels like it's mine. By the time Steffi is finished, I'm all smiles and giggles fueled solely by all the bubbles. I look at myself in the full length mirror, seeing how she's made me up for the big night. A red, sparkly, form fitting gown with feathery trim around the hem of the sleeves and bottom of the dress. Hair pulled up, twisted into a knot and red feathers stuck in the top. Glittery makeup and false lashes that make my blue eyes seem really bright. I look like a perfect little Capitol girl. Thinking this just fuels the giggles all the more.

"A little excited about meeting your match dear?" She asks with a bit of a smirk.

"Can't wait!" I tell her with a grin as I hold my glass up as if to toast to the occasion.

She pauses a moment, studying me. She turns and digs through one of her bags then turns back to me and holds out a little green pill. "I think you'll need this."

I stare at it. "What is it?"

"Just a little something to sober you back up a bit." She says with a wink. "You don't want to make a bad first impression on your future husband."

I laugh aloud as I take the pill from her, raising my glass once again as I say "To my future!" then swallowing it down with more champagne. I shake my head. "To my future!" I repeat again laughing at the joke that it is. My future. It isn't really mine. It never has been. I'm merely along for the ride.