Chapter 4

(Madge POV)

I groan and pull my pillow over my face. My head is absolutely pounding and my mouth is as dry as if I'd eaten chalk. I'm not even sure what all happened last night. I know there was plenty of champagne. And then liquor. Actual hard liquor. And apparently I'd had much more of it than I should have. I honestly don't even recall coming back to my room. I do know that I need to get up though. I have a train to catch back home to District 12. And I can't miss it. I sit up and everything spins. I feel my stomach lurch and I my eyes dart around the room for the trash can. I spot it at the side of my bed just in time to get sick in it.

I let out an audible groan and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand right as Natasha skips through the door.

"Well well, what have we here? Did someone celebrate a little to much last night?" She teases.

"I think I have a stomach bug or something." I mutter trying to cover for myself.

"Only if it's the kind you get from drinking too much." She retorts as she begins packing her suitcase.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"Quarter to noon."

Almost noon? I cannot believe I slept so long! I jump up quickly and regret it instantly when everything spins again. I steady myself and start collecting my things, throwing them without folding them into my suitcase. My train leaves at noon. I'm going to miss my train. I glance in the mirror as I get dressed and confirm that I look about as awful as I feel. I really need a shower but that can't happen now. I wipe the streaks of last nights makeup off my face, yank the feathers out of my hair, slip on shoes and I'm out the door. I don't even bother with saying goodbye to Natasha. Hopefully I can shower and then sleep the rest of the day once I am on the train. For now though, I just need to make the train.

I practically run all the way to the station which is thankfully very close to the dormitories we've been staying in. And just as they announce last call, I step aboard, relief washing over me that I made it. I lean back against the wall just inside the entrance to the front car and close my eyes. That was close. If I'd missed the train I'd be stuck here for 3 more days. My father would've been furious.

"You okay?" a voice asks me.

My eyes pop open and I stop leaning on the wall. It's Andrew. Or Drew I guess if that's his name now. "Um, yes. I just overslept and almost missed the train." I explain as I bend down to pick up the suitcase I'd dropped at my feet. I need to get to my room before anyone else sees me looking like this. I cannot believe he is seeing me like this. Even if I'm not interested in him this is definetly considered unacceptable on my part.

"Here, let me get that for you." He says grabbing my suitcase before I can. "Let's get you to your room so you can get settled." He says. I don't have the energy to argue with him so I just follow without saying a word. As we walk towards the sleeper car, I wonder if he was looking for me or if he just happened to be passing by when he caught me leaning by the door there. And what about last night? Everything is fuzzy and I can't remember if he was drinking last night too or if it was just me. Well, it wasn't just me. It was a Capitol ball so of course there was food and drink in abundance and plenty partook but I can't remember much interaction with Drew from last night. When we get to my room I reach out for my suitcase.

"Thank you for carrying that for me."

"Sure. Want me to have someone bring you some medicine or tea or something to your room?" He asks me, sounding genuinely concerned.

"No, I'm fine. Just need some rest is all. Thanks again for helping with my bag." I hurriedly tell him as I enter my room just wanting to disappear from everything and everyone.

He pauses for a moment and then nods. "I'll see you later."

I fake a smile at him and then let my door close. If my father catches wind about all of this I will never hear the end of it. I should never have had so much to drink. I should always remember the events and my actions from the evening before and I should never let anyone see me so out of sorts and looking so disheveled. Hopefully though, he won't hear about any of this. I look around my room and find the phone. I pick it up and ask for medicine and tea to be brought to my room. Drew was right that I needed it, I just didn't want him to know it. While I wait for it to come, I step into the shower and let the steamy water wash over me. It helps but not as much as I know the medicine will. The Capitol does some pretty amazing things with medicines.

After the medicine arrives, I take it and then lie down to sleep for a bit. I need to be able to show up at dinner looking more collected than I did arriving for the train. And I need to try and remember if I did or said anything embarrassing last night.

I'm sound asleep when there's a knock at my door. Groggily, I sit up and glance around the room. The clock shows that it's nearly dinner time. Guess I slept the rest of the afternoon. I pull on a robe and go to the door as someone knocks again.

It's Drew again. All dressed for dinner.

"Hi. I thought I'd see if you wanted to go to the dinning car and get some dinner with me?" He asks. He must then realize I was sleeping and he starts to apologize. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

I shake my head. "I was just about to get ready. Can I meet you there in 10 minutes?" I ask quickly.

He smiles at me. "Sure, I'll see you there."

The door closes and I start rummaging through my bag trying to find something that isn't completely wrinkled to wear to dinner. I settle on a plain, almost too casual for dinner, navy blue dress. The fabric is knit so wrinkles aren't an issue. I slide some ballet flats on and run a brush through my hair. I quickly dab a little color on my cheeks and gloss on my lips. A once over in the mirror lets me know that this is as good as it will get for tonight. Honestly if it weren't for needing to keep up appearances, I'd skip dinner altogether and spend the rest of this trip hiding out in my room. But I can't do that. There are way too many people who know my father on the train and I also would really, really hate for Drew to tell his father that I refused to spend any time with him.

I make my way to the dining car and find Drew waiting for me at a table for two. I'm actually a little surprised he isn't at a larger table across the dining car where I see his brother and several others. He stands, smiling, as I approach the table.

"You didn't want to sit with your brother and friends?" I ask, gesturing to their lively table.

He glances sideways towards it and gives a quiet "No." He doesn't elaborate but I pick up a hint of a strange vibe.

We sit and menus are brought to our table. I realize now how hungry I am. Starving actually. Which makes sense considering that I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast yesterday. And I didn't even finish that. Geez, no wonder I got so drunk. I should've eaten something if I was going to drink so much.

"Everything looks so good." I say making small talk as I scan the menu.

"Usually is on the train." He muses.

"Do you travel often?" I ask. I've been on the train many times with my father but his comment makes me wonder if he travels more than me.

"Spent last summer going back and forth to the Capitol for a training program." He explains.

"What sort of training?"

"Just some course my father had August and I take. Prep stuff for future career paths."

I find it odd that he isn't elaborating on this more. He's being almost intentionally vague and for someone I remember being all about all things Capitol related, this seems out of character. We order our dinners and there's a little bit of awkward silence between us.

"Did you have fun at the ball last night?" He finally asks, breaking the silence.

I look up at him and give an apologetic look. "I think I got a little carried away with the champagne. I'd been so nervous all day and hadn't eaten anything and then I guess I over celebrated. I'm sorry if I made a poor first impression."

He smiles a little and shakes his head. "That wasn't a first impression."

"It wasn't?"

"Nah, I've known you for years. May not have seen you in a few years but I still know who you are." He sounds so laid back and friendly as he says it that I'm starting to question my memories of him.

"Well, either way, I apologize for last night."

"It was a celebration. We were supposed to have fun and celebrate. That's what you did." He shrugs.

"Did you and Ellison have fun?" I ask. I certainly can't recall interacting with her much last night.

He pauses at the mention of her name. "It was a lovely evening." This response sounds much more polished and less real.

"How is this multi person courtship supposed to work? Do you have any idea?" I ask.

He laughs and shakes his head. "Your guess is as good as mine. I guess I'll be just doing everything double. Once with you and once with Ellison."

"Sounds like you'll have a busy year." I laugh. It's true. He probably will have to see each of us equally. And that's going to be a lot of traveling for him with her in the Capitol and me in 12.

"Were you upset that you didn't get placed with your first match? That he got pulled out of matching?" He asks, leaving me a little stunned that he wants to discuss Martin and what happened.

"I never met him so I suppose there's nothing to be upset about. What about you? Were you upset that you had to take on an extra match at the last minute?"

"It was a surprise. I mean, when they told me I would have two matches I wasn't sure what to think. It seemed like a very strange way to solve the problem of not having enough heirs. Made me a little nervous that they decided I was the guy who needed to have two matches. Truthfully though, I was a little relived when I saw you were one of the girls. It sort of took some of the pressure off."

His answer surprises me. He was nervous? He was relieved to see he'd been matched with me? How have I been reading him all wrong? "I had no idea you were nervous so you hid that little fact very well." I tell him.

"You want the whole truth?" He asks me, leaning in and speaking quietly.

Intrigued, I lean in too and raise my eyebrows in response.

"I was so nervous I puked in the hallway just before they lined us all up." He confesses.

My jaw drops open in disbelief. 'You did not!"

"Oh but I did. Can't wait to hear what my father says when he hears about that."

"How will he hear? Did anyone see you?"

His eyes dart over to the table where August and his friends are. "I may have had a small audience."

"I was nervous too. My stylist had to give me a pill to sober me up." I confess, feeling a little more open since he shared what happened to him.

"You got drunk before the ball?"

I nod. "I sipped champagne all day long while she got me ready. By the time she was finished, I was a mess and laughing at everything."

He smiles. "So were you still nervous after we got matched? Is that why you decided to drink so much again?"

I breathe in and bite my bottom lip before I answer. "I don't do so well being in the spotlight, having all eyes on me. And our unique situation didn't exactly leave me feeling like I could blend in. I don't usually drink so heavily though so please don't be concerned about that being a thing I'll be repeating."

"Oh I'm not worried about it. I know you well enough to know that you don't do that sort of thing often."

I turn my head to side a little. "How is it that you feel you know me so well yet I don't feel as if I know you as well?" I ask him bluntly. He keeps acting as if we've been friends for years instead of just someone I saw a few times as a child.

He shrugs and meets my eye, holding my gaze for a moment. "Guess I was just watching you even if you weren't watching me."

I feel a little flutter of surprise. There was definetly a flirty connotation in that statement. Is he flirting? And what does he mean he was watching me? Has he been keeping up with my life the past few years? Why would he do that? I'm about to ask but stop short when his brother approaches our table.

"Well if it isn't the happy threesome...oh wait, someone's missing from your little group. Have you already dumped one?" He jokes, his friends laughing behind him.

"Ha, ha. You are absolutely hilarious August. Where's your match?" Drew spits out and I catch the hint of annoyance in his tone. They used to be so close I thought but now I'm thinking something has changed.

"I don't know. She's around here somewhere." He says without a care. I don't recall who his match was but I feel for her a little. August seems as ornery as ever.

"Probably hiding from you." I mutter to myself aloud.

He turns and smirks at me. "No one hides from me sweetheart." He turns and leaves, his friends trailing behind him full of laughter.

It's quiet at the table for a moment. "So I guess you two aren't as close as you used to be?" I ask in assumption.

"We are not. But a word of advice, don't entertain him by responding. It just eggs him on and he isn't above getting ugly, even with girls." He says with a little edge in his voice.

"Sorry. I really am normally much more composed and pleasing than you've seen of me the past couple days. Usually I keep all sarcastic commentary to myself. I'm not sure what made me say it aloud just then." I quickly apologize, knowing that he is in fact right. I'm amazed at just how many little slip ups I keep having with my behavior. I really am normally the perfect illusion of all that I'm supposed to be.

He gestures towards my dinner. "You about finished?"

I nod, wipe my mouth and stand. His mood has clearly shifted. I'm not sure if that's my fault or August's or both of us but whatever the case, he's clearly ready for dinner to be over.

He walks in silence with me back to my door and it's so awkward suddenly which is strange after dinner had been feeling so easygoing.

"Thank you for walking me back." I say as I open my door and step inside.

"Goodnight." Is all he says before turning and walking away.

I let my door close and flop down on my bed. What just happened? I am so confused. August and Drew used to be practically the same person, they were so similar. And as my memory serves, they were much like the August I encountered this evening. But Drew seems different now. We were actually getting along. And he's been very kind to me even with the mess I'm sure I was last night at the ball. And I'm still curious about what exactly he meant when he said he'd been watching me over the years. I feel bad that the dinner ended so abruptly and on sort of a sour note. And on top of all that, why do I even care? Hadn't I already decided that I wasn't interested? Wasn't I planning to let Ellison have him?

Author's note:

For those of you asking when Gale and Madge will start interacting, don't worry, it'll happen in due time. Had a lot of groundwork that needed to be laid to get this story going. Next chapter coming soon!