Changing the Game Chapter 3: You called me Lexie, a hunger games fanfic

Chapter 3 : You called me Lexie

(Madge)

"I told you daddy, I told you that someone should have given Effie a boy's name, I told you that Peeta's name could be called. But noooo… No one listens to Madge, she is too young, too stupid, what does she know?"

"That's enough Marjorie Amaryllis Undersee. What's done is done, the only thing left for us to do is move forward. Did you give Mr. Mellark the message?" I nod, if my dad is using my entire name, that's my clue to shut up.

"Sorry daddy. Yes, I let him know. What's going to happen now? You do know that neither one of them will want to come home without the other. And now that Haymitch is gone, we don't have a way to communicate with them." Dad flinches at my words, which tells me there may be a way. "Right?"

"Madge honey, the more people who know, the more dangerous it is."

"The more people who know, the more people can help." I counter.

"Madge, don't you have something to do? Someone else to bother? I've got things I need to do here."

"No, my only two friends just hitched a ride to The Capitol." I mutter as I leave his office.

I go to the kitchen and pack a basket of food to take over to the Everdeen's. I'm too anxious to play the piano, or to do anything that requires sitting still. Once I've filled it to the brim, I close the lid just as Rose enters the kitchen.

"Where are you off to at this hour Miss Madge?" Rose asks me.

"I'm going to visit Prim, I thought she might want a snack."

"That's an awfully generous snack." I shrug my shoulders as I search for my shoes in the corner of the foyer.

"I'll be back later. Let dad know if he asks? He was being a you-know-what earlier." She gives me a knowing smirk as she waves me out the door.

"MADGE!" I look over my shoulder as she yells my name waving my sweater in the air. "Don't forget your jacket! It's supposed to get chilly tonight!" I jog over to her to retrieve my sweater and give her a quick thank you before I make my way towards the seam.

I take the path that leads into the seam, basking in the symphony of crickets as I play out a song in my head. I'm so lost in thought that I don't hear the footfalls of the intruder sneaking up on me. As I turn around, I come face to face with the disgusting face of Head Peacekeeper Cray.

…..

0o0o

…..

(Peeta)

Last Night

Katniss and I were sitting on the couch last night in the main car just before the recap of the games. Haymitch had given us each a small spiral notepad and a pencil to take notes on the other tributes as we were watching. He instructed us to jot down 'anything useful'. I dedicated one-page front and back for each tribute, that way if I need to add something later, I can keep my notes organized. I wrote down their district, name, whether they volunteered or not, their reaction as they were called up, and their physical features. As soon as Haymitch gave us the notepad, he seemed to have vanished.

"Do either of you happen to know where Haymitch ran off to?" Effie asked as she got up to refill her water once the recaps were over.

"He's probably drunk somewhere. He's drunk every year." I say, irritated at our mentor's absence.

"You mean he's drunk every day." Katniss retorts and then we laugh at each other.

"You find that amusing, do you? Are you aware that your mentor is your lifeline in the games? He is the one who advises you, reins in sponsors for you, and sends you gifts into the arena. Gifts that could very well mean the difference between your life and death, so if I were you, I wouldn't be—" Effie was interrupted by the echo of Haymitch's extremely loud belch as he entered the car.

It looked like Haymitch was about to speak, when suddenly he collapsed to the floor.

"As I was saying….I'll leave you to him." Effie gave us a contrite look as she exited the car and most likely ran away to her room. I dropped down next to Haymitch and placed my ear near his mouth to check to see if he was breathing, and I could noticeably see the rise and fall of his chest, as well as hear the wheezing of the air exhaling from his lungs. I looked up to see Katniss who had a look of disgust on her face.

"I think he passed out from too much alcohol. Will you help me drag him to his room?" She nodded, but her face said this was the last thing she wanted to be doing. Between the two of us, we finally got him into his room.

"I'll get him cleaned up and then meet you in your room if that's okay with you?" She nodded again and bolted for the door, not waiting for me to change my mind.

I shoved Haymitch into his shower, clothes and all and let the cold water sober him up as well as rinse the vomit from his hair. I undressed him and washed him the best I could and then turned the water off to run into his room and find some clean clothes. When I returned less than two minutes later, Haymitch was wide awake, pissed off and looking confused as ever.

"What the hell boy! I'm in the shower!" He screamed at me.

"No shit, I put you there. Your drunk ass passed out, all covered in vomit and someone had to clean you up." I handed Haymitch a towel and he covered himself up as he tried to remember the events that led up to this moment.

"Can I get you anything, maybe a glass of water?"

"Nah, I'm good, you can get out of here." As I was leaving his room, just before I shut the door behind me, I heard a scuffle.

"Hey kid!" Haymitch yells, and I open the door just a crack and poke my head in.

"Yeah?"

"See you in the morning."

…..

I wake up remembering the events from last night and then smile as I look next to me to see Katniss curled up in a ball. I crawl out of bed as slowly and quietly as I can as to not wake Katniss; she needs as much sleep as she can get. I grab some clothes and head into the bathroom to take a shower. Once I'm done, I search for the car with the food, forgetting what Effie had called it. I turn the corner and follow the aroma of bacon, and it's Haymitch's face who greets me.

"Morning, boy."

"You're looking much better."

"Yeah, I had some crazy dreams last night." I see a hint of recognition on Haymitch's face that tells me that he's aware that it wasn't a dream.

"You're in love with her." It's not a question, but a statement. I don't have time for games, we need to get down to business.

"I have some questions." I tell Haymitch.

"So eager. First things first, eat every chance you can, but not so much to make yourself sick. Kind of pointless to fill the tank up only to barf it back up. You'll need to put on as much weight as you can. Fill up on carbs, if you munch on carbs throughout the day, carbs stick." He motions for me to sit at the table just as the attendant enters with a platter of food. I thank the attendant and grab my fork.

"What is a carb?"

"Oh…uh…I don't really know. Bread, pasta, crackers, stuff like that."

"What's the best way to win the games?" I ask as I stab my fork into some scrambled eggs.

"Stay alive." Haymitch says almost too seriously which causes me to roll my eyes.

"Well, obviously, but how do you stay alive? How do you find shelter? How do you get weapons? How do you dodge the careers?" Once I started asking questions, they just kept rolling off my tongue.

"Woah, woah, slow down, one thing at a time. First of all, you can't beat, dodge, or kill the careers unless you are a career. It's near impossible since they run in packs. If you're lucky, I'd say the element of surprise, or if you happen to be really really skilled with a long-distance weapon, you might stand a chance."

Katniss is really really skilled with a long-distance weapon, I wonder if Haymitch is aware of this.

"Look boy, your best chance at staying alive is sponsors. Sponsors can be the difference between life and death. A bottle of water, some medicine, a bit of food, a book of matches…The truth is more tributes die each year because they don't know how to make it with nothing, you're just as likely to get speared by a career as you are to freeze to death—"

"I could just build a fire." I state, testing Haymitch's cognitive abilities, everyone knows building a fire is the quickest way to get killed by the careers.

"That's a good way to get killed." I smile at his answer.

"What's a good way to get killed?" I look up and greet Katniss with an apprehensive smile.

"Good morning sweetheart. I was just telling the boy here the best way to win the games!" Haymitch says a little too cheerfully. Katniss is skeptical as she takes the seat next to me.

"How do you win the games then?" She challenges Haymitch.

"Stay alive." He gives her the same answer as he had given me.

"Very funny, only not to us." I shove Haymitch back in his chair, causing his drink to spill, and just as I shove him, I see the glint in his eye, that familiar glint I've seen so many times before, and I dodge to the left to avoid his fist. He falls backwards into his chair and then he grabs on to the table to keep himself from falling. It's in these few seconds that Katniss picks up her knife and stabs it in the table, landing right in-between Haymitch's fingers.

Instead of getting angry at us, Haymitch falls back in his chair and burst into a fit of laughter.

"Finally! I got something to work with!" He can barely get his words out through his laughter.

"Listen, I'll make a deal with you. You do what I say, no questions asked, and I'll stay sober enough to 'mentor' you. If you can do that, I'll bring you home." Katniss and I stare at each other, our eyes locked on the other but when we turn to look back at Haymitch, he's gone.

"Who was he talking to?" Katniss asks me. I shrug my shoulders, feeling confused as ever.

"Come eat your breakfast." I pull out the chair for her.

"If he hasn't brought a single tribute home since he won the games, what makes him think this year is any different?" Katniss asks before she shovels some eggs into her mouth. Except she and I are aware that something about these games is different.

…..

0o0o

…..

(Katniss)

Effie has informed us that in just under three hours, we will arrive in The Capitol where we will meet our prep team and stylists. What she didn't say is that their job is to make us look amazing, where we will then be advertised to the nation, and shown off like animals for the slaughter.

Everyone knows the best-looking tributes always get the most sponsors and sponsors equal life. For so long, District Twelve's stylist have been horrible, never even taking the time to attempt to be creative. They dress us up as coal miners, and I am so sick of stupid coal mining outfits. If we could just get some decent stylists with a bit of imagination, I'm sure that Peeta and I could stand a fighting chance.

One year our tributes were sent out naked, the only thing covering their bodies was this black sparkly-shimmery paint looking stuff; I guess coal dust? I'm dreading it. Peeta says I need to smile; smile and wave. To stay alive, we need sponsors so I can't be my sullen and hostile self towards the stupid capitol people. They are shallow and so oblivious to the life in the districts. They don't know what it's like to suffer, to go to bed with an empty stomach, or to even go to bed cold. To wonder where you'll get your next meal. But if I want to live, I must put my pretend face on; so for Peeta, I will suck it up.

Our train pulls in, and there are thousands of people waving and yelling at us. It sickens me how excited they are for the games. To them, it's fun and exciting, nothing more than a TV show meant for their entertainment purposes.

"So, listen up. Once you leave here, your stylists are going to get ahold of you. It's their job to make you look amazing, so I need you to go willingly with them, and do whatever they say, no questions. Got it?" Haymitch pushes us out of the train before giving us a chance to respond, and the crowd goes bonkers. Peeta walks out in front of me, I don't think either of us realize that our hands are still linked together. We smile and wave to the people of The Capitol, which seems to make the crowd crazier, if that is even possible.

District Twelve is so calm and quiet compared to The Capitol; the only word I can think to describe this strange place is busy. The people look so peculiar with their wild hair, weird eyes, crazy clothes, and disfigured bodies. I could have sworn I just saw someone with whiskers! I'm trying to take everything in as we are pushed inside. Somehow, Peeta and I are pulled apart and sent into opposite directions.

…..

0o0o

…..

(Peeta)

I am so overwhelmed with all of the colors, people, and just the weirdness of everything in The Capitol, while trying to maintain the façade of excitement on my face that I don't even realize it when they separate me and Katniss. Everything is different here; from the vivid colors, the smells that waft through the air, even the texture of the air feels thicker, like it's hard to breathe.

Three strange, overly excited people come up to me and drag me away with them.

"Oh! Aren't you just adorable! Oh, yes, yes, we can definitely work with you, oooohhh I just know Portia is going to just eat you up! My name is Henna, this here is Sapphire and Artemis." He excitedly points to the two strange creatures standing next to him. At least I think he's a 'him.' The first one, Henna, I can't even tell by their name whether he's a he or a she, and nothing about 'their' voice, clothes, or body is giving anything away. I'm just going to call him a him for the sake of my sanity. He has the most beautiful color of hair. Let me rephrase that, the color itself is the most beautiful; it's the color of a sunset. It's a deep orange, with lighter orange and yellow highlights; strange for a hair color though.

"I like your hair, it's my favorite color." I tell Henna and he blushes.

"Oh, this? This is nothing, I was thinking about changing it."

The second one, her name is Sapphire, has green hair, kind of like an emerald green and purple eyes. With a name like 'Sapphire', I would expect something about her to be some shade of blue. Her hair is short and spiky all over.

The third one, and the most 'normal' looking one is Artemis. She has the longest hair I've ever seen on a person before. It's a normal shade of chocolate brown with purple and green highlights which reaches the back of her calves. Other than that, she looks for the most part, normal. Artemis is the first one to speak.

"Hi Peeta! We are your prep team. We work for Portia, who is your stylist. Oh, she's just going to love you!" She pinches my cheek. "Oooh, he is so handsome, and look at those arms!" Sapphire squeals at me while squeezing my biceps.

"So, Peeta, we are going to take you into a special room. You are going to remove your clothes and we are going to get you washed up reeeeal good, remove any blemishes that you may have and give you a nice body polish. We'll remove any hair that we think is unnecessary, and once we're all done, Portia will come in and take a good look at you." She speaks to me as if I am a two-year-old. It's a high-pitched sing song voice. I think she sees my hesitation about being naked.

"Oh, don't you worry Peeta, we see all kinds of boys and girls. We're used to the naked body and after a few minutes, you'll warm right up." I wanted to tell her that I'm not worried about being cold, that it is embarrassing to be naked in front of strangers, well, in front of anyone.

After hours of torture, ( I am definitely going to yell at Haymitch for forcing me to agree to this) they did exactly as they promised; they stripped me, washed me, removed all of my blemishes with some sort of laser gun contraption thing, waxed, plucked, and polished me. Once my prep team deemed me presentable enough for Portia's eyes, they left and closed the door behind them. I am a little afraid of this Portia person. Suddenly, my nostrils filled up with an aroma of lemons. It was there one second and gone just as fast.

As I'm sitting in this room completely naked, my mind wanders to Katniss. If they're torturing me like this, I can't imagine what they're doing to her.

I am expecting Portia to look and act just as weird as my prep team, to even have that strange capitol accent. I am so surprised when I hear a knock on my door, it opens just a crack, and beautiful woman pokes her head in.

"Hi Peeta, my name is Portia. May I come in?"

"Do I have a choice?" I reply jokingly. She smiles at me, slides in through the crack shutting the door behind her.

Portia is nothing like I expected. She has short brown hair in a pixie cut, brown eyes and light caramel colored skin. No weird colors, or strange body parts that should belong to an animal. The only thing 'capitol' about her is the slight shimmery silver eyeliner that highlights her eyelids. She has such a calm, soothing, and gentle voice, with a laugh to match, that I instantly feel at ease with her, even naked. She is a stunning woman, and I'm instantly drawn to her.

Portia walks into my room and circles around me once, it's like she is taking a mental picture of me, but not in a perverted way. She actually reminds me of myself when I see something that I want to memorize to sketch later. As soon as she circles me, she hands me a robe that seems to just magically appear. I slip the robe on, tying it in the front and Portia waves her hand for me to follow her. She shows me to another room and asks me to put on the clothes she has set out for me.

It is just a simple black...I think it's called a jump suit? I put the jump suit on as well as the shoes and follow Portia to yet another room. It is a small room with only a table and two chairs in which we sit in.

"Are you hungry Peeta?" Portia asks me. I nod, still trying to absorb everything. When you come from a small, simple district where everything is the same, and then you're thrown into this giant, colorful, almost foreign place, well, it's quite overwhelming.

I'm still unsure as to what to think of this 'Portia.' She presses a button on the table, and plates of food seem to just appear. I think she can sense my hesitancy about the food, so she says while lifting one of the lids of the food "Go ahead, eat however much you like. Don't make yourself sick though." I just smile and nod as I remember Haymitch's instructions about eating whenever I can.

I think Portia can sense my fear and anxiety because she just starts talking.

"First of all, Peeta, I want to express my sincere apologies for you having to be here, however, I am pleased to fin… I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Portia LeGoria. I am twenty-four years old and this is my first year as a stylist for the games. Your district partner's stylist-" Did she just stop herself from saying that she was please to finally meet me?

"Katniss" I interrupt her, and she smiles apologetically. She doesn't seem to think it was rude at all.

"I'm sorry. Katniss' stylist is Cinna who is my partner. We studied fashion and ethics at Scintillating Capitol University. This is also his first year as a stylist for the games. And Peeta, I just want to tell you how absolutely honored we are to be your stylists this year."

"You can be honest; I won't be offended. I know that all of the new stylists get stuck with District Twelve, as we're the worst district, but eventually, you'll get to move on to a better district." She doesn't need to placate me. Wait, did she say that she studied ethics. Do people from The Capitol even know what ethics are?

"Oh Peeta. Cinna and I, we, we CHOSE District Twelve." She put an emphasis on the word chose. I am confused.

"Why would you want to do that? District Twelve is the worst. We are coal miners; there isn't much you can do with just coal miners."

"Peeta, you and Katniss will not be 'just coal miners'." If I was confused before, I am completely lost now.

"If not coal miners, then what? Oh no! You're not going to have us go out there naked, are you?" I really hate being naked.

"No, Peeta, no one will be naked, I promise that you and Katniss both will get to keep all of your dignity this year. Our focus this year will be on the actual coal itself, well, more about what you do to it. Tell me Peeta, what do you do with coal?"

I take a second to think about her question, and then it hits me. "Burn it? What! Wait, NO! Ok, you can do whatever you want to me, but please don't burn Katniss. If she gets hurt before we even get into the arena, she won't stand a chance at winning….I- I'm used it, but, but, no, you can't burn her!" I am stumbling over my words which seems to amuse Portia. She places her hand on top of mine, soothingly.

"Calm down Peeta, it's not real fire, it's synthetic. It doesn't hurt a bit and it's not even hot." I can feel my heart slowing down.

"Ok, good." Is the only thing I can think to say.

With that, Portia takes me into the "Glamour Room" and attaches all of the pieces of my costume to me and shows me what buttons to press once Katniss and I are out on the chariot together.

…..

0o0o

…..

(Katniss)

After what feels like years of torture, my prep team which consists of three people; Octavia, Flavius, and Vennia deem me suitable enough for Cinna to lay his amazing eyes on me. They refer to Cinna as if he is some kind of deity. For the last several hours they have been 'working' on me and talking to each other as if I'm not even here. They talk to each other, point out my imperfections, and argue about which method is best to correct this or that. Octavia is the first who speaks to me. "Beauty base zero. Cinna will be so pleased!"

"What is beauty base zero?" I ask out of curiosity.

"Cinna says it is making the tribute look flawless, but without the aid of make up or artificial enhancements. It's like, well, I guess it's like pulling out your natural beauty!" I nod and say ok, still unclear as to what it actually means.

I am sitting naked, all alone in this room with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company. The wax they put on my body smells like lemons, so I feel like my body is oozing the aroma of lemons. I suppose there are worse things to smell like, however I am going to let Haymitch have it later. These people have tortured me, they waxed every piece of body hair below my neck, and let me tell you, for a girl, OUCH! I mean seriously, who cares if my legs are hairy?

While I'm thinking of all the ways to give it to Haymitch, there is a knock at the door. I am expecting this Cinna to look like, well, my prep team. Instead, this incredibly attractive, very normal looking man walks into my room. He walks as if he owns the floor, with a lot of confidence and bravado, yet he is not cocky. He hasn't let success turn him into an arrogant ass. Other than the gold shimmery eye liner, there is no trace of 'Capitol' on him.

He comes into my room and circles me to get a good look. I feel as if I am on display, but he doesn't 'check me out' in a way that makes me feel violated.

"Hi Katniss, my name is Cinna and I am your stylist. I am so sorry this has happened to you." His words confuse me, yet his voice is gentle and soothing, and I am instantly at ease. With just these first few words, I find myself trusting this man.

"Most people just tell me congratulations." He shakes his head in disappointment, as if he can't believe someone would have the audacity to say that, when in actuality it's the normal response from someone from The Capitol.

"Lexie, what you did for your sister, that was the bravest thing I think I have ever seen." I almost fall out of my seat at hearing my fathers' term of endearment escape his lips. I stare at him with my mouth hanging open as I'm frozen in place.

"What did you just call me?" I know what I heard; however, he doesn't miss a beat.

"Katniss. Your name is Katniss, right?" He smirks

"You called me Lexie" I accuse him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, must have been a slip of the tongue."

That's when I know that I have been right to be suspicious, something is fishy, something isn't right. My dad is the only person in the entire world who call's me Lexie. The odds of Cinna having a 'slip of the tongue' are about as likely as….as Prim's name getting drawn out of a thousand other girls names. Yes, something is definitely not right here. If Cinna has 'accidentally' called me Lexie, it means that he knows my dad, it means my dad has told him in order to gain my trust. This is not a coincidence.

…..

0o0o

…..

(Gale)

I was so worked up over Catnip leaving and just couldn't face anyone that I went straight into the woods after leaving the justice building. She's my best friend, my hunting partner, and I know that's all she sees me as. She only has eyes for Mellark, everyone knows it even if she doesn't know it herself. I just finished trading in the hob, and it's too dark to go back into the woods, so I might as well head back home.

I don't know how it happens, or why it happens, but images of the mayor's daughter begin to invade my mind. She looked really cute this morning with her hair all crazy like that, it almost made me feel like she was closer to my level, like I might actually stand a chance. But then I saw her at the reaping in her beautiful dress with her immaculate hair and perfect posture, and it brought me back to reality. I'll never be good enough for someone like her, but a guy can dream.

I always thought it could be me and Catnip, it just made sense for us to end up together. We're both from the seam, we're both full of fire, we're best friends, we get along…well most of the time, and we both know what it's like to struggle. I don't get what she sees in Mellark, what makes him so special? He's a privileged townie who's never known struggle or hardship in his whole life. I'm sure he goes to bed every night with a full stomach.

As I'm walking, my thoughts are interrupted by two people in an argument.

"Well, Peeta's not the bravest of boys so I don't imagine we'll be seeing him again."

"How could you say that about your own son? Seriously, Esther, he's our son and if you think that, then you don't know him at all."

"You baby him too much, you always have. Peeta is a whiney little boy who is always seeking my approval. I told him it would be her, you know. I told him it would be that seam scum Katniss who wins this year. He didn't disagree with me either."

"You said WHAT? How could you? You are aware that he left here with every intention of making sure that she is the one who comes home this year. If that isn't brave, then I don't know what is. You know what, you disgust me, I'll see you at home."

I keep walking, not fully believing what I just heard. It was the witch, Mellark's mother and she was, wow, she is more evil than even I was aware of. Maybe Mellark does know a little pain and strife.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the white uniform of a peacekeeper. I shake my game bag, and immediately feel my heart return to its normal rhythm at finding it empty. It's Cray, and most of the time he's one of the first ones to buy game from me, but he's fickle. If he's in a bad mood, well, you just never know what to expect. I hide behind a bush to watch him because while he may be fine with my poaching, if I can avoid him, well, let's just say I prefer to avoid him.

I watch him walking and he looks like a fox hunting his prey. There's a girl up ahead carrying a basket, which I guess is his prey. It's not a secret that in the winter months young girls line up at his door, hoping to be the one he chooses for the night in exchange for a coin, or even some food. But this girl doesn't know that he is creeping up on her, she is oblivious to his plight, and she sure as hell doesn't look like she's in need of food or money. I must be seeing things, because from this far back and in the cover of night, I could almost swear it was her. Madge. As I creep closer, following him as he follows her, I suspect I'm not imagining things. I realize that I know that body, I know the voice that hums that melody. Madge.

A/N: So, what did you think of that chapter? What do you think is going to happen to Madge? Is she going to make it to Prims safely? What about Cinna, do you think it was just an accident, or does he know Katniss' dad? Please R/R and let me know what you think!