Chapter 3

Madge shrieks the moment her mother hits the floor. 'Mom! Mom!' Madge cries. 'Please wake up! Please!' She basically begs her mother to wake up but there is no response. 'Prim, get some ice and a towel!' Mrs. Everdeen yells with a look of panic on her face. The 15-year old immediately obeys her mother's orders, seeing how serious the case is.

This can't be happening, this can't be happening! Madge thinks. Her mother was doing so well up until today. She keeps wondering what caused her mother to get back to this stage of passing out and really bad headaches. Did she work too much? Not rest enough? Or maybe it was her. It was her fault! She should have watched her mother more closely. While Madge is still struggling with this thought, Mrs. Everdeen and Prim are busy trying to retrieve her mother from unconsciousness. Once Madge realizes that Mrs. Everdeen calls her name she snaps back to reality.

'Madge, I want you to know that your mother is not in a good state and that there is a chance that she is not going to make it.' Mrs. Everdeen says gently not wanting to upset the blonde even more. 'She is in desperate need of some morphling to keep her…' Madge blocks out the rest of that sentence and just stares at the moving lips of Katniss' mom. Her face is blank. It shows no emotion like she is in another world at that moment. After that everything happens really fast. Madge turns around and runs out the door as fast as she can. She can vaguely hear Katniss call her but she ignores it and runs even faster. Tears prick in her eyes. She just has to get out of that house, out of the seam. She needs some air.

Madge has been running for so long that she doesn't even notice that she is in town. When she finally becomes aware that she is in the rich people's village, she slows down. It's a warm summer's night with a soft breeze which normally Madge would love but tonight it sends shivers down her spine.

She goes to sit on the steps of a closed shop when she notices that the light in the bakery is still on. That's odd, she thinks, since all the stores in the street are already closed. She doesn't dwell on it though as she has more important things on her mind. When she sits down she finally allows her tears to fall. For a while, she just sits there and cries while she thinks of all the things she could have done to prevent her mother from reaching this state. She is so deep in thought that she doesn't see that the lights in the bakery are turned off.

As soon as she sees someone coming her way out of the corner of her eye, she wipes her tears away and looks the other way. The footsteps are getting closer and closer until they stop in front of her. Once she looks up and sees who it is, she growls. Great.

'What do you want Hawthorne?' She murmurs. Madge knows Gale from the past when they used to trade. Madge gave him squirrels and he gave her money. She knows exactly how guys like him are, or she thinks to know. Rich, spoiled, seeing her as charity, probably getting a lot of girls. She huffs at the thought.

'I-I saw you and I just wanted to make sure you were ok.' Gale stutters, not really knowing the answer to her question. Why does he feel like he should help her? It's not that they are friends. They aren't connected to each other whatsoever, not anymore.

'Well, I'm fine so you can leave now.' Madge says looking away from him. In reality she is actually longing for someone to talk to right now but she can't give in. He will think she is weak that she needs him but she doesn't. She doesn't need anybody, except maybe her mom who is dying at the moment.

'Madge, you can talk to me,' Gale says gently. 'I know we aren't really friends but…'

'But what?' Madge suddenly snaps. 'Why do you really want to hear about my life? So you can feel sorry for me?' She yells, releasing all her cropped up emotions at once. 'So you can tell your friends about it? Or do you just want to make yourself feel better by helping someone from the seam?' That last sentence comes out soft but still harsh. Tears are pricking at the edge of her eyes, threatening to fall but Madge won't let them.

Gale notices and sits down next to her. He knows how it feels like to need a friend. Even though Peeta is his best friend, he is not always there when he feels down. Without saying anything he wraps his arm around her. As soon as he does Madge surrenders and buries her face in his chest while letting out soft sobs.

'My mom is dying.' She says between sobs. 'She was doing so well but she just collapsed today and I can't do anything to help her. I feel so powerless, I can't get her that stupid morphling and she's going to…' She realizes she just basically asked for his help.

Gale gets up, 'Wait right here.' Madge looks up to him and is shaking her head but Gale is already on his way home. Fantastic, the one thing I didn't want to happen happened. Madge thinks. Now she owes him.

Gale comes back with a small box in his hands. 'Here, take it, it's morphling.'

'Where did you get this?' Madge says while eyeing the box.

'My parents keep a stash just in case one of us gets sick.' Gale shrugs. 'Just take it.'

Madge goes to protest but Gale shoves it in her hands. 'It's ok Madge. Let me know if you need more.' He hesitates when he adds this part, 'And…if you need someone to talk to, just come by the bakery sometime or you can ring my doorbell.' He smiles.

Madge has forgotten that Gale works at the bakery. She thinks it's weird since he is rich and doesn't need to work. And if he does have a job then she imagines it would be some official job at an office or something but not at a bakery.

Gale looks at his watch. 'I have to run, my mother thought it was very strange that I ran in and out the house without saying anything with a box of morphling in my hand. I think I owe her an explanation. Are you going to be ok?'

'Yes,' Madge says. 'Thanks for this.' She holds up the box. 'I don't know how I can ever…'

'Don't worry about it! I guess I'll see you tomorrow!' And with that last note he runs off leaving Madge behind.

'Tomorrow?' Madge thinks aloud. And then she remembers. The reaping. She and Katniss have promised each other not to talk about it ever, which obviously worked since she totally forgot about it. Even though it's something that is impossible to forget. Suddenly fear engulfed her. There is only one person she can think of right now. Prim.

I'm sorry that I can't update so much but here is another chapter! :) School just started and I'm already drowning in homework! So the reaping is coming up! What did you guys think of this chapter?