"You know, I can hear you." I tell the girl who had been following me for the past mile and a half. I had been able to hear her loud footsteps crunching the leaves under her feet, but didn't say anything until she snapped a twig that chased the deer I had been following away.
I whip my body around to see her jumping behind a tree, blonde hair flying behind her, catching the sunlight and flashing across my face. I sigh heavily before crossing my arms across my chest. "I'm not stupid, Undersee. I know you're there." I grumble out and a blue eye peeks out from behind the tree as she slips out from behind it.
"What do you want?" I'll admit, it's kind of shocking to see the Mayor's daughter in the woods. I would think that she would be too proper to go into the woods and ruin her 'pretty dresses'. I remember the comment I made to her, just yesterday, when Katniss was taken from her family, from me. I should've volunteered for the boy, that way, I could protect her. She'd kill me though. If I volunteered with her. Who would take care of our families? No one. That's who. She loves Prim more than anything, and I love her. I don't exactly know how I'm going to get through this.
I study the girl in front of me. She doesn't brake her gaze, and I find it oddly intimidating. Who knew the Mayor's Daughter could stare for so long? Why doesn't see go back to her mansion and live in peace while the rest of us starve?
"I... I want to," She takes a few tentative steps forward, never braking my gaze. It's like she's studying me, just as I'm studying her. "I want to help them."
I wake with a start, sweating and shivering at the same time. That was the first time she was in the woods. I had still called her Undersee. I would even a couple of weeks ago, just to annoy her. She'd just laugh and shove me into a wall or something. I find myself laughing internally at the thought of Madge shoving me into a wall. She was strong, in her own way. She had this sense that she knew what was going to happen. She knew Katniss was going to come home, I know that. She taught me to believe it.
Every memory of that day comes back to me, in such vivid detail it's like it's happening in front of me again. I remember her getting hung by her ankle from one of my traps and remember how pissed she was and how irritated I was. She looked ready to kill me, but didn't, instead she threw curses at me. I've only seen her that mad once after, and that was the day I yelled at her for bringing me the morphling from her mother.
Looking back on it, I should've just taken her in my arms and never let go, but I didn't want to be used as a charity case. I was too furious to notice that the wonderful, amazing girl standing in front of me at the time loved me.
Which makes me feel even more guilty now. I force the thoughts from my head and sit up, running my hands through my hair. There's no chance I'm getting back to sleep tonight, considering I'd probably have another dream about Madge. It's been a week since my family found out that she's dead and I've barely spoken to them. My mother keeps trying to get me to eat, talk, something, but it just won't come.
The only people I talk to now are Beetee, occasionally Katniss, and much to my displeasure, President Coin of District 13. She's basically a dictator of the district, trying to force people to do what she wants. She's already tried to get Katniss to go back to District 12 for footage, and unfortunetly, Katniss agreed. So, today, I get to go back to District Twelve, where I would much rather not be, because they'll most likely force me onto the ground as Katniss's 'cousin' and force me to help her get through the remaning trash that's left of our district.
Shit.
I'm absolutely determined not to look out of the window. I will not, I refuse. Because my eyes will most likely stray to where her house was, and where her decaying body now-
No, stop it. Don't think about it. Focus on something else. Focus on the string coming off of your uniform. Anything but her. Katniss is being lowered onto the ground to see the destruction of our home, and I hear her gasp through the headset. She's still a little out there from the time spent in the second arena, still can't grasp the fact that Mellark was taken, and will most likely never come back. You can tell she loves him, even if she doesn't know it herself, she does. She loved him in the first arena, you could see it, when Cato, the boy from two had Mellark in a headlock. And how she couldn't kill him. That's why she pulled out those Goddamn berries that changed everything.
"Katniss? Should we come down?" I choke out, the words rolling off of my tounge without my brain having any knowledge of saying it until it's out there in the open. She pauses as if she wants me to come down but then decides against it. I breathe out a silent sigh of relief. Then, once again, my head thinks first and I'm looking out the window.
It's all gone. Most of it. Some fire still remains burning, ash covering the district more than it already did. The shaking remains of the Justice Building still stand, they could fall at any moment. The town square where I was whipped it completely unrecognizable. My back starts to itch just remembering the pain that each whip inflicted on me. And then the flash of blue that was Madge, completely terrified for me.
No. Stop thinking about it. It won't make her come back to life, she's gone. Then, my eyes travel unwillingly to where her house used to stand. All that's left is some crumbling remains and a ton off brick, wood, and ash. I feel my face pale as everything comes rushing back to me. Her playing the piano for me, her father scolding me for taking her away too much, and then the day when her mother got worse. I was there, most of the afternoon, trying to do anything to comfort her, trying to help her through the pain.
It's too much to take, so I turn away. Abernathy is looking at me, a question on his face. He's asking me why I look like I'm about to puke. I can't answer, so I merely shake me head. Abernathy was the only other person who knew about Madge and me. He somehow found out the night Madge brought the medicine. I don't remember much of that night, just unbelievable pain. When I was asked to describe it later, all I could say was to multiply the worst pain that you've ever felt by a thousand and you still wouldn't get there.
"She loved you, you know." He pulls off his headset so Katniss can't hear. We didn't tell her, it would just make her more confused. Also another person President Snow could use against her.
"Go to hell, Abernathy." I answer dryly, my tounge feels like sandpaper, I can't think.
"Just making sure you knew." He says, holding his hands up in defeat. I can only rake my hands through my hair again. It's become a habit. Just like she would do. She'd tug on her hair and play with it when she got nervous.
Katniss gets back on the hovercraft, and if possible, looks worse than she did before. Skin pale, eyes dull. She drops down in the seat next to me and takes a shaky breath as she wrings her hands together.
"Pretty bad, huh?" I ask quietly and she nods.
"I... I can only imagine what people felt like, as they saw their world being destroyed."
"It was bad." I tell her before going back to my stony silence. I'll bet she knows something's wrong with me, but isn't pushing it. She'll bug me later.
Once back in District 13, Coin calls us in. She tells us that Mellark was on television today, having a interview with Ceaser.
We all watch it, but it's not the Mellark we're used too. He's different, I can't figure out why, though. His eyes seem clouded, seems paler. Katniss basically breaks down at the sight of him. Finnick can't concentrate, he's too busy tying notes in an old rope. Apparently, he loves Annie Cresta, the insane Victor from District 4. She was taken by the Capitol, along with Mellark and Johanna.
Yeah, apparently, their big plan didn't go as planned. They could only save Katniss, Beetee, and Finnick from the arena. It was complete chaos meanwhile in the District.
We all watch as Beetee, the victor from 3 tells the rest of them the plan, little did they know that they would be getting out. Haymitch told me and Thom what was going to happen, so we knew, just didn't want it to happen. I grip Madge's hand tighter and pull her closer. She watches in a horrified amazement, shocked at what their going to do.
Then, they're commencing their plan, working quickly and panicked, trying to get everything ready. All hell breaks loose. Johanna brings the metal cylinder down into Katniss's head and she crumbles, Madge burying her face in my chest. I don't force her to watch, knowing that either of us could be dead by the end of the night, I just didn't want it to happen. Johanna jumps onto Katniss, digging her tracker out of her arm, and I flinch from here. Madge forces herself to watch and visiblly cringe when blood squirts everywhere.
Enobaria and Brutus are passing by and call her 'as good as dead'. I guess she is. Finnick Odair is running through the woods screaming for Katniss and Johanna as we see Mellark being jumped by Brutus and Beetee being knocked out. Mellark makes his first kill on purpose. He's week. His bad leg is slowing him down as he runs through the forest searching for Katniss. She's screaming for him, and finds Beetee out cold.
This is where everything goes astray. Katniss and Johanna didn't manage to get the wire to the beach. Katniss has two remaining arrows. Quickly and surely, she wraps the wire around her arrow and shoots the arrow into the forcefield.
Instant hell. There's a shower of explosions and then a blue screen. People are screaming and shouting at Peacekeepers.
"Gale, we gotta go." Thom shouts at me over the choas as he talks to Bristol.
"I know, give me a minute." I pull Madge to my chest and kiss her forehead.
"Madge, listen to me. I have to go. Go to your house and get your parents. I'll meet you." The fire in her eyes is astonoshing.
"It's happening isn't it?" A tear leaks from her eye and I nod before pressing my lips to her quickly, trying to tell her so much in that one kiss. I don't know how much is told in that one kiss, but I hope she knows everything I haven't told her.
"I love you. Remember that. I love you, Madge." I tell her before holding her closer to me and she nods.
"I love you." She murmurs and it's nearly impossible to leave her now.
"I'll see you soon, okay?" I tell her one last time as shots echo in the square. She's staying strong, just like I knew she would. Then, I take my last fleeting look at her taking in everything about her, from her blue eyes, to her golden hair, and pinks lips that taste like strawberries. She and Bristol round the corner that leads to her house and she locks eyes with me.
"I love you." She mouths, tears now rolling down her face. As much as I want to go and hold her to me, I can't. I have to continue with my mission.
That was my mistake. I never should have let her go alone.
A/N: So the beginning is kinda boring, but after things pick up, it will get better. Notice how Gale can't manage to say her name much. That won't change, but other things will. Review!