The next few days pass quickly. On the fourth day after Madge sees Peeta, she's able to walk on her leg again, without pain. She celebrates by running around the compartment with Posy on her back. Everyone's laughing, especially Madge and Posy. I'm just happy that Madge can walk again.
On the fifth day, two days before Madge starts training, three before I leave, after Madge and I come home after our last evening activity, to find my mother tapping her foot.
"You need to talk to your brother." She says sternly, pointing at me.
"I'm just gonna go say hi to Bristel." Madge murmurs to me and then slowly retreats out the door.
"What's wrong?" I ask and she sighs.
"Rory needs to talk to you. He's in his room." She drops her voice a little, "And just to let you know, I don't believe what he's saying." I nod slowly, and then go into Rory and Vick's room. Rory's there, staring at the ceiling. Vick's just walking around.
"Hey, Vick? Could you give us a minute?" He nods, staring at me before leaving. I sit down on the edge of Rory's bed and he doesn't look at me. "What's up?"
"Nothing." He spits out bitterly.
"Well then what's wrong?" I don't have time for this right now.
"Do I really have to spell it out for you?" He still sounds bitter.
"Spell what?" I really don't see where he's getting at. He's avoiding the point, I know he is.
"What I find amazing," he starts, still staring at the ceiling, "is that when we all thought Madge was dead, you were upset all the time but I expected you would talk to us, but you didn't. And then, when Madge actually turns up and isn't dead, you're all happy and stuff but you still don't talk to us!"
I stare at him for a moment. "So you're saying..?"
"What I'm saying is that you're abandoning us for her!"
"Rory, I'm not abandoning you guys—"
"Really, because it really seems like it."
"Rory, listen—"
"No, you listen! I get that you just found her and all and stuff but at least spend some time with your family! We never see you anymore because of your stupid job and then with Madge around it's like you've disappeared!"
"Rory, I would pick you guys over her any day." As much as I don't want to say it, it's true. Family is family. Family comes first. Though, Madge is practically family.. The small voice in my head says quietly, but I shake it off. Family first.
"I doubt that. I really do." He spits out and I sigh.
"Rory, you're my brother and she's my girlfriend. I can love you both. I love you both a lot, Rory."
"If you love her so much why don't you just marry her?" He spouts out, crossing his arms and sitting up. Why is he so worked up about this?
"Well that was the plan Rory." He silences himself, staring at me in shock. "Don't act so surprised. I figured you could guess that much." Now I sound bitter. He doesn't have to get all freaked out about this. It's pretty much common knowledge that I'm going to marry Madge. I wasn't planning on asking her as soon as the war was over, too many things will be going on. I've even asked her mom, when she was alive.
"You could at least act like we exist!"
"Rory, listen, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm forgetting you guys because of Madge, but I can't help it what I have to do or how much time I spend with Madge because I can't help it either. Now can you please get over this?"
He swallows thickly, before slightly moving his head. "I will try to be better about it, okay?" I say and he nods before lying back down.
"Can you go now? I'm taking a nap."
"Fine, fine." I raise my hands in surrender and retreat from the room where Vick and Posy are playing some sort of game as my mom watches. I go over to her and she raises her eyebrow.
"All better?"
"Yeah. Kid was basically trying to say that I spend too much time with Madge."
"You know I don't think that, right Gale?"
"I know you don't. That's just what he thought." I pause as she laughs at Posy pinning Vick down on the ground. "Kid also thought I was going to marry Madge."
At this, she pulls me into the small kitchenette and stares at me for a moment, before putting her hands on my cheeks and saying, "My little boy is growing up."
"Ma, stop, please." I mutter and remove her hands. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Not that big of a deal, Gale, it is!"
"Ma, I don't even know if I'm going to ask her, and if I do, then it'll be in a few years. She's seventeen, Ma. And I'm nineteen." I love how she's freaking out and we aren't even engaged or even close to it. Only dating.
"Gale, if you love this girl, then yes, you should marry her. And we're all perfectly fine with Madge, and your friends like her too."
I sigh. "You're right. Now don't go telling anyone about this conversation, she doesn't need to know about this, especially since she's seventeen years old." My mom nods and then leaves and walks back to the living room to Vick and Posy, while I stay in the kitchenette, leaning against the counter.
Did I really just have that conversation? I can't believe I'm already thinking about that when the war isn't even over yet. Yeah, we have a pretty good chance of winning, but what if something goes wrong? What if she dies, or gets seriously injured in the war? Honesty, I don't know if I could handle that. Not again, the first time that I thought she died was bad enough. What if I die? What if she doesn't even want to be with me? I immediately shake that thought out of my head. No, I'm pretty sure that she does, I mean, she said that she was going to come with me after the war, to wherever I end up going.
Man. Who would've thought that this would be so complicated?
"What do you even do here?" Madge asks me the morning that she starts training.
"Train. Work." I grunt out as we walk to the cafeteria for breakfast. She links our hands together and I grin. I'm so glad I can actually hold her hand now, because with the crutches, I couldn't.
"Well what kind of work?"
"Special defense, that's pretty much it." I don't elaborate on what special defense actually is, and she doesn't ask.
Around the end of breakfast, Thom and Bristel come over, Bristel looking bitter. "You ready to die?" She asks Madge and she chews her lip before shaking her head.
"Trust me, it isn't fun." Thom says under his breath and Bristel swats him gently as I stand up and take both mine and Madge's tray to throw away. The three of them follow, and I take Madge's hand and she squeezes my hand gently as Thom and I lead Bristel and Madge downstairs to where they'll train. Once there, Madge watches the other class finish and turns to me, wringing her hands.
"You'll come and get me after it's over, right?"
I nod and smile at her. "Course I will. I'll be here." She turns back around to face the class coming out, who all look beat up and dripping wet. I hear one of them say that's it's pouring down rain outside. "Don't die," I pause as she turns back around to face me, "or drown. Both are highly likely." She swats me and then smiles at me slightly.
"See you later." She murmurs, pressing her lips onto mine quickly. I grin and watch her and Bristel go into their possible doom. Thom's giving me the lovey-dovey eyes and I shove him into a wall as we walk back upstairs.
"Hope they don't die." Thom mutters and I chuckle.
"It's possible. Did you see the other class?"
"They looked half dead. Think they'll be like that?"
"Who knows. They have the worst trainer today."
"Yay." Thom says as the elevator creaks.
A couple hours pass, and I make more bombs. Then, go into the woods with Katniss for a little. She doesn't say much, just shoots when she sees something. But I'm used to that. We wouldn't talk much when we would hunt back home, but everything's different now. She's been through a lot, and I get that. Madge and I made it essentially worse when she found out that we're dating. I think she's upset because we both have someone we can count on, and she doesn't have anyone. Only a crazed seventeen year old boy who hates her, but that doesn't count.
Thom and I meet up again and try not to think about what they're going to be like after training. They're strong, I'm sure they won't give up on it. When they do finally come out, they're both dripping wet and seem irritated.
"So? How was it?" She drops into the chair next to me and starts to dry off with the towel provided.
"It sucked. I'm never moving again."
"Well you have to move to get upstairs." She groans and she buries her head in my shoulder. I glance at Bristel and find that she's not doing so well either. Thom's looking at me as if to say 'really?' I turn back to Madge to find she's half asleep. "C'mon, you. Let's get upstairs and then you can sleep." She nods slowly and I help her stand up.
"My legs feel like jelly." She murmurs when we get in the elevator and she leans against me.
"Mmhmm. It'll feel better after a shower." I tell her as she nods against me. I lead her to the compartment and she slowly follows, trailing behind. Quickly, she gets into the shower and I sit with Posy and Vick. Rory hasn't spoken to me since he talked to me about spending too much time with Madge. Posy keeps babbling on about what she did today and I listen enthusiastically. She may be silly, but she is my sister. Vick sits in another chair reading some book that I'm sure we weren't allowed to read back in 12.
"What're you reading?" He hands me th book after marking his place in it and I examine it. It's a pretty thick book, around three-hundred pages. Something about a wizard, I dunno. Reading was never exactly my favorite thing to do.
I'm starting to think Madge has fallen asleep in the shower. She's been in there for a while. I stand to go check on her when she comes out, in dry clothes, hair dripping all around her. She collapses onto the couch and rubs her eyes, groaning.
"Are you okay?" Posy asks Madge, clambering into Madge's lap. Madge nods while yawning.
"Yeah. Just a little tired, Posy." She murmurs, and her head falls to rest on the couch. Posy begins talking to Madge and Madge will numbly answer 'yes', or 'that's great, Posy' and I grin a little.
I stand to go shower, and Madge nods a little at me before turning back to Posy. Quickly, I hop in the shower and I find the water pressure is very low today. That makes it so much harder to shower in District 13. When I come back out, Posy and Madge are both asleep on the couch. Posy's tucked into Madge's side and Madge is laying down on the couch, her head on one of the uncomfortable throw pillows. Vick doesn't seem to have noticed.
I can't get over how Madge is going to be a phenomenal mother. She knows exactly how to get along with kids, I mean look at Posy. Posy immediately clicked with her, and Madge loves her anyways.
Quickly, I pry Posy from Madge and slowly bring the girl to her room before tucking her under the scratchy sheets. The first night here, she complained about how she missed home and how the sheets were uncomfortable. Trust me, I thought the same thing, but I was a bit occupied with the thought that I lost Madge. It pangs my head, freaking me out. But she's here. Yeah. She's in the living room, asleep on the couch. Yeah.
When I go back into the living room, Vick's gone, probably to go to dinner or something like that. Careful, I scoop Madge up and manuever into my room before setting her gently on the bed and covering her up. She hasn't moved an inch from when I put her down on the bed. That's what training does to you. I brush her blonde hair out of her face and just watch her for a moment. When she's asleep, she looks even younger than she already is. She looks even more vulnerable than I know she is. The mere thought of her having to fight, to kill, doesn't sit well with me.
Nothing seems to these days.
A/N: Sorry if this took forever. I had four tests last week, then exams this week, so I don't know if you'll get an update during the week. Hope you enjoyed!