Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins does and I'm sure Lionsgate comes into the picture somewhere aswell
Madge looks at the application form Gale just handed to her. Of all people who could have handed in an application Gale was not at the top her list. He wasn't even on the list. Her eyes go straight to the phone number to check if the Hawthorne family actually have a phone, unfortunately not so that means that she has to make the long walk to their house to tell him his interview time. She places the piece of paper on the dining table and goes back to playing the piano. She doesn't realize what the time is until a breeze from the front door opening makes her shiver. She swivels around on the stool and sees her dad. She knows it's her cue to leave but she doesn't. She wants to see his reaction to Gale's application. He picks up the form and reads it, no emotion of surprise or shock crosses his face. He knew he was applying but he didn't tell her, she feels betrayed, her dad knows her relationship status with Gale, horrible is putting it mildly. She just wants to scream at herself, but doesn't. Instead she ignores her father and goes up to her mother's room to wish her goodnight.
When she opens the door to her mother's bedroom, where she sees Mrs Undersee already peacefully sleeping and out harms way. Madge whispers goodnight and goes and prepares herself for bed.
Gale wakes up bright and early the next morning he doesn't usually go into the woods during the week but he had the day off and he didn't want to waste it. Gale prayed that Posy wasn't crying again, he doesn't want to relive the memory. Gale peered out the window, the sun hasn't risen yet but he knows by the time he get's to the woods it will have. He walks to the door barefoot making sure to remember where the creaks are in the floor. When he leaves he takes one glance back at the living room and makes his way to the woods.
It's always cold in District 12, in the mornings no matter what the season. Gale wraps his punctured jacket around him trying to redirect his body heat towards himself rather than letting it seep through the holes. He gives up and just shrugs his shoulders up and down a few times. Gale can see the thin wires of the fence up ahead and jogs the rest of the way. He lowers his head and everything is quiet, and it's his cue to go through to the other side.
Gale's first stop is the hill just before where the woods start. He wants to watch the sun rise. He's glad he has mad it before the sun comes up; it takes his mind off everything that has happened. He sits atop the hill, eyes on the horizon. The sun is ever so slowly coming up from the darkness. The rays are stretching out like a person waking up from a deep sleep. It is the most serene, beautiful thing Gale has ever seen; he has no words to describe it. Gale has seen many sunrises but this has to be the best, he has never seen anything like it. The colours change from orange to red to pink and then to the normal yellow. The show ends and Gale feels empty, he doesn't want to go into the woods anymore but he knows he has too. He swings his game bag over his shoulder and makes his way towards the place he least wants to be.
On the other side of town Madge is waking up, the sunrise is finished and she is getting ready to go and talk to the Hawthornes. She pokes her head through her mother's door to see if she is awake. She isn't so Madge continues on her way to the Hawthorne residence.
Whilst making her way to the Seam, Madge glances at the bakery, wondering whether she should take something. The little bell above the door tings as she enters making her jump. Madge can see the blond hair of Peeta's brother, Rhys behind the counter cutting freshly baked bread. Madge takes a deep breath, she can smell the bread, and her mouth begins to water. She snaps out of her fantasy and knits her eyebrows at the selection of cupcakes, slices, and cookies, there is too much to choose from. Madge thinks back to what Katniss said about Gale's family, two brothers and a sister. She keeps scanning the window making note of the bright pink princess cupcake that has Gale's little sister's name written all over it. She looks up at the clock above the door, which leads towards the house out back and knows she needs to make the decision pronto. Madge makes quick chitchat with Rhys before taking the box of cupcakes out of his hands and finishing her trip to the Seam.
Madge looks at the address on the yellowed paper, hoping she doesn't get lost. She gets a few looks from passerby's and a few cat calls from teenage boys. No one is used to seeing a town girl in the Seam. She scrunches her nose as the boys keep calling towards her, she sees the group push one of their own towards her, she stops in her tracks as his shadow bears over her. She looks up and the boy is smirking at her.
"Do you need help knowing where you're going?" The boy asks placing a coal-covered hand on her shoulder. Madge glares up at him. "Actually yes I do. Do you know where this address is?" The boy looks down and the piece of paper she gives him. Madge can hear the group of boys in the background calling things out to their friend. 'Go Dillon', 'Bring her to the slag heap we can have fun with her', 'try and keep her around for a while'. Dillon's eyes go wide when he sees the mayor's logo at the top of the paper, he looks down at Madge and she smiles at him innocently, he suddenly feels very embarrassed by his friends and his face flushes red.
"Oh my Dillon, was it? Are you feeling alright you seem a bit red, maybe you should guide me on my way and you should go home and lie down" She smiles at him sweetly and he gulps.
He finally answers, "You see that road?" Madge nods "Turn right onto it and it's the third house on the right"
"Thank you" She quickly kisses his cheek for effect and finishes her way. Dillon's friends praise and pat him on the back, cheering that he got a kiss from a girl who lives in town. None of them but Dillon actually know who she was.
Madge looks up the Hawthorne's pathway, it's not much of a pathway but it seems like someone has placed stones leading up to the front door. Taking a deep breath she knocks on the door to the door, the hinges rattling. A boy around fifteen years of age answers it.
"Hi, is Gale here?" she asks. He looks at her then shouts. "Ma there's a pretty girl at the door looking for Gale" Madge cringes at the way Rory talks. Hazelle walks through to the door wiping her hands on her apron. "Not another one" she mutters to herself. She looks up and realizes her mistake.
"Oh Miss Undersee, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit" She asks trying to made herself more presentable.
"I am actually here to see Gale"
"Gale isn't here yet but he shouldn't be too long" A few moments later a younger boy and a small girl saunter into the room. They both look at Madge before Rory speaks again. "Gale did well this time, actually picking a pretty girl to sleep around with" Madge was taken by surprise by the statement. The young girl comes up to Madge and asks. "Are you Gale's girlfriend" Madge kneels down to Posy's height. "No I'm not Gale's girlfriend. I'm sure he has someone much prettier than me"
Posy smiles "No one can be prettier than you, you look like and angel."
"Yeah I wonder if she got hurt when she fell from heaven" Madge knew she wasn't supposed hear it but she looks to Rory anyway.
"Rory, come help me make some tea will you" It was a demand from Hazelle and Rory knows not argue.
Posy takes Madge's hand and pulls her to her couch, softly placing the box of cupcakes on the three-legged coffee table. "I like your hair, and your dress and your eyes."
Hazelle bring through a chipped pot of tea and places it in front Madge.
"I brought some small cakes from the bakery" Madge undoes the ribbon from the paper box.
"You shouldn't have" Hazelle says wiping her hands and her skirt.
"Wow they are so pretty" Posy coos over the food. She picks up the velvet ribbon rubbing it on her face "Mmm it's so soft". Madge giggles at the girl's reaction.
"Posy why don't you ask one of your brother's to put it in your hair" Posy gasps then grins at the idea, rushing out of the room calling for Rory.
Madge turns to face Hazelle. "I came to talk to Gale about his application" As soon as the end of her sentence came out. Gale came pounding through the door. Speak of the devil Madge thinks.
"Ma, I've caught…" Gale's sentence drifts off when he sees the blonde sitting on his couch. His hand immediately went to his game bag, zipping it up tightly, securely so that the mayor's daughter couldn't nosily see what is in it (three squirrels, and two fish).
Madge stands up and awkwardly shakes hands with Gale. Too soft for his liking and too hard for her liking.
"I won't intrude any longer than necessary. I just wanted to tell Hawtho-I mean Gale that if he still wanted the job then I hope I will be seeing him tomorrow and at nine-thirty."
She makes her way out quietly excusing herself. She was halfway along the path when her name was called.
"Oi Undersee, I don't want your pretty little cakes" Gale rushed forward and shoved the box into her chest. She could hear a squish. She looked towards Gale but he was already on his back to his house. She looked down at her dress which was now an array of colours, she smiled and was glad she couldn't see the bright pink princess cupcake on the front of her dress.
"Gale Asher Hawthorne" Gale winces when he hears his full name being used. The last time Hazelle used his full name Gale was grounded for more than a month. Gale was nineteen but the still lived under his mother's roof and Hazelle's rule is If you live under my roof you obey my rules. There is no age limit to grounding. "What did you do to that poor girl? What did she ever do to you? She just gave you an opportunity to change your life and what do you do, you cover her in the beautiful cakes she brought our family. I thought I raised you better than this, I thought your father and I taught you to treat everyone equally whether they lived in the Seam or town." Gale cringes as she spelt out word by word what he had just done.
"I'm not going to apologize if that's what you want" Gale makes his way to his room.
Hazelle shouts one last time at him trying to get her point across "I thought you were a better role model for Rory and Vick. I was obviously wrong."
Madge passes Dillon on the way home; he looks down to her chest before quickly diverting his eyes to the gravel on the road. The cake is now dry and Madge knows it's going to be a nightmare to get off, now that the happiness of knowing Gale kept the cupcake for Posy has worn off, she feels anger and is frustrated. Why couldn't he have just accepted the offering she was being nice, neither Madge nor Hazelle thought it was charity, it's only Gale who thinks every gift is charity.
Madge slams the door behind her and she can faintly hear her mother calling her.
"Madge is that you?" Madge rushes up the stairs and into her mother's room. She lets out a sigh, glad her mother is finally awake. She slowly makes her way next to her mother's bed sitting down in the too straight chair. It's quiet apart from the beeping machines, Madge feels like she is about to throw up, the constant beeping drives her insane and she's only been there a few minutes, she can't understand how her mother supports it.
"Madge why is there cakes all over your lovely dress." Mrs Undersee lifts a boney finger towards the mess, but Madge quickly takes her hand curls her fingers into her palm before placing it in her own palm.
"It's nothing you have to worry about. You should sleep now" Madge tucks her mother in and kisses her forehead. Mrs Undersee is already asleep before Madge can turn out the lights and close the door.
Gale turns up at exactly nine thirty the next morning wearing his best clothes. His reaping outfit, thankfully he'll never have to wear it again. Madge answers the door before he can knock and she leads him up the stairs to her father's office which he lent Madge for the interviews. She quickly closes a bedroom door before Gale can leer inside. Mayor Undersee's home office is very different to his work one, for starters it's more casual, it isn't as Capitol controlled, so to say. Madge sits behind the desk and gestures for Gale to sit opposite her. Gale finds Madge very small when sitting in the desk chair, it has a long back and goes over her head, the desk doesn't make the illusion any better, it goes up to just under her bust and Madge struggles to fold her arms onto the desk.
"So, um, I have a few questions to ask you, the are general, all candidates get the same questions, it's just compare everyone if we get stuck on applications." Gale nods but still doesn't say a word.
"Okay" Madge sighs "First question, Why did you apply for the job?"
"My mum made me" Gale says gruffly trying very hard to not make a smart arse comment. Madge writes down his answer before moving on.
"What are your objectives in life?" She questions again.
"To be happy. To care for my family and someday have a family of my own and to have someone to love and who loves me."
Madge is taken by surprise from his answer, she gapes at him for a few seconds before he says something. "Wasn't that a good enough answer for you? Was it wrong?" Gale says brusquely.
Madge shakes her head quickly "Oh no, I just wasn't expecting that. There are no right or wrong answers here. Next question?" Gale nods
"I only have three questions. I'm not too sure how to interview someone" Madge rambles. "Just get to it Undersee" Gale cuts her off.
"Do you actually want the job" She looks at him carefully trying to read him.
"Do all candidates actually get the same questions?" Gale question's raising an eyebrow. Madge nods again.
"No I don't want the job, but if it will keep me away from the mines I will actually take it." She scribbles onto her notepad.
Madge gets up to show him out but he says something that makes her very, very angry,
"I don't want to work here because you have everything you want, you have both your parents with you, running hot water, food on the table every night and you get to interview people so they can work for you. Do you realize how lucky you are."
Madge's eyes shiver and she suddenly feels very cold. Her voice is deathly soft, she isn't looking at him, her eyes are fixed at a spot and they are glazed over like glass. Her lips hardly open as she speaks and Gale has to strain to hear her. "I don't get everything I want, yes I have nice dresses, food on the table every night running water but there is something I don't have and that's love. I don't have siblings, I hardly have a mother and I only see my father every other night but even then we don't say much. You are the lucky one Gale; you have so many people around you. Cherish that." Gale feels like he has tripped a wire inside her and at any moment she will explode. He makes his way out and she follows behind.
They both stand on the front deck not saying a word before Madge breaks the silence.
"You have the job Gale" She looks up at him with precaution and he looks at her bewildered.
"You have the job, you deserve it more than anyone else who has applied." She gives him a sad smile and makes her way back inside this time not even thinking about looking through the peephole.
Gale stands on the deck a few moments more. He looks back to the house before heading home, not even comprehending what had just happened.
AN: Hi again, I hope you liked the chapter. I updated chapter two as well, I was rereading it after I uploaded and I was cringing at all the mistakes, I hope I got rid of some of them. This chapter is proof read but again I can't promise I caught all the errors. I would absolutely love to hear from you guys. I loved what Madge says about her life in town, what did you like, what didn't you like. The next chapter will be shorter than most but I am super excited about chapters 6, 8, 9 and 10. I was wondering if you wanted a list of the music I listen to (it's mostly a mixture of music from the 70s, 80s, pop music, disney, classical and of course K-pop). Please, please, please review it means so much to me.