A/N- Hello my lovelies(: I'm so sorry for the late update

My father locked me in my room for days straight. At first, I didn't know what was happening. I panicked. I had pounded on my door, screamed for help. The only thing that my outburst accomplished was waking my mother up. How do I know that? My father told me as he gave me my food.

My father brought me food every day, three times a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. He was a very precise man. He came into my room at the same time for each meal. I memorized the times, plotted how to get out. I was not going to stay in my room any longer doing nothing, talking to no one. It was torture.

One day I decided to take action. I waited behind my bedroom door with the heaviest book that I had. It was around the time he usually delivered my lunch. I was terrified that I might seriously injure him. I was so conflicted because my jailer was someone whom I loved, even though he didn't love me back.

When he finally entered, I held onto my breath. He was clearly confused because he didn't see me. I willed him to step a little farther so that I could get a better aim at his head. He went over to my bed quicker than I expected. Damn it.

He put the meal down on my vacant bed, and I knew that it was now or never. I ran up behind him and swung as hard as I could. He fell onto the bed with a thud. The food he brought was smeared all over him.

At first, I stood there, slightly horrified at what I had just done. I froze, which was a huge mistake. Eventually I stumbled out of my room and thought that I was actually going to make it outside when I felt someone harshly pulling me back.

I knew who it was before I turned around. "Let me go," I hissed as I fought to break myself free from his tight grip.

"You are going back to your room," my father barked.

He slowly carried me back up the stairs as I screamed and kicked and punched.

"Theo," I yelled over and over.

My father kind of laughed and said, "You didn't hear? Theo no longer works for us."

"What?"

My voice was so quiet, so vulnerable.

"Sadly, Theo had to be let go from his position. He is now serving another family in the Capitol."

"You bastard," I whispered. My voice was more emotionless than angry.

We had reached the top of the stairs. The servants just watched and didn't do anything. If Theo was there, he would've done something. A single tear rolled down my cheek as I realized that Theo was no longer in my life.

When we were in front of my bedroom door, I told my father that I hated him. That I was utterly disgusted by him.

He did not say a word to me, but I wish he did. We were in my room, and he threw me down on top of my bed that wasn't covered in food anymore. I can't even explain how scared I was in that moment.

I tried getting up, but he pinned me down. I kicked and punched him to no avail; he was so much larger than I was. During my fit, he produced a syringe from his pocket.

"Help," I screamed. "Help, he's going to kill me!"

No one came.

He stuck the needle into my upper arm, and I felt the unwanted contents spill into my body.

I could no longer kick and punch him. It was too hard to move my limbs.

"I hate you," I mumbled, and I repeated that phrase until it was too hard to move my lips.

…

I woke to the sound of someone entering my room. Lazily, I opened my eyes to see one of my father's employees delivering me my meal. At first, I had simply stared; I had expected my father. She was new. I could tell how shy she was by the way she focused her gaze on the floor.

She was scurrying out of the room when I said, "Wait."

The young girl stopped and turned to face me. Her nervousness was radiating off of her body.

"When will I be able to leave," I asked pleadingly.

"Mr. Undersee is going to keep you under surveillance for as long as it takes your scars to heal. This is your punishment. As soon as the cuts heal, a Capitol doctor will come and erase any trace of scars."

She said her response robotically, like it had been rehearsed. I mumbled my thanks as she quickly left my room.

I ate my meal in silence. It tasted a little funny, but I didn't think much of it. A few minutes later, I couldn't fight the urge to sleep.

I don't know how long I slept.

…

Screaming. I woke up screaming, emerging from a gruesome nightmare. I half expected Theo to come in and check on me, but he was gone. Anger and hatred brewed in my heart for my father because he did this. He did all of this.

Once I had calmed down, I realized that food had been left for me. It was sitting on a table close to my bed. So close that I could reach it from here.

The food didn't look that appetizing, but I was absolutely starving. I didn't know how long it had been since I had eaten last. My stomach growled at the mere thought of food.

I ate ravenously, devoured every bite. I was feeling much better. I looked at my wrists, and they were still covered in the gauze. I bet they were almost healed.

That's when I noticed the food tasted funny. Again.

I tried standing up, but my legs felt wobbly. I fell onto the hard, wooden floor.

"Ouch," I muttered under my breath. I tried standing up again, but my legs refused to cooperate. I couldn't even crawl.

I rested my head on the cold floor as my eyelids became droopy.

I fell asleep, not by choice.

…

I was in my bed, which was my first coherent thought. Someone had lugged me from the floor to my bed. My next thought was that I was hungry, so hungry. I was starving. It hurt to move.

There was food on the table next to me. Again, I was hesitant to eat it. After what happened last time, I suspected something.

I attempted to stand, which hurt like hell because of the immense hunger pain I was feeling. I stumbled to my drawers and sifted through them until I found some pain killers. I took them as soon as I found them. I staggered back to my bed and sat there for a while. Eventually, I fell back asleep.

It was probably a couple of hours before I finally opened my eyes again. The food was still there. My door was probably still locked. I hadn't checked on my door, but I'm sure he wouldn't have left it open for me. He doesn't make mistakes.

"At least the painkillers kicked in," I sighed.

I was desperate to escape. I tried the door, just in case. Of course, though, it was locked. I was trapped.

My eyes caught the sight of the window. I ran to it and quickly pried it open. I didn't know what I was thinking, but I just wanted to get out no matter what that would cost. So I leaned out the window and sought escape.

I saw a tree close by, so close that I could touch it. I knew what I had to do. Carefully, I stuck one of my feet out of the window. I closed my eyes and took a moment to gather myself before I stuck my other foot out too. The rough bark hurt my bare feet, but I ignored the pain. There was a breeze that was so cold it sent shivers up my spine.

Looking down, fear welled up inside of me. I grasped onto the tree for dear life. I took a deep breath and worked my way down the tree. I stepped on one branch and it snapped. I swore under my breath but continued on my descent. Eventually I reached the lowest branch there was, but it still was pretty high from the ground. I stood on it for a few minutes, debating whether to jump or not. I whispered, "Screw it," under my breath and jumped.

I knew it was a bad idea as soon as my feet left the branch. I landed on the ground with a harsh impact.

"Damn it," I said to myself. Shooting pain spread through my ankle. I didn't move for a few seconds. I got up with a groan and started my trek to the Seam.

I was limping as pain radiated from my ankle. The injury could've been much worse, though. When I finally reached the house, I couldn't possibly take another step.

Knocking on the door, my heart was pounding out of my chest. I don't know why I decided to come here of all places. I probably shouldn't have. I should have gone to Mrs. Everdeen to get some medical help, but then she'd ask about my wrists. I wouldn't be able to tell her what I did.

Gale opened the door, and I couldn't breathe. The realization that I wasn't wearing any shoes and that I hadn't taken a shower in days made my stomach churn. The look of surprise on his face quickly disappeared behind a cool and collected disposition. I sucked in a deep breath and was going to explain what happened, but I just broke down and cried.

I couldn't help it. I was sobbing. Hard. I closed my eyes and hid my face in my hands. Suddenly I felt a pair of arms embrace me in a tight grip. His hug was a little too tight, but I liked it. It was keeping all of my broken pieces together.

When I was done crying, I gently removed myself from his embrace. It wasn't that I didn't like his arms around me; it was just that I knew I smelled terrible.

"I'm sorry. I'm a wreck," I whispered.

"What happened?"

His voice was emotionless and intimidating. After hugging me, I expected him to be softer. But Gale Hawthorne was never soft.

"It's a long story. Can I come in?"

He simply nodded and I tried walking. I winced at every step. He noticed me limping.

"What happened to your ankle?"

"I fell."

He stared at me for a moment before picking me up and carrying me bridal style. I was stunned, too stunned to say anything. He took me into what I perceived to be his room and laid me on his bed gingerly. Before exiting the room, he muttered, "You need to rest your ankle."

I tried not to freak out that he just carried me or that I was in his bed. I was so happy. I was so happy just to be near him. I missed him more than I originally thought.

He came back in with some ice and put it on my ankle for me.

"Thank you," I muttered. My voice was barely audible.

Gale nodded in response. He sat by my feet on the other side of the bed, but I wanted him closer.

"Do you need anything," he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I took a moment before answering. "Could you possibly draw me a bath?"

I was so embarrassed that my cheeks instantly turned red, I could feel it.

The question took him by surprise, but he quickly recovered.

"Um…why?"

His cheeks turned a light shade of pink; it was adorable.

"Sorry, I know it's awkward. I haven't bathed for days. It's a long story."

"I guess I could. You have to tell me everything that happened after, though, okay?" "Okay."

He quickly left the room. My heart was racing. Did I really just volunteer to get naked in front of him? But he won't be watching me take a bath, so it should be fine. I'll just make sure he leaves the room before I undress. I won't take long.

I must've fallen asleep because I awoke to someone tapping my arm.

"Your bath is ready," Gale said. His voice was quiet and he looked a little uncomfortable.

"Thanks," I replied and forced a smile.

He helped me get out of bed. I had my arm wrapped around him for support. He didn't carry me, which oddly disappointed me. The contact of his body against mine sent electricity through me.

I saw the tub of water set in the middle of the living room. I was so nervous. He blushed again. Man, I loved it when he blushed.

"My family won't be home until later, don't worry."

I could listen to his voice all day.

"Okay," I managed to squeak out.

"I'll be in my room. Just tell me when you're done."

He began to leave, and I didn't want him to. I didn't ever want him to leave me again.

"Wait."

My voice was so high and desperate that it made me grimace.

He turned back to look at me, obviously perplexed.

"What?"

I took a deep breath before answering.

"I need your help…," my sentence drifted off.

"You need my help with what?"

"I need your help to undress me."

The silence that followed was absolutely unbearable. I squeezed my hand tight while I waited for his response. "You can undress yourself."

His voice was quiet and monotone.

"You're right. I can."

I gathered up the rest of my courage and said, "I want you to undress me."

His eyes widened and his gaze shifted to the floor.

"Madge…," he whispered.

His voice was like honey, sweet to my ear.

"Yes, Gale?"

"Madge, you don't get it."

"What?"

"We can't be together!"

"Why the hell not?"

I was getting angry now, my voice was rising.

"I'm a mess! I'm no good for you," he yelled.

He moved closer to me and gently caressed the side of my cheek.

"You loving me would be a mistake," he whispered.

His eyes were filled with passion, and his touch burned my skin.

"It's too late. I'm already in love with you."

I brought his face roughly down on mine and our lips clashed with delightful fervency.

He broke off the kiss to take my shirt off, which ended up on the floor. My ankle was killing me, but I ignored it.

I took his shirt off as well, and his bare body was as beautiful as I imagined. He reached down to unzip my pants, which sent shockwaves through my body. He stopped and retracted his hands.

"What's wrong," I whispered against his lips.

"We can't do this," he said. "Not yet.

"Okay."

"Skip the bath, you look beautiful," he stated while planting kisses on my neck. I hope he didn't see my face because it was bright red. "Well you look hot. You should be shirtless more often."

He laughed, and his smile was such a beautiful sight to see. He planted a kiss on my cheek as he picked me up and suddenly took me back to his room. He laid me down carefully and placed his body close to mine. I rested my head on his bare chest and hitched my leg over his side. He wrapped his arm around me. The moment was absolutely perfect.

"Now, what happened," he asked as he reached down to grab my hand.

I relayed all that happened to him, every last detail. He listened intently until it was all over. And then he surprised me by taking my wrists and planting kisses on both. The gauze was still on them, but I could still feel his lips through it.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you, but I never want you to hurt yourself again. Okay?"
"Okay."

"You're mine now, and you can stay here with me as long as you need to. Your father can't hurt you here."
I squeezed him tighter and the words, "you're mine," kept replaying in my head.

We fell into a comfortable silence.

"Gale?"

"Yes, Madge?

"I need you to promise me something."
"What is it?"

"Never leave me again."

"I'll never leave you," he promised.

The sweet lie found a place in my heart and stayed there.

A/N- Please review(: Love you all!