I take a final look over my list making sure that everything I need is packed. Today is the day I leave home. Leave my mother and father and begin to fend for myself. Luckily, I have a week before I start working so I can settle in to my new home and get used to being alone.
I need help moving my possessions across the town, mostly, when people move into a new home in Twelve it is as a result of marriage so the couple's families will help to carry the few boxes that they may have as a wedding favour. Since I'm nowhere near married and my family consists of a severely disabled mother and a father who is one of the few people in Twelve that has always had a desk job, I asked Katniss if she knew anyone in need of some extra coins. Obviously, almost everyone in Twelve could do with extra money but people seem to think that I look down on them and I didn't want to offend anyone by asking, I want to start my new life on a positive note.
Katniss arrives with three kids chatting loudly. I recognise them through the window as the younger Hawthorne siblings and hurry to open the door for them. I'm a bit peeved that they are literally children, the oldest can't be more than 13 years' old, and I have a fair few boxes to carry over.
I usher everyone into the dining room and offer them a seat.
"Can I make anyone a cup of tea? I need to head to the Justice Building to sign for the keys before we start."
I'm met with silence as the kids are looking about the room with awe.
Katniss smiles at me "Let's make a pot for everyone."
We wander through to the kitchen and I put the kettle on.
"Sorry they're a bit overwhelmed by the house, mine intimidates them still, they'll come round in a minute."
"No problem, I understand" I really did, most visitors from within Twelve reacted in the same way. "Should I put out some biscuits?"
"That'd be great thanks."
Katniss pours the tea as I grab the tin and put a few biscuits on a plate.
We carry everything through to the kids and I see that Katniss was right, they have gotten over the awe at the house and are chatting amongst themselves.
"Madge, this is Vick, Rory and Posy" says Katniss, pointing as she spoke "and kids this is Madge."
The boys smile at me before returning to their conversation and Posy pipes up "Hi Madge, I like your shirt." My shirt is an older one that I have thrown on with some trousers for the move but it still looks much smarter than what most people in twelve can afford.
"Thanks Posy"
I turn to Katniss, "I'll just run and get the keys, you guys can stay here and entertain yourselves, I shouldn't be more than half an hour."
The trip to the justice building was uneventful, the clerk let me skip the queue as he recognised me as the mayor's daughter, I didn't want the preferential treatment and dirty looks that went along with it but I can never bring myself to make a fuss and disrupt people any more.
I hurry up the stairs to what is officially no longer my home and let myself in to the sounds of someone clumsily playing my piano from the lounge.
As I enter the lounge I see Katniss sat at the piano taping at the keys with Posy sat next to her on the bench watching intently. It's always nice to see this side of Katniss, she prefers to sit and listen to me play usually but around children she softens so much and is clearly putty in this little girl's hands.
Of course with her hunters ears she heard me come in so she stands and rallies the kids, "Come on guys, follow Madge and she'll show you what needs moving."
I lead the way up to my room and show the boxes that need moving, the boys and Katniss grab a box each and Posy pipes up with "What can I carry?", she has a point. Most of my boxes are a very similar size to her. I look around and grab the pillows off of my bed, "Here you go, be careful not to drop them in the street."
"I promise!"
I smile as I grab a box and lead the way out of the house. It's not too far to my new house as it's still in town but I make sure to walk slowly so everyone can keep up, I feel bad for Vick as he grabbed the box full of my books and looks to be struggling a bit but I don't have the hands to help.
I smile to myself as we approach the house. It's mine. I'm free.
I have to put down my box to unlock the door and Rory balances his on top before lifting them both into the house. "Thanks Rory". I guess it's not a problem that they're kids after all.
The door opens straight into the sparsely furnished lounge, there are two doors leading out if the room, the kitchen to the right and the bathroom to the left if I remember the plans right, and a staircase to the back leading up to the bedrooms.
"Just leave everything in here, we can bring the kitchen box next and have another cup of tea after that trip". I'm itching to have a look around so that break will be perfect for me.
The kids decide to race back— Katniss and I meander slowly after them chatting.
"How does it feel? Leaving your family?"
"Not too bad, the positives are too good for me to feel guilty. And I'll be back often enough to keep my mum company."
"I don't know if I'll be able to do it." Katniss speaks so quietly I barely hear it.
"What?"
"Letting Prim and my mum move back to the seam."
"What do you mean?"
"It's been made very clear to me that after the wedding Peeta and I will be expected to live alone."
I stop walking and turn to face her. "Oh Katniss, I'm sorry." At this point I'm not surprised when Snow kicks Katniss even further down. "You'll be able to fix up their house though, and they'll still never go hungry. It's horrible but try to focus on what you can do for them rather than what you can't do."
"I know, I'll just miss Prim so much."
We reach the kids sitting on the steps and our conversation ends as I let us in to finish the move.
Everything went well with the move, I have a pile of boxes in my living room, there was one point that Vick and Rory were wrestling in the street over who was carrying the most but Katniss assured me that that was perfectly normal for the boys. We head back to my father's house so I can have a look around to make sure that I have everything.
"Okay kids, when Madge pays you make sure to give me the coins before you go home so I can pick up the materials at the hob".
I turn to Katniss with a question written on my face.
"They have a leak in the roof, I'm going to pick up the materials while Gale is at work so he can fix it when he gets home."
Katniss' choice of helpers for me suddenly makes perfect sense, I know how she feels about the Hawthorne's and that Gale has had some difficulty accepting help from Katniss now she is a victor and engaged to Peeta.
I hate the thought of children working a full day and having to hand all of the money over to household repairs but I know this is the reality for most of the people in the district but it stings. They're just kids.
As we arrive home and I grab the bags of money to pay them I start to speak without thinking it through. "As a thank you for getting the job done much faster than I planned, can I give you a gift as extra? I don't have any more coins out."
The kids look shocked for a minute then all nod eagerly as Katniss shoots me a wary look.
I know it's probably a bad idea but I can't take it back now I've offered and seen their smiles. I lead them upstairs and root around in the closet of my room for something I left behind that I have a feeling that the boys will like.
"Aha, here we go. Boys, this is for you. A game of darts, you aim these at this board and collect points when it hits certain places." I'm a little worried at giving a box full of sharp and sturdy darts to two young boys but from what I've heard of their mother she'll make sure they play safely and I think that it will appeal to the competitive spirit I've seen in them today.
"And Posy, I haven't forgotten you, I thought you'd like to look at the dresses I have in the loft from when I was your size so you can pick one for yourself."
Posy gasps excitedly "yes please!"
"Follow me then."
I pull the cord to let the ladder down then let Posy clamber up before me so I can catch her if she slips. I flick the switch to turn the light on in the loft and peer around for the trunks with my old clothes locating them in a far corner of the room "There they are Posy". She grins up at me and we make our way across the room, stirring up dust as we go but since we're sweaty from moving around all day I'm not too bothered.
I find the box from when I was four, I think Posy is older than that but kids from the Seam are always smaller as there is less food available for them.
I let her root around looking at every dress carefully and let myself enjoy being the cause of her smile.
I gasp as I see the one she picks out, it's a lilac, mid-calf length dress with lace at the neckline and sleeves. It was something I wore to school but would be the nicest thing a girl from the Seam would own. The problem is that it was my mother's when she was young.
My hand me downs from my mother mean a lot to me as she can tell me stories about them, since she's so ill we can't talk much about her life now so all we have is my life and her past. The stories of her and Maysilee growing up in the sweetshop, it's left the family now, the sweetshop, both my grandparents died when I was younger and with my mother so ill another family took over. I don't mind though, a job in the Justice Building will probably be better for me as the demand in Twelve for sweets is so low as so few people have money to spare on frivolities like that.
I'm jolted out of my thoughts by Posy sneezing loudly from the dust and can't help but giggle at the look of shock on her face. "That's perfect for you Posy" I decide out loud. I decide that I'd rather see the dress around the district now than have it stuck gathering dust up here.
We head down to the kitchen to meet Katniss and the boys and as we say goodbye I find myself enveloped in a group hug for the first time ever. "Thanks Madge" Rory says "you'll have to come and have a game with us one day."
"That sounds wonderful, Rory." It really does.
I say goodbye to Katniss and settle dawn at the kitchen table, I promised my father I'd stay for diner this first night. But for now I'm alone. Again.
