I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long! (3 whole days D:) I was ill + very busy, I have another exam on Wednesday and it's maths so is causing a lot of stress.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games or its characters.
Chapter 16
I get up slowly, sluggishly, taking my time. I lie in bed for a while, dozing, before I manage to sit up. I glance over at my alarm clock and gasp. It's 8:30, and lessons at school start at nine. I had forgotten that it was Monday.
I pull on some jeans, a t-shirt, jacket, and some boots, before sprinting down the stairs two steps at a time, and snatch a bit of toast off the table as Toby comes in from the kitchen.
"I'm late." I mumble my explanation through quick bites of my toast, hurrying round the table, picking up various things and throwing them into my bag: some pens, a notebook (not that I needed it for class, it was just something to preoccupy myself with whist we watched the Games), my current book that I was reading, and some more toast in a bag to eat whilst walking to school. They said that the people in the Capitol missed breakfast, as apparently they thought it made you thinner, but I didn't understand it. I made a point if eating breakfast every morning, thankful that I had enough to eat. I was sure the people in the Capitol couldn't imagine feeling hunger, real, gnawing hunger, but in District 12, it was a harsh reality for many.
I push these morbid thoughts out of my head, and realise I haven't been listening to Toby.
"...and Peeta are planning to leave the cave, I think." He finishes, arranging some food on a plate to take up to my mother.
"What? Why?" I ask quickly. They were safe there, why would they want to leave?
"I don't know, Madge." Toby folds his arms and looks at me sternly. "Now aren't you late for school or something?" I sigh and nod, and leave quickly. I check the clock as I walk past; 8:50.
I walk quickly, pulling my jacket tighter around me against the cool breeze. I make it to my desk just in time, at 8:59. I run my fingers through my hair which I hadn't had time to brush as I catch my breath - I had had to run up the stairs to my classroom to get there before I was late.
I let my mind wander through my two lessons before lunch, English and history, despite them being my favourites. I bring out my notebook in history and doodle drawings of trees and strawberries, some like the ones from my dream last night, some like the ones from the forest. My mind wanders to Gale; his Seam grey eyes, his brown hair, his smile that he seemed to do only for me. Of course I thought about the kissing, how warm his lips felt against mine, how I had never kissed someone before, but when I kissed Gale, it felt natural, almost easy.
"Madge!" My teacher says sharply, and I look up quickly.
"Yes?" I ask quickly.
" I asked you a question." She says, sounding very annoyed, for which I feel instantly guilty. She was a good teacher, and I hadn't wanted to disappoint her. I wait for her to continue, and she does after a long sigh.
"Which is this state?" She taps a diagram which is pinned up on the board, of the old country, North America.
"Ohio." I answer quickly. The teacher nods and carries on, somehow seeming offended that I was able to answer her question. I go back to doodling, but I still listen to her in case she asks me another question, but she doesn't.
At lunch, I go to my usual table, not before glancing at Gale's. Most of his friends are there, but he isn't.
I sit down and look across to Zach's table. He's there, and he grins when he sees that I have appeared. I guess he's got better from being ill.
He gets up and begins to move towards me, and my hands curl into fists. I didn't want to see him today, I didn't want to have to deal with it.
However, he suddenly stops, anger flickering across his face for a brief second, and then he is obscured from my view by a dark shape. I blink and look up and find that Gale is standing opposite me, his tray of food in one hand, the other resting on the table.
"Hey, Madge." He says quietly, a smile tugging at his lips. "Why're you sitting on your own here?" I'm glad he's here, especially since Zach was about to come over, but his question startles me. I always sit here - why wouldn't I sit here?
Gale takes in my confused expression and chuckles.
"Madge, did you really think that with everything that's happened in the last two days, I'd let you sit on your own while Zach creeps on you?" He's smiling, but I shudder at the thought of having to spend another lunch being tormented by Zach. Gale sees how scared I am and leans over, sliding his hand on top of mine.
"Hey, hey. What I'm trying to say, well, ask, is that you'd come sit with me and my friends today?" This surprises me even more. Did he really mean that? Didn't he care about his image?
But then I remember what he said yesterday.
"I didn't care what people would say about me being with you, no. Not because you were from the town. I cared because everyone still expects me to be with Katniss, but now… Now she's with Peeta. And that makes everything okay, because now I can be with you. If… If you'd like that, Madge?"
Perhaps he truly meant what he said, to the extent that he would have me sit with his friends, all from the Seam. This thought makes me almost as scared as I was when Gale mentioned Zach. What would his friends think of me? Would they not like me? Would they hate me because I was the Mayor's daughter, not one of them?
Gale can see that I'm scared, and pulls me up gently.
"Madge, I promise it'll be fine." He says quietly, holding my hand tighter.
"You promise?" I say in a small voice, wishing that I didn't sound scared. I wanted to be confident, outgoing, so that perhaps I would be accepted by his friends. But instead, I was shy, and although I could be pretty sarcastic, I needed to be around someone I was comfortable with to be able to do that.
I pick up my tray with one hand (with much difficulty) and we make our way over to his table. They all stop talking instantly and look up at us, and I think, 'This is it. This is where they tell me to go away, that I'm not one of them. That the mayor's daughter can't sit with kids with the Seam."
But instead, they all smile at us, and start shuffling around to make room. I sit between Gale and another boy, who introduces himself as Thom. The others say their names in turn, although I forget most of them quickly. I remember Thom though, as he chats constantly, keeping it from being awkward. They don't question me, they don't ask about how Gale and I came to be together, but they don't ignore me. I even feel slightly comfortable as I eat my food.
Almost straight after we sit down, the staff roll a TV into the room, and switch on the Games. Nothing interesting is happening, but I feel Gale's hand grip mine and squeeze tightly, our secret comfort hidden under the table from his friends.
We hug goodbye at the end of lunch, having spent the entirety of it chatting with Gale's friends. Well, they chatted, I listened, and provided input whenever they talked directly to me. They didn't seem to mind my quietness.
"Gale." I mumble against his chest. "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything." He replies, nuzzling my neck. I take a deep breath before I continue, not sure how he'll react.
"The Games are going to end soon, we both know that." I say, my voice almost a whisper. "There's only four of them left... Gale, will you... Will you come back to my house after school? To watch the end? I feel like I'll need you to be there, just in case..." My voice trails off, but Gale hugs me tighter.
"Of course." He whispers, "I'd love to be there. But won't your father...?"
"He stays in his office whenever a crucial part of the Games are on, and I'd be surprised if he turns up for dinner." Gale nods as I say this, and I can feel his hand rubbing circles on my back, soothing me.
"I'll come. But I have to walk my little brother home; my mother says that I haven't been spending any time with him, so..." He says quietly.
"That's fine. Shall I wait for you at my house?"
"Well... Would you like to come?" Gale asks, sounding slightly nervous.
"Yes." I say, smiling. "I would like that a lot."
And then Gale kisses me, right there in the school, although there aren't many people near us. It's quick, only a peck on the lips, but it's enough to make my heart beat faster.
And with that he's gone, and I return to class, to go watch Katniss win or die.
Katniss and Peeta are preparing to leave the cave, whereas Cato is moving quickly towards the Cornucopia. Night has fallen in the arena, and the atmosphere is tense. It will be over soon.
I sit forwards in my chair, and watch carefully. Thresh, the boy from Eleven, is making is way towards the river, although I don't know why. I guess he doesn't want to have to face open conflict with Cato, a trained killer, and Katniss with her bow.
Cato is almost at the open field which the Tributes began the bloodbath in. He's taken longer than normal because about halfway there, he eats all his food (which isn't much). I suppose he would prepare his weapons, but he has none, apart from his small hunting knife which wouldn't be able to do much damage, even in the right hands. When Katniss blew up their supplies, she really hurt them, taking away all their resources.
Nothing exciting happens for a long time, just everyone travelling, wary, alert. I guess the Gamemakers must be frustrated by the lack of action, and would be creating something to help end the Games quickly.
When I walk out the front doors to the school, I see Gale leaning against the wall, waiting for me. We both smile when we see each other, and hug. He kisses my head and we wait for his brother, Gale's arm wrapped tightly around my waist. We ignore the stares from people as the walk past.
Gale's little brother doesn't seem as surprised as I expect him to be when he sees me with Gale, although he raises his eyebrows when he sees Gale's arm round my waist.
"Madge, this is Rory, my little brother." Gale says, smiling. "Rory, this is Madge, my..." He seems unsure how to finish. Were we a couple? Could I call Gale my boyfriend? The phrase seemed odd to me. 'Boyfriend' didn't really seem to fit Gale.
"Your girlfriend?" Rory says with a grin. "And of course I know her name, everyone does." I don't mean to flinch when he says this, but I do. I hate how the majority of people in school knew my name, simply because of my father's job.
Gale moves so that he's holding my hand instead of having his arm around my waist, and gives it a reassuring squeeze to try calm me down.
We begin to walk and Rory chats constantly about his day; I wouldn't have been able to talk if I wanted to. I was still stewing over the fact that everyone seemed to know a lot about my family, and yet not one of them had talked to me and tried to get to know me.
Gale supplies the appropriate responses to Rory's babbling so that I don't have to. We pass into the Seam and as we do I realise that this would be the first time I was going to Gale's house.
I begin to feel slightly nervous, wondering what his family would think of me. If I met them. Perhaps it would be better to stay outside and wait for Gale.
We arrive outside a very small house, much smaller than I imagined. A small girl answers the door, who Gale introduces to me as Posy, the youngest of the family and the only girl. She nods at me and appears shy, half hiding her body behind the door. Rory goes in and Gale follows, tugging me along behind him. So much for staying outside.
Inside, it's warm and dim. I hear a woman call to Gale from another room, thanking him for bringing Rory home, and would he come through and give her hand. Despite my quiet protests, Gale pulls me closer and pushes me through the doorway.
A medium sized woman stands by a basin, surrounded by dirty and clean clothes. She pulls a grey shirt out from the murky water and adds it to the pile of clean clothes, before glancing up at us. Her eyes widen when she sees me, but other than that, she doesn't react in any way.
"Madge, this is my mother, Hazelle. Mother, this is Madge." Gale says quietly.
"Hello. It's nice to meet you." I say, extending my hand to her, managing a smile. Hazelle shakes my hand and returns the smile, although it is only brief, yet warm.
"Would it be alright if I went to Madge's house for a while?" Gale asks quickly, not wanting it to become awkward.
"Yes." Hazelle nods, not taking her eyes off me. "Just be home in time for dinner."
"Thank you." Gale replies.
"I'd like to speak to you, alone for a second." She asks, her eyes finally moving to meet Gale's. He nods and turns to me, and flashes me a smile to let me know that it's okay.
"I'll be out soon, okay? Just wait in the other room with Rory." He says quietly. I smile back at him and leave, shutting the door carefully behind me.
I walk into the centre of the room, not really sure what to do with myself. There's a sofa to one side, but Rory is sitting on it, so I don't move.
"Hey Madge." He says, grinning at me. I'm thankful for his upbeat attitude, and the fact that he talks all the time, which means I don't have to say much.
"Hello, Rory." I say back, running my fingers through my hair. He pats the space next to him on the sofa and I obediently sit down.
"So. You and Gale." He says, his grin widening.
"Yes?" I reply, not looking at him, focusing instead on my hands.
"Are you guys a thing? Like, a couple?" He asks. I smile a bit and say, "I don't really know, to be honest."
"But have you kissed and stuff?" He asks eagerly, leaning forwards.
"You should ask Gale." I say, laughing slightly at how excited he appears to be by this.
A short silence follows, although it is not awkward. I can hear muffled voices coming from the other room, and I can make out some of the things that are being said.
"...from the town. Do you..."
"I don't care that she's from the town, I..."
It doesn't seem like an argument, just a conversation. They keep talking, and Rory asks some very personal questions about Gale and I, enjoying my reactions.
Finally Gale opens the door and smiles at us both, as Rory has me laughing and he's grinning. Gale walks over and I stand up.
"Let's go." He says, taking my hand and walking to the door.
"Bye, Madge," Rory says as we leave.
"Bye," I call over my shoulder. Gale shuts the door and we begin to walk in the direction of my house.
"So... How does Hazelle feel about me?" I ask quietly. Gale squeezes my hand.
"She feels perfectly fine with you. She was just a bit worried about... About how you're from the Town. She doesn't dislike you for that or anything, she just wanted to know if I knew the consequences of our... Being together."
"And these consequences are?"
"Well... Just that people will say things about it. I don't know, gossip at school, stuff like that." Gale sighs and looks up at the sky. "I told her I don't care what people say about me being with you. And I don't. Not now." He pauses and looks at me, waiting to see how I'll react.
"So..." I say slowly, "so she doesn't hate me?" Gale chuckles and pulls me against him, resting his cheek against the top of my head.
"Madge, she's perfectly fine with you. Especially so that I explained to her about... That stuff. It's fine." I don't reply, and he doesn't push me for an answer, knowing that what he's said has satisfied me. I've passed the test; I have been evaluated as suitable for Gale.
When we get to my house, Toby comes through to the hall, and raises his eyebrows at Gale, who returns the surprised expression.
"You didn't tell me your... Friend was coming round." He says, smirking. I hit his arm lightly as we walk past.
"I decided today at school. Gale, Toby, Toby, Gale." I say quickly, wanting to see what I've missed.
Gale sits on the sofa and before I can move to sit next to him, he pulls me into his lap. I smile at him and he kisses me quickly, before I reach for the remote. I feel my stomach flutter as he does this, and briefly wonder if I have the same affect on him.
I gasp when the TV flickers to life. Katniss and Peeta are... On top of the Cornucopia? With... Dogs around them? No, muttations. Gale wraps both his arms around me and holds me against him tightly.
Cato, the huge boy from the same District as Clove, is holding Peeta against him, ready to snap his neck. Katniss is aiming her bow at Cato, a panicked look on her face. If she shoots, Cato kills Peeta.
There's no sign of Thresh, and I assume he was killed by the muttations that have moved so they are below Cato and Peeta, snarling and growling, trying desperately to scramble up the side of the Cornucopia.
There's a few short, tense seconds where they stand there in that position, not one of them wanting to move. I hold my breath and feel my heartbeat increase rapidly, so much so that I feel like I can hear the blood drumming through my veins. Gale is breathing in short, sharp breaths, his eyes fixed to the screen.
In a sudden movement that makes me jump, Katniss shoots her bow. It seems like everything goes into slow motion for a few seconds, and I can't understand what's happening. But then Cato's on the ground and the mutts are on him, and I turn my face away from the screen, hiding into Gale. I wish that there was some way to block out his screams of pain. The mutts drag him into the Cornucopia, but still he moans and screams as they attack him, and I can't look. I hear Katniss rip something, and assume that she's making a bandage of some kind for Peeta's leg.
"Don't go to sleep." She says.
"Are you cold?" He asks after a while. I hear someone unzipping their jacket, then after some rustling, it is zipped back up again.
"Cato may win this thing yet." Katniss whispers to Peeta.
"Don't you believe it." He replies, equally as quietly.
I don't know how long we sit there, but Cato's moans and begging continue. Finally, after what seems like forever, I hear an arrow fly from Katniss's bow, and a cannon fires. I move my face away from Gale's chest but don't look at the TV screen; I look at him, and realise that I'm crying.
"Did they win?" I whisper. Gale smiles a weak smile at me, and I smile back through my tears. He leans in and kisses me very gently, and I assume he's trying to soothe me in some way. It works a bit, and I manage to look at the TV again.
Katniss and Peeta have moved from the Cornucopia, the mutts gone, no longer interested in their dead prey. The sun is beginning to rise and they look at the sky, waiting to see a hovercraft appear to take them away. I'm confused; there has been no announcement of victory. Katniss picks up her arrow that she fired at Cato just as Claudius Templesmith's voice booms into the arena.
"Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favour." I freeze, not quite processing what I've heard. How could they do that? How?
Peeta and Katniss turn to stare at each other. They don't know what to do,what to say. Their faces show shock and disbelief, and then sadness.
"If you think about it, it's not that surprising," Peeta says softly. He pulls his knife out and Katniss instinctively loads her bow and instantly has it aimed at his heart. Peeta raises his eyebrows and throws his knife away. Katniss drops her weapons and takes a step back.
"No." Peeta says. "Do it." He limps towards Katniss and pushes the weapons back into her hands.
"I can't." She replies. "I won't."
"Do it. Before they send those mutts back or something. I don't want to die like Cato."
"Then you shoot me," Katniss says furiously, shoving the weapons back at him. "You shoot me and go home and live with it!" Gale tenses, and I can feel it.
"You know I can't." Peeta says, throwing the weapons to the side. "Fine, I'll go first anyway." He rips off the bandage that was around his leg.
"No, you can't kill yourself." Katniss says quickly, desperately trying to press the bandage against his leg.
"Katniss. It's what I want."
"You're not leaving me here alone."
"Listen." Peeta pulls Katniss to her feet. "We both know they have to have a victor. It can only be one of us. Please, take it, for me." He continues on about how he loves Katniss, how horrible his life would be without her, but I can tell Katniss isn't listening. Gale becomes more and more tense.
Katniss fumbles with the pouch on her belt, and Peeta moved to stop her.
"Trust me." She whispers, looking into his eyes. He loosens his grip on her wrist slowly, eyes never leaving hers. She open the pouch and pours some of the dark berries into his hand, and then fills her own.
"On the count of three?"
Peeta kisses her gently. Gale is like a statue, his eyes glued to the screen. Despite him saying that he didn't have feelings for Katniss, it must be hard for him to watch this.
"The count of three." Peeta says firmly. They turn so that their bad are to each other, and hold hands tightly.
"Hold them out. I want everyone to see." He says, and they do. The berries glisten in the sun. The both begin to count, and at three, they raise their hands to their lips, and- "Stop! Stop!" A voice shouts. Katniss and Peeta pause, the berries not quite touching their lips.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you - the tributes of District Twelve!"
This took ages to write .
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