When I wake again it's a little after dawn, the left side of my face is numb from sleeping on the table, the empty table. Madge has gone, the only sign she was ever there, the bloody rags Mrs. E used to mop up the blood. She's gone, she said she would be but I figured I'd talk her out of it in the morning, if not keep her here by force. I realize with horror she may be going back to whoever did that to her and I stand up so fast I get dizzy.
It's early enough no one will wake and wonder where I am so I waste no more time and run into the street, then through the seam until I reach the town border. Most peacekeepers are too lazy to be up this early so with a quick detour around the square I break into a sprint again towards the mayors house. I automatically go to the back door, hurdling the fence and then all three porch steps at once. I knock and the screen door rattles but there's no answer, I open the screen door and hammer on the wooden panel but there's still no answer.
Someone's shouting, it's a man but that's all I can distinguish, it's muffled by the door so I peek through the glass panes. All I can see is the kitchen and part of the main entryway. There's a crash and then a mass of gold curls and blue fabric is thrown from one side of the entrance to the other. It's followed by a tall figure with a dark box raised above his head, the figure throws the box in the same direction and I realize that I just saw the mayor push his daughter down a staircase. I kick my way through the door and barge through the kitchen. When I reach them Madge is on the floor with a suitcase on her chest and the mayor has his belt in his hand above his head. Everything clicks into place painfully and I lunge at him, knocking him to the ground
"What the blazes! Get off of me!" I climb to my feet leaving the mayor looking dazed on the ground "what on earth are you doing in my house? Get out! Get out now!"
"Come on Madge, we're leaving" I help her to her feet and pick up the suitcase I assume is hers
"Just where do you think you're going?" the mayor bellows "no one will have you, no one will want you, you'll come crawling back" he hisses and Madge caves in on herself "what are you going to do with no money? No food? No pretty ribbons for your hair?"
"She'll be with me" I growl
"You little harlot, I should've known. How long have you been whoring yourself out to any old riff raff?"
"Hey! Don't talk to her like that"
"I wasn't talking to you boy" he hisses "get upstairs now! Get to your room"
"She's not staying here. She'll stay with me and if you come near her, ever lay a finger on her again. I'll kill you"
"The fact that you just said that alone could see you on the post again"
"And what you've been doing to her could see you in front of a firing squad. Come near her again and I'll make you beg for a quick bullet to the head" taking a mild amount of pleasure in the flicker of fear in his eyes I lead Madge away, keeping myself between her and the mayor. As we're leaving Madge opens her suitcase in the kitchen, it's empty except for a few items of clothing, some toiletries and a photo frame. She places it on the floor in front of the refrigerator and opens the door. She hesitates for just a second to take out the remains of a turkey then empties the contents into her suitcase shelf by shelf. When the fridge is empty she opens the cupboards and repeats the process, when she's done with that she looks around for a minute before handing me the suitcase
"Wait right here, just for a second" she's gone before I can argue and I consider going after her but she's back after less than a minute with her school bag over her shoulder, a smaller suitcase and a rucksack on her back "let's get out of here" she tries to take the suitcase from me but there's no way she could carry it so instead I take the rucksack off her back and sling it over my shoulder. We haven't even reached the end of her garden before she stops and puts her hand on my arm "thank you Gale" she says sincerely, her eyes boring into mine "you didn't have to do that, you probably shouldn't have done that but I'm very grateful you did"
"There's no need to thank me for stopping that Madge" I say pointing back at her house aggressively. If I didn't want to get her away from the place I'd go back there and strangle him with that belt
"For everything then, I really can't thank you enough but here" she holds out the small suitcase "I couldn't get enough actual money but I figured you could sell this stuff or trade it" I take a look in the suitcase out of curiosity and snap it closed again, trapping my finger in the process
"Madge" I hiss "what is all this?" she must have taken every item of silver she could get her hands on and slung it in the suitcase
"Is it enough? For Mrs. Everdeen and Prim too? I could go back for more-"
"No!" I cut her off sharply "you're not going back. I can't take this, it's too much"
"Gale please take it"
"I can't, I already owe you for the morphling-"
"No!" it's her turn to interrupt "you don't. You don't owe me anything, now if you could just help me get all this stuff to the Justice Building"
"The Justice Building? Why?"
"I don't know what to do"
"You come with me"
"Where?"
"To my house"
"Gale I'd really rather get this all over with. I really am grateful, truly but I'm exhausted"
"No Madge, you're going to come and stay with me" I tell her, taking the last of her bags
"What? No I can't" she argues, pulling on the strap of her bag
"Yes ... you are" I tug the bag back to me
"No ... I'm not" she yanks on the strap
"You are" I yank back
"Not" she snaps and this time when she pulls I let go so she stumbles back a few steps. I swoop down and drape her over my shoulder, starting towards the seam
"Put. Me. Down!" she growls
"Not happening"
"Gale Hunter Hawthorne. Put me down!" I falter mid stride and she laughs "oh yes Gale Hawthorne, I've heard your mother angry" I put her down partly because I just realized her back must be in agony and partly because I wouldn't make it much further carrying her and the bags
"You do realize if you go to the Justice Building they're going to send you straight to the home right?" her eyes widen and she flinches
"No, they'll assign me a house"
"Yeah, no. You don't get assigned a house just like that"
"But I can pay for it, I'll get a job"
"Sure, you could but no one's going to pay you enough to pay for a house. And who says anyone will even hire you?"
"Well I have to try"
"No, you have to come with me"
"Gale I'm not going to inconvenience your life like that. You have enough on your plate and what about your family huh?"
"I can make it work"
"You think that's fair on your mom, on Posy?"
"My mom will say the same thing and Posy loves you, goodness knows why. You're too damn stubborn" she rolls her eyes and quirks an eyebrow as if to say 'seriously? You're calling me stubborn?'
"What about when they're starving Gale, I'll be another mouth to feed"
"I can make it work" I insist
"How?" she quips, folding her arms over her chest
"I - I don't know but Madge, I can't let you go to the home and I can't let you go back there. Please, just ... come to my house, have dinner, we'll talk" she sighs and I know she's done arguing.