Hey guys thank you to all that reviewed, love you all! I'm posting this chapter at 12:13, so technically I fudged up the update deadline so to make it up to you all, I'm going to write a short one-shot Gadeg for you guys! Either PM me or write in the review what you want it to be about and I will post it next Sunday as well as the next chapter! Anywho here's chapter seven, ENJOY :D

Chapter 7

I turn around, a grin appearing on my face as I run into the arms of the redheaded Peacekeeper.

"Darius!" I cry out as my arms squeeze him tightly.

He laughs, returning the embrace. "Here I was, thinking you've forgotten all about little ole me."

I shake my head, breaking the embrace. "I'm sorry I've just been…" I trail off, trying to think of the best way to say 'hiding in my house' without being so direct about it.

But there seems to be no need for explanations as Darius waves my apology away, "It's alright. I was just kidding with you, and I understand you've been busy."

Busy is the exact opposite of what I've been, but I nod my head anyway. I haven't seen my friend since the Reaping and seeing him standing in front of me with that mop of messy ginger hair brings a smile to my face.

He's swapped his usual white Peacekeeper uniform for a casual pair of brown pants and a button down shirt which can only mean one thing. "Off day?"

He grins widely, "You know it."

Peacekeepers have nearly as tough schedules as the coal mines, having very little amount of days off; except they have more than four times the pay, which means most Peacekeeper retire after about ten years, unless they try to become a Head Peacekeeper of a District.

Once a Peacekeeper retires, they can either stay in the District they are stationed in, moving out of the Peacekeeper apartments and getting assigned a living space by City Hall, or return to District Two. Nearly all Peacekeepers retire while stationed here in Twelve go back to Two, or they first ask for a transfer to a better District and then retire there. But I think Darius might stay once he retires; he seems to genuinely like it here.

"Madge? Yoo-hoo anyone home?" Darius says, waving his hand in front of my eyes.

I blink rapidly, smiling sheepishly at him. "Sorry, I spaced out there for a minute."

"I noticed," he laughs, shaking his head at me. "I asked if you're up for some fun."

Fun. Something that has not been so abundant in my life most recently. I nod my head enthusiastically. "I'm up for anything you can dish out."

Darius smiles at me, offering his arm which I gladly take. Unlike my ex lunch companion, Darius isn't one to stay silent for very long.

In fact I'm positive that if he had to stay completely silent for more than an hour, he would throw himself off of a very tall building. I don't mind his chatter though. It's not the same sort of prattle as Effie Trinket's pointless gabber; he likes to tell jokes and humorous stories, little anecdotes about his fellow Peacekeepers. I actually like to listen to him talk; he's not as eloquent as Peeta is, but he does spot on impressions of whoever he is talking about, even twisting his facial expression to look like theirs.

He's finishing up a rather lengthy story of how he got stuck the first few days of the Games escorting around reporters from the Capitol. His voice rises much higher than its usual tone as he mocks one of the reporters who would not stop talking about what amazing color Darius' hair was, how unusual it was to see someone with natural red hair, and that she swore she was going to get ginger highlights the moment she got back to the Capitol. "Honestly who can spend three days discussing hair color? It's mind boggling."

I laugh, opening my mouth to respond how my prep team fawned over my own hair for hours when I suddenly realize I don't have the faintest idea of where we are.

"Darius, where are we?" I ask, looking hesitantly at the surrounding small and old houses. Many look as if they will topple to the ground at any second.

"The Capitol, of course. Can't you see the president's mansion beyond that hill?" He answers, ignoring my scowl as he laughs at his own joke. "We're in the Seam, Madge."

"Yes, but why are we in the Seam? I thought you said we were going to do something fun."

"Well, I thought we could stop by the Everdeens for a nice bite, say hello to little Prim, and you can punch Katniss in the nose when she's not looking."

I scowl at him. "I don't want to punch Katniss in the nose."

He raises an eyebrow at me in mock surprise. "Not the nose? How about right in the mouth then?"

My only response is my fist punching him lightly in the arm. "Enough. I don't want to punch Katniss Everdeen anywhere. Things are odd between us to say the least, but I would never want to hurt her. She was my friend." I sigh as I look down at my feet. "I don't know what to call her now. A girl I used to sit next to at lunch? An ex-acquaintance? Any enemy?"

"I believe the word you're looking for is 'frienemy'." I scowl at him and Darius throws his head back laughing at my expression. "I'm sorry Madge, I was just teasing. You know me, when I see an uncomfortable situation I can't help but make a joke about it." He pauses for a moment, before he continues saying, "Katniss…she's not a bad person. I've known her for a while and while I know she's no ray of sunshine, she's not awful either."

He must pick up on how the mood has quickly sobered because he grins at me, throwing his arm around my neck. "But hey, today is about having fun. And I promise, we will be having so much fun today, you won't be able to even think about anything else but what fun you having. So don't you worry there, Miss Undersee."

I roll my eyes at his playful formalities. "Lead the way then, Peacekeeper Darius, to some unknown hotspot in the Seam."

He smiles, taking my hand firmly in his as he walks faster down the road. I look around as we walk, but there seems to be nothing but houses.

A few children playing tag run past us, stopping in shock at the sight of us. I'm not sure what startles them more: a Peacekeeper walking out of uniform through their street or the Victor of the 74th Hunger Games. From their baffled expressions, I would say it's a combination of the two.

After some time I finally begin to see something. It's a building- or rather, a large warehouse- and even from a distance I can see people coming in and out of it.

I look up at Darius, hoping he'd give me a sign as to what this place is, but he just grins at me, pulling me along quicker.

I bite my lip nervously as we stop in front of the building. There's dozens of little tables and vendor carts lined around the place. I see a woman selling patchwork clothing and worn shoes and a man next to her selling herbs and bottles of sleeping syrup. Mostly everyone is older than me, and I don't see a strand of blonde hair in the whole place.

I instinctively cling to Darius, holding his hand tightly. "Darius, where are we exactly?"

He gives me a reassuring smile. "The Hob."

My eyes widen instantly as I glance around me. The Hob, the black market that isn't supposed to exist. Katniss had mentioned it once or twice, never in great detail and only that she and Gale traded their game there.

I grab Darius's arm tighter, and he rolls my eyes at my antics. "Oh no, don't tell me that the girl who faced a deathly arena is scared of a little market."

I scowl at him, and I start to tell him that it's not as if I went willingly into said arena, but, before I can, he drags me deeper into the building. I try not to cringe as I pass through the throng of people. Most of them stare at me in annoyance or shock.

"Don't worry about the lot of them, Madge," Darius tells me. "They looked at me the same way first time I was in here. But bit of advice, the clinging onto me- while quite pleasant on my end- might just ruffle their feathers even more. Show them the brave little fire ball I know you are."

He pokes me playfully in my side, and I huff at him, sticking my tongue out at him and crossing my arms over my chest. He grins at me, throwing his arm around my shoulder. "That's my girl."

A small smile forms on my face, and I allow him to lead me through the crowd. He stops at a few booths, talking to the people behind them for a moment.

They all regard him warmly, and one woman even offers him something that resembles a long stick that is painted yellow with small white flowers on it.

"For your girl," she says, handing him the stick before smiling at me and walking over to help other customers.

"What is it?" I ask him.

"It's for your hair. Lots of girls in the Seam wear them. Here, I think it goes like this." He twists my hair around the stick, twisting and turning it before jabbing the sharp side through my hair, making all of my hair stay up into something resembling a bun with the stick holding all of it up.

"Wow," I say, examining my new hair style in front of a cracked mirror. "How'd you learn to do that?"

He shrugs, "I guess I'm just a genius."

He smiles at me as I roll my eyes, grabbing my hand to drag me off to the next booth.

I don't know how long we walk around; Darius knows and talks to nearly everyone. And while they greet me with confusion and hostility, they treat him as an old friend. More than once, a woman tries to weasel her way in-between me and his linked hands, but he always gently pushes them off.

"Can't you see I'm with a lady friend?" he tells them, pulling me closer to him.

We have to be walking around for hours when Darius looks at me and asks if I'm hungry. I missed breakfast and ate a pretty measly lunch so I nod my head once, not wanting to voice my hunger in a crowd that knows my cupboards are full of food.

Darius only grins at me, tilting his head to the side. "Come with me."

The booth he takes me to is a rather long table with a hand full of bar stools pulled up next to it. Sitting on a stove behind it, there's a large pot with a woman stirring it. There's a large pot sitting on a stove behind it, with a woman stirring it. The woman herself is quite old, wrinkles plaguing every inch of her skin. Her hands that grip the wooden spoon are boney and brittle looking and the little hair she has left is white and pulled up into a bun.

"Hello, beautiful," Darius says flirtatiously to the woman. "What's cooking good looking?"

The woman huffs at him, "No amount of flattery will get you a free meal from me."

She places the spoon down on the table, looking over at me. She's not surprised to see me; either that or she hides her shock better than her colleagues. The only flicker of emotion on her wrinkled face is one of vague amusement. "Well, what do we have here?"

"Sae, this Madge Undersee." He says gesturing to me, as if anyone in this district didn't know who I was. " And Madge, this Greasy Sae."

I'm rather shocked when I hear Darius say such a rude nickname right in front of the woman but she doesn't look a smidge bit insulted by it.

"Hmm," the woman says, placing both her hands on her hips. "And what did you bring Miss Undersee here for?"

I avoid flinching from the barely concealed hostility. I guess she's just like the rest of the people here. Shocked and insulted by my mere presence.

"We are here for supper," Darius replies, ignoring the few people that are openly staring at us.

The woman's eyes narrow before she grabs a bowl from the table and fills it to the brim with the contents of the pot. She places the bowl directly in front of Darius, the amused smile back on her ancient face as she turns to me. "Any for you?"

I swallow thickly as I look at the bowl in front of Darius. The bowl itself looks to be about as old as the woman who served it. Bits of the rim are chipped and cracked, although it does seem to be relatively clean at least. The soup- or rather stew- inside the bowl is a deep brown color, with bits of cubed meat and chopped vegetables peering up from beneath the broth.

I want to ask what the meat is, but when I glance up at the woman my words stop in my mouth.

She peers down at me with a knowing look that irks me to no end. As if she just knows that I'll shake my head or turn my nose up at anything she offers me. As if I'm too spoiled or pampered, or simply not brave enough to even taste what's in the bowl.

There are more people looking at us now; nearly everyone around us is either looking at us openly or at least glancing our way. This is what they're waiting for. They're waiting for the spoiled little princess, the rich little Victor, to stick her nose up at the food, something that they all are in desperate need of. They expect me to reinforce their already predisposed idea that I-or maybe every Townie- think that we are better than them.

"Well?" Greasy Sae says, the smile still intact, but her eyes narrowed to slits. "What will it be?"

These people are no different than Mrs. Mellark. Both of them look down on the other for what? Completion? Money?

Both of them think that they are better than the other, both of them think that there is so much distance between them that we couldn't possibly have anything in common. Even something as simple and innocent as lunch is a battle royale to them.

I raise my head high, give her my most dazzling smile, and say with as much conviction as I can muster, "I'll have what he's having."

The woman's smile falters only for a moment before she hands me a bowl full of the same stew as Darius's.

I keep my face neutral as she- along with everyone around us- stares at me, waiting for me to take a spoonful and spew it from my mouth.

My conviction wavers for a moment as I lift up my spoon to reveal one of the dark cubed pieces of meat. Before I can rethink this, I shove the spoon in my mouth.

The flavor is so overpowering that I nearly spit out the meat, but I force myself to chew it, to force it down. It's game-y, no doubt about, and oddly spicy. It's tough to chew but not completely unpleasant.

A little voice in my head tries to figure out what animal this came from, but I quickly decide it's better not to know. When my mouth is empty, I take another spoonful, this time just of the broth. It's surprisingly good, warm with a tiny bit of spice to it. I imagine it would warm you right down to your toes in the winter.

Darius begins to eat from his own bowl, blowing on what looks like a piece of potato to cool it down. "What do you think?" he asks me.

I pause a moment, knowing that every eye is still on me. I decide to answer as honestly as I can. "It's actually pretty good," I tell him.

Greasy Sae lets out a loud laugh, and when she looks at me her smile is genuine. "A Townie likes my stew? Now I can charge twice as much."

I smile at her ever-so-slightly-offensive joke, and Darius laughs along with her. We continue eating, and slowly people lose interest in us and go back to their usual business.

"Don't mind them," Sae says as she dries a bowl with a dish rag. "We're naturally skeptical of newcomers."

"Nearly lynched me when I first walked in here," Darius says with his mouth full of stew. " I was the first Peacekeeper to venture in here and not arrest everyone in sight. And now at least a dozen of us rely on ole Sae here for a meal."

He then goes into great detail about his first trip in here and how he actually stumbled upon it by accident, how people started yelling and running at the sight of his helmet clad body.

I nearly knock down my bowl a couple times as I bend over with laughter, and Greasy Sae's ragged old body shakes as she chuckles at the familiar story. He finishes his story just as I'm polishing off the remainder of my stew, and Darius places a few coins onto the table.

"Thank you for a delectable dinner, darling," he says to Greasy Sae, blowing her a kiss as he steps off his stool.

"Yes, thank you," I add, smiling at the woman as I hand her my bowl. "And it was nice meeting you, um, Sae." I can't bring myself to say her rude nickname, even if she takes no offense to it.

She laughs, "It was nice to meet you too. You bring this girl around more often, Darius." She tells him winking at me, "She's one of the good ones."

I don't know if she means one of the good girls or one of the good Townies, but, either way, I take it as a compliment.

"Will do," Darius says before he plants a sloppy kiss to my cheek.

I yell out in protest, shoving his arm, but he just grins wickedly at me before picking me up off my stool and carrying me bridal style.

"Darius!" I yell at him, my breath riddled with laughter. "Put me down!"

"Put you down? As you wish," he says, his arms going out from under me. I instinctively wrap my arm around his neck, my other hand clutching his shirt to keep me from falling.

He laughs again, putting his arms back under me. "Women, they never know what they want."

I smack him upside the head, but he just laughs at me, spinning around very fast. Giggles escape my mouth as I cling to him, trying very hard not to fall.

When he finally stops spinning, my vision is blurry and everything in the room is tilted. But even with my head spinning, I can see the scowl on his face from across the sea of people between us.

Gale looks at us with a mixture of anger and absolute shock. I remember his face this morning, how he stared at me when I spoke to him. The shock on his face then is nothing compared to this. He looks at me as if I've just waltzed into his living room and started frolicking around.

But, as I glance around at all the grey eyes and olive skin in the room, it hits me that that's pretty much what I've done. He belongs here, not me.

Darius must either feel my body grow rigid in his arms or he sees Gale himself, because he slowly places my feet on the ground. Taking my hand firmly in his, he leads me away, back towards the entrance of the Hob.

I say nothing as we walk, and Darius too keeps silent, which is quite an abnormality for him. We finally make it the front, and we walk slowly back towards town.

"I'm sorry," Darius says, breaking the silence.

I look up at him, about to question why he is apologizing when he shakes his head, his face remorseful as he looks at me.

"I never thought- no, it's not that I never thought of it- I just... never really believed that it. You're so strong, the strongest person I've met and no one can come out of the arena as the same person... but when I saw you this afternoon, you looked like Madge. You are Madge," he stresses when he sees the confused look on my face.

Darius continues, "-and it was just easy to forget. To forget that I saw you almost die, because here you are. And you've always been so good with putting on a mask, sometimes not even I can see through it. But then, right now, when Gale walked in, your mask slipped. And I saw how much pain you're in. How much pain it causes you just to see him. And I feel like the worst friend in the world for dragging you to that place and for causing you to see him, for causing you pain."

"Darius," I stop him, placing my hand on his arm. "That's not your fault. I live right next door to him, so I'm bound to see him now and then. You didn't cause anything. And I had fun today, really I did. And seeing as my fun days are few and far between lately, I thank you for that."

I pause for a second, wondering if I really want an answer before I ask what's been on my mind for days. "Am I really still Madge?"

He knows I'm not asking about something as stupid as my name. I mean, am I still me- am I still the little girl he used to chase around the Justice Building? Are my eyes the same shade as blue as when we used to sit and drink lemonade on my porch? Is my smile just as bright as when he used to sit next to me as I played piano? Does my laugh sound the same as it did when he used to pick me up and throw me high in the air?

Am I still that girl? Or has she become another casualty of the Games?

He wraps his arms protectively around me and, petting my head, he says, "You will always be Madge. You've changed, but no one expects you to be exactly the same. You're still Madge. No matter what happens, nothing anyone does can take that away from you."

I smile into his shirt, my shoulder relaxing as I let some of the paranoia go. I couldn't ask Peeta, or Mom or even Nora. They all are too nice, too gentle to tell me the truth. But Darius, he isn't one to beat around the bush or try to spare my feelings instead of telling me the whole truth.

Someone clears their throat and I look up to see a Peacekeeper smiling sheepishly at us. I recognize her as Purnia, one of the other friendly Peacekeepers.

I smile at her but Darius groans at the sight of her, "No no no, I'm off today!"

"Sorry, Cray's orders. Seems like that bug that got Hector sick last week caused at least five others to toss their cookies so to speak. Poor Arson can't even keep a cracker down. So all hands on deck, and that means you."

Darius groans again, releasing me from his embrace so he can cross his arms over his chest. "What time?"

"Now; Cray's already handing out assignments."

"Fine, I'll be there after I take Madge home."

"I can get myself home," I tell him, "I don't want you to get a cruddy assignment because you were late."

Darius looks at me in concern, "You sure? It'll be dark soon, and I don't want you wandering the Seam at night."

I roll my eyes at him, "I won't wander. We're right on the main road. I know my way from here."

"Oh, let her go. Madge can take care of herself," Purnia tells him, winking at me.

Darius huffs in exasperation. "Fine, just stay on the main road and hustle. It's unwise to be out here after dark."

"I know, I know," I tell him waving him away. He gives me another quick hug before he and Purnia take off.

I smile to myself as I kick a small pebble with my shoe. I saw two of my old friends today, and maybe even made a few new ones. All in all, I'd call it a successful day.

A group of young children run in front of me, chasing each other as they yell and scream and laugh. I watch them play, unable to tear my eyes away from the sight of them.

There are two girls and three boys, all of them dark haired and olive-skinned. Their smiles are angelic, so full of life and joy. Of innocence.

Rue was innocent. And Ronan, and Marina, and Thresh, and Clove, and Cato, and everyone who has ever died in the Games. They were all small children running around once, not a care in the world, not a burden on their mind.

My vision blurs as I stare at the children, and I reach madly for the star pendent around my neck.

Were we all innocent at one time? I don't remember being like that; I've always known the horrors, the pain and strife of the District.

I saw it every night, etched in my father's face. "We are individuals, Madge," he told me once. "Everyone has the ability to think for themselves, to make decisions for themselves. If everyone thought for themselves, if everyone stood up for what they believed in, there would be no Capitol, no Hunger Games. But people are scared and cowardly, and when they are scared they allow themselves to be led. Often by bad people. So never be scared, Madge, never allow yourself to be led. You are an individual."

Strong words, brave words, but untrue all the same. I may be an individual, but I have no ability to do as I please. I may be able to think for myself, but what good are thoughts that are never spoken?

One day- and that day is not too far- I will have to mentor another pair of children. I will be the one who is supposed to help them come home. And I will try. And I will fail.

Sure, I might bring home a few children alive, but -even if by some miracle our District is victorious every year- that still means I failed one tribute, one child, one family. It doesn't matter how many I save. I won't be able to save them all.

A strong gust of wind hits me in the face, bringing me out of my thoughts. I blink rapidly as I look around me. It's darker- much darker- and I am no longer on the main road. I must have been walking in daze, lost in my thoughts.

I glance around the abandoned street, worrying ebbing through me. It's nearly dusk now; it won't be long till nightfall, and I have no idea where I am.

All the houses look the same: small wooden shacks with no one peeking out though the windows or playing in the yard. The only noise comes from the wind and from the muffled talk I can hear from behind the thin doors of the Seam houses.

I bite my lip as I decide to try to retrace my steps, walking for less than a minute when I hear the scream. I don't recognize the scream but that doesn't even register in my mind as my feet sprint towards the scream.

It's a scream of panic, not pain, and, for a moment, I'm back in the woods, racing wildly past trees and bushes to try to save a little bird from certain death. But I'm racing past houses now, not trees, and the only weapon I have on me is my wit.

"Just leave me alone!" the voice yells out again, "Please leave me alone!"

Another scream follows it, but, this time, it is quickly muffled.

I turn a corner and find three figures, one on the ground and two looming over her. One of them is holding her down, while the other has his hand clamped down firmly on her mouth. They're men: large and well-built, and I know there is no way I could win a fight with either one. Thinking quickly, I take the long stick out of my hair and hold it behind my back as I bend down and pick up a decent-sized rock, sending it flying into one of the men's skull.

It's not powerful enough to knock him out, but it stuns him and gets both his and his friend's attention.

"Leave the girl alone," I say, my voice hard and dangerous.

The man I hit with the rock sneers at me, motioning for the other to get me. The man stands clumsily to his feet, but he stops as I step into the dimming light.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I've killed before, for much less a crime than what you scum are trying to commit."

One of the men laughs loudly. "Oh look, it's our newest victor. Long way from home aren't you, sweet cheeks?"

I don't respond, and he grins maliciously. "There's two of us, and one of you. And you don't have any big strong allies to do all the work for you this time."

The man takes a few more steps towards me. He's just about my height, maybe even an inch shorter. "What are you going to do? Sing us to sleep?"

He's only three steps away from me now, and he walks extremely slowly, as if to up the tension. "You should have stayed home today, doll face."

He reaches out to grab me, but I'm faster. I reel around, twisting his outstretched arm behind his back, kicking my foot hard into the bend of his knee. He cries out in surprise as he falls to his knees, and I can feel him begin to try to overpower me when I press the sharp tip of the stick against his neck.

"Move, and you die," I tell him, proud that my voice comes out as cold as ice.

His accomplice was clearly not expecting that, and he tries to get up to help his partner when I call out, "Take one more step, and you get to see what the inside of a neck looks like."

This stops him, and he swallows thickly. My body is partially hidden in the shadows, and only the shape of the stick can be seen. I'm certain if he could see the yellow flowers painted on it, he would not be as scared for his friend's life as he is now.

"So here's what's going to happen, gentlemen. You are going to run- not walk, but run- away. If you stop, if you glance back, if you try to charge me the second I let go of you, I'm going to send this nice blade into your skull. And since you're such big fans of mine, I'm sure you know how often I miss. Do we have an agreement?"

"Yes," they both say, the man I'm holding the stick to trembles ever so slightly as he says so.

I release the man, pushing him slightly as I do just in case he tries to reel back at me. There is no need for such precautions, however, as both men take off running. Neither of them even glances back at me. I suppose there are certain perks of being a Victor, I think smugly to myself.

The girl wobbly gets to her feet, her eyes wide as saucers as she gawks at me.

"It's okay," I tell her, trying not to frighten her more than she already is. "I'm not going to hurt you. Look, it's not a real knife. It's just a stick for your hair."

I bring the stick into the light, letting her see how unarmed I am.

The girl blinks rapidly before letting out a loud laugh. "Y-you saved me with a hair stick?"

I nod once, and she shakes her head, a relieved smile on her face. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up."

I shrug my shoulders. "It's not a big deal."

"But it is. Most people from Town- I mean, most people in general- wouldn't have the guts to do what you just did. How can I repay you?"

Ahh yes... the old Seam way of thinking about returning the favor.

"No payment necessary." The girl opens her mouth to object, but I quickly cut her off. "What's your name?"

"Bristel Lockwood," she answers, sticking out her hand.

I smile at her as I shake her hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Bristel."

She's older than I thought she was; her petite frame makes her look much younger than she actually is. I would've guessed that she is about my age, maybe even a little older. And she looks terribly familiar.

"What are you doing in the Seam at this hour?" she ask. After I tell her about my little escapade at the Hob and how I wondered off the main road, she says, "I live on the main road. I can show you where it is."

Bristel seems to be a very quiet person. Not in the same way as Katniss, who freezes everyone out with her quietness though. She doesn't appear at all withdrawn.

I start to recognize my surroundings as we get on the main road, and she eventually stops in front of a small shack. "Well, this is where I live. Just keep on the main road from maybe another five minutes or so, and then you'll be home in no time."

"Thank you, Bristel," I say giving her a small smile as I turn away.

"No, thank you. If you hadn't stopped those men, they would have...I might be-"

I stop her before she can say that terrible possibility aloud. "Really, it was nothing. It's what anyone would have done."

She shakes her head at me. "No, it's not."

She pauses for a moment before smiling. "You're not at all what I thought you'd be."

That's the second time someone's said that to me today, and I still don't know what it means. But, before I can question her, she pulls me into a hug. I'm startled by the unexpected embrace, so I put my arms around her small shoulders awkwardly.

"Thank you again," She says as she pulls away. A voice from inside the small house calls her, and she waves goodbye to me as she races inside.

I jog home. It's not that I'm worried I might run into those men again, but the weight of the day is beginning to hit me. If I don't get home soon, I might just fall asleep right in the road. My feet are aching as I walk up the path to my house.

"I'm never wearing these flats again," I mutter to myself.

"Good evening."

I freeze, my hand sitting motionless on the gate. I turn around to see him standing close to me. Closer than he's ever been in weeks. He hasn't shaved recently, something I haven't noticed from my quick glances at him from afar. His eyes are nearly as dark as the sky above us, and there's some emotion in them that I can't quite place.

I realize that I'm staring at him, and I quickly avert my gaze, my cheeks burning red.

"Good evening," I say back to him.

Silence begins to roll over us like an unwelcomed guest, and I turn back to the gate before it can get any more uncomfortable.

Gale clears his throat loudly, and I swivel back to look at him, bits of hair falling in front of my face as I do so. As if by second nature, he raises his hand to brush my hair off my face, like he has done a dozen times before. His hand stops centimeters away from me, though, and his eyes widen as if coming to his senses before his hand drops to his side.

"You, um, look…well."

I force down a smirk. I've never seen Gale look so flustered before. It's unbearably adorable. "Thank you. As do you."

He nods, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Well…you have a goodnight."

"You too, Gale."

His lips are chapped and red, and, for a moment, I imagine standing on my tiptoes, throwing my arms around his neck and clinging to him as my lips mold to his. Instead, I just look up at him, remembering how he broke my heart, how he left me as a puddle on the floor. Remembering how he kissed another set of lips.

And yet, if he took me in his arm right now, I would be his forever. And I want him to, I want him to so very much. But he doesn't. And my heart breaks all over again.

His expression begins to change, and, for a second, I think maybe he sees my thoughts played out on my face.

I close my face off, putting on a mask of indifference as I push open my gate and walk up to my door. I'm turning the knob as I hear him call out to me. "Madge?"

I know I shouldn't turn back; I should just pretend I don't hear him, but I turn around anyway. "Yes?"

He pauses, as if he didn't mean to call out to me or he doesn't remember why he did. "Nothing. Never mind. Sleep well."

I jerk my head into something resembling a nod. "You too."

And then I rush into my house before I do something stupid like tell him how much I miss him.

I don't need the sleeping syrup tonight; my eyes can barely stay open as it is. I crawl into my bed, pulling the blankets up high as I recount everything that happened today.

Talked to Rye, met Peeta's friends, hung out with Darius, encountered scary Seam people who don't like me, saved Bristel. She looked so familiar; I know I've seen her around.

Oh right, and I semi-civilly talked to Gale.

My eyes close on their own accord as the events of the day swirl together. Seam, Peeta, Rye, Jude, Darius, Bristel, Gale. Bristel, Gale. Bristel and Gale.

I jerk upright as images of her walking with Gale flood my mind. I've seen her with him hundreds of times; not as one of his floozies, but as one of his actual friends.

I saved one of Gale's best friends.

I groan as I throw myself back against my bed. As if I need anything else to make this more complicated.

Yay Gale talked to Madge! So what do you think? Are you excited about Bristle coming into the story? Are you going crazy over the angsty Gadge? Did you think Darius is absolutely awesome? Are you inlove with how Gale gets boiling jealous at Darius but Madge has nooo clue? Are getting annoyed by all these questions? Then please REVIEW! Don't forget to tell me what you want my one-shot Gadge to be about, post-war, little kids, AU, Disney crossover, the possibilities are endless! I love all you guys and KISSES from Gale/Darius/Greasy Sae/Bristle/Madge!

*Next chapter will be up by next Sunday :D