8. The interviews
When Madge reaches the Everdeens' door, the sun is barely visible above the hills in the horizon. She had thought of skipping the exercise so she would show up clean, or cutting it short so she would go home and shower, but it was the only moment of the day where she could feel calm, in control. She couldn't bring herself to skip it. Even having changed back into her dress in the warehouse, she knows her appearance is far from neat, her hair sweaty and some coal dust in her hands and arms. What was I thinking?, she thinks for the umpteenth time in the day. She's barely Prim's acquaintance, and Gale is hardly her friend. It's too late, I can't make it home in time. Maybe the square…, but before she starts calculating how much it would take her to run there, the creaky wood of the front stairs gives her away. Not five seconds later, Prim flings the door open.
"Hi Madge!" says Prim with a smile that melts away most of Madge's nervousness. "Come in, come in", she says, stepping aside the doorway. The first thing Madge notices are Katniss' hunting boots, right by the door. She has no time to feel the sting of pain in her chest, however, because Prim has taken her hand and is leading her towards the two older women standing in the kitchen. Madge knows Mrs. Everdeen, but she can't remember ever meeting her formally. Last time she saw her, at the Justice Building, she didn't have time to take in her appearance. She reminds her of her mother in a way, the empty eyes, the downward edges of her mouth, the sunken shoulders, all the signs of a too-heavy grief.
"Mom, Madge is here."
"Thank you for having me, Mrs. Everdeen. I brought this to you," says Madge, handing her a small basket. She had spent a good part of her restless night thinking what she could give to the Everdeens without offending anyone. If she was honest with herself, however, Madge had been mostly concerned about one person and he wasn't even an Everdeen.
"We are happy you could make it. Thank you, Madge," Katniss' mother replies, starting to retrieve the contents of the basket. In the end she had opted for some loafs of bread and a strawberry jam her cook had made. Nothing fancy, and enough so there would be some leftovers.
"Madge, these are Posy, Gale's sister, and Hazelle, Gale's mom".
She turns to the other woman, shorter than Mrs. Everdeen in height, but with a much stronger presence. In her arms, small girl looks at Madge curiously. If Madge had been nervous about actually speaking to Katniss' mom, she had been a complete wreck when the thought of meeting Gale's family dawned of her, what if they all hated her? Fortunately, she had the wonderful talent of masking every emotion.
"It's wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Hawthorne," she says, smiling, making sure her eyes follow, offering her hand.
"Madge, dear, you can call me Hazelle. Look at you, how much you've grown," Hazelle replies as she takes her hand. She was referencing to the one time they had interacted before, on the ceremony for her dead husband all those years ago. Madge didn't remember a lot of Hazelle that day, mainly because right next to his mom, Gale was staring at her as if he could make her feel all his misery.
"Nice hair," Posy says, extending her hand to touch it. In comparison with any other day, Madge knows her hair looks terrible, but it's still shinier and softer than Prim's or Mrs. Everdeen. Hazelle scolds Posy, but Madge replies she doesn't mind if Posy wants to touch it. As an only child and a lonely teen, Madge has never been so close to a little kid before, and she's not sure of how to act around them, but somehow Posy makes it easy for her.
"You have pretty hair too," Madge says, twirling a lock of Posy's short dark hair in her fingers, which causes her to laugh. That wasn't half bad. However, the introductions are not over, and Prim takes her hand again to turn her towards the small living room, where a small sofa and a couple of chairs face the TV.
"These are Vick and Rory. Guys, meet Madge"
They are both sitting on the floor by the sofa. Vick barely looks up from the cracks on the floor he is inspecting when he hears his name. Rory looks exactly like a younger Gale, but with no scowl and no anger directed towards Madge, which for her means he looks nothing like Gale. He seems to debate with himself before finally getting up and offering his hand for a handshake.
"Hello, Rory," Madge greets. Rory then proceeds to make an exaggerated reverence.
"The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness," he says, almost kneeling. Vick pays more attention now, loudly giggling.
"Can you behave like a normal kid for ten seconds, Rory?", Gale scolds. Rory returns to his spot laughing, leaving a confused and mildly amused Madge still standing in the living room.
"And Gale, of course, you already know him," she points at his immobile silhouette, sitting on one of the chairs, before taking the centre of the sofa.
"Thank you, Prim. You are a wonderful hostess." Gale scoffs at her formality, although no one notices.
Mrs. Everdeen comes and hands everyone some of the bread and the jam as she and Hazelle sit on the sofa on each side of Prim. Madge, who was relieved of not having to pick a seat, takes the remaining empty chair next to Gale's, who acknowledges her with a nod.
"Undersee."
"Hawthorne."
"You look terrible." Madge rolls her eyes. The familiarity of their usual banter makes her relax. It is good to know some things don't change.
"Always the charmer."
Gale doesn't say anything else. He has been discreetly evaluating Madge's every move since she came in. He expects to catch her giving a disdainful look at the small house, the ash-covered floors, the patched old sofa or his bad-mannered siblings. However, she hasn't been anything but kind -except when he gave her a reason not to be-, and he is not sure if that makes him feel better or worse. In any case, seeing her slightly dishevelled appearance stirs a mixed feeling that he quickly dismisses.
Right on cue, Panem's Anthem and the Capitol's emblem show up on the screen. It's also an informal curfew, the same as the opening ceremony. Everyone should be either at home or at the square watching by now. The stage appears on screen and, with it, Caesar Flickerman and the tributes. The camera does a quick round, and Madge can already tell Katniss' dress is the most beautiful. She leaves Prim to be the first to comment on it though, dreading whichever comeback Gale would do if she was the one to do it. Prim's thoughts, however, seem to be going in a different direction.
"Madge, do you know Peeta?" she says, as the crowd cheers and Flickerman waves.
"Primrose," Mrs. Everdeen warns, knowing how prone she is to inappropriate questions.
"It's okay Mrs. Everdeen, I don't know a lot about him anyway. He's the baker youngest son. He decorates the nice cakes in the bakery. He is usually a kind boy…" her voice fades away. She hasn't spared many thoughts for Peeta since the Games began. What else can she say? 'I think he's been staring at Katniss for the past few years, probably has a crush' doesn't sound right. Fortunately, Flickerman starts talking and she doesn't have to continue listing facts about Peeta.
As usual, he opens with some jokes and then, tributes come and go for their interviews. When the girl from District 1, a stunning blonde with a see-through dress, joins Flickerman, Rory lets out a loud sigh, earning a smack in the head from Gale that makes Madge and Prim laugh. For a second, Gale feels a strange lightness, the kind that paints an absent smile on his face. This reminds him of something, but he is too anxious to try to pinpoint what exactly.
Gale registers all the Careers in his mind, trying to come up with possible strategies. He's sure Katniss can outsmart them; they are way too cocky to not underestimate her. It's the quiet ones that make him uneasy. Madge, on the other hand, barely registers the interviews, concentrated in keeping her breathing steady, avoiding the recurrent thought of the imminent start of the actual Games. Katniss, Peeta or both could be dead by this time tomorrow. They won't. Breathe in, breathe out, she thinks.
"Poor Rue", Prim says, breaking the silence.
The girl sits gracefully for her interview.
"If they can't catch me, they can't kill me. So don't count me out," Rue says at the end of her interview. Madge has to bite back her tears. Gale is again distraught by the huge male tribute of 11, certainly he'll be one of the last five. He doesn't look stupid enough to underestimate Katniss.
"And now, from District 12, Katniss Everdeen!" Flickerman presents, and the crowd in the Capitol goes crazy. Mrs. Everdeen puts her arm around Prim, who looks like it's about to throw up.
In the screen, Katniss looks more beautiful than ever, but also less herself. At the beginning, Gale can see a glimpse of her usual cynicism under all the make-up and the sparkles, but in no-time she's twirling and giggling and resembling more what he would call a Capitol brainless puppet than a Seam girl. He tries not to let it get under his skin as it did in the opening ceremony, thinking about her score, how it must all be part of the strategy, but he hates it anyway. Madge, on the other hand, has never been prouder of Katniss. She's playing the Capitol better than I could.
"Madge, you were right. The dress is breath-taking," says Prim, relieved to see her sister is making a good performance. Her expression darkens again as soon as her name comes up in the interview.
"She asked me to try really hard to win."
"And what did you say?"
"I swore I would," she states, with such fierce and determination that wipes any reminiscence of doubt left in the viewers. Katniss will be the Victor of the 74th Hunger Games. Which kind of Victor will she be?, Madge thinks. At which price?, Gale wonders, replaying in his mind all the giggling, the waving to the crowds, the holding hands with Peeta Mellark.
With that, her interview is done. The tension that has been building up in the room slowly disperses. They still have to watch Peeta, but it seems the peak of the evening is over. Mrs. Everdeen starts gathering some of the plates she used for the bread earlier with the help of Hazelle. Madge attempts to mimic them, but one stern look from Hazelle as soon as she moves makes her go back to her chair instantly. Now she knows where Gale got it from. Rory, Vick and Prim discuss if Katniss looked prettier than the girl from District 1, which only Rory seemed to oppose. Posy monopolizes all of Gale's attention by clinging to his clothes and demanding some playtime.
Not really knowing what else to do, Madge watches as Peeta charms the crowd. When he and Caesar start discussing the showers, she can't help but laugh, which brings the attention of Rory, Vick and Prim back into the screen. Caesar asks about Peeta's love life, which gives Madge an uneasy feeling.
"Well, there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping," Peeta says, and Madge's breath catches in her throat. What is he doing? Is he really talking about Katniss? Her answer comes a few moments later, when he clarifies for her and the rest of Panem he is, in fact, talking about Katniss. Her face, completely shocked, comes into view.
"What did he just say?" Gale asks, finally ungluing his eyes from Posy and glaring at the screen as if he could make it explode. Madge doesn't dare to answer. Even though it might be a good strategy for Katniss to play along, it doesn't take a genius to know he will not be pleased with an alliance like that. Besides, Gale is exactly the "kill the messenger" type of person.
"He just declared his undying love for Katniss, or something," says Rory, an amused expression on his face. Peeta explains Katniss has just found out of his feelings, which is obvious by the look on her face.
With Caesar wishing Peeta good luck, the mandatory part of the transmission ends. No one, not even Posy, still in Gale's arms, speaks for a few seconds.
"Gale will walk you home." As soon as she hears the words come out of Hazelle's mouth, Madge feels a weight on her stomach. She had been so nervous about coming to the Everdeens' place that she completely forgot she would have to return home after dark. In any case, she doesn't want Gale to pay for her stupid lack of foresight, she was too prideful to allow it.
"No, Mrs. Haw- Hazelle," she says after clearing her throat. "It's really not necessary. Plus, he will have to hurry if he wants to be back before curfew. I know my way."
"I don't doubt that, but this will give us more peace of mind. I'm sure that Gale is glad to help." By the look on his face, Madge can tell Gale is the opposite of glad. "He could also use the fresh air."
Hazelle's tone doesn't admit further objections, but Madge still wants to protest. She could never ask Gale such a favour, although she'd rather have his brooding presence than walking alone. The commentary on the interviews has already started. It only takes the piercing voice of Caesar Flickerman describing Peeta and Katniss as "the star-crossed lovers of District 12" to prompt Gale to grab his jacket, cutting in the conversation before Madge has a chance to speak. "Let's go."
They say their goodbyes, or Madge does while Gale just nods towards his mother and Mrs. Everdeen, and soon they are on their way to town. They have done half the way in what Madge would describe as a surprisingly comfortable silence when Gale decides to speak.
"You said he was on her side."
"What?"
"The baker's son. You told your dad he was on her side or something like that. Did you know he would pull this off?"
"Well, not exactly. I've noticed him staring at her throughout the years so I figured he had a crush on her. I'm not sure what's his angle for the Games, though."
"Earning some sympathy at Katniss' expense. Making her feel at ease and then getting rid of her. There are plenty of possibilities".
"Get you head out of your ass, Hawthorne. I do know Peeta doesn't want to kill Katniss, and he is not the only one getting some benefit out of this. The Capitol will love the storyline, the drama."
"Everyone seems to have forgotten he has to die if she is to come home."
"No one forgets that. But there are 22 other kids that also have to die, some of them quite scary. And it might be good that Katniss doesn't have to face all of them alone."
They don't say anything else for a while. Gale knows Madge is making good points, but he can't simply assume Peeta will protect Katniss selflessly.
"I don't trust him."
"You and Katniss are so alike. I bet she didn't believe a single word either." This seems to be what Gale was hoping to hear, because he perks up.
"Katniss is a survivor. She knows better than to trust some random Town kid."
Madge feels like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her. Gale words could very well include her. It was never nice to hear you couldn't be trusted, but she thought they had made some progress lately. The fact that his opinion had earned some level of importance frustrates her, adding to her anger.
"Undersee," says Gale. Only then she realizes she had stopped walking, making him stop as well. "I didn't mean it like that."
Her eyes widen in surprise.
"Okay," she mumbles, not knowing how to continue. Does that mean he trusts her, or that he could come to trust her? Did he even interpret correctly what she had thought of his words?
They resume walking, but the silence now seems to weigh several tons. Once again, Gale startles Madge by starting the conversation.
"Why did you come today?" The glare Madge gives him as answer makes him realize that sounded too accusatory, although he was genuinely curious. "It was nice, you know. I think Prim appreciated it a lot," he offers. He is clearly making an effort to avoid a confrontation and lighten the mood.
"Thanks," Madge finally replies, hesitant.
"Wait a minute," he almost interrupts her with the teasing smile he's been giving her lately. "Are you using Prim as a scapegoat for your trips to the Seam?"
"What? Hawthorne, are you even listening to yourself?" Her tone has become high pitched and her expression is completely bewildered. Even in the dim light of the sidewalk, Gale can see her blush.
"It didn't go unnoticed for me the way you were already covered in coal dust when you arrived."
"Well, it didn't go unnoticed for me the way you were about to give me a compliment, so you had to drastically change topic."
"You should tell me who he is, if I'm going to keep your secret."
"Why are you so interested? I didn't take you for a gossip."
Gale shrugs.
"I guess it's a good way to distract myself nowadays."
They have arrived to the gate of her house. Turning to face him, Madge hopes she can put the matter to rest for good.
"There is no one, Hawthorne."
"Look, you could tell me what it is you are actually doing in the Seam, or I could continue to assume worse and worse things."
"Fine. Just keep your fantasies suitable for all publics." Madge goes into her house without a second thought, leaving a speechless Gale staring at the closed door.