Madge's apology was cut short as Posy made her way over. She listened enthusiastically to the tale, laughing and adding her own comments when able. Pushing her hair from her face and over her shoulder, she glanced up as Gale approached... And laughed with them as he spun Posy in the air.
She felt guilty that she hadn't told him-- that she hadn't really told anyone that wasn't around. She'd spent so long recovering and just as long trying to rebuild her life without her family.
Madge stood up, smiling at the siblings. Perhaps she'd been a little jealous, that they still had their family. She had nothing, really. Her father had stayed with her mother during the bombings, they weren't able to get out fast enough... she should have been with them, she shouldn't have left. What did she have left here, anyways? The Hawthorne's had been kind enough to help her when she returned home after the war. It was nice to spend time with them, to remember that she wasn't alone...
She hardly realized she was staring off into space, the smile fading from her lips, until she snapped back to reality and cleared her throat.
By the time Madge remembered the here and now, Posy had wriggled enough in his arms that Gale had to let her down. Once her feet had touched the ground again, she’d immediately raced back out on the ice, Vick hot on her heels with Rory following at a more leisurely pace. The boy cast a significant glance at the two left behind, obviously expecting some sort of fallout from the lack of communication. One sharp look from Gale and he took off without looking back.
Turning back to Madge, he found himself still having trouble believing that it was really her. It was hard to believe that, even with their differences, she would go so long letting him believe that she and her family were all dead, lost to flames along with the rest of District Twelve. Not even Katniss had mentioned her, on the rare occasions that they talked, but then, she still blamed Gale for the bombs that had killed Prim, and what remained of their friendship was a fractured, torn up mess that may never be fixed. At what point would she even have had the chance to mention the mayor’s daughter?
Even more upsetting was that his family hadn’t mentioned it, when they were so obviously used to her presence. His mother and Rory, at least, had known what it was like between the two of them - tense, and a bit uncivil on Gale’s part, but neither wishing bad on the other, and Hazel had even told him about the morphling. Why not this?
Turning to look at her, he felt the guilt from the night of the bombings well up inside of him again, alongside another wave of anger. How could they let him live with that? His expression was carefully neutral, determined not to let any of it out as he spoke.
“Didn’t know you’d taken to hanging out with my family, Undersee.”
Madge looked over at him, matching that careful, neutral expression. Did the air suddenly become thinner? Why was it suddenly harder to breathe? And why did she feel so bad about not really telling him she was alive?
"They were kind enough to help me out when I found my way back to 12," she offered quietly. "I owe them a lot..."
Glancing away from him and towards his siblings, she pressed her lips together. "I keep to myself mostly anymore... After..." she trailed off and looked back at him. "Everything."
Following her lead, he looked out at his little brothers and sister, watching them play happily, the youngest none the wiser of Gale's growing irritation. Rory would glance back at them now and then as if he was waiting for the metaphorical shoe to drop. Knowing Gale, especially when it came to the mayor's daughter, it would at any time.
"They never told me," he said unnecessarily, keeping his annoyance about that in check for now. None of that was directed at Madge just yet, though he was using it to distract him from the guilt of not rescuing her with the rest of the District. He wouldn't press her to say it, either; he didn't need the reminder of what happened any more than she did. It was still seared in his mind - the ashes, the flames, the screams - and the faces of all the people he hadn't been able to save.
After a long, pregnant pause, Gale finally said, "I'm glad someone could help you." Even if he'd failed, he added silently, a dark part of his mind grinding it into the still-healing wound like salt.
Of course they never told him. Madge wasn't necessarily surprised by that-- she hadn't explicitly told them that they should or shouldn't... But she had also been holed away on her own for the most part. Coming back to town was hard enough, but to walk around what had been the ruins of their district and be forced to remember what she had narrowly escaped...
Well- she didn't want to dwell on that just now. And the pause was enough to drive her insane, though she hardly wanted to be the first to say anything. When he finally spoke again, she let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Thank you."
What else could she say to that? The smile she offered him was reserved, but sincere. "And I'm glad that you and your family are well."
There wasn't much he could say to that. They were happy and comfortable, for once not worrying about money or where their next meal will come from, and that was all Gale needed to be satisfied. He'd missed them, of course, but District Twelve didn't feel like home anymore, not outside of the Hawthorne household. There was too much history here, and too many of his failures haunting the dusty roads.
"How did you find the lake?" Gale asked suddenly, glancing back at Madge. The lake was far enough back in the woods that if someone wasn't familiar with the trails, they probably wouldn't be able to find it unless they were incredibly lucky. And Madge, being the mayor's daughter, was not known for tromping around in the woods beyond the fence. "Not many people know it's out here."
"Katniss," Madge answered almost immediately... And just as immediately, she regretted it. She wasn't sure if that would only make things tense between them...
"I mean... a long time ago, before everything... she told me about it."
And, perhaps, more recently she'd been shown. That, however, was neither here nor there.
He nodded. Hearing her name sent a pang of longing through him, longing for the friendship they’d lost, but - he should have known, really. It wasn’t like Madge and Katniss being friends wasn’t common knowledge in the district, even if Gale had never quite understood it.
“She showed me one day when we were out hunting.” That was years ago. Some days, he truly missed them, but in his heart, Gale knew it was for the best. Even if it meant Katniss would never trust him again, they’d still won the war. They’d won their freedom, and that mattered more than the childish hopes of a boy from the Seam. “I didn’t know she’d told anyone else about it. It used to be a secret.”
Madge felt a weird twist in her stomach as he told her about Katniss showing him this place. It should be obvious, really... She wasn't jealous. No. She had no reason to be jealous over something so petty. She nodded her head slowly, feeling more than a little awkward about bringing their mutual friend up in the first place.
"I was the only other- I think..."
Katniss wasn't exactly chummy with anyone but Gale and herself- maybe Peeta had been told at one point. "It was just mentioned in passing, really."
That was surprising. Katniss was always more of a "show, don't tell" kind of girl, true to the culture of the Seam. They let their actions speak for them, because words could often be misconstrued in the worst ways. It was one more thing that set them apart from the people in town.
"Impressive," Gale commented, not looking at Madge, "that you could find it all on your own."
"I wasn't eager to cross the boundaries, since being Mayor's daughter meant you had more eyes on you."
Madge debated telling him that she had been shown afterwards, that Katniss had known she was alive before Gale did... That Katniss had made the time to see her and show her the lake...
"I know you don't believe that," she quipped, having trouble hiding the bitterness in her tone. Maybe she should let him think she found it on her own. Just prove him wrong... She couldn't afford to get wrapped up in a lie just to save face in front of Gale Hawthorne, however, so she relented with a sigh. "No.... she showed me just once. When I first got back to town. I needed a spot away from everyone and asked her to show me here."
Well, then, that made more sense. After all his years of hunting without finding that lake, how could a townie find it with so little effort?
His eyes narrowed at the next comment - "When I first got back to town." Bitterness stuck to his tongue, a poison to his thoughts. It still hurt that no one had bothered to tell him about her, even after his efforts to save everyone, even after he'd run back only to be thrown back as the mayor's house took the next hit in the raid.
"Right," he said, scowling as he watched Rory chase their siblings out on the ice. "And I guess that's when you taught yourself to ice skate, too?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Madge all but snapped. "My mother taught me before she fell ill."
Her mother who was no longer around. Madge had to remind herself that even if her mother had survived, she wouldn't have received the treatment she needed. If her father had left with her, he would have become a shell of what he used to be.
"I can leave if I'm bothering you that much," she murmured, glaring over at him.
He winced, ducking his head so Madge wouldn't see. Silently, he cursed his stubbornness, his own refusal to treat her the same way he would someone who hadn't been lucky enough to be born in her station. The fact of the matter was that regardless of who she was before, it was taken from her by the war, just as so much was taken from Gale himself or anyone else in District Twelve.
"I'm sorry," he said finally, voice tight and quiet in the brisk winter air. "I didn't know."
Madge wasn't going to let him get away with what he'd suggested that easily. She was angry and hurt and riled up now. "I'm just the perfect Mayor's daughter that had it easy."
But the anger and hurt died down, slowly, and as riled up as she was? She couldn't hold it against him too much. She'd just go ahead and leave it at that, arms crossed in front of her chest.
Jaw clenched in annoyance, Gale had to bite back the retort that automatically came to his tongue. He knew he deserved that response, that he’d more than earned it. He should have known better.
There wasn’t much he could say to that - nothing that wouldn’t make it worse, anyway, and if he did, the kids would give him hell for it. So finally, he rose and stepped back onto the ice.
“You didn’t have to come back to District Twelve, Undersee,” he said quietly, finally looking at her again. This time, there was a guilt in his eyes that maybe his words hadn’t gotten across. He still bore the burden of his failure, still counted himself as the other reason Madge had no one left, and had to latch on to someone else’s family to keep going. His mother was too loving to turn the girl away, Gale knew, and he couldn’t fault her for doing what she did best. “There are plenty of other places you could have gone, and you wouldn’t have been alone.”
"District Twelve is my home," Madge snapped. Not come back to the district? What was he thinking even suggesting that? Sure, being there hurt with the reminders of what had happened... she constantly faced her past in this present.
"Is that what you think? That I could go anywhere and live without even stepping foot in District 12 again? That I don't have to be here and why the hell would I come back? Really, what Townie would want to return to this place if they had the choice, right? Am I right?"
Her voice was rising and her face red with anger, but at this point she hardly cared. She knew she should save face for his siblings, the kids that cared so much for her and helped her get back on her feet. The exact opposite of everything that was going on with Gale.
“If you had to be a townie to want to leave this place behind, then I would still live here with my family,” he snapped right back, anger boiling up to the surface. That wasn’t what he meant at all - but coming from him, of course it would sound that way. He hadn’t ever given her reason to believe otherwise.
He’d tried. He’d tried to come home for good, but between Katniss and feeling surrounded by his failure to save everyone, Gale simply couldn’t do it. He’d felt stifled, and the nightmares of the bombs and the war had only become more manageable after he’d left. Every time he visited, they returned full force, ready to tear him apart in an instant if he let them. There was a reason he kept his visits short.
Madge bit her tongue, glaring at him but refraining from retorting. She knew coming back here couldn't be easy for him, it was hard for everyone... But especially those who were directly involved.
Instead, she offered a quiet apology. "I'm sorry..."
But left it at that. She had been out of line, sure, but so had he. Feeling eyes on her, she softened her glare into something more neutral until she could pin point who it was. Posy.
Giving the girl her brightest smile, Madge hoisted herself up and onto the ice. After all, she had come here to skate, not argue with one Gale Hawthorne.
“I don’t want to hear it, Undersee,” he said sharply, focusing instead on his siblings. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to skate out onto the ice, glaring at Rory instead of Madge.
“What?” his brother asked, the picture of innocence.
“You should have told me,” Gale growled, not even bothering to hide his anger. Vick looked between the two of them, clearly confused and more than a little uncomfortable, before skating off to join the girls. Gale stared after him, annoyed but unable to fault the boy for it.
It only frustrated him more that Madge looked like she belonged there with Posy, that smile of hers coming so easily when the little girl was near. How had it come to this? How had a stranger, a townie, Madge Undersee, become more comfortable being around his family than Gale himself? It felt wrong on multiple levels. It felt like… almost like he’d been replaced, and it stung. It stung, because he knew he could never stay, and because he knew Madge was probably great with all of them.
“She’s really not that bad, Gale,” Rory insisted, voice quiet so the others won’t hear. “And Posy likes having an older sister.”
“She’s not our family,” he snapped, scowling at them. The expression only softened when the little girl glanced over, looking concerned. He could only offer her the barest smile and a half-hearted wave. But it still made her smile, and that was what mattered.
Madge glared at him when he snapped at her, briefly, but otherwise remained unphased. She wanted to have fun and forget everything... So she would do so with Posy, helping teach the girl how to spin on the ice.
She was vaguely aware of the eyes on her and the hushed conversation happening, but that was just like how it had been in school. She was used to that. She could ignore it expertly.
Posy, on the other hand, glanced over at Gale, looking concerned... which only made Madge concerned as well... Her brow furrowed and she frowned as she followed Posy's gaze, softening as Gale caught it and smiled at his sister. Guilt washed over her. It was selfish of her to come back and rely so much on someone else's family. Someone who she hadn't even gotten along with in the first place.
Feeling the tug at her hand, Madge realized she was still staring over at Gale sadly, lost in her own thoughts. Smiling brightly down at Posy once more, she held the girl's hand and twirled her. "Want me to show you more tricks?"
Posy’s answer was an emphatic yes, always ready to learn something new. His smile turned wistful as Madge twirled her, slowly fading as the two of them turned away again. The only things he wanted for his family were for them to be safe, fed, and happy. It’s all he could ever ask for. And they were, so Gale was happy for them, even if his own life in District Two could use a few improvements.
But the fact that they’d accepted Madge Undersee of all people - it made him uncomfortable, after the way he’d treated her before, and even moreso when upon realizing that they’d kept this from him for so long (how long, exactly, he had to wonder?).
It only reinforced the fact that he didn’t belong in District Twelve anymore.
“Posy likes her,” Gale commented to his brother. “And Vick.”
“I told you she’s not that bad,” Rory replied, teasing. “They’ve got good taste. Not sure if I can say the same for you.”
His brow furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you should stop picking fights with her,” he said pointedly, staring at him with eyebrows raised. “You know, you might like her if you could stop hating her for two seconds. She’s a good person, Gale. You should try talking to her.”
“I did try talking to her, and look where that got us,” Gale retorted, shaking his head in frustration. Rory started to protect, only to be met with a sharp, “Enough.” Fortunately, the boy knew when to give up, and merely rolled his eyes before turning to skate with the girls and Vick and instead. Gale watched the four of them in silence, noting the dynamic between all of them.
They were having fun. It was almost like - like Madge was the older sister they’d never had. She filled the void he left behind when he couldn’t bear to stay in District Twelve for more than a few days at a time. She was a kind person at heart, that much he knew from Katniss and - well, simply seeing her out and about in town sometimes. If anyone had to join their family, Madge… Madge wasn’t a bad choice, as much as it hurt to admit. But what hurt most was that they hadn’t even bothered to tell him. Gale felt replaced, but what could he do? At least she was around for the kids. And as Rory said, they liked her.
Maybe it was time he left for good, then. They wouldn’t have to miss him for long with Madge around, and he knew their mother would be enjoying having another girl around the house. He didn’t have to like it, but it was for the best, he supposed.
He watched them for a little while longer, but eventually coasted for solid ground, stepping off the ice without a word. They'd be fine without him.
Madge was eager to ignore that she was being talked about, which was far easier when she was distracting herself by teaching Posy how to make figure eights in the ice, shaky though they may be. As she did so, she kept a close eye on Vick and helped him figure it out as well.
Shortly after Rory joined them, she looked up and glanced around for Gale, concerned that he wasn't with them... Only to see him walking away. She looked back at Rory, frowning when Vick and Posy weren't paying attention- too busy practicing their figure eights.
She doubted that going after him would make any of this better- they had a knack for only exploding at each other. But this was his family- she should be the one leaving, not him.
Rory saw her hesitate, and offered a soft smile and a nod. It said if she wanted to go, she should go. He may not be the eldest, but he was old enough to watch the kids for a while if Madge wanted to go after him.
Gale, for his part, paused a few steps out from the lake to sit and unlace the worn ice skates. They were the same ones his father had worn years ago, long before any of the Hawthorne children had known the lake was even here, but stayed confined to the town like good children. Their father had taught Gale to skate, and Rory to an extent - but he’d taught the others himself, their mother never having been a fan. Memories of those times swirl though his head as the laces loosen on his feet, letting in the cold and making him shiver as he reached for his winter boots.
Rory, Vick, and Posy didn’t need him for this, he kept telling himself. Even if Madge were to leave, Rory knew how to skate and would show the younger kids with only minimal teasing. He could go back to the district or not; it wouldn’t matter, in the end. There wasn’t a single place in District Twelve that didn’t still remind him of all the war had cost him. Once he had both boots on, he stood to leave, skates tied together by their laces and dangling from his fingertips as he turned away.
Madge was thankful for the assurance, for knowing that she could follow Gale and not leave them out of luck. Patting Rory on the shoulder, she mirrored his smile and made her way to back to the edge of the lake.
Gale was, of course, several steps ahead of her already, no matter how quickly her numb fingers worked on untying the laces. Pulling on her boots and getting up, she rushed after him.
"Gale," she called out as soon as she was close enough. "I'll leave, you don't have to."
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She felt guilty that she hadn't told him-- that she hadn't really told anyone that wasn't around. She'd spent so long recovering and just as long trying to rebuild her life without her family.
Madge stood up, smiling at the siblings. Perhaps she'd been a little jealous, that they still had their family. She had nothing, really. Her father had stayed with her mother during the bombings, they weren't able to get out fast enough... she should have been with them, she shouldn't have left. What did she have left here, anyways? The Hawthorne's had been kind enough to help her when she returned home after the war. It was nice to spend time with them, to remember that she wasn't alone...
She hardly realized she was staring off into space, the smile fading from her lips, until she snapped back to reality and cleared her throat.
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Turning back to Madge, he found himself still having trouble believing that it was really her. It was hard to believe that, even with their differences, she would go so long letting him believe that she and her family were all dead, lost to flames along with the rest of District Twelve. Not even Katniss had mentioned her, on the rare occasions that they talked, but then, she still blamed Gale for the bombs that had killed Prim, and what remained of their friendship was a fractured, torn up mess that may never be fixed. At what point would she even have had the chance to mention the mayor’s daughter?
Even more upsetting was that his family hadn’t mentioned it, when they were so obviously used to her presence. His mother and Rory, at least, had known what it was like between the two of them - tense, and a bit uncivil on Gale’s part, but neither wishing bad on the other, and Hazel had even told him about the morphling. Why not this?
Turning to look at her, he felt the guilt from the night of the bombings well up inside of him again, alongside another wave of anger. How could they let him live with that? His expression was carefully neutral, determined not to let any of it out as he spoke.
“Didn’t know you’d taken to hanging out with my family, Undersee.”
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"They were kind enough to help me out when I found my way back to 12," she offered quietly. "I owe them a lot..."
Glancing away from him and towards his siblings, she pressed her lips together. "I keep to myself mostly anymore... After..." she trailed off and looked back at him. "Everything."
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"They never told me," he said unnecessarily, keeping his annoyance about that in check for now. None of that was directed at Madge just yet, though he was using it to distract him from the guilt of not rescuing her with the rest of the District. He wouldn't press her to say it, either; he didn't need the reminder of what happened any more than she did. It was still seared in his mind - the ashes, the flames, the screams - and the faces of all the people he hadn't been able to save.
After a long, pregnant pause, Gale finally said, "I'm glad someone could help you." Even if he'd failed, he added silently, a dark part of his mind grinding it into the still-healing wound like salt.
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Well- she didn't want to dwell on that just now. And the pause was enough to drive her insane, though she hardly wanted to be the first to say anything. When he finally spoke again, she let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Thank you."
What else could she say to that? The smile she offered him was reserved, but sincere. "And I'm glad that you and your family are well."
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"How did you find the lake?" Gale asked suddenly, glancing back at Madge. The lake was far enough back in the woods that if someone wasn't familiar with the trails, they probably wouldn't be able to find it unless they were incredibly lucky. And Madge, being the mayor's daughter, was not known for tromping around in the woods beyond the fence. "Not many people know it's out here."
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"I mean... a long time ago, before everything... she told me about it."
And, perhaps, more recently she'd been shown. That, however, was neither here nor there.
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“She showed me one day when we were out hunting.” That was years ago. Some days, he truly missed them, but in his heart, Gale knew it was for the best. Even if it meant Katniss would never trust him again, they’d still won the war. They’d won their freedom, and that mattered more than the childish hopes of a boy from the Seam. “I didn’t know she’d told anyone else about it. It used to be a secret.”
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"I was the only other- I think..."
Katniss wasn't exactly chummy with anyone but Gale and herself- maybe Peeta had been told at one point. "It was just mentioned in passing, really."
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That was surprising. Katniss was always more of a "show, don't tell" kind of girl, true to the culture of the Seam. They let their actions speak for them, because words could often be misconstrued in the worst ways. It was one more thing that set them apart from the people in town.
"Impressive," Gale commented, not looking at Madge, "that you could find it all on your own."
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Madge debated telling him that she had been shown afterwards, that Katniss had known she was alive before Gale did... That Katniss had made the time to see her and show her the lake...
"I know you don't believe that," she quipped, having trouble hiding the bitterness in her tone. Maybe she should let him think she found it on her own. Just prove him wrong... She couldn't afford to get wrapped up in a lie just to save face in front of Gale Hawthorne, however, so she relented with a sigh. "No.... she showed me just once. When I first got back to town. I needed a spot away from everyone and asked her to show me here."
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Well, then, that made more sense. After all his years of hunting without finding that lake, how could a townie find it with so little effort?
His eyes narrowed at the next comment - "When I first got back to town." Bitterness stuck to his tongue, a poison to his thoughts. It still hurt that no one had bothered to tell him about her, even after his efforts to save everyone, even after he'd run back only to be thrown back as the mayor's house took the next hit in the raid.
"Right," he said, scowling as he watched Rory chase their siblings out on the ice. "And I guess that's when you taught yourself to ice skate, too?"
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Her mother who was no longer around. Madge had to remind herself that even if her mother had survived, she wouldn't have received the treatment she needed. If her father had left with her, he would have become a shell of what he used to be.
"I can leave if I'm bothering you that much," she murmured, glaring over at him.
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"I'm sorry," he said finally, voice tight and quiet in the brisk winter air. "I didn't know."
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Madge wasn't going to let him get away with what he'd suggested that easily. She was angry and hurt and riled up now. "I'm just the perfect Mayor's daughter that had it easy."
But the anger and hurt died down, slowly, and as riled up as she was? She couldn't hold it against him too much. She'd just go ahead and leave it at that, arms crossed in front of her chest.
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There wasn’t much he could say to that - nothing that wouldn’t make it worse, anyway, and if he did, the kids would give him hell for it. So finally, he rose and stepped back onto the ice.
“You didn’t have to come back to District Twelve, Undersee,” he said quietly, finally looking at her again. This time, there was a guilt in his eyes that maybe his words hadn’t gotten across. He still bore the burden of his failure, still counted himself as the other reason Madge had no one left, and had to latch on to someone else’s family to keep going. His mother was too loving to turn the girl away, Gale knew, and he couldn’t fault her for doing what she did best. “There are plenty of other places you could have gone, and you wouldn’t have been alone.”
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"Is that what you think? That I could go anywhere and live without even stepping foot in District 12 again? That I don't have to be here and why the hell would I come back? Really, what Townie would want to return to this place if they had the choice, right? Am I right?"
Her voice was rising and her face red with anger, but at this point she hardly cared. She knew she should save face for his siblings, the kids that cared so much for her and helped her get back on her feet. The exact opposite of everything that was going on with Gale.
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He’d tried. He’d tried to come home for good, but between Katniss and feeling surrounded by his failure to save everyone, Gale simply couldn’t do it. He’d felt stifled, and the nightmares of the bombs and the war had only become more manageable after he’d left. Every time he visited, they returned full force, ready to tear him apart in an instant if he let them. There was a reason he kept his visits short.
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Instead, she offered a quiet apology. "I'm sorry..."
But left it at that. She had been out of line, sure, but so had he. Feeling eyes on her, she softened her glare into something more neutral until she could pin point who it was. Posy.
Giving the girl her brightest smile, Madge hoisted herself up and onto the ice. After all, she had come here to skate, not argue with one Gale Hawthorne.
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“What?” his brother asked, the picture of innocence.
“You should have told me,” Gale growled, not even bothering to hide his anger. Vick looked between the two of them, clearly confused and more than a little uncomfortable, before skating off to join the girls. Gale stared after him, annoyed but unable to fault the boy for it.
It only frustrated him more that Madge looked like she belonged there with Posy, that smile of hers coming so easily when the little girl was near. How had it come to this? How had a stranger, a townie, Madge Undersee, become more comfortable being around his family than Gale himself? It felt wrong on multiple levels. It felt like… almost like he’d been replaced, and it stung. It stung, because he knew he could never stay, and because he knew Madge was probably great with all of them.
“She’s really not that bad, Gale,” Rory insisted, voice quiet so the others won’t hear. “And Posy likes having an older sister.”
“She’s not our family,” he snapped, scowling at them. The expression only softened when the little girl glanced over, looking concerned. He could only offer her the barest smile and a half-hearted wave. But it still made her smile, and that was what mattered.
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She was vaguely aware of the eyes on her and the hushed conversation happening, but that was just like how it had been in school. She was used to that. She could ignore it expertly.
Posy, on the other hand, glanced over at Gale, looking concerned... which only made Madge concerned as well... Her brow furrowed and she frowned as she followed Posy's gaze, softening as Gale caught it and smiled at his sister. Guilt washed over her. It was selfish of her to come back and rely so much on someone else's family. Someone who she hadn't even gotten along with in the first place.
Feeling the tug at her hand, Madge realized she was still staring over at Gale sadly, lost in her own thoughts. Smiling brightly down at Posy once more, she held the girl's hand and twirled her. "Want me to show you more tricks?"
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But the fact that they’d accepted Madge Undersee of all people - it made him uncomfortable, after the way he’d treated her before, and even moreso when upon realizing that they’d kept this from him for so long (how long, exactly, he had to wonder?).
It only reinforced the fact that he didn’t belong in District Twelve anymore.
“Posy likes her,” Gale commented to his brother. “And Vick.”
“I told you she’s not that bad,” Rory replied, teasing. “They’ve got good taste. Not sure if I can say the same for you.”
His brow furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you should stop picking fights with her,” he said pointedly, staring at him with eyebrows raised. “You know, you might like her if you could stop hating her for two seconds. She’s a good person, Gale. You should try talking to her.”
“I did try talking to her, and look where that got us,” Gale retorted, shaking his head in frustration. Rory started to protect, only to be met with a sharp, “Enough.” Fortunately, the boy knew when to give up, and merely rolled his eyes before turning to skate with the girls and Vick and instead. Gale watched the four of them in silence, noting the dynamic between all of them.
They were having fun. It was almost like - like Madge was the older sister they’d never had. She filled the void he left behind when he couldn’t bear to stay in District Twelve for more than a few days at a time. She was a kind person at heart, that much he knew from Katniss and - well, simply seeing her out and about in town sometimes. If anyone had to join their family, Madge… Madge wasn’t a bad choice, as much as it hurt to admit. But what hurt most was that they hadn’t even bothered to tell him. Gale felt replaced, but what could he do? At least she was around for the kids. And as Rory said, they liked her.
Maybe it was time he left for good, then. They wouldn’t have to miss him for long with Madge around, and he knew their mother would be enjoying having another girl around the house. He didn’t have to like it, but it was for the best, he supposed.
He watched them for a little while longer, but eventually coasted for solid ground, stepping off the ice without a word. They'd be fine without him.
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Shortly after Rory joined them, she looked up and glanced around for Gale, concerned that he wasn't with them... Only to see him walking away. She looked back at Rory, frowning when Vick and Posy weren't paying attention- too busy practicing their figure eights.
She doubted that going after him would make any of this better- they had a knack for only exploding at each other. But this was his family- she should be the one leaving, not him.
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Gale, for his part, paused a few steps out from the lake to sit and unlace the worn ice skates. They were the same ones his father had worn years ago, long before any of the Hawthorne children had known the lake was even here, but stayed confined to the town like good children. Their father had taught Gale to skate, and Rory to an extent - but he’d taught the others himself, their mother never having been a fan. Memories of those times swirl though his head as the laces loosen on his feet, letting in the cold and making him shiver as he reached for his winter boots.
Rory, Vick, and Posy didn’t need him for this, he kept telling himself. Even if Madge were to leave, Rory knew how to skate and would show the younger kids with only minimal teasing. He could go back to the district or not; it wouldn’t matter, in the end. There wasn’t a single place in District Twelve that didn’t still remind him of all the war had cost him. Once he had both boots on, he stood to leave, skates tied together by their laces and dangling from his fingertips as he turned away.
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Gale was, of course, several steps ahead of her already, no matter how quickly her numb fingers worked on untying the laces. Pulling on her boots and getting up, she rushed after him.
"Gale," she called out as soon as she was close enough. "I'll leave, you don't have to."
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