Stärke and Erdbeeren

Chapter 1

I looked at myself in the mirror, as my reflection look back at me. Madge Undersee. That is who I am, the daughter of the mayor, born in District 12 of Panem. The twelfth district? Funny, how it is supposed to be the filthiest, since we are known to be the coal miners, but here I am standing in my bed room. With mahogany floors, and perfect pearl white walls, with a huge comfortable king sized bed, and other items I had wanted.

I tied up my blond curly hair with a pink ribbon that fell over my shoulders, and left my room and was just about to go downstairs of the manor, but stopped when I heard my father call for my name. I halted, and retraced my steps to follow his voice, that seemed to fill the silence in the house. I entered the study room, the room where he would work in, and manage District 12. I knew why he had called me. Of course… It's the day of the reaping.

"Madge…" He said with a croak when he saw me, he had his head in his hands but as soon as he heard the door creak open he looked up at me. There as I stood waiting for his explanation, for his reasoning to know as to why he called me… even though we both knew. "Madge…" he called out again but this time he stood up and walked around his dark wooden desk, and towards me.

As soon as he was in front of me, within forearms length. I gave him a soft sad smile, showing him that it'll be okay, and knowing that my name was only put in there five times, compared to others, that was nothing. Thinking about that made things easier for me than it already is, but then again the slight thought of me getting picked, left nothing but shivers in my body…I barely had a chance of my name being picked for the Hunger Games.

"Dad, I'm going to be fine." I tried to reassure him. But he just gave me the same look, and it killed me just looking at it, the way he looked so stressed, tired, and…Scared. "My name has been in their only five times… Compared to others that's nothing." I finally speak up and say my thoughts out loud.

"I know, but Madge I can't help but feel this way, not until you're eighteen." I gave him a sad smile, not knowing how to respond to that. So I just found another interesting place, such as the floor and looked at it, and not his disheartened eyes.

"Madge…" But before I could utter another word, he pulled out a small object from his pocket and pinned it against my white silk dress. For a while I couldn't see what he was trying to pin on my dress but as soon as he removed his hands, there I saw aunt Maysilee's pin, she wore this pin when she went to fight in the 50th Hunger Games. It was pure gold, and had a shape of a mockingjay, with pure gold circling it, as if trying to secure it in place, nonetheless it was working.

Mockingjays were my favourite bird out there. They were a combination of a jabberjay, who were paternal, and now extinct, with a mix of the maternal mockingbird. Thus creating the mockingjay, a jabberjay would copy the exact words a human would say, but a mockingjay would copy what you sang. I loved music, I played the piano ever since I was young, so I knew my notes, and sang with them, and they would sing right back at me.

My aunt Maysilee, She was my mother's twin sister, but unfortunately died in the second Quarter Quell, where as in fifty tributes were chosen and not twenty four as it should've been. But the Capitol did that for every Quarter Quell, they would adjust the rules a bit, to make the games more horrific, for us, but more entertaining for the Capitol. She wore this pin when she was chosen, and wore this pin when she died. It is beyond me to know how my mother got it back.

"Dad…" I looked up at him, tears leaking through my eyes but not falling. I didn't want to cry, I just couldn't show my father how enervate his daughter is, but this pin reminded me of how horrible the Capitol was, for doing this to us.

"You're mother wanted you to have it… not because she thought you'd get chosen, but to let hope live on." He replied in a whisper, as if somebody was listening to us. But his statement made me confused.

"Hope? ...For what dad?" Before he could respond to what I said, there was a knock at the door. We gave one another a look, before I turned around and descended the stairs to see who it was.

As soon as I opened the door, there stood Katniss Everdeen, and beside her was Gale Hawthorne her longtime friend. If I hadn't known Katniss since we were kids I would've made the mistake to think these two were cousins, which some people in district 12 make assumptions of. They both had grey eyes, and dark brown hair. But they weren't related, they were hunting partners, friends, and perhaps even more than that.

They held strawberries in a basket, they were here to make business with my father. Who absolutely adored strawberries, but strawberries were never found in District 12, because we weren't allowed to go beyond the fence, which Katniss and Gale didn't have a problem with.

I hung out with Katniss at school ever since we were little, we talk very little, which suits us both. We are not in to what girls usually talk about at school, such as dresses or anything similar to that. We enjoyed the quiet and small conversations with one another. As for Gale, I have come to believe he doesn't like me, for I have so much more than him. He resents me for having such an easier life than him, but I have done nothing wrong to him personally. We rarely talk, other than having to do business with strawberries, we have no reason to.

"Pretty dress," Says Gale. I gave him a look, not knowing if it was a compliment or if he is mocking me, I looked down at my dress. It was pretty, but I wouldn't wear it occasionally, I only did it for the reaping. I inhaled then smiled at him.

"Well, if I end up going to the Capitol, I want to look nice, don't I?" I respond back to him, inwardly smiling smugly with my comeback. Nonetheless I mean every word that came out of my mouth. Though Gale looked at me with a little confusion in his eyes, but other than that he held his stoic expression.

"You won't be going to the Capitol." He replies coolly, and looks around and catches sight of my golden pin. He probably thinks of me in a sick way, me owning so much money, enough for gold, and can get it with a couple of easily earned coins from my father, but for him… He was from the seam. It was him, who had to earn it, as well as Katniss, whom both fathers died in a coal mining incident, they were the ones who had to take care of their family. "What can you have? Five entries? I had six when I was twelve years old."

Ouch. Even though his comment hurt, it was nothing but the truth. I didn't have to take tessera, but they did. When you sign up for Tessarae, which is optional, you gain grain and oil for one person, for once a month for a whole year. In exchange they have to put your name in to the Hunger games as many times you signed up for Tessarae, which also adds up to the amount you already have. They add your name one more time for however old you are.

"That's not her fault." Katniss steps in, which I was grateful for, for I had no comeback against that, he's been through so much of a rough life than I. There is no denying that.

"No, it's no one's fault. Just the way it is." Says Gale. Though I looked at both Katniss and Gale trying to hide my hurt expression. I also noticed how Katniss can calm Gale down with a couple words, she has also been known to bring out the best in him. I stopped dwelling on the topic and gave her the money, in exchange for the berries.

"Good luck Katniss."

"You too." With that I closed the door. I made my way over to the kitchen and placed the fresh strawberries on the counter. Usually I would eat them along with my father, but right now I thought about what Gale said, and that put me off in to a bad mood. I thought about how the odds were in my favor, and how he had more slips than me, and how they weren't in his. That goes for Katniss as well.

I tried not to dwell on the topic again but I just couldn't help it, I headed upstairs to my mother's room. I opened to door, slowly to check if she was awake, which she rarely ever was. It wasn't her fault though, she was sick, and had a lot of migraines, she needed help, which was provided by the morphing… but slowly killed her as well, even though it stopped the pain for a short period of time.

I entered the room, walking in tiptoes, and slowly planting a kiss on her forehead. Just in case I never saw her again. My mother and I had a relationship with very little words, for as in we barely could ever talk to one another due to her sickness. I just wish I had so much more time to spend with her, and not see her wither away all my life. She is the light to my whole entire world, she is the only person in this world I would give everything up for. I just want to see her smile in pure bliss for once, and not in sadness.

As I walked back out in the hallway, I noted my father already left for the reaping. I also didn't realized I spent so much time with my mother, even though she wasn't awake, it was nice…Just seeing her there in harmony. But as for my father being the mayor, he had to be there before everyone else, and he probably said good-bye to my mother as well, we could never leave the house doing that. But it was also time for me to head to the reaping as well.

As I stepped out of my house, I noted how everyone was walking towards town square making their way to the reaping. I soon joined the crowd, it wasn't weird at all how nobody spoke a word, how everyone either had a broken face, or how they seemed to be stoic. I was among them. There was children, mothers, fathers, and kids who might get reaped themselves. Heading in one direction. Town square.

Soon I was among the teenagers, waiting for the names to be called. There Effie Trinket made her introduction, with her pink wig, and a huge smile plastered across her face, and a bit too perky for the reaping. As well as Haymitch who barfed up on the staged, and was drunk. He was supposed to the mentor for district 12, but was drunk all the time. He put shame to District 12, because he was supposed to teach other tributes after him, no tribute from our district ever won after him.

My father as well made his introduction, and after that there was the anthem for Panem. But everybody refused to sing it, if you did, it meant you were satisfied with Panem, and nobody was, except for those who live in the Capitol. Effie Trinket made her appearance on stage once again. Her pink wig was getting out of place, but she still had a smile across her face.

"So let's find out who our tributes are!" She said with too much glee, that it sickened me. "Ladies first!" My fist tightened in apprehension. Effie made her way to the clear crystal ball that held all of the names, which belonged to us girls. I only had five entries. There was no way my name can be picked, out of a thousand, but we'd have to wait and see.

She pulled out a name. My heart stopped, I couldn't breathe, my fist tightened. I prayed that it wouldn't be me, as selfish as that may be. I was starting to sweat in the palm of my hands.

"Margaret Undersee!"

Even though I wasn't breathing, it felt like every last bit of energy, air, or what has been left of me, left me. I couldn't feel anything. I didn't even notice how everybody got out of the way to make room for me, and the stage. I slowly made my way up on the stage, not daring to make any eye contact just yet, for if I did, I might burst in to tears. I wasn't like that, I didn't like people seeing me cry, and I wasn't the one to show much emotion.

As soon as I was up there, on stage. I finally took a look around at everybody in District 12. Not looking at anyone in particular. I did take in some stares that held sympathy, but I was also given faces filled with humor. Of course, I am the mayor's daughter. The girl who always got what she wanted, who lived her life in a fantasy. Now I got what I finally deserved. I couldn't even look at my father, for if I did, I knew I would've ended up crying, and I didn't want that. I didn't want to look weak in front of every other tribute from other districts, who was going to look at me tonight, even though I was an easy target.

I didn't even have the proper training, I wasn't ready for the Hunger Games. I didn't have any skills that I would need to fight in the Hunger Games. I knew how to play the piano, but what good would that do? I am the mayor's daughter who believed she would never get chosen to go to the Hunger Games, due to the amount of times my names has been put in to the draw. I have never fought in my life, I can't run fast either...

"Well, oh my! Now look who we have here! The Mayors daughter! Now that is quite interesting!" I made no response to Effie's comment. But I looked a head in to nothing in particular, holding back many tears. Her comment put me on edge, but I didn't feel insulted…I felt proud.

I didn't even notice Effie walk over to the crystal see-through ball that held all the names of the guys of District 12. But I did hear the name, my heart stopped, once again, and this time a tear escaped from my eyes.

"Gale Hawthorne!"