Chapter Text
Chapter 2: Strawberries
Did Gale Hawthorne just compliment me? Gale Hawthorne? The thought is almost too unbelievable, I was expecting another snarky remark back but “pretty song”? The grin on my face is apparent, I can feel my cheeks flushing with warmth. How can one, truly insignificant compliment make me so happy? Especially from him out of all people.
Perhaps I’m acting too delusional and childish to behave in such a way. But I can’t help it. My fingers on my keys reflect the smile on my place, playing a happier tune than before. Once again I am swept away in my other world with the compliment doing somersaults in my head.
The front door then swings open, and I see my father’s tired eyes scanning his surroundings as if he is making sure everything is in order.
“My dear girl, you play beautifully,” my father says as he walks in, placing his coat onto the rack. He then walks towards me and picks up one of the strawberries from the basket.
“Strawberries? Did Mr. Hawthorne and Ms. Everdeen stop by already?” he says as he examines the strawberry.
“Yes Father, they did. Let me wash these for you,” I grin as I get up from the piano bench wishing I could wipe this stupid smile off my face.
I walk toward the kitchen sink with the strawberry basket in my hand as my father tells me about his day. Boring things such as meetings, the same annoying people in the office he complains about, and the occasional “inspirational” story of how good work leads to earnest opportunities. As I listen to him babble on, placing the pretty red strawberries into one of our porcelain bowls my heart drops.
“Madge, the Capitol is currently limiting shipments of morphling to the districts, I thought it would be best to tell you as soon as I got the news” he sighed biting into the strawberry.
No. This can’t be right, right? My body freezes up as he says this. Images of my mother scratching her skin till she bleeds while she cries Aunt Maysilee’s name create irreversible knots in my stomach.
“What about mom- mother, she can’t survive without morphling, you know that right!”
“I know Madge, I know!” The frustration of the situation is lined deeply within my father’s voice as he sighs. “I am trying to send in a complaint to the distributors... For now, I am going to have to limit your access to seeing your mother for now…”
“Father, you can’t ban me from mother! I know her delusions are bad off morphling but she needs me. You can’t just isolate her!” I’m gritting my teeth, he can’t pull me away from my mother for this long. She needs me, she doesn’t have anyone else. None of the servants want to see her in this state, I am the only bearable one. I am her Maysilee Donner for fucks sake!
“She is a violent woman off her morphling! Marigold, this is for your own safety. We already discussed you visiting her when her morphling supply is low, this no difference”
Violent woman. My father doesn’t understand my mother, he doesn’t see past the bruises on my arm. He only sees the violent woman who hurt me. But he doesn’t hear her cries, he doesn’t see the desperation that lingers in her eyes begging to escape. I can’t leave my mother, I won’t leave her.
“Father, you can’t just leave her there alone! None of the servants want to be alone with her for long periods, and she gets violent around them. At least with me, she has some form of steadiness, even though she may sometimes be…aggressive. With her morphling supply at a low, we don’t when she will get her next steady dosage. Father, please-“
His voice is booming through the halls of the house. He never raises his voice at me like this, I find myself stepping back because of it.
“Marigold Undersee, your mother will be attended to by the servants and me, after the incident in October I cannot risk it.” His eyes look strained when he says this, there is just a slight build-up of tears in his eyes. I can tell it’s taking everything in him to not burst into tears, but the Mayor never cries it wouldn’t be “dignified.”
“Father please-”
“No. Marigold this is something we cannot discuss.” My father averts his gaze from me, throwing the stem of the strawberry into the trashcan.
“I need to go to my study, there's paperwork to finish. I liked the song you played,” He sounds defeated yet truthful in his compliment.
“You should play it again.” In an instant, the silhouette of my father’s shadow exited the kitchen room. I am left alone once again in the halls of my home. The compliment that slipped out of Gale’s mouth disappeared as quickly as he said it in my mind. I find myself pacing the kitchen tiles to soon sprinting out the back door.
I don’t know where I am going, but my feet take the initiative for me. The warm spring breeze brushes past my face as I find myself running past the gate of my house. I can’t lose my mom, I won’t let her also be alone.
For the first time when I feel the need to catch my breath and stop. I find myself in lush greens, with beautiful flowers of primroses, tulips, and marigolds lining my gaze. A new silhouette is next to me, as I catch my breath panting. Dark hair, olive skin, dirt on his pants and shirt, and small cuts on his hand. Gale Hawthorne. Great. When my eyes finally meet his face, to confirm identity I notice his confused expression and how tightly he is holding the rope tying his sack of game.
“What the hell are you doing here Undersee?”