Madisyn Warden // District 12

being a warden had meant something, once upon a time. when i was a little girl playing dress up with my friends i'd always steal the crown. and you know what? it felt natural on my head. i was fucking born to be a princess. my nanny made sure i could spell my name -- first and last -- before kindergarten. after school i attended etiquette classes, until the war finally came to twelve. we prospered for awhile even then, though the clips on tv started to seem more and more like reality and less and less like entertainment.

when i was eight it all fell apart. i understand now that my dad went well and truly bankrupt. we moved into the caretakers' house on the far side of our estate. after the war ended, the keepers raised our mansion and put up row houses. the lush grounds turn to dusty farms and they pressed my dad into service. it's amazing how quickly his soft hands hardened with callouses. i used to think that his hands were so gross.

then, i turned fourteen which was deemed old enough to get a damn job for myself! and the coal mines turned my hands into sooty leather. i hide them in gloves whenever i can. i'm supposed to split my pennance with my parents but that seems stupid since they clearly couldn't keep us solvent? which gives me enough to keep my wardrobe in decent condition. if other people are jealous of my style, well, they could work as hard i do too, right?

it just sucks that i have to work at all since i'm madisyn anne warden!