[A/N: As usual I want to start by thanking everybody that reads my stories, particularly those of you that take the time to review it. I try to reply to all my reviews but obviously I can't reply to those left anonymously so I'm sorry for that. I just wanted to say before we begin that I know exactly where this story is going. Taking into account the responses on my reviews I've decided to focus on Molly but still keep an eye on Dylan and Taylor. With my current plan this fic should end up around 20 chapters long, with an epilogue. I hope you'll all enjoy it and stick with it. Now, on with the show.]

Chapter 10: Allies

Taylor's face shone out from the screen for a moment in all its glory before a voice boomed out from the District 13 speakers.

"Taylor Hawthorne, district two, ten."

A large number ten appeared next to Taylor's face. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gale Hawthorne turn towards me, quizzically. Then the screen cut to an image of a pretty blonde girl as the voice declared "Kelly Jackson, district two, six."

We were watching the training scores of the 76th Hunger Games. I felt my compact heating up further in my pocket and suddenly I had a very good idea of what was interfering with Young Beetee's signal. Apparently my futuristic device emitted a signal strong enough to overpower 13's sound system. I had to shut this off. Now. Otherwise I was going to be in a world of trouble. I reached into my pocket and covered the compact with my hand, hoping the extra layer of protection would somehow muffle the signal. No such luck.

So I tried the only other thing I could think of; I opened the locket slightly. The good thing was that the screen cut back to Beetee's sound and image after I did this. The bad thing was that there was now a voice saying "Callum Lowe, district seven, ten," coming from my jacket pocket. There was enough noise in that crowded and confused hall to drown out most of what my compact was saying, but a few of the heads closest to me turned in my direction at the sound. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gale trying to mka ehis way towards me through the crowd, confusion and determination on his face. Apparently he remembered what I'd called him that morning. Shoot. I had to get out of there. I turned desperately to Delly, who seemed oblivious to my talking pocket.

"Delly, I think I'm going to be sick, I have to go."

"But attendance is compulsory." She said, looking shocked. I got the impression she was a bit of a school rules fairy.

"Not if you're sick, let the girl go," Greasy Sae said from my right. I could have kissed her. I flashed her a grateful smile and ran for it.

I ran as fast as my legs could take me, and as I got further from the noise of the hall the sound of my compact got clearer.

"Rosie Stanley, district 11, twelve, Dylan Mellark, district twelve, three, Abigail Wood, district twelve, five."

I stopped in my tracks. Three. He got a three. I haven't watched many Hunger Games, but I know enough to know that's an absurdly low score. Then again, I shouldn't have expected anything more I guess; Dylan had always been such a frail little thing. He'd never come hunting with us. In the bakery he'd been too scared to touch the knives. He'd been even more disapproving than Mum and Dad when I got my gun. Images of him baking cupcakes, cuddling the cat and playing with his teddy bear filled my head.

I sank to the floor, gasping for breath. I wanted to cry but I think I'd run out of tears. I felt like my lungs were on fire. I felt like my whole body was on fire. Three. He didn't stand a chance. I thought of Rosie Stanley and her ridiculously high score. Would she be the one to kill him? The logical part of my mind was arguing something along the lines of "Taylor did really well and Taylor will protect him" but I wasn't ready to listen to logic yet. I don't know how long I sat there before I felt somebody pushing something into my hand.

It was meat of some kind, cooked to perfection, still warm and wrapped in a napkin.

"It's venison," Gale said, smiling at me as I turned to face him. Luckily Laurel seemed to have closed her compact; the last thing I needed was for Gale to hear a Capitol voice emanating from my pocket incriminatingly.

I was a bit wary of taking food from this man, but Haymitch had put him on the list of people I could trust, and the meat's heavenly scent was making me realise just how hungry I really was. I devoured the food then sat there silently, waiting for Gale to initiate conversation.

"Who's Taylor Hawthorne?" He asked me. Direct and to the point; as much as his question annoyed me, I had to admit that I liked Gale's style.

"I don't know."

"You can trust me, Molly," he said softly, taking my hand. I looked into his grey eyes and thought of the Gale I knew. Once, when Mum had been late home and he'd been staying at our house, he'd taken me hunting, and we had encountered a bear. I was terrified and tried to bolt, but Gale had grabbed my hand and told me that I had to stay very still. "You can trust me, Molly," he'd said. Sure enough, I stayed still and the bear went away, deciding we weren't a threat. I remember going home and telling everybody I met that Gale had saved my life. Since that day I'd trusted Gale Hawthorne completely. That wasn't going to change now.

"Ok," I said, deciding to take a chance on the man in front of me. "I'll make you a deal. You can ask me three yes or no questions and I'll answer them truthfully. In exchange for this, you agree to stop stalking and pestering me. Deal?" I asked him.

"Deal," he agreed, smiling broadly. "Alright, question one. Do you know the Taylor Hawthorne that was on that screen?"

"Yes."

"Do I know him?"

I deliberated for a moment, and decided that the Gale in front of me didn't know him. Not yet. "No."

"Ok," he said, thoughtfully. He was silent for a moment, then looked at me very seriously.

"Are you in love with him?"

I hesitated. I started to say "no" but then decided that with all the lies I was telling other people lately, I couldn't afford to be lying to myself too.

"Yes." I said quietly.

Gale squeezed my hand, leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

"I don't totally understand what's going on with you Molly, but I like you and I have a feeling you're hurting. If you need me, I'm here," he said. And with that he walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Gale POV

As I walked back to my room I tried to make sense of what I'd learnt. Molly was in love with a boy that looked like me and shared my surname. This boy, Taylor, had apparently been in the Hunger Games. I didn't remember seeing him before, and I think I would have remembered seeing a Career from District 2 that shared my surname. So I could only assume that he'd been on before I started watching. Maybe he's somebody Molly knew when she was very young, that was killed in the Hunger Games.

When I'd asked her if she loved him I'd been wondering if she cared for him romantically, but it occurred to me that she may have meant she loved him as a brother or as an uncle. She'd said she was from District 4 but 4 and 2 were quite cosy, it's possible she could have had a brother there. They did share the same colouring; dark hair, pale skin. I desperately wanted to go back and ask her more questions, but I'd promised to stop pestering her and Gale Hawthorne keeps his promises. I knew that I wasn't going to unravel the story behind mysterious Molly fully until she wanted me to. That's why I'd walked away from her; I didn't trust myself not to push her away with my big mouth. I'd work on making her feel comfortable around me and maybe someday she'd let me in.

Molly POV

Eventually I found the strength to make my way back to my room, where I laid on my bed for an hour before opening the compact.

Laurel picked up almost instantly. She must have been keeping it close to her.

"Molly, what happened? Where were you? I was worried!" She exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," I said, smiling warmly at her. Laurel was really growing on me.

"Did you hear the scores?" She asked, looking worried.

"Yeah, well I heard a few of them. Taylor did well." I said, looking down and trying not to cry.

"I'm so sorry about Dylan," she said sincerely, probably guessing from my expression that I must have heard about his three.

"Was his the lowest score?"

"Yes."

Of course it was. Nobody was going to get lower than a three. Laurel started to say something else but was interrupted by the noise of somebody knocking on a door.

"I think that's coming from your end," she said. She was right. I shut the compact quickly and ran to open it, praying that whoever was on the other side hadn't heard me conversing with Laurel.

I headed over to the door and turned the knob cautiously, wondering who on earth would call on me at a time like this. I froze when I saw who'd been knocking. But my shock at the identity was nothing compared to my shock at the first words they said to me.

"Well Ms. Mellark, aren't you going to let me in?"

[Who could it be? I suppose you'll have to keep reading to find out! As always reviews are encouraged and cherished. Expect the next update with a day or two, maybe sooner.]