6.

When Gale walked Katniss over to the mostly abandoned suburb in the heights of the Seam, he was still trying to process everything he had learned over the last forty-eight hours. He had barely made it through school the previous day, feeling entirely disconnected from the rest of his peers. Every time one of the teachers had asked a question, he had wanted to shout that he had fought vampires. Katniss had done her best to answer his questions but for every one of her answers, a hundred more interrogations imposed themselves.

Why was the Slayer a teenager girl? How was it fair?

Fate, apparently, wasn't fair and she had stormed out in a huff when he had countered that it would make more sense to have someone older and more trained doing the killing.

He wasn't sure what her feelings about being the Slayer were, he mused as they passed the once cheerful and now faded sign that welcomed them to The Village – otherwise known as the stillborn dream of a wealthy elite.

He wasn't even surprised Abernathy lived there.

The place was like a ghost town. The houses had probably been grand once but now they just looked creepy even in the soft afternoon sunlight. Of course, the History teacher lived at the very top of the hill, in the very last house of the lane.

"Don't start nagging him." Katniss warned as they turned on his street. "And if Peeta shows up, be nice."

Mellark hadn't made an appearance in school the previous day and, apparently, Katniss had tried to check on him at the bakery that morning but had been chased away by his mother who had actually threatened her with a broom and a warning that they didn't give charity to scamps. She had ranted to Prim and him about it for a good fifteen minutes.

Abernathy was lying on his back in his driveway working on his bike. Not a sigh Gale had been expecting. It was a nice bike too. Not that he was going to admit that much. Katniss might have convinced him he wasn't a serial killer but there was still something fundamentally wrong to sending young girls fighting battles against demons for you.

Besides, he didn't think the teacher liked him any better than he did.

Case in point, his face immediately fell when he spotted him.

"I liked the other boy better." Abernathy commented, extricating himself from beneath the bike. He wiped his hands on a cloth and didn't even acknowledge him. "Peeta's coming on his own?"

"I don't think he's coming at all." Katniss answered, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Maybe he's sick."

Abernathy frowned and stood up but before he could say anything the sound of an engine made them all look down the street. Gale thought they were all expecting Mellark to show up right on cue, with his parents' car or maybe even a new one – he had heard Mr Mellark had franchised two bakeries in nearby towns, after all – but it was a mover truck that stopped directly across the street.

They watched heavy-built men carry down furniture and boxes into the house right in front of them.

"What's that?" Katniss asked, a frown on her face.

"Hell if I know." Abernathy groaned. "It's the third one today. Guess I'm getting neighbors."

"In this place?" Gale snorted. "Right in front of your house? What are the odds?"

In his experience, coincidences that huge weren't good.

The Watcher didn't look too concerned. Something between a smirk and a wince floated on his lips for a second. "Not in my favor." Then, his grey gaze darted to him as if he was seizing him up. "What are you doing here, then?"

He shrugged. "Katniss said you were going to destroy that amulet… She said I could come."

When Abernathy looked at her, she simply shrugged too. "You invited Peeta. I didn't see what the problem was."

"My house ain't open to every boy who catches your fancy, sweetheart." he spat. "And it ain't gonna be a party." He waved his hand, sweeping that problem aside. "I told Trinket to show up. You should know."

Katniss made a face. "Why?"

There was a whine in her voice that made Gale hide his smile. His opinion of the Art teacher – who, as it turned out, was also a Watcher and a witch – wasn't stellar. She was odd. Arrogant. She strutted around school like she owned it. And, apparently, she wasn't even… like them. Were witches even human? His best friend hadn't sounded sure.

"Because I don't like to do magic when I don't have to and since we've got a witch on hand, it seems stupid not to take advantage." Abernathy retorted. "And play nice with her."

If possible, Katniss' scowl deepened. "Why?"

"Cause she's more powerful than she knows and we might use her yet." her Watcher grumbled. "Don't be a brat."

Katniss' scowl was almost a childish pout now. It had been a long time since Gale had seen that particular expression on her face. Since they had been kids and their fathers had still been around to scold them. He wasn't sure he liked the influence Abernathy had on her.

But he could admit he had crossed a line.

Which was why he cleared his throat to get the others' attention.

"Look, Mr Abernathy…" he started, pausing long enough for the man to tell him he could forget formalities like he had obviously done for Katniss and Mellark. It didn't happen so Gale soldiered on. He wasn't going to be kept on the sidelines because the man didn't like him. "I'm sorry about the things I said."

"Which part? My molesting young girls or my killing them?" Abernathy deadpanned.

He was saved from having to give an answer that probably wouldn't have done anything to appease the situation by the arrival of a Barbie pink Mini Cooper that gleamed in the sunlight. The Art teacher's car went straight into the driveway of the opposite house.

"Fuck, do I love never being wrong…" Abernathy sighed, his voice dripping with sarcasm while Trinket got out of the car and exchanged a few words with the movers.

Then, she hurried across the street, and Gale had to wonder how someone in their mid-thirties could wear a dress that pink with a straight face. And what was up with the ton of make-up she felt the need to cake her face with?

"Don't tell me." Abernathy called out once she was within hearing range. "Please, don't tell me."

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him with blatant disapproval. "Hello to you too, Haymitch." She flashed a warm smile at the Slayer. "Katniss." Then her gaze fell on Gale and her smile froze a little. "And you are…"

"Gale Hawthorne." Abernathy supplied in a drill voice. "He's the new addition, seems like."

The woman's smile didn't slip or falter but her blue eyes turned a little cold. "I have been meaning to talk to you about that…"

"I bet." the Watcher snorted, his eyes giving her a once over that was neither polite nor very appropriate giving that he and Katniss were standing right there.

"Hi." Gale said, uncomfortable with teachers flirting right in front of him. "So… You're moving over there?"

The question seemed to put an end to the weird battle of stares they had been engaging on. She startled a little and turned to him with another of those dazzling smiles that looked too bright to be genuine. She was like those girls at school, as fake as the likes of Glimmer…

He didn't trust her, he decided, and he would make sure Katniss stayed wary too.

"Why, yes! How convenient will it be?" the teacher grinned. "I could not remain in The Capitol any longer, of course. They were not entirely happy with my tornado story. So, I thought… If I have to buy a house, I should as well buy something big. And, as fate has it, the realtor directed me to this charming little Village… I cannot think why the project was not more popular. It is a shame to see these houses in this state of disrepair, really."

"And you didn't know I lived right here." Abernathy taunted, eyebrows lifted high in mocked puzzlement. He sounded more amused than irritated however.

"I did not have the slightest clue until you texted me your address." she replied without missing a beat. "Imagine my surprise. You could have knocked me over with a feather!"

"Or a wrecking ball." The Watcher countered with a fake smile of his own. "Though, better not tempt me with that."

Mellark arrived almost unnoticed because they were too enthralled by the verbal sparring. He walked up the street with his hands in his pocket and his shoulders a little slouched. Katniss spotted him first.

"Where have you been?" she immediately demanded to know. "You weren't at school yesterday and I've tried to call you."

Mellark looked startled by her aggressive attitude. He looked up at Abernathy who was studying him with a frown, having apparently forgotten all about his fight with Trinket. "Sorry. I wasn't feeling well yesterday and I had to help out at the bakery today." He looked back at Katniss. "I didn't check my phone, I didn't think you'd need me."

"I didn't need you, I was worried about you." she grumbled.

"Okay." he said flatly. "Are we doing the magic thing? I can't stay long."

"Sure." Abernathy said, still watching him with an attention that would have put Gale ill-at-ease. "Let's go inside."

Trinket didn't need much more of an invite, she immediately went straight in and Gale rolled his eyes when he heard her exclaim about ancient furniture and rustic charm in a very high-pitched tone all the way from the front yard. Katniss hurried after her, probably scared she would turn the place upside down. He wasn't sure she was wrong to be worried.

He followed at a slower pace, aware Mellark and Abernathy were hanging back and a little curious despite himself.

"You're okay, kid?" the teacher asked and, while he didn't stop to look, Gale could almost picture the hand the man had placed on the boy's shoulder. "How did it go about the car?"

"Not great." Mellark admitted.

"Your dad was angry?" Abernathy insisted, in a weird tone.

Gale had the feeling there were layers to that question.

"Dad's never angry." Mellark answered bitterly.

Gale rolled his eyes at how spoiled he must have been to get away with wrecking a car without troubles and quickened his steps to keep up with the others. The inside of the house looked big, dark and uninviting. It didn't exactly smell fresh either.

"You want me to come over and explain?" Abernathy insisted. "Smooth things out?"

"No." Mellark snapped with far too much heat. His tone morphed into something a little more subdued next. "Sorry. Look, I'm fine. Everything's fine."

Gale was following the voices down a corridor when Mellark pushed past him at a hurried pace. Abernathy wasn't as much in a hurry but he did catch up with him without problem.

"Don't snoop." the teacher warned in a low voice that didn't carry. "I don't like that."

Abernathy was gone through the doorway ahead before Gale could deny he had been eavesdropping.

He hadn't been ready for the library. It was two stories high and a wooden pathway with a carved balustrade overlooked the main floor, the walls were lined with bookshelves and there were even those odd sliding ladders to reach the higher books he had thought only existed in very old movies. It was impressive and it made him forget about his annoyance for a second.

There was a huge round wooden table in the middle of the room, half of it was covered with books and half empty bottles of liquor but a big space had been cleared in anticipation of the amulet's destruction.

Trinket was inspecting the jars and pots full of weird colored sands and herbs on the table.

"You're sure you're up to it?" Abernathy asked her. "You almost overdid it again the other night."

"Please." she scoffed. "This is barely magic. A child could do it."

"Really?" Mellark asked, perking up for the first time.

"Of course." she hummed, her smile more genuine this time. "Creating a magical fire is more like alchemy, truly. No more than a mixing of ingredients… It does not require actual power but it does ask for meticulousness." She shot a look to the other teacher. "Which is why it is perhaps wise Haymitch called me. I do not believe meticulousness to be one of his many qualities."

She phrased it like it wasn't a criticism but the way she brushed her fingers against one of the bookshelves and then rubbed them together to get rid of the dust was telling.

Abernathy didn't seem bothered though. He simply stared back at her in a way that was really starting to make Gale uncomfortable, a smirk on his lips.

Katniss tossed the amulet on the table, earning herself a disapproving look from Trinket, and then flopped down on one of the chairs. After a moment of uncertainty, Gale did the same. Abernathy leaned against one of the bookshelves with his arms crossed.

Trinket, though, waved Mellark closer. "Watch for now. Perhaps you can try it next time."

All in all, it was a little boring. Like watching his mother cook. She measured quantities on an old-fashioned brass scale and then tossed them in a flat bowl. It didn't look like magic at all.

"Does someone have a match?" she asked after a few minutes. "I forgot my lighter in the car…" Abernathy patted his pockets and came up empty while all the adolescents shook their heads no. The man was about to go look in his kitchen when she waved him off. "Never mind."

She flicked her fingers and a flame appeared dancing above her thumb.

Mellark looked in awe.

A cold sweat ran down Gale's spine. He glanced at Katniss and saw she was just as ill at ease with the display as he was. Another glance revealed that Abernathy, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

But, then again, she didn't look like your typical fairytale witch and the man looked like he was well and truly under her spell. Clearly, Gale had been wrong to worry about Katniss being his next victim. If Abernathy had been a serial killer, Trinket would probably have been next, the way he was looking at her.

Unbothered by the close watch they were all keeping on her, she lowered her thumb to the bowl and snatched her hand away when the fire flared. The flames were a vivid emerald green.

"Here we are." she declared. "Magical fire."

"That's it?" Katniss frowned. "You barely did anything."

"As I said, alchemy is a lot like chemistry. Accessible to anyone who can read and follow instructions." Trinket huffed, a little vexed. "Now, for the delicate part…"

She tossed the amulet in the flames. For an instant nothing happened and then a thick smoke rose up toward the ceiling before dissipating. The fire snuffed out and they could see the amulet was broken in two on its bed of ashes.

They all stared at it for a minute and then Katniss scoffed. "Why did we have to be here for this?"

"'Cause it's good for a Slayer to be familiar with that sort of things." Abernathy snapped. "What did I say about being a brat?"

Katniss glared at him and stood up. "Are we training today?"

The man hesitated and then shook his head. "I want a word with Trinket. You're patrolling tonight though, I'll come."

"Fine." she shrugged and turned to Peeta. "You're walking back with us? You could come to my place. I'm sure Prim'd like to see you."

"I can't. I have to go back to the bakery." Mellark refused. "And I want to borrow a book so don't wait for me. If that's okay, Haymitch."

"Depends which one." Abernathy shrugged.

Somehow, Gale had the feeling if he had asked for a book, the answer would have been a big fat no.

"Fine." Katniss snapped again. She grabbed Gale's arm and he let himself get pulled outside and back on the path home, his best friend glowering at his side. "I don't know what his problem is."

"Mellark's or Abernathy's?" he asked because, from where he stood, it seemed like everyone in that room had some sort of problem with someone else.

"Peeta." she retorted. "You said you knew. The other night in the woods. You said you knew why he was being so weird all of a sudden."

He glanced back to make sure the other boy hadn't caught up or wasn't within earshot and then he shrugged. "Catnip, he's in love with you."

She stared at him and then scoffed, averting her eyes and keeping them riveted to the Village's welcoming sign in the distance. "That's bullshit."

"It's really not." he replied matter-of-factly. "Guess he's jealous because now… Well, I'm here now, right? You don't need him to have your back anymore. Even if he's the teacher's pet."

Katniss shot him an unreadable look. "He's my friend. He wasn't there just because it was convenient, Gale."

The spark of anger in her grey eyes told him not to push. It irritated him because… Well… Because. It wasn't nice to toy with Mellark's feelings. He was an okay guy, after all. And Katniss… Katniss wasn't in love with Mellark.

He had always known Katniss had a thing for him.

Hadn't he?

A change of subjects seemed in order. "I thought witches were evil."

"Some. Not all." she explained, the scorn still on her face. "I don't know. Haymitch says Trinket's okay."

"That's because he's in love with her." he pointed out.

This time, she burst out laughing. She found it that ridiculous. "Is there anyone who's not in love with someone else from your point of view?"

"You're a little hard to figure out." he honestly answered before he could stop himself. That put an end to her laughter and that brought them back on treacherous waters so he cleared his throat. "Fine. Maybe he isn't in love with her. But he wants to get in her pants. Bad."

She made a disgusted face. "You don't know a single thing about Haymitch."

"I know what a guy looks likes when he's attracted to a woman." he countered. "Just… Be careful around her, okay? Magic seems like the kind of things a Slayer should be fighting."

"And you're an expert on Slayers now?" she challenged.

"If I were, I'd find you a loophole so you could get out of it." he muttered bitterly.

She stopped walking and he had no choice but to stop and turn to face her, a little puzzled by the sudden stop.

"I like being the Slayer." she snapped. "I wasn't happy about it at first, sure. I just wanted to keep Prim alive. But… I'm meant for this. I've been chosen. So I'll bear it."

"Oh, come on…" he scoffed. "Fate doesn't exist. Nothing is written in stone. Maybe it's some sort of crazy mutation gene or something…" Anger flashed on her face and, next thing he knew, she was storming away down the road, forcing him to jog to catch up. "Don't be mad. I just wish…"

"What? That I was different?" she spat. "Well, sorry, Gale. I'm just me and I'm just doing the best I can."

She refused to say another word all the way back to the trailer park.

It doesn't look like Gale can be a good fit but Effie is certainly doing her best to not be left out, isn't she? Haymitch gained a neighbor! Peeta is clearly having troubles... Katniss is oblivious... One chapter left in this episode ;) Let me know your thoughts!