Gally Imagines

=THIRTY-THREE= The Plan

Gally turned over for about the fifth time, pulling his sheets with him, and lay staring up at his hut roof with furrowed eyebrows. Even though he didn't like to admit it to himself, Gally was slowly experiencing the unpleasant sensation of jealousy.

He turned over yet again, shutting his eyes and trying to focus on the memory of dancing with you the night before; however, the image of you happily laughing while sprawled across Thomas on the grass kept forcing its way to the front of his mind. Finally giving up, Gally threw the sheets aside and reached for his shirt, pulling it on over his head and going out the door into the cool dawn of early morning.

It was unusually quiet, being this early, and Gally discovered that he liked being able to clear his mind in the stillness. With the help of Chuck's crutch, he stepped over a log and ducked beneath a tree branch making his way towards the sound of running water. Emerging from behind a tree, Gally walked out into the little clearing, taking in the expansive pool of clear rainwater that had gathered in the corner of the Glade. The excessive rain had kept it full, and the faint light above mixed with the tree-branches creating a pattern of shadows dancing across the still surface of the pool. Rainwater above gurgled as it ran down the wall between the ivy, funneling into the water below, keeping the pool full.

The memory of you showing him this place for the first time came into Gally's mind. He smiled softly, thinking of how the two of you had swam together, laughing and talking, and then how it had been so annoyingly interrupted by...Thomas. As soon as Gally thought of him, the memory of the day before came back into his mind, and the knot in his stomach tightened.

Oh why had he agreed for Thomas to fill in for him...and to touch you!

Gally sighed, throwing the crutch to land with a clatter beside him as he lightly dropped to the cool rock beneath his feet and sat motionless, staring at the water running off the wall and fading into ripples as it met with the pool's still surface.

~Time Lapse~

"Thomas, have you seen Gally?" you asked, coming up beside him as he sat on a log, managing to catch him just as he put a forkful of food into his mouth. "Sorry."

Thomas smiled as he chewed, motioning to the space beside him. You sat down, stretching your legs out in the sunlight, stirring your own rather good-looking mixture of tomatoes, beans and corn, even if the meat in it was rationed to practically nothing.

Thomas finally swallowed, then said, "Nope, I haven't, sorry."

"Huh," you said, then began spearing your food. "Well, that's alright, I'm sure that he's around here somewhere."

~Time Lapse~

Gally stumbled over a tree branch catching himself just in time by lashing out with Chuck's crutch, allowing it to take his weight instead of the ground. He cast a glance at the crutch, briefly acknowledging that it had saved him a nasty fall, but still very much determined to secretly burn it once his weakened muscles no longer forced him to use it.

The silent contemplation at the rain pool had lifted his spirits, almost allowing him to let go of the image of you and Thomas laughing together in the grass.

Almost.

As Gally came upon the tree line, he stopped to listen. Yup, everyone was awake. He could hear the noise quite clearly as boy's calls and laughter echoed around the Glade. His stomach growled as his nose unconsciously picked up the scent of food, causing him to realize how hungry he was.

Just as he reached the break in the trees, Gally's eyes singled you out from the movement of the other boys around the Glade. He stopped. You had your back to him, about fifty yards away, sitting on a log next to...