The council had gathered in the quiet of night. The twelve leaders had ensured that everyone else was asleep before sneaking away for this very serious, very secret meeting. For something new had happened in the Glade, something utterly unprecedented: the Box had delivered a girl.
They spent a long time debating why she had been sent and what her strange words could mean. They couldn't seem to agree, though one thing was clear to them all: she couldn't be trusted. She certainly couldn't be allowed to simply live among them as a Glader. For one thing, she could be a threat, or a trap. Her strange words and actions did not help to ease that suspicion at all. And for another, she was a girl. Most of the Gladers hadn't seen a girl in years, much less interacted with one. A single girl among dozens of males? That could be disastrous for keeping the peace. They all agreed: something needed to be done.
One of the Keepers summed it up nicely: "We need a way to control her. Keep an eye on her, make sure she's not up to anything dangerous. And keep everyone from going crazy over her."
There were nods all around.
"But we have to be careful," interjected another. "If we try to keep her locked away, some of the Gladers might not be too happy about that. There's always the chance somebody will try to be a hero and 'rescue' her."
There was a moment of silence before another voice rose, voicing what seemed the most obvious solution to all:
"Then we don't. We keep her available. But we enforce strict rules: everyone gets a turn with her, no exceptions. And she needs to be under watch at all times."
It was a cold suggestion, but a rational one. There were no dissenting voices.
"And what if she resists?"
This time, all eyes turned to their leader for the final decision. Alby took a deep breath before speaking up, steely determination in his eyes.
"Then we force her."