Evelyn- 01

Evelyn was tired beyond 'd cut down rations to only one meal a day, and with all the exercise that they were being forced to do they were starting to look like Holocaust victims. Teresa hd assigned Evey to carry the food in the small pack on her back. She was so hungry that she was contemplating hiding behind a rock and eating it all. After a little bit of thought she decided not to: Teresa would probably behead her (Evey hated that woman), and she was too tired to do anything beyond steadily forcing her feet to move forward.

The scorch was blazing. Although, that was typical, especially now. It seemed like the closer they got to the cure, the hotter it became. Evey was positive that she would have gotten used to the heat by now, but the hotter it got the more weary and sick she felt.

She glanced backward at Group A. Being female-which, of course meant that they were superior in every aspect- they had arrived at the dune first. Evey didn't know if dune was the right name for it. It was both taller and steeper than any of the other dunes. Harriet had started a trend by calling it "Sand Mountain." But of course, not all of it was sand. Evelyn found this out the hard way when she tripped over the rock.

It was just your typical sandstone: small, jagged and perfectly hidden in the dense beige sand. Evey was just looking backwards at Group A and steadily trudging onwards, when the sole of her boot caught on the edge of the rock. She fell sideways first, onto her bruised shoulder. Then, because of both the slope of "Sand Mountain" and the fact that she malnourished from lack of food and too much exercise, she began to roll.

She was trapped in a flurry of brown sand and heat. Every time she opened her eyes, they were coated in the small rocks. It was in between her teeth, under her eyelids and even caked into her clothes. Evey stuck out her arm to try to stop her momentum, and came to a sudden stop. Her head snapped back, giving her whiplash. She laid in the sand, breathing hard and scared to move.

Suddenly, a head popped up above her. "Bloody hell, you're a mess."

Evey blinked the sand out of her eyes to see an attractive boy with a head of golden hair. The back of her head pounded, as if her brain was trying to tell her that she'd seen him before. "Really? I wonder what gave you that idea?"

A tall Asian boy popped out of nowhere. "The sarcasm is leaking from you. Or maybe that's sand."

Evey glared at him as she struggled to stand, then, being unbalanced from her fall, she fell back down. The boy with golden hair stretched out his hand to help her. When she grabbed it, she was surprised at how well their hands fit together.

"I'm Newt," he said once she had stood up all the way. "Mr. Sass Queen over there is Minho, our leader. "

Minho struck a pose, proving to Evey how large his ego really was. "Yes, yes I am." Evey couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Come on guys." A small boy behind them whined slightly. "We need to get going if we want to make it."

Newt adjusted his scarf slightly. "Good that, let's get a move on."

"Evey!" Teresa's voice echoed down "Sand Mountain," and Evey winced as she heard her dulcet tones. "Get a move on, Girl!" Evelyn waved back to show Teresa that she had heard her, though she really just wanted to ignore her. But if she did, Teresa would probably tromp down here, grab her by the ear, and drag her back up. Somehow, she seemed to have endless amounts of energy.

Newt shook his head softly, "Oi, that woman."

"I agree, she's a complete nuisance." Evey brushed the sand off of her face and adjusted her pack.

Newt gave her a confused look. "You don't like her?"

Evey snorted. "Of course not. Just because she's in charge doesn't mean I have to like her, just means I have to listen to her."

He looked a little bit more confused. "But I thought the black girl and little blonde girl were in charge."

Evelyn nodded. "Harriet and Sonya - that's their names - were in charge until Teresa showed up. She just plowed through and took over."

Minho cleared his throat, "can we go now?"

Evey felt a little awkward, as if she was interrupting. "Oh, sorry." Their whole group had stopped because Newt, and Sass Queen had. "I'll - uh - go now I guess." She brushed some more sand from her face and turned to leave.

"You don't...have to." Newt's timid reply surprised her.

"I-I guess I could stay..." she didn't want it to seem to obvious that she didn't want to go. Besides, Evey had heard good things about this "Newt from Group A" from the other girls, maybe now she could figure out if they were true. Evey adjusted her pack and began walking alongside Newt and Minho.

"So," Newt adjusted his pace so that their steps were in sync. "I never caught your name."

Minho glanced over and laughed. "Smooth, Newt, real smooth. "

She stretched out her hand. "I'm Evelyn, but everybody calls me Evey."

He shook her hand, then gently squeezed it. "It's nice to meet you. I hope I can get to know you better." He gave her a lingering smile and turned to talk with Minho.

Me too, Newt. She thought. Me too.