Chapter 1
Lexie stared down forlornly at her bowl of soup, spending most of her energy pushing it around with her spoon rather than consuming it. It wasn't that Frypan's nightly concoctions weren't good, because really, considering his sources, they were more than satisfactory. It was just that eating the same few meals on a lazy susan of 6 or so different recipes was getting a tad monotonous. That and her dark mood today contributed to her determination to push the thick stew to one side of her wooden bowl.
Across from her sat Newt, his body language mimicking hers as he balanced his head on one hand, elbow on the table, stirring around his soup between mouthfuls. Newt was probably her best friend in this place. He was also Keeper of the track-hoes, which was her assigned job in the Glade. He was a fair leader and never asked for more than people could give, although he definitely didn't accommodate any slackers either. Their melancholy tonight stemmed from the same source; the clouds that had been spurting rain nearly constantly for the past 3 days. Their crops were soaked and she knew Newt was afraid of losing the lot of them. Hence their dire mood tonight. He had been optimistic, though, telling her that his skills were too good to be wiped out by a bit of drizzle. She was glad she got to work with him every day as they had gotten on pretty well in the 6 months she had been here.
Six months…
She thought irritably.
Has it been so long already? I feel like I just got here.
And she did feel that way. Days in the Glade passed by in a comfortable routine of wake-up, eat, work, break, work, eat, and sleep again. It sounded rather boring when she put it that way, but she genuinely enjoyed her work in the gardens as well as getting to know her fellow Gladers better. She chuckled quietly to herself, remembering the stir she caused when she first poked her head up out of the Box and had a stare down with several dozen shocked boys. Alby, the leader here, had been speechless, staring down to where she sat amongst supply boxes and crates of livestock. She had learned since then that such a thing is a rare occurrence; both the livestock and Alby's silence. Most of the other boys had erupted into excited whispers amongst themselves, which had made her exceedingly uncomfortable as they talked about her as though she weren't listening to them admiring her long dark hair and bright green eyes.
The first to hop down into the box had been Newt. He had been kind and unintimidating, seeing her on the edge of panic, and talked her out of the Box. She was immediately put at ease by his soft smile and his quick insults to the other boys, telling them to 'shuck off put their eyes back in their skulls.' She found herself smiling about it now. Newt has had her back since day one here, showing her the ropes and training her in the fine art of career gardening. He took pride in his ability to grow anything that got sent to him; to contribute to the livelihood of the Glade. He liked to take care of people.
"And what's got you smiling in the face of this bloody tragedy?" She looked up at his question, voiced in his thick British accent, to see him grinning softly back at her.
"Oh, just thinking about your fearless and confident leadership in spite of such a crisis." She gave him a winning smile and he scoffed at her, rolling her eyes, but his smile grew all the same. Their light banter always cheered her up.
"Whatever, you little brown-noser." He stuck his tongue out at her, cheeky as ever.
Minho piped up from his seat next to Newt, "I don't know if you meant that literally, but you two really are a filthy pair of shanks." He pinched his nose closed for emphasis.
Lexie chuckled at him but couldn't argue. They were caked in mud from their efforts today, as futile as they were. A shower was definitely in order after dinner.
"Yeah, yeah," she replied, "you're one to talk with your sweaty runner garb still on."
Minho shrugged as if to concede the point and continued eating his dinner with noticeably more vigor than her or Newt. He needed his strength for his countless days in the Maze. She was on comfortable terms with Minho, but she wouldn't have considered them best friends by any means. He was pretty quiet and withdrawn most of the time, and she could tell his mind was usually in the Maze. Still, he was part of her Glader family, and she had that fondness for him all the same. His work was hard, and she respected his commitment to this duty of finding a way out of this place.
Lexie was fond of most of the Gladers, but only close to a few. Alby and she talked a lot in the beginning, and she knew he had set ground rules the day she arrived for the other boys even if he hadn't let her hear them. She was the only girl in the Glade and, even without her memories, she wasn't naïve enough to think that it didn't pose some sizeable issues in a confined space with dozens of teenage males. So far there had been no issues save a few lewd comments (at least to her face, she didn't want to know what was said behind her back). She attributed the smoothness of her transition to Alby and the respect he commanded from the other Gladers.
Her fellow track-hoes and she got along splendidly as well, Zart was always a laugh, although Newt was by far her best friend. Frypan always had a smile and a witty comment for her, as well as a hot bowl of food at the end of the day. Minho, Keeper of the runners, and the others in his group were nice enough, but Ben was the only one she talked to on his own. He was protective of her, a big brother of sorts, and she appreciated him always making sure she was alright even if he was away in the Maze during most of the day.
The other Keepers were all amicable enough as well. Winston, Keeper of the slicers, was and odd bloke who had creeped her out immensely when she first arrived. How could slaughtering animals be a desired career choice? But as time went on she got to know him a bit better. He was simply an animal lover, and raising them was the highlight of his days here. The part where they ended up as dinner was not high on his list, but he understood the necessity of their part in the circle of life. They didn't have a lot of alternative protein sources to choose from here.
Clint was Keeper of the med-jacks, which served as their medical force around here. Currently it consisted of Clint, his assistant Jeff, and the newest greenie. It had nearly been a month since he arrived, but she hadn't even learned his name yet. They did an adequate job of fixing everyone's cuts and bruises up as best they could, even though they had no formal medical training that they could remember.
Then there were the builders whose Keeper, she noticed with wide eyes, was approaching their table.
Gally walked up, nodding at the group, and looked at Newt.
"I know you guys have been having a shuck time of it in this weather. Me and some of the guys made some simple shelters today, we thought it might help to cover the plants a bit. Won't help much with the wet soil but maybe it could help enough save some of them." He said without much inflection, his arms crossed.
Newt nodded back at him.
"Hey thanks Gally, and tell your guys we appreciate the help. This shucking rain will be the death of me. Poor Fry is gonna have a hell of a time feeding the lot of us with this shite."
Gally shrugged off his thanks, "Don't worry about it. We're stuck inside the workshop until it stops, and there's only so much we can get done in there. I didn't want those slintheads getting soft cause of the weather."
Newt chuckled a bit and nodded again, returning to his dinner. Gally turned toward her, leaning over and ruffling her hair a bit before he made his way out of the canteen area. Lexie giggled and smoothed her hair with her hands. She couldn't help but watch his exit as she thought about the muscular builder. She and Gally had an easy relationship. They talked occasionally, but that was saying a lot since he didn't talk to many people past what was required. He did his work and kept this place running as best he could. She knew Alby relied on his counsel a lot, because Gally had been in the Glade nearly as long as he had.
She was sure most, if not all of the structures here had had Gally's hand in being built, and he was an amazing craftsman. Most people saw him as rough, blunt, and a bit mean at times, because he wasn't one to sugar coat anything and he would be the first to say if he didn't like you. But Lexie saw the good deeds he did, his favor to Newt today being one of them. She knew he had everyone's best interest in heart, possible more than anyone else aside from Alby.
He helped her out in the beginning too. She wasn't here a week before he had the builders make her her own bedroom, a private one right off of the main sleeping area in the homestead. She had never asked for it, but he had shrugged and said she deserved some privacy from these other shuck faces. When she had thanked him, her smile wide as she hugged him in excitement, he had been stiff and awkward as he hugged her back. She had a hard time forgetting the feel of his arms hard around her, muscles hardened from daily physical labor, skin still warm from the sun of the day. They spent time together sometimes, at meals or when he asked her and Newt's opinions on various plans he had for the Glade.
Her favorite memories of him were from the monthly bonfires, at which he always had a bit too much to drink. He would sit beside her by the fire and tell her everything. Everything he was thinking, all his worries and plans and thoughts on the other Gladers. He was so ambitious, never idle, and always wanted to improve. It was those nights, when his tongue was loosened from alcohol, his laughs loud and real, and his gazes on her lingering longer than normal that she would find herself unable to look away. He was painfully handsome. He always smelled like the forest, like pine and earth, and she wished he would talk to her like that all the time. Maybe then she wouldn't feel so guilty every time she admired him from a distance.
"Come on Lex. Let's hit the showers and then maybe tomorrow we will have a chance of saving a potato or two."
She sighed as she stood up from the table, shaking herself from her reverie. Abandoning her forgotten dinner, she walked side by side with Newt towards the shower building.
