I hardly spoke for months, Alby would check I was okay and I would assure him I was fine but even though he knew I was lying he'd let it go. He didn't question the majority of my actions, just let me get on with things, until I requested to become a Runner. We had our first argument in months, the Glade seemed to empty of people as our voices grew louder.

"Why can't I be a Runner?" I demanded as I rinsed the mud from my hands, I'd spent hours that day planting and digging up vegetables and my hands never seemed to be clean these days.

"Because you don't need to be a Runner, we've got plenty! I won't let you, it's too dangerous." Alby replied, he was slamming around but I don't think he had any particular purpose. I dried my hands on my faded green t-shirt, pointless really since it was filthy and wouldn't help me get my hands clean.

"I need to be a Runner, Alby, I need to feel like I'm doing something!" I turned to face him as I dragged my curls up into a messy pony tail.

Alby shook his head at me, "You are doing something, you're a Track-Hoe, you grow our food, that keeps us alive!"

"I don't feel alive, Alby." I said, I stopped shouting, it wasn't getting me anywhere. "I haven't felt alive in months, I want this and I don't need your approval, I just need Nicks. I just thought you deserved to know." I walked away, leaving Alby calling after me.

"Amelia, come back!" He called, "Please just talk to me, I love you!" I halted in my tracks, I'd known for a long time that Alby loved me, but he'd never said it. "I don't want you to get hurt out there."

I looked back at him over my shoulder, "You should have talked to me months ago, all those times you asked me but didn't press, you should have made me talk. Now its too late for that and you don't get to decide what I do." I didn't tell him that I loved him too, maybe once that would have been true but when Georgie had died, I closed up, stopped letting people in and ultimately stopped letting love out, I did love Alby but not in the way he loved me, not anymore. I went to find Nick, to tell him what I wanted, I didn't hide the fact that Alby wasn't okay with it but Nick gave me what I wanted and the next day I left the Glade with the Runners.

I felt better than I had in forever, I felt productive, like I was actually helping. For the first time I wasn't thinking of Georgie, didn't here his scream in the back of my mind, only the breeze running through my hair as I ran with my partner, marking the route we took. We didn't find anything particularly interesting that day, I hadn't expected too but I felt better than I had in a long time. When we returned to the Glade, I searched for Alby but no one had seen him all day. That was all the information I needed, I knew where he was. It was getting dark as I headed out into the woods, towards the Deadheads, the nickname that had been given to the graves that held our fallen.

"Alby," I said gently as I approached, he was right where I thought he would be, standing over Georgie as if he were waiting for him to come out of the mud. He turned to look at me but he didn't smile like he usually did when he saw me. His eyes were red and I wondered if he'd been crying, but I didn't mention it. I took a few steps toward him.

"I didn't know if you'd come back," He said as I came to stand next to him, "Sometimes Runners don't come home and I thought I'd lose you, like we lost George."

"I'm not going to say sorry," I told him, "I haven't felt this good in months, I'm not going to apologise for that." A few moments of silence pat between us before I spoke again, "I'm also not going to tell you I love you too." A look of hurt crossed his face and it pained me to see it, "I do love you, but not in the way you want me too, I can't. When we get out of here, you're going to meet an amazing girl, whatever the world like out there, she's waiting for you and when you meet her, you're going to forget all about me." I smiled to myself and Alby wrapped an arm around me.

"I'd never forget about you, you're my best friend." He told me, I leant my head on his shoulder and we stayed like that for a few minutes before returning to the homestead. We weren't perfect but we were beginning to put the pieces back together, even if some of the pieces had changed.

Second chapter was pretty much finished when I uploaded the first so I thought I'd give it to you now instead of waiting like I usually would, hope you enjoyed it, again its just background to fill up for the main story which will start in the third chapter I promise! This is labelled as OC/Newt and it will be Oc/Newt. ~RainbowVeins