Chapter 4: The Tour
3rd Pov:
Song: I Can Show You The World, from Aladdin
Minho groans as he stretches, sighing before remembering last night. Alexander. Where… he rolls over to find the boy sleeping peacefully on the chair in the corner of the room, the wooden car he'd discovered the day before clutched tightly in his hand. The runner sighs again, knowing that today was going to be a long day. He stands, walking over to the chair, before shaking the kid awake. "Come on Xander, get up, Alby's giving you the tour today."
Alexander yawned, and then stretched out his legs. Minho grimaced as he remembered his promise to give Alexander the bed. He'd have to let the builders know he needed another one. But with Gally being the keeper, they weren't likely to get it.
"Minho," said a small voice from behind him. He turned and looked to the small boy. "Are you mad at me?" Minho smiled, laughing lightly at the boy's concern. "No," he began. "But next time don't run off like that. You scared me and Frypan to death." Minho said, suddenly turning serious. Alexander's eyes drifted down to his feet, the little boy looked ashamed but nodded. "We're sorry though, we got caught up fighting, and we shouldn't have done that in front of you." Minho said, as he lowered himself onto the arm of the chair Alexander sat on.
He clapped the boy on the back, "now, let's get going, like I said, lots of stuff to do today." Alexander nodded, smiling as he went down the steps. Alby was waiting for him at the bottom, ready to get the tour over with. "Come on, and no questions 'til the tour's over with." Minho sighed dramatically, looking his leader straight in the eye. "Alby, the kid's like, four. He's gonna have questions." Alby glared. "Well he can shut his shuckin' mouth 'til I'm done. Then you can answer his questions." Minho rolled his eyes, knowing the Glader meant well.
"Alright then, let's get on with it," Alby said gesturing for Alexander to follow him. The boy ran away from Minho and over to Alby. Their leader looked blankly at the kid for a moment, thinking over how strange it was that he was here. He shook away the thoughts, instead thinking about where to start the tour. It only took him a few second to decide that the deadheads would be a good place to start. That'll teach the kid to not go into the Maze.
They walked over to the deadheads. Once there, Alby stopped a few feet from the first grave stone. "David Garcia," the carvings in the stone read. Alby sighed looking at it, he hated going to the deadheads. He'd known every one of the boys buried there, and though some of them had died from pure stupidity, they'd all died in cold blood. They'd be alive if the creators hadn't trapped them in in here.
Alexander's eyes widened as he realized what the stones marked. Alby paused, wondering if that had been too much for the kid. Just as he was about to pull the boy away from the deadheads, Alexander did something none of the Gladers before had. He moved, walking between the headstones and reading the names that were sketched into the stone out loud. Every single one. Alby stood there, confused as Alexander rounded back to him. "Did they all die here?" The boy asked quietly. Alby nodded, forgetting the no questions rule for a moment.
Alexander stood there in silence for a moment, taking a deep breath before looking sincerely up at Alby. "I won't go into the Maze again. I promise." Alby nodded, leading him away from the deadheads and to the Gardens. Where Zart was already hoeing away at the land.
He resumed his tour, droning on about how they were self-sufficient, and how the box brought up the supplies they needed every week. Alexander kept quiet, absorbing all the information being thrown at him.
Alby took a deep breath, leading him over to the kitchen, the blood house out of the question. He lead him around the rest of the Glade, ending at the Box. Alexander eyed the Box warily, knowing that it was what brought him here. Alby started about how the box was what gave them what they needed, talking about how they could make requests as well.
Alexander nodded, soaking in the last bit of information. "Well," Alby started, "I think that's about it." He muttered, "now's the time if you have any questions." Alexander shook his head, overall he didn't have much to ask. And anything he did have, he would ask Newt later. "Hell," Alby started, "you're easier to deal with than most of the teenagers we get."
Alexander smiled. "There's not much to ask, and anything I would bring up I'd find out later today anyways." Except about the box. He didn't know why, but the box seemed important. When he was in the Maze, he saw the silver plaque. World In Catastrophe Killzone Experiment Department. World in catastrophe…. Does that mean there something wrong with the world outside the Glade? And he didn't want to think about the Killzone Experiment Department part of it. And the irony that it spelled W.I.C.K.E.D. wasn't lost on him either. He knew that his I.Q. was higher than normal, and that was probably why he was here, but he didn't have time to worry about that.
He looked around, noticing that all the Gladers were working on something, whether it be planting seeds or expanding the Homestead. He would be doing that, or something like it as well tomorrow, and he knew he'd have a lot of questions then. The only question he wasn't sure if he should ask was what the barn in the back corner was used for. He saw people going in and out of it, so he knew it wasn't abandoned, but even if there wasn't anyone near it, he'd know they use it. They didn't seem like people who would build a random barn just for fun. Another was what was the concrete building by the box used for? He'd seen Minho go in there before, but Alby hadn't mentioned what it was used for. Oh well.
Chuck walked up then, smiling at him. "You hungry?" Alexander nodded, smiling slightly in return before walking off with him to the kitchens. Once Alby saw that Alexander was safely in Chuck's hands, he also walked off.
Soon the boys arrived at the kitchen, Frypan was there, getting ready to start cooking lunch for the Gladers when they walked in. "Hey, Frypan? D'you think you could spare some food for Alexander an' me?" Frypan glowered at him, but threw two apples their way anyways. He shooed them out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind them. "Wow. Normally he just ignores me. I guess he's being nice 'cause it's his and Minho's fault you got into the Maze."
Alexander bit his lip in confusion, tossing the apple up into the air before catching it and taking a big bite. "Why was that such a big deal?" Chuck paused mid-bite looking at him before looking down at his shoes. "You know how the doors to the Maze close at night?" Alexander nodded, leaning forward as he realized he was finally getting somewhere. "Well… they, uh, I guess they didn't want you out there over night. You could get lost, you know." He almost groaned. What weren't they telling him? Why was it such a big deal?
Chuck noticed his distress, "look," He began, ready to be honest with the boy, "we just can't tell you all that much yet. You'll find out when you find out, try not to let it worry you." Alexander sighed, and took another bite of his apple. "How long have you been…" He hesitated unsure of what to call the place. "In the Glade?" Chuck finished for him. The boy nodded. "Well, I've only been here a few months. I was the Greenie before-" "Greenie?" Alexander injected into the conversation, interrupting Chuck. "It mean's the newbie, or the new guy." Chuck explained, unfazed by the interruption. "Anyways, I was the Greenie before Thomas, and we get a new Greenie every month, without fail." Alexander nodded, storing the information away for later.
"Where's Thomas? And Minho?" Chuck's eyes snapped up at their names, and the chubby kid froze. "They didn't tell you?" Alexander shook his head, worried. "No, why?" Chuck frowned. "It's not important, they'll be back before nightfall." Alexander nodded, deciding to not push for more information.
Okay. Where will I work tomorrow?" Chuck sighed, this was something he could answer. "You'll probably start out in the Gardens, and you'll be doing whatever Zart thinks you can do. " Alexander nodded. "Where do you work?" Chuck winced, looking down at his shoes. "I'm a slopper. I'm not good at any of the jobs we have, so I just… clean up after everyone else."
"Hey," Chuck said brightly, directing the subject away from his job. "We should come up with a nickname for you. Alexander is a bit of a mouthful to shout across the Glade." The boy smiled, liking the idea of a nickname. He was already 'Xander' to some, but regardless, he waiting for Chuck to come to a conclusion about what to call him. "Hmm….." He muttered, thinking out loud, as he shortened Alexander's name in various ways.
Chuck smiled as he settled on one, "what about Alec?" He asked lightly. Alexander nodded once again, "I like it!" The boy said happily. Chuck smiled back at his new friend, "Alec it is."
The boys both settled into a comfortable silence, Alexander thought of the new friends he was making. Though he'd only been there for a day, he was beginning to almost enjoy life in the Glade. Other boys had told him he was taking it better than a lot of the teenagers they got, maybe it was because he was younger. Alexander refused to focus on the negative, he was here, and he'd made some friends, and Frypan was a good cook that fed him daily. That was what he chose to focus on.