Well, I have nothing to say for myself. I've been gone for so long I'm not sure who all is still here. So if you are, thanks for hanging in there. Enjoy this chapter!
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-….*...- Chapter 19: -….*...-
-….*...- The Glade Life -….*...-
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The days following Kelle's announcement to the Glade were hectic, to say the least. The boys were balls of energy, trying to smother her with questions as to everything she did and who she was. All the attention was new to her, and she still wasn't sure what to do about it. That was just one of the many things she was living through each day.
She started the nights off by going into the Maze and studying the Grievers. Finding that the Maze's changes and Grievers patrols fell back into the same patterns they had had before the rogue Griever, she was very uneasy during her patrols. She observed them nonetheless with a longing urge to kill one, but her oath she made to Alby held her back, despite her reputation for upholding promises.
She swore to Alby over Nick and George's grave after all. That is, was, and always will be something she would never take lightly.
The long and tiring nights ended with her leaving the Maze with bumps, bruises, scratches, and sore muscles. But, despite her exhaustion, she greeted Minho and his running companion with a friendly smile before they went into the Maze for the Day.
Once she slowly made her way through the greetings of the boys, through the Deadheads without anyone following her, and into her hideaway, she collapsed to the ground. The richly green grass enveloped her tired body with a sweet warmth that almost instantly put her to sleep.
The only problem was when her eyelids slipped shut the icy tendrils of a nightmare's play coiled around her mind and ripped through her sleep. She tossed and turned with fear gripping her body and anxiety shredding her soul, and after about four hours of rough sleeping, she awoke with a jolting start. Breathing ragged, cold sweat dampening her skin and arms flailing around aimlessly, she opened her eyes to the peaceful area of her dell.
Her nightmares had been more often than not. The comfort the sun's rays brought her was failing her more than they once did since she made herself known to the Gladers. And they weren't the kind of nightmares that you just wake up from and can tell yourself that it was just a bad dream over and over again to comfort yourself.
No, these nightmares felt too real to be able to do that.
They were the kind that no matter how unrealistic it was your mind wouldn't be able to register that fact because it was gripped with horror.
She lived through her worst fears imaginable every time she slept, and it was really starting to take a toll on her. Especially as she grew closer and closer with some of the boys. The newly founded friendships between them were new playgrounds for her nightmares. And they were having a heyday destroying her much needed rest and leaving her profoundly exhausted.
And so, with cramping and barely slept muscles, she tiredly stumbled around her home to clean herself up from the previous night's patrols. Once she washed the stale sweat and grime from her skin, and after she attempted to make herself look decent, she slowly returned to the Glade.
Being a couple of hours after lunch when she returned, there was still much work to be done around the Glade. Most of the boys doubted her capabilities to do the rough jobs they did every day.
But, she proved them all wrong.
The first job she did was the Slicers. Stepping into the little hut, she immediately knew that her day was going to be fun. Alby was there with her as he introduced her to all of the Slicers and commanded them to listen to what she had to tell them. At first, it was like pulling teeth trying to teach them new things, but once she gutted a chicken in under ten minutes their interests peaked. Now having their full attention, she began to teach them about the different cuts of meat and how to handle the meat to keep it from going bad.
By the time she left that job, the Slicer's had stronger respect for her because they had fully expected her to throw up at the sight of dead animals. But she hadn't, and so they apologized for not listening and thanked her for her advice.
The second job she went to was the Medjacks. Their little shack was surprisingly clean and organized. Clint ignored her the whole entire day and would send her glares that would murder her if looks could kill. But Jeff was kind, he made small talk, and whenever she questioned how they bandaged the Gladers up he would immediately answer without pause.
Having Jeff's kind interest, Kelle introduced the ideas of natural remedies to help the Glader's wounds heal faster. He was hesitant at first, and then she showed him her injury from the Griever attack. The deep flesh wound had almost healed entirely. All that was left was a peeling scab and a fresh scar. He was blown away by the rate at which it had healed and immediately began to question what she had done to make it heal that fast. She gladly taught him the ropes, and before she left, the Med-jacks were better equipped to treat the Glader's many injuries caused within the Glade.
The next job was the Builders. With the thought of this job being her least favorite cornered in her mind, she uneasily approached Gally. His nostrils flared and his scowl was so tightly drilled into his face she thought that that was his natural state. He growled a few orders to her, and she heaved a sigh as she went to work.
He had her chopping and piling large timbers of wood. The work was strenuous, to say the least. The first couple of days she did that job her scab had split under the weight she lifted, and so, when she was finished for the day, she had to change her blood-soaked bandages. Her muscles ached with each swing of the ax she used, and blisters found homes in the palms of her slender hands.
Many of the shacks the Builders constructed were squeaky and unstable. She examined each one and kindly mentioned the need to reinforce them to Gally. But despite her warnings and predictions, his bullheadedness refused to listen to her.
Within the next few days, a few parts of the homestead collapsed. She sighed heavily but didn't go running to the bulky builder to taunt him for not listening.
The news about her knowing the building was bound to break, somehow reached Alby's ears. Alby commanded Gally to inquire about her advice. One of the builders came to her in the middle of the week and gave her new orders to examine the buildings around the Glade and make sure they all stayed in good condition. She chuckled to herself. Gally's pride was hurt too much for him to come and tell her that himself.
She was always relieved to let the ax slip from her fingers as she set off to the fourth job. She breathed in the fresh air of the gardens while she kicked off her boots. Her mind was overcome by a sense of calm as she approached Newt. She raised her eyebrows at seeing him there the first time she helped the Track-hoes.
"What the bloody hell?" Newt grumbled in frustration to his tomato plant while he fingered the limp leaves, "I don't understand what's wrong with you."
"Nothing is wrong with it." She explained from behind him.
He jumped and whipped around, his eyes wide and cheeks pink in embarrassment.
She walked over and knelt down next to him, "You are the one that's making it look like this."
"I'm sorry, I'm the one making the bloody plant look like that?" He protested, gesturing wildly to the shrub.
"Yes, now stop cussing and be kind to it," She reprimanded, reaching out with ease graced fingers and gently ruffling the leaves.
He watched her intently, his eyebrow raised in utter confusion.
"Hello there, how are you?" She began talking to the plant with a kind voice.
He blinked dumbly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry you should just ignore him, He's being a total shuckface right now," She continued, sending Newt a hard glare.
He sat in a dumb daze while she continued to examine the plant.
Her fingertips dipped into the soil his plant was rooted in, feeling the dirt crumble between her fingers.
"Oh my goodness," she gasps, "You're too kind to him."
His eyebrow raised even higher while she studied him up and down.
"I guess his hair is alright," She shrugged before turning back to the plant.
"Excuse me?" He protested, but she ignored him.
"What's that now?" She leaned closer, tilting her head so the leaves brushed against her ear, "Alright don't you worry 'bout a thing. I'll have ol' slack jaw do that for you."
The boy clamped his mouth shut at her nickname, clearly not realizing he had been catching flies ever since she started talking to the plant.
"Newt," She turned to him, a wide smile on her face, "Your plant needs new soil and to make it look like mine you have to water it so the soil is always moist."
"I'm sorry, what?" He questioned.
She smirked standing from the ground dusting her hands off, "Listen, Newt."
He pulled himself up, his leg bending oddly due to his limp.
She hesitated, grimacing at the pain that jabbed at her heart with the reminder that she was the one that ultimately caused his limp. She shook her head continuing.
"Plants are living too," She began, her voice soft and quiet while looking down at the tomato bush, "The way you talk around them can affect how they grow."
"If you cuss at them with an angry voice they'll instinctively wither into themselves, too afraid to show their true beauty." She watched the wind rustle the greenery around them, "But if you're kind to them just imagine how happy they'll be and how much they'll want to grow for you."
She made the mistake of looking up into his eyes, her stomach automatically feeling like crinkled nooses. He studied her with interest, but while she painfully stared, she could tell there was something else that she couldn't quite place her finger on. Before she could discern what it was, he looked away, his voice pulling her from her thoughts.
"Are you sure that's what's wrong with them?"
She nodded, shaking herself back to reality, "Yes."
"Good that," He smiled, "Thanks, Kell."
She quirked her eyebrows at his nickname, "Kell?"
"Yeah," He grinned, "you don't like it?"
"No no, I like it," She waved her hands, "It's just different."
"Is that bad?" His eyes moved over her features in worry.
"Not at all," She shakes her head, "It makes me quite happy actually."
He grinned like a baby getting candy, "Good, cause even if you didn't like it, I was going to call you that anyway."
She rolled her eyes, turning to the rest of the gardens, "Of course you were."
She especially enjoyed working with Newt, his sweet comments and the fake arguments they got into. He showed himself to be more of a friend than anyone else and she felt comfortable around him. She felt he never looked into her past to try and find dirt on her, he only looked at who she was at that moment. And that was something she didn't know she needed until he started showing it to her.
The final job she went to was an hour before dinner. Wandering into the kitchen, she greeted Frypan with a timid smile. At first, he seemed tense about her being there, but upon seeing the way she moved with ease through the workspaces and the things he tasked her with doing, he relaxed. The two, slowly, began to work together, critiquing the other, coming up with food the Glade had never tasted before but found was more delicious beyond anything they could ever remember having.
After a delightful experience at dinner, time for the Maze to close drew nearer, and so Kelle, with much reluctance, wandered to her hideaway to prepare for the long and tiring night of patrolling the Maze.
This routine repeated itself, and she felt happy that she wasn't alone anymore. The days dragged on, and she grew even more tired each day, but her promise to protect everyone made her plow forward, not hesitating to push herself past the breaking point.
Dropping a comment would be awesome! Anyway thanks for reading, love ya!