Sticks and Stones

"The world is a very sick place, Hope."

"I think there's something wrong with her."

"You're a very sweet girl."

"Why…?"

"Are you okay?"

"Why… am I sick?"

"Ruff!"

"Wah!" Once again, the girl woke up with a start. This time, however, the girl's name was Hope and… she had fallen off of the bed. "H-Hugo! Why'd you scare me like that?!"

"Grr…" Hugo growled as he ran around the bed to Hope's side. Similarly, he started liking her face in apology, causing Hope to let out a giggle.

"Haha! Okay, okay! I accept your apology!"

"Woof!" Hugo barked happily.

"Still, why do I keep… having those dreams?" Hope asked her trusty hound. She lifted a hand to his fluffy head, scratching his fluffy head. "I heard that woman's voice again, but… I think I heard another voice. A young girl?"

"Mm?" Hugo let out a noise of confusion while tilting his head to the side.

"I don't know… Maybe I'm just going insane…" Hope sighed and then stood up. "Either way, I should probably get going, right? I got a big day today!"

It was now Hope's third day in the Glade, and it was time for her to pick a job. She had tried most of them out yesterday, but instead of actually picking one, she figured out more things about her personality. One: She hated seeing animals die, so she couldn't be a Slicer. Two: She wasn't very good with handling an ax or sword, so she couldn't really be a Builder. And three: She was okay at gardening, but it just didn't feel… right to her. It felt like there was something else she should have been doing, but Hope just didn't know what. Regardless, Hope still had one more day before she became a Slopper, so she had time.

Hopefully.

"...Hope!" Once Hope reached the area where Frypan was serving food, she was immediately seen by Chuck and greeted by him as well. The young boy ran over to her with the biggest smile on his face. "Hey, do you wanna eat with me again today?"

"Of course!" Hope said without hesitation. "I'd love to!"

"Great! Let's stand in line together, too!" Chuck beamed, pulling Hope along by the wrist. Then, after they were standing in line, Chuck continued his cheerful banter. "I still can't believe that your name is 'Hope'. There's never been a name like that before."

"I still can't believe I remembered it," Hope stated with a smile. "It was like a bunch of letters popped into my brain and then created a word. I almost thought that it was just a word, too, until something inside me clicked and told me that that was my name."

"Yeah, it was super weird when I remembered, too," Chuck acknowledged. "Something happened and then… I remembered. Almost like I'd never forgotten it."

Hope took a deep breath. "I wonder how it all works."

"Dunno. Guess that's the point, though," Chuck huffed in exasperation. But then, the boy smiled up at Frypan when the two reached the front of the food line. "Morning, Frypan!"

"Well, if it ain't my two favorite customers!" Frypan greeted joyfully. However, in the next moment, his smile turned into an annoyed frown. "Sorry, guys, but you're going to need to wait on food. We just ran out of the first batch, and we've run out of kindling to cook it… And someone doesn't want to go get more!"

"I'm already busy prepping, Frypan!" a voice from somewhere within the kitchen shouted. "Do it yourself if you're so mad!"

"U-Um…" Hope chimed in sofly. "I could… go get some."

"What?" Frypan instantly turned back around to shake his head at the girl. "No, no, Hope, you don't have to. I'll just get another guy to-"

"I'd be happy to help!" Hope exclaimed, her eyes brimming with genuineness. "I mean, everyone already looks so busy, and I wouldn't want to give them more to do. And kindling is just sticks and leaves, right? It'll be easy!"

"Do you know your way around the woods, though?" Chucked asked, prompting Hope to wave her hand at him.

"Oh, it can't be that difficult! And plus, I've been wanting to explore the woods! Hugo will be with me, too!"

"But, Hope, I still don't… know… if…" Frypan deadpanned. "Aaand she's already running away."

"I'll be back in a jiffy!" Hope yelled after she had started sprinting away. And, of course, with Hugo right at her side. "Don't worry! I'll be fine!"

Chuck let out a laugh. "Heh. Girls are fun."

"If all girls are like her," Frypan scoffed, "then we need more of 'em in the Glade."

"Nah…" Chuck smiled warmly. "I think… Hope is special."

So, Hope started off the day with a new adventure.

Crunch… Crunch… Crunch… As Hope walked through the woods, her footsteps echoed through the trees. The sunlight from above cascaded rays of light across the ground, creating a somewhat tranquil-feeling in the area. Even Hugo took the time to smell the mossy, dirt-filled ground as they walked, allowing the dog to simply be a dog. Hope turned her head in all directions, trying to take in everything she could. The trees were so dense that she could almost forget that there was a wall surrounding them; it felt oddly… freeing to be surrounded by nature. With the birds chirping, her feet walking across the ground, and Hugo sniffing away, the pair enjoyed their walk through the woods. Likewise, the girl had a stack of sticks and leaves in her arms. She was doing her part-time job and enjoying herself.

What more could Hope want?

"W-Woah…" Hope stopped in her tracks after something interesting caught her eye. She blinked her eyes to make sure she was seeing right, but also slowly walked closer to the thing to make sure-sure. Still, once the girl was kneeling right in front of the apple of her eye, she couldn't believe her eyes. "Hey, Hugo! Come look at this!"

"Ruff!" Hugo responded while he ran over to her. Moreover, when Hope saw him lean forward and sniff the 'thing', she got her answer.

"Oh, great! So I'm not seeing things!" Hope chirped and then gently placed her fingers upon the flower. Before her was a group of deep orange flowers with a black and yellow center, each and every one as beautiful as the other. Their petals were soft and delicate, so Hope handled them with great care. For some reason, those flowers made the girl feel so warm inside. "They're so pretty…"

But sadly, Hope's admiration for the plant made her unable to sense what was right behind her. "What're you doing?"

"Wah!" For the second time that day, Hope let out a yelp of surprise. The sticks and leaves in her hand fell to the ground, while her butt landed right next to the flowers. She snapped her head upward, and upon seeing the figure standing above her, Hope's face went completely red with embarrassment. "G-Gally…?!"

"That was the weirdest and the saddest reaction I've ever seen," Gally said in a disappointed tone. "You really didn't hear me walk up behind you? This place echoes. A lot."

"N-No, sorry…" she apologized. "I-I just, um… I guess I'm kinda bad at multitasking."

"What about looking and hearing is 'multitasking'?" Gally scoffed, but then reached out a hand to her. "Here. Get up."

"Th-Thank you," Hope said, taking his hand to hoist herself up. She then wiped herself off of any dirt before looking away awkwardly. "Sooo…"

Gally rolled his eyes. "Let's not make it awkward, and, instead, you tell me what you're doin' out here."

"Oh! My sticks! And leaves!" The girl hastily turned around and started picking back up her precious kindling. In response, Gally just raised one of his eyebrows down at her. "S-Sorry, Gally, I'm out here to help Frypan with something. He ran out of kindling for breakfast."

"Well what a coincidence," Gally said as he looked over his shoulder, "'cause I got the firewood for it."

"You… do?" Hope mumbled while standing back up and turning around. With her kindling in hand, Hope finally saw the heavy-looking sleigh of logs behind Gally. "Oh, wow… You can really move all of that?"

"Of course I can," Gally sighed and then turned away from her. "Let's walk back together - you have enough for now, and I don't want you getting lost."

"R-Right!" Hope nodded in agreement. "C'mon, Hugo."

"Woof!" Hugo walked right beside Hope, who was walking right beside Gally. For a few moments, the pair was completely silent, and the only sound being heard were their footsteps as well as the sled of logs being pulled behind Gally. Above them, the leaves on the trees rustled in the breeze. It was a nice sound, but unlike before, Hope didn't find solace in the noises of nature. Instead, she wanted… to hear Gally's voice.

"So. You're the Keeper of the Builders, right?"

"Yep."

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"It means that I'm the leader."

"But what does being a leader mean here?" Hope questioned, leaning forward and showing Gally a head-tilt. "Are you just a leader to the Builders or… more than that?"

Gally raised another eyebrow at her. "Why're you asking?"

"I wanna know more about how this place works," she claimed. "Like the… hierarchies and all."

"Well, if you really wanna know, it all comes down to the Homestead," Gally started explaining. "Alby is the leader, Newt is second-in-command, and then comes all of us Keepers. However, Alby and Newt aren't the only ones who make the big decisions. Every Keeper has a spot on the council, and that council is within the Homestead. We vote on things as a collective group."

"And the Homestead is… that wooden hut in the corner?" Hope queried, prompting Gally to nod.

"Exactly. That building is probably the most important one in the Glade."

"I see…" Hope nodded in understanding. They had now reached the end of the forest, so their walk was almost over. Nevertheless, Hope was going to make the most out of it. "A lot of the boys seem to respect you, Gally."

"Uhm…" Gally immediately gave her a weird look. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Well, on my first night here, when you all were celebrating, I saw how everyone seemed to flock to you," Hope said with a kind look on her face. "You were always the center of attention - the person always smiling. It was inspiring to see someone so… generous with their feelings."

Despite the bashfulness that Gally was feeling, he managed to pop out his question pretty quickly. "A-Again, what the hell does that mean?"

"Maybe it means," Hope smiled up at him, "that I respect you, Gally."

"...Oh, hey!" However, before Gally could respond, Frypan's voice called out to them. He had been standing outside of the kitchen, so once he saw Hope and Gally walking toward him, he quickly ran over to greet them halfway. "Damn! Nice piles, you two! That was a great help!"

"Do you need me to get any more?" Hope asked, causing Gally to shake his head.

"No, my boys will get some more after we finish chopping the wood. You're fine."

"And you did more than enough, Hope," Frypan remarked gratefully. "Seriously, thank you for that."

"Well, don't you now have to make a whole 'nother batch of food?" Hope furthered her questioning. "Not only for breakfast, but for Lunch and Dinner as well?"

"Yep." Frypan shrugged. "That's what happens when you're the cook."

Hope tilted her head. "How many people help you?"

"Only a few. Not many of the boys know how to work the kitchen, or the food, so I gotta do most of the work."

"Tch," Gally clicked his tongue, "do you remember when Wyck almost set the whole hut on fire?"

"Oh my god…" Frypan growled. "Don't remind me."

"Th-Then… Then, um…" Hope looked up at Frypan with a shy look in her eyes. "C-Could… I help you?"

"...Wait, what?" Frypan muttered after a short pause of uncertainty. "You want to… cook with me?"

"W-Well, I didn't get the chance to try cooking yesterday, so if you wouldn't mind, I would… love to help you out," Hope said, hugging the kindling to her chest anxiously. "O-Of course, you can say no! I don't have to! I'll just do Gardening or… something."

"Hey, I'd never say no to trying," Frypan stated as he placed his hands in his overall's pockets. "Still, are you sure you wanna try? I'm pretty picky when it comes to this, so I might be a little harsh."

"If that's the case, then I'll only try harder!" Hope asserted. "I'll do my very best, Frypan, and if that isn't good enough for you, then I'll do better than best. Trust me, I'll try not to let you down!"

"Uh," Gally looked between the two confusingly, "this is cooking, not a contest."

"No, Gally. You don't understand," Frypan said with an intense look in his brown eyes. "This is a contest. Food is the most important thing in the world, and if not done right, then it will crumble the world. That means that only the best can cook. Only the best can keep the world safe."

"Yeah!" Hope cheered adorably. "I totally agree, Frypan!"

Once again, Gally had to raise one of his eyebrows. "Are you two drunk or… am I drunk?"

"Let's go, Hope!" Instead of acknowledging Gally's bafflement, Frypan merely ushered Hope along after he'd turned around and started walking away. "Your cooking-test awaits! Chop-chop!"

"Yes!" Hope self-congratulated herself. Before she followed Frypan, though, she gave Gally a goodbye. "C'ya later, Gally! Thanks for walking with me!"

"No problem, Greenie…" Gally sighed and then shook his head. "What the hell just happened?"

"Ruff!" Hugo, who was still at Gally's side, was the only thing that responded to the boy's question. And as Hope ran after Frypan, Gally looked down at the girl's animal companion with a curious expression.

"Your owner's weird."

"Ruff."

"Do you understand her?"

"Mm…"

"Not really, huh?"

"Woof!"

"Yeah, I don't get her either," Gally said, turning his head in the direction of Hope. Nevertheless, when his eyes found her off in the distance, he couldn't stop himself from smiling. "She's nice, though. Weird, but nice… Hey!"

"Ruff, ruff!" Hugo barked merrily after he had suddenly licked Gally's hand. The dog then ran away and toward Hope, leaving Gally to blink in utter bewilderment.

"Uhm… Okay?"

Therefore, Hope's third day in the Glade started off just swimmingly.

The entire rest of the day, Frypan and Hope… had a complete blast. They got along perfectly, never arguing about a single thing; Hope followed Frypan's every teaching, even feeling comfortable enough adding in some of her own ideas; hence, with the two having great chemistry in the kitchen, the day seemed to go by tremendously quickly. So by the time that dinner rolled around, Hope was standing beside Frypan and helping him give out the food.

"Yo, Frypan! Hope!" And while this was happening, a voice called out to the two teenagers. They both looked over to see Alby and Newt running over to them. Alby was the one who yelled to them, so once the duo reached the other duo, he spoke again. "Did you change something?"

"What do you mean?" Frypan questioned while pouring some steaming tomato soup into a bowl. Still, the knowing smile on his face said everything.

"Oh, come on," Newt said, knowing exactly what that smile meant. "You know what we mean, Fry."

Alby snickered. "Yeah, the soup tastes different. The biscuits, too. What'd you do to them?"

"Well, I didn't do anything," Frypan remarked before glancing over at his guilty-looking friend. "It was all my partner-in-crime's doin'."

"I-I'm sorry! Did I mess it up?!" Hope, believing that she'd done something wrong, started blabbering in worry. "I-I just added some other stuff to it - I don't really know why, either, but it just felt right! Is… I-Is it bad?"

"Far from it," Alby grinned, causing Hope's eyes to widen in surprise. "This is really good, Hope. I guess you have a knack for food."

"Maybe you were a chef in your past life," Newt teased, "especially if you made this on instinct."

"Exactly. Which is why I'm officially claiming her," Frypan unexpectedly announced. "She's mine, so none of ya can take her."

"W… What?" Hope stammered as she stared at Frypan in disbelief. "F-Frypan, you… you really want me?"

"No question," Frypan assured, lifting a hand to pat her head. "You're officially a cook now, buddy. Welcome to the team."

"Wow, I… I don't know what to say…" Hope said with a flabbergasted smile on her face. "Thank you so much, Frypan! I swear, I won't let you down!"

"Haha!" Alby let out a laugh. "I've never seen anyone so happy before!"

Newt snorted as well. "Pfft. It doesn't take much to make this one happy, does it?"

So, maybe Hope's day started off swimmingly, but it ended perfectly. Hope had found her place within the Glade, and that night, she chiseled her name onto the stone wall with Frypan at her side. Furthermore, with Alby's consent, Hope added her furry-friend's name as well. Everything… was coming along just perfectly.