Minho and Clara hurriedly rushed out of the Map Room and towards the Box, where a crowd had already gathered in a rise of panic. Everyone's voices were raised and there were people running around to get a good view. Clara spotted Newt and ran over to him. He looked a lot calmer than she'd expected him to. When she caught up to him he smiled and reached for her hand, but quickly retracted when he realized he didn't want anyone to know just yet.
"What's happening?" Clara asked. Newt shrugged, obviously just as confused as everyone else. Alby brushed past her towards the Box, Thomas following close behind. When he saw Newt he jogged over to him.
"Newt, what's going on?" Thomas shouted over the alarm. Newt swatted Thomas in the back.
"Means a bloody Newbie's comin' up in the Box. Right now."
"So?" Thomas asked
"So?" Newt and Clara said in unison, both exasperated.
"Greenie, we've never had two Newbies show up in the same month, much less two days in a row." With that, he went to the front of the crowd to join Alby. Thomas sighed and wandered off to find Chuck, and Clara pushed her way towards the front so she could get a closer look. A muffled boom announced that the elevator arrived, and everyone went silent. Alby and Newt took positions on opposite sides of the shaft doors, taking the handles of the door and yanking them apart with a metallic scrape.
Once opened, Newt leaned over to get a better look into the Box. Clara leaned forward in anticipation, wondering who in the world the newcomer could be. With a sudden jerk, Newt pushed himself upright, his face scrunched up in confusion and surprise.
"Holy...," he breathed. Questioned soon filled the air and boys began pushing forward to see what was going on.
"Hold on!" Alby yelled "Just hold on!"
"Well, what's wrong?" someone yelled back.
"Why don't you just tell us what the shuck is down there, Alby?" Gally, the Keeper of the Builders, called out.
"You shanks shut up!" Alby yelled "Tell 'em Newt." Newt looked down in the Box one more tie, and faced the crowd, glancing at Clara.
"It's another girl." There was a moment of silence as everyone processed the news. Then all eyes turned on Clara.
"So? It's not like we haven't gotten one before." someone argued.
"That's not the bloody half of it." Newt said, pointing down the Box. "I think she's dead."
A couple boys grabbed ropes made of ivy vines and lowered Alby and Newt into the Box to retrieve the girl's body. It was still silent during that time. A minute later, Alby shouted that they were ready and the ropes were pulled back up. After a few grunts, the girl's lifeless body was dragged out. She had pale white skin, and tar black hair. Her shirt was light blue and oddly clean, and she wore jeans and brown boots. Her face had no color; she looked about 16. The crowd parted as Alby climbed out of the Box and over to the girl. After a long, confused look at her, Newt turned towards the crowd and pointed straight at Thomas.
"Greenie, get over here." he said, not bothering to be polite. A look of fear came over Thomas' face and he reluctantly walked to the front, his eyes trained on the ground.
"You know this girl, shank?" Alby asked.
"Know her? Of course I don't know her. I don't know anyone. Except for you guys." The Greenie replied.
"That's not...," Alby began, sighing in frustration "I meant does she look familiar at all? Any kind of feelin' you've seen her before?"
"No. Nothing."
"You're sure?" Alby looked like he didn't believe a word Thomas said, his features hardened.
"Yes. Why?"
"Shuck it." Alby muttered, looking down at the girl. "Two days, two Greenies, one alive, one dead."
Thomas looked panicked. "You don't think I..."
"Slim it Greenie." Newt said "We're not saying you bloody killed the girl."
"I swear she doesn't look familiar at all." Thomas assured
"Are you-"
Before Newt could finish, the girl shot into a sitting position. Her eyes snapped open and she blinked, taking a deep breaths and looking around. Alby cried out and fell backward, Newt gasped and jumped up, stumbling away from her. Clara jumped back and Zart caught her arms. The girl's blue eyes darted back and forth and she mumbled something over and over, indecipherable. Then she spoke one sentence, her voice hollow, but clear.
"Everything is going to change." With that, her eyes rolled back into her head, falling back on the ground. When she hit the ground, her hand shot up, in it was a crumpled slip of paper. Newt ran forward and pulled her fingers apart, snatching the paper from her. He unfolded it, then dropped to his knees, spreading the note on the ground with shaking hands. Scrawled across the paper were 5 words:
She's the last one.
Ever.
