The first two weeks with Lamb were the most difficult. They soon discovered that she was a female after she clunked on Newt and had to clean her up. Nothing was more difficult that cleaning her. Aside from that, Lamb cried all the time, especially in the middle of the night. She slept well otherwise. Lamb spent most of the days being passed around amongst the boys. She always spent the most time with Newt, for he had adopted the 'guardian' position for the infant. Winston and Jeff had taken a liking to the girl and watched her sometimes. Lamb behaved for them, most of the time. So far, everything was slowly calming down in the Glade.
Dinner was served late one night, due to a huge bonfire happening. There was dancing and eating and wrestling. It was almost like a ceremony. Newt held the baby girl on his lap as he sat on a log. He was feeding her some of the broth that Frypan prepared for supper. Lamb rested back against Newt's arm, eating hurriedly. She'd been growing rapidly in the last two weeks. Drops of the broth fell from her mouth and onto the small shirt she wore. It was already badly stained from other meals, so it really didn't matter. The eager baby squirmed in the boy's grasp as the music riled, as if she were dancing. Newt giggled quietly before feeding her the last spoonful of the broth. Lamb swallowed it willingly. Winston, watching the baby, approached with open arms.
"I'll take her. You go eat." He picked up the young girl and cradled her. Newt watched him walk away before going to get some dinner. Winston held the baby tightly as he walked around the huddle of boys who were dancing to the beat of hand made drums. He bounced the baby in his arms with a huge grin. Lamb beamed and squealed with delight. It seemed so fun! Well, until someone screamed. The music paused and everyone stood silent. It was Stephen, one of the older boys. He looked horrible. His eyes were bloodshot and his mouth twitched. He had been stung. The group of boys surrounding him took a few steps away, afraid of what he was going to do. George, the first Glader to die, went ballistic. Stephen began to growl and grumble, causing Lamb to cry. Winston froze up, for now Stephen was sprinting toward him. The Gladers instantly restrained him before he could even touch Lamb. No matter what, they would always protect Lamb.
Newt rushed over to Winston and took the baby into his grasp.
"He won't hurt you... No one's gonna hurt you, kid. We aren't going to let that happen, okay?"
And with that, Lamb calmed.
After cleaning up, the boys were all in their cots, awaiting for the sense of tiredness. They could hear the faint cries of their comrade, who was now tied up to a tree stump in the woods. Newt laid in his cot, Lamb laying on top of his chest. It was funny to watch, for anytime Newt breathed, the baby went up with his stomach. Somehow, that made her go to sleep quicker. Lamb was knocked out. She was dead tired, for no one could get her down to take a nap today. Newt lay awake though. He couldn't sleep. How could someone like Stephen, who was always nice and kind, try to attack a small, innocent baby? He just didn't understand. He wrapped an arm around Lamb protectively. He'd have to die before she got hurt.