Author stuff: Archie is dumb. He is so, so dumb. Remember a couple chapters back when I said that was the start of it? It continues on.

Really, all these boys are.


Chapter 16

In Which Flossy Is Holding Out For A Hero

"Where's the Girlie going?" Dave said, peering out over the Glade. He shaded his eyes with his hands, still squinting to watch the goings on.

"Stop watching her and get back to work," Gally said, his face not moving away from the plank he was removing. Although, Archie swore he saw his eyes flick over in her direction a few times in the past few seconds.

"She's going to the Med-hut."

"It probably has something to do with a couple of days ago. She's fine."

"How would you know?"

"She told me herself."

"When did you have time to talk with her?" Archie said. He'd rarely had the opportunity to do so himself since they started their jobs officially. Their conversations were strictly only during meals.

"He guards the showers when she's in there," Hank said. Archie and Dave both looked at him in surprise. He'd wondered how she'd been bathing safely. He'd never wanted to ask, for fear of breaching her privacy. "What, you guys haven't noticed?"

"Not really, no," Dave said. He looked at Gally, wagging his eyebrows and smirking. "What are you, some kind of knight? You kind of need armor for that."

Gally spluttered, gaping at the Builder. He tried several times to say something, but he failed each time.

"Just… just get back to work, you shanks," Gally said. Archie watched as Gally's skin took a dark pink tinge to it, as if he rapidly burned in the sun. But that was impossible.

Gally was blushing. The kind of blushing that insinuated that the person had a… a crush on another person.

Oh!

Dave and Hank snickered, but they did as they were told and helped with the roof. It took Archie a moment before he did the same.

For some reason, none of it sat quite right with him. Flossy had become something of a sister figure to him. And Gally's blushing was… He wasn't quite sure of what to think of that. Not that he felt like he couldn't trust him with her – actually, he was one of the few he felt that he could – it was… something else.

Something that he couldn't put his finger on.

Not jealousy, per say, but more along the lines of worry.

But what was there to worry about? It was just Gally.

Archie hoped he never had to find out.


He made a point of stopping by the Med-hut after they'd finished for the day. Gally had gone by earlier during their lunch break, but he hadn't shared anything with any of them. Instead, he'd gone straight to Zart and the two of them hashed something out. Zart hadn't looked happy, but he hadn't been angry either. His expression read… He wasn't sure what it read. He was terrible at reading people.

He knocked on the door. He hadn't really been there since their tryouts, which was a good thing when one considered it.

Jeff answered it, a confused expression on his face.

"Oh, hey, Greenie," he said.

"Greenie?" he heard Flossy say from somewhere inside. "Archie? Archie! Please, help me. Clint and Jeff are holding me prisoner."

"You're not a prisoner," he heard Clint say from the other side of the hut from where Flossy's voice had come.

"You're keeping me here against my will. That makes me a prisoner."

"We're keeping you here on bed rest."

"I'm fine, Clint. It's perfectly normal."

"What's going on?" Archie said. Jeff rolled his eyes.

"It's been like this most of the day," Jeff said. "Flossy's fine, but we're keeping her here just to be sure. You don't have to worry about it. Gally already told Zart, and he's probably also told Nick, and the other Keepers already. She's to be excused from work for the next few days."

"I can go on bed rest in my own room," Flossy said. "And you won't let me help out here, where you can keep an eye on me, so I'm going to keep asking for someone to get me out. Archie! Help!"

Jeff gave him a look.

"Sorry, Flossy," he said. "Just came by to see why you were here. Gally wouldn't tell us anything."

"Good. If he did, he's dead to me."

"Should I just leave then or…?"

Archie jumped at the sound of Gally's voice behind him. He was carrying two plates of food. He looked between him and Jeff, clearly amused.

"Gally!" Flossy said. "You're back. Please –"

"Girlie, I swear if you ask one more person to save you," Clint said, "I will personally drug you into next week."

"That's a load of klunk and you know it."

"Flossy."

Jeff permitted Gally to enter, allowing Archie the briefest of peaks at Flossy. She was in one of the cots, draped in several blankets. Her hair was a tangled mess and her clothes were askew. She looked a little peaky, but that might have had to do with the lighting. She'd looked practically fine to him.

And then Jeff was in his view again.

"Just tell everyone she's not feeling well," Jeff said, "but she'll be fine in a few days."

"Sure," Archie said, shrugging. "I should be getting to dinner before Minho and the other Runners eat all of the food."

Jeff snorted at that and closed the door.

Archie turned around and saw a couple of curious Track-hoes walking towards him. He started to them, stopping them short of getting too close.

"Flossy's fine," he said to them. "She'll be back to work in a few days."

"Is that what Gally told you?" one of them – he thought his name was Evan or something – said. "He told us the same klunk."

"Nope, came directly from Clint and Jeff, our resident Med-jacks."

None of them looked like they believed him.

"Look," he said, "I only know what I was told. She was sleeping just now, though Gally probably woke her up for dinner. She'll be fine. Really."

He wasn't sure why he lied, but whatever was going on Clint and Jeff were clearly managing it. He didn't have anything to worry about. In a few days, she would come back looking like her old self and be bouncing off the walls with all that pent-up energy.

"So, she's okay," said one of the other Track-hoes – Archie couldn't remember his name but he sometimes sat with them during their meals. "She's not dying. 'Cause the way Zart was acting earlier, it seemed like she was."

"Nope, she's fine."

"Good that. Now, let's get some dinner. I'm starving!"


Flossy wasn't at work the next day or the next or the next or the next or the next. Clint or Jeff or one of the other Keepers would occasionally go to her room to get some of her things and bring them to the Med-hut for her. When she did finally make an appearance back in the Glade, it was when the Box came up.

"Ready for a promotion?" Dave said as they jogged over.

"Huh?" he said.

"It's been a month. New Greenie."

"Oh."

They arrived with everyone else, eager to see who would be next. Some were even making bets on the lunches, dinners, and breakfasts. Archie supposed that there was little way of amusement other than this and the bonfire. In a couple of months, who knows, he could be doing the same.

He felt someone brush against his arm and went to move when he saw the top of a short, blonde head.

"Hey," he said. "They finally let you out?"

"No thanks to you," she said, scowling up at him. "You and Gally and Nick and Newt and Alby and Graham. None of you would help me escape."

"Clint and Jeff would have gotten you back there eventually. What was wrong?"

She shook her head and crossed her arms with a huff, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

"You're alive!" one of the Track-hoes said, practically tackling her with a hug.

"Hi, Chris." She patted him awkwardly on the back. "Yes, I'm alive."

"What was wrong? Clint and Jeff weren't telling any of us."

"It doesn't really matter, trust me. So, another delivery of supplies?"

"And a new Greenie," Dave said. "How does that feel?"

She shrugged.

"It doesn't feel like it's been a month yet. Oh! The doors are opening. Think I can get a little closer."

"You probably shouldn't," Newt said, coming up from behind and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't want to go around scaring Greenies."

"I'm not that scary," she said, crossing her arms and scowling. They all shot her a look. "What, I'm not!"

She was shushed.

From over the tops of everyone's heads, Archie could see the Greenie make their appearance. A short, thin boy with spindly limbs was pulled up and out. He looked around at all the faces, terror clearly written on his face. He turned around, trying to take it all in.

And then he hurled.

There were cries of disgust and a few joyous whoops.

"I get Winston's eggs for the next week!" someone said – it sounded like Graham.

"Good to know we have another top notch Greenie," Newt said under his breath before heading over to the new boy to help Nick in greeting him.


Author stuff cont'd.: Poor Winston. He will miss his eggs.