I woke up the next day excited, I finally get to go back to work. Real work. The past three days I've been doing grunt work, like getting water, checking storage, and making sure nothing burns. I sat up and flexed my hand, it felt tight, there was a big scab that kept me from closing my hand all the way, but I could work with it.
"Should I trust you with a knife?," Siggy jokes.
"I mean, if you want I can just go get the water and you can chop up the peppers?," I shrug with exaggeration, knowing how much he hated to deal with the peppers. One time he accidentally rubbed his eyes and I thought he was going blind.
Siggy chuckles," No, you can chop the peppers."
"So, Siggy," I turn to the chopping counter. "When are you going to let me cook a meal?"
"When you can learn not to cut yourself," he laughs.
"That is so unfair!"
"How about this, I'll think about it, okay?"
"Okay, "I grumble and focus on chopping. Don't cut yourself.
The day glides by, it is much more entertaining to do real work instead of just time filling chores. I offer to stay the rest of the day when Joe arrives, as a form of thank you, but he declines my offer and starts serving lunch. Waling out of the kitchen I feel the warmth of the sun and smile, it's a nice day. I close my eyes and soak up the glow until I'm knocked to the ground.
"Uhh," I groan and roll onto my back. "Ouch," I grab my elbow.
"Oh shuck! I'm so sorry... Uh? Are you alright? Should I go get a med-jack?"
"No," I turn and see it was the new Greenie, Lee, who had caused my sudden fall. "Lee?"
"Ughh.. yeah? Here," he held out his hand, but I stood up on my own. "Okay cool. Sorry again, I just didn't see you."
"Well, it must be hard when you're literally three feet taller than everyone else...," I spoke with sarcasm but Lee didn't notice.
He lets out a odd giggle, it was strangely creepy and was not at all what you would expect from a man of his size. "That's a good one. But it was actually because of," he jabs his thumb behind him to a cart full of fresh branches and stumps," I was just pulling it without looking. So sorry."
"It's fine," I rub my elbow. "I'm okay."
"Gosh, I'm sorry... I-I just can't seem to remember your name? It's weird because I've been so good with the names here so far," he crosses his arms with a dumbfounded smile plastered on his face. "What was your name again?"
There is no answer for that question. "I-I don't have one," I say before walking past him.
"Hey, wait...," he calls out to me, but I don't look back.
I'm walking away from the Homestead, the direction Lee was headed, but there is not real place for me to go. Deadhead? I look to the trees. But I want to be in the sun... I walk towards the box, it felt weird to be so close it. I have unintentionally avoided this box since the day I came here, looking at it, it wasn't as scary as I had remembered. But then I was trapped inside, alone and unaware of everything, now I get to stand outside and look in. I turn away from the large center square of the Glade and look out to the maze. The doors are wide open and I can see inside, even from this distance, I look upon the tall gray walls that seal us here like a tomb of fate. I sit down on the edge,I hope Ben is getting close, I want to see what's beyond this. Maybe they'll give us back all of our memories once we escape? But what if this is all we have and there is nothing else... No, stop! Don't think like that... Try to be positive.
I close my eyes and lean back, absorbing the warmth of the sun. I wonder what they found... Ben said they might be close. Close. But close to what? How does all of it work? I don't understand the maze at all... Maybe they just keep missing the exit? It probably changes every night when the maze shifts. What would they do when they find? Come back and get us or go by themselves... Maybe that's why people never come back from the maze, they found the way out...
I sit up quickly. Stop thinking like that. The Runners are close, any day now. I look back at the door to the maze, it was almost taunting me with an invitation to see for myself. I can't leave the Glade. I can't break the rules. Plus, they are some not so fluffy creatures out there that kill. I turn my head away, now looking at the Garden, I can see Zart digging up new rows of soil for whatever he is planting next. Beside him is Henry, a average sized boy with raven hair and light brown eyes and a sharp pointy nose; Henry is weeding while he and Zart continue a pleasant conversation. Behind Henry a head pops up, that's Newt, I suck in a breath. Newt tilts his head back and I hear his faint laugh, followed by Zart's and Henry's. Even though he is far away, I can still the sun bouncing off his wavy hair, sparkling with a blinding light.
I bet he he doesn't even think about that night, and if he does he laughs. But that's not Newt, he's so sweet... which explains why he hugged me. I bet he won't tell anyone, maybe... I don't know. What if he already told people?! Gosh, they probably think so lowly of me. First Jackson and now him... What is Jackson is wrong and Newt things we're really together? Not that it matters, he wouldn't like me even if he knew I was single... He still could be gay. I guess I have to wait until he tell the Glade or until he gets a boyfriend.
A New Challenge... They certainly weren't wrong about that.
