Day Eighty-Five, First day of the fourth month.

Nick and I stood beside the Box hole, waiting for it's arrival. After the previous two months, I hoped there would be a new Glader coming up in it. Nick had fitted in nicely over the last month, improving my fences and buildings greatly.

There was always a matter of contention between us when the maze was brought up, because he wanted to run in it and map it out. I thought it was too dangerous. We came to a compromise, where he could only run close to the doors, but I suspect he goes farther than he lets on.

Nick wanted to build a much larger house if we were getting more people, but we decided to wait until we knew for sure. So here we are, waiting for the Box to come up.

My garden is flourishing. Now that there are two people around, we have some spare time each day, but I spend most of that making my garden bigger. I do really like being among plants, and if we're going to get more people coming, then we'll need the food.

Having Nick around has been interesting, but nice. Sometimes we argue, but other times it's just nice to have another person around, keeping me company and helping with ideas.

The Box rumbles from the depths, and the siren goes off, announcing it's arrival. Nick has seen three supply trips, but still I can tell he's nervous. For that matter, so am I.

Sometimes I wonder how far the Box actually travels. Is it some huge great distance, or does it just move slowly with a lot of groaning? We can't tell, but I wish we could. I would love to know what lies below, who sent us to this strange place.

Up comes the box, lurching and moaning as it does, until it reaches the top with a clang. Nick is tense beside me, but I hand him a rope to open the door on his side, before throwing my own rope. The doors are as stiff as ever, and they open with a squeal of rusty hinges.

We peer inside, not knowing what we'll see, but hoping.

Inside stands a teen boy, aged maybe fourteen? His hair is a brownish blond, and he's quite short, and slightly pudgy. He stares up at us, silently.

Nick throws his rope down to him. "Grab hold, Greenie. I'll pull you up."

I frown playfully at him. "Greenie was your name, Nick." I tease him.

He grins. "Not any more! We don't know his name yet anyway, so it fits him."

The new Greenie grabs onto the rope to be pulled up. Once on the surface, he cranes his neck around, peering around at the glade.

I step forwards. "My name's Ash, Greenie. He's Nick. Welcome to the Glade."

He looks at me, but says nothing. He's not said a word so far, and I wonder if that's his personal way of coping. I work hard, Robin would swear, Nick cracks jokes, maybe this Greenie stays silent.

The Box came up a little earlier today, so I get Nick to take the Greenie for a tour while I go back to my garden. One of the many things I like about company. Delegation.

My orchard is... well, slow. I wasn't really expecting fast results, fruit trees take years to mature, but even so, watching them grow is boring. Hopefully the potted trees I planted out will fruit before then.

My pumpkins are beginning to ripen, so I'm planning on roasting one tonight. I'm not sure whether to cut it up and remove the seeds for planting, or roast it whole and reduce the risk of burning. One of the bonuses of being in the artificial weather seems to be the growing season: It doesn't seem to change. No frosts and no droughts so far, which means I should be able to just keep growing plants.

There's also very few insects. Bees, sure, but little else. The strange thing about the bees, however, is that I cannot find their hive. Do they live in the walls?

Nick and the Greenie come over to look at my garden, so I give them a tour. The Greenie seems unimpressed with the abundance of plants, but I show them off anyway. I feel rather proud of them.

From what Nick tells me, the Greenie hasn't spoken yet. I wonder if he hasn't because he won't, or can't? Is he just deciding not to, or is unable to speak at all?

Nick takes the Greenie to the animal pens next, and he seems far more interested. Perhaps he's just more of an animal guy than a plant guy. I guess that's a good thing, because the animals are probably feeling a little neglected when I'm gardening and Nick's building. Sure, he's mostly building fences for them, but he's not very good at understanding the animals themselves.

Besides, he would rather be out running in the maze, anyway. I don't get Nick's obsession with the maze, but to each their own, I guess.

As Nick and the Greenie are standing next to the animal pens, Nick calls me over.

"Ash! Can you come over here for a sec?"

"Sure!" I yell back. "Why?"

When I get there, Nick points to the Greenie. I frown. "Has he said anything?"

"No," Nick replies, "but I think he's trying to."

I look over at the boy, and he points to the cows. The motions towards them, then points to the knife I keep by my side, then draws a line across his neck.

"Can't you speak?" I question. "Wait, you want to eat the young cattle?"

Greenie nods.

I look over at Nick. "Well?"

"I guess we just got our first neck-slicer. It'll be nice to have some fresh meat with our meals."

I smile at the Greenie. "You know what your name is yet?"

He makes a flurry of hand motions, then, seeing our blank faces, he looks around the ground. Finding a stick left over from fencing, he clumsily writes one word in the dust.

WILL

"Will? That's your name?" Nick questions.

The Greenie – Will, nods, smiling gently.

Nick continues. "And... forgive me for asking, but you can't speak, yeah?"

Will nods again, making a 'Well duh!" face.

I snort. "Welcome to the Glade, Will."