I suck at updates, I'm sorry.
I smiled as I dug my fingers into freshly hoed garden soil. I liked gardening, it was the first job I tried and it worked. A few days had passed since my arrival and the party, my stomach was healing nicely, I was finally able to walk around without bandages to try out some jobs around the Galde. Alby insisted that I try other jobs but this one seemed the most me and I refused to switch. Once the hole in the dirt was deep enough I placed a few seeds inside and covered them with the rich soil. "You grow up big and strong and feed us all." I patted the soil and moved on to the next space.
"You talking to seeds again?" Minho was leaning on the fence that surrounded the garden smiling at me. He was shirtless, glistening and glowing from his run. His biceps flexed and he shifted his weight around. He caught me staring and smirked at me. Effortlessly hopping over the fence and sitting next to me.
"Aren't you supposed to be out running?"
"I finished early today." He leaned back on his hands stretching out his abdomen flashing his muscles proving just how fit he really was.
"How nice."
"What the matter Ada?"
"Nothing." I turned away from him blushing, "You stink."
Minho chucked sniffing his own armpit. "So do you! Have you looked in a mirror lately?"
"Wow, I'm offended how dare you insult the only girl in the glade. All bets are off on her falling for you, better resend your offer." I lightly shoved Mihno so he collapsed in the dirt, nearly crushing a tomato plant sprout.
"Hey we all know I would win that bet."
I rolled my eyes at him and pointed to the nearly smashed plant "Could you please not crush my tomato plant?"
He sat up and dusted himself off.
"Are there really mirrors in the glade?"
"Sure, we used to have one, I can try and find it for you if you'd like."
"That would be lovely."
Minho left me in the garden with a wave in search of my mirror and hopefully a shower. He was right I hadn't showed since the day of the party and I was beginning to get a little gross. I didn't think anything of it. Sure some of the guys around the glade were attractive but I just didn't feel like I had to show off or live up to some sort of standard. I finished planting and put away my tools before an alarm broke sounded throughout the Glade. Gally ran by grabbing my hand and yanking me behind him.
"Come on Ades."
"What's happing"
"The elevator."
"What I thought I only came up once a month. Please stop running you're hurting me."
Gally slowed down and let go of my hand. "Sorry Ades. Yeah, It's supposed to only come up once a month but things here changed when you came up." At some point Gally had started calling me Ades, it didn't bother me and I actually found it sweet, I felt more accepted and more at home. Of course the other guys gave him hell for it which caused a fight between him and Ben. But eventually the guys dropped it and a few others picked it up.
Gally and I reached the elevator and he pushed his way to the front leaving me to hop around trying to see the box over the Gladers shoulders. Once the elevator buzzed and the doors were opened Gally jumped in, it reminded me of my first day here.
"Whats in it?"
Suddenly the boys all turned to me, making room for me to walk towards the elevator box, "Ada, it's for you." Gally tossed a fairly large military style backpack out of the elevator and pulled himself out. "Whats in it?"
"How should I know Gal?" I shot him a glare before reading the tag attached to the bag.
-To Ada, Enjoy, Love Wicked.
"What the Shank." I opened the bag and dumped the contents onto the floor. Not really caring when a proper bra and underwear set rolled out and displayed itself for the entire glade. Gally was at my side quickly grabbing the unmentionables and shoving them into the now empty backpack shooting a glare at the other Gladers. "Thanks Gal." I snickered, shifting through the spilled contents. There was a pair of pants, a top, socks, and boots all of which I shoved in the bag. At this point most of the Gladers left, deeming my packing up too boring for them. Alby, Minho and Newt loomed over Gally and I as we went through the rest. There was a leather notebook with my name embossed in it. Most of the writing inside had been scratched out with a thick black marker. The first page was titled "The History of the New World"
"Ada what does it say?" Alby held his hand out and I gave him the notebook to look over.
"Not much now. Most of it's been crossed out, but whatever it said I wrote it, that's my handwriting."
Gally fell still, clearing his throat, "Ada, I'm not sure you want to see this. Did you know anyone who had your name tattooed on them?"
"No Gally I don't re-" I stopped looking down what rested in Gally's hands. It was a man's right hand, in a plastic bag with Ada tattooed in dark ink on the wrist. "Oh my God. Who…what…why?"
Alby snatched the bag from Gallys hand inspecting it for himself. "You don't remember this at all?"
"No Alby, I don't, but it seems like they knew me."
"How do you feel?"
"How should I feel Newt, sad? I don't even know who they were. I'm just confused. Why would WICKED send that?"
"Why would WICKED do half the things they've done? Why would they nearly cut you in half?" Minho seemed genuinely upset.
"What language is this?" Alby had flipped thought the journal and was showing me a page with a few uncensored words.
"Its IPA." I shrugged. Turning to pick up of more of the backpacks contents, before I realized I had remembered something. "ITS IPA! I remember IPA." I jumped up scaring Gally and nearly tripping over my own feet. "International Phonetic Alphabet. My father wanted me to learn it as a code. My father. I remember! Oh my God I remembered something. My tattoo is IPA too, it says 'Find R'."
"Who's R?"
"I don't remember that, a person? A place? A thing?" I was frantic, trying to remember everything I could.
"Ada its not 20 questions, calm down you're going to get hurt."
"But Alby I remembered something, what if this is key."
"Then read the page!"
Alby thrust the journal into my hands, and my eyes poured over it. "Uhh, it says, 'stay alive….test…flare...right.' that's all I can make out, most of its been blacked out."
"okay well maybe it was a message to yourself."
"Maybe, why did I write only one page in IPA, I don't understand."
"You said your father taught you it as a code, maybe you knew people were reading it, or if they did you didn't want them to be able to understand it."
I collapsed in the grass with a groan. "I wish I remembered. I'm sorry."
Gally rubbed my back slowly, "Its okay, you remembered somethings."
"You did good Ada, we can look some of this stuff over later. But you should shower." Newt sent me a soft smile.
"You're the second person to tell me that today," I shot a glare at a smirking Minho, "am I really that gross?"
Alby chuckled, "No, they just sent you shower stuff is all, I thought maybe you wanted to use it."
I looked down at the forgotten items and laughed. They had sent all the toiletries I could need.
"I guess I'll shower then." I finished stuffing everything besides the journal, and the man's hand into my bag and stood up. "I'll see you at dinner." I said leaving the four boys at the elevator box.
"I left the mirror in your room Ada!"
"Thanks Min!"
45 minutes later I was situated in front of my new mirror. I smelled of coconuts, and was looking at myself for the first time, I felt like a newborn. My hair was no longer a large nest. Thanks to a hairbrush it sat in wild curls around my face, it was shoulder length and brown with golden highlights that flashed when the sun from outside shone on it. My eyes were green and my lips were pink and I was pleased with my face. Wicked had given me tight black pants and a green cropped tank top. It laced at the top like a corset leaving an ample amount of cleavage to be seen. It was almost as if WICKED wanted me to be alluring. I pulled on my new boots and decided at some point I would have to rejoin the other Gladers.
"You look nice Ada."
"Thanks Frypan." He handed me a plate of potatoes and chicken, and turned to the next Glader. Most of the boys hadn't noticed I was different, which I thanked God for. I set my plate down before taking my place next to Gally at the table. "How's the food?"
"Not as good as you look." Minho winked. Ever since the bonfire Minho had made it extra clear he knew how to flirt with girls and the other Gladers didn't. I had to give him points the boy was smooth, charming, and good looking but that didn't mean I had to like him.
"Thank you for noticing I showered, I'm glad you're pleased with the outcome."
"I'm more than pleased."
"Alright Minho that's enough." Alby slapped Minho on the back of the head and laughed. "You look great Ada."
"You should put a jacket on." Gally was glaring down at his plate.
"A Jacket?
"Yes Greenie a Jacket!"
"Greenie? Gally what's wrong?"
"You just need to put on a jacket?"
"Gally the temperature is perfect, what do I need a Jacket for? Do you even have any in the Glade?"
"You know what forget it! I'm done." Gally stood from the bench nearly knocking me over in the process, before stalking away to his room.
"What…what just happened?"
Newt shrugged, "Who knows its Gally, he's a hot head and will get mad at anything you know this."
"I guess" I watched Gally's back disappear into the Keepers quarters before digging into dinner.
Thanks for reading! Review and Let me know what you think! Thank you to BookRain, Zoey24, and a few guests for reviwing. I'm seeing some GallyXAdaXMinho which I love however I feel that she may lean towards Gally more. Not to say Minho wont try. The story is pretty much mapped out and should be finished within the month. Lots of love. You guys rock!
