There was a moment before she heard several hushed whispers coming from the group, and the blond who helped her up was quiet for a moment, as if he wasn't quite sure what to do with her yet. She took the chance to have a better look around at her surroundings and the people that lived here. It seemed they had been here for quite some time, they had a few structures up throughout the enclosed area like a shabby wooden building in one corner, a small field of crops in another and a wooden pens in the third. The last corner just held a thicket of trees that looked close to withering.
There was something that bothered her though – there were no girls in sight. She squinted and tried to look for other girls near the structures, but it seemed as if there were none unless they were all hiding. It was almost as if… This community was completely made out of boys and boys only. She felt her gut twist. She hoped not.
"Don't you shanks have better things to do?" Someone asked loudly over the whispers and the crowd parted, giving way to a dark skinned boy. They slowly dispersed with some disgruntled mumbles, and she tried to ignore the glances they threw back over their shoulders at her.
"Name's Alby." Once close enough he held out his hand. She glanced at it warily and shook quickly. "Do you remember your name?"
She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth instinctively to answer, but nothing came out. She stopped, her annoyed expression changing into one of confusion. His question made her realize that she hadn't thought about her own identity, whilst worrying about the identity of the others around her and the place. Then further bewilderment followed as she realized that she wasn't able to retrieve any memories from her past, couldn't more like, because everything was wiped clean in her head.
"I guess not." Alby noticed her confusion and nodded to himself. "Well at least you're normal, 'sides from your attitude. You'll get it back in a few days."
"Newt, get her a hammock and some food, I'll inform Nick 'bout her." He continued to the other boy who nodded in response, and walked off somewhere else.
"Sorry 'bout earlier." The boy called Newt apologized with a sheepish smile as he walked her over to a sheltered area in the open, near the ramshackled wooden building. It was full of hammocks, and there was a distinct musky scent in the air. She assumed this was where they slept. "So far the box only sends up boys, and your hair does look like a boy's." He explained as he walked away to retrieve an unused hammock.
At the confirmation that this community was made out of boys and boys only, she felt a wave of discomfort wash over her. She shook it away, leaving nothing but a strange disbelief that she was the only girl around. She'll just look out for herself and tread carefully, and it would… Probably be fine.
"…So I do look like a boy." She replied dryly as she eyed him, seemingly still insulted about earlier.
"No!" Newt insisted as he opened the piece of cloth and tied one end with a rope attached to it around a wooden post. "I mean the box sends boys up all the time, so I mean we didn't expect a girl and with your short hair-"
He glanced back at her and noticed the corner of her mouth had turned up a little.
"Bloody hell, you're playing with me." He realized as he paused in his actions.
"Sorry." She managed a small laugh, trying to find positivity in her situation. "But seriously, how do I look?"
"Short black hair, dark brown eyes and fair skin… You look about fourteen, the same age as most of us." The other said as he turned around fully to study her. "You're also Asian, like a friend of mine."
"Asian…" She murmured as her fingers gently brushed over her cheek almost in wonder. It should've been surprising to her, but it wasn't. It seemed that she had retained some awareness of her identity after all, even if it was just about her race. She paused and then looked around curiously for the other Asian. The field they were enclosed in was pretty huge with boys scattered everywhere, it wouldn't be surprising that she missed out on one particular person.
Newt finished tying the hammock up and dusted off his hands, turning back to her again. He noticed her looking across the glade and smiled. "You'll see him soon, they should be on the way back."
"On the way back from outside the walls." She guessed, putting two and two together.
But Newt didn't respond, and instead talked to her about sleeping arrangements. His hammock was apparently next to hers, as he didn't want "shanks to try anything funny" as he had put it. She was curious about why he avoided the topic after she had mentioned the outside, but didn't persist. She didn't like to ask questions if it was going to sound stupid.
After that was done, they headed towards the kitchens to get something for her to eat. It was then she noticed a few boys running in from one of the gaps in the stone cage.
They rested for a while a little way from the walls as a couple more boys came running in. She gazed at the group for a moment, wondering if the Asian kid was in there when a movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She stared in disbelief as the heavy stone walls dragged themselves across the floor painfully, creating a horrible grinding noise. The rods from one edge fitted perfectly into the holes on the other, and eventually the gap was closed with a loud yawn.
She turned quickly to Newt in expectation for an explanation, too proud to ask why despite her confusion at the strange event. However to her disappointment he seemed to be unaffected, so she shut up. It was probably a daily occurrence for them.
"Ah, there he is." Newt said as he moved forward a few steps, apparently having spotted someone in the group of boys. "Hey Minho! Get over here for a sec will ya?"
Her attention was caught at the obvious Asian originated name, mind temporarily distracted from walls that defied all the laws of physics. Not sure what to expect and a little nervous about meeting someone familiar in a sense, she stayed back and busied herself by studying her fidgeting fingers as the faint sounds of jogging footsteps quickly approached.
After a few moments, the jogging came to a stop.
"What is it Newt?" A breathless voice asked. "Better be a good reason for making me run extra."
She played it cool for a moment, before finally glancing up to take what she hoped was an indifferent look as to who had approached them. He too was prepubescent like the rest of them, with black hair and dark eyes. He had a lean body, she could tell because he was literally drenched in sweat, making his shirt stick to his body and looked like he had just ran across the world to get here.
"We got another one of your kind here!" Newt announced as he gestured to her playfully, almost as if presenting her like some exotic object from a far land. "She came up in the box this afternoon."
"She?" The boy named Minho questioned as he looked her up and down, judging her openly.
"Yes, she." She replied dryly.
"Well… She's not even the same race as me." Minho gave an amused smile as he folded his arms and glanced at Newt who raised an eyebrow.
"Wait what?"
"She's obviously Chinese." Minho shook his head when Newt seemed clueless.
"He's obviously Korean." She added, rolling her eyes.
Newt sighed. "Well whatever you two are, there's obviously a bloody resemblance."