Gally's idea on what to do with Poppy wasn't entirely shut down. All of the Keepers were uneasy of the newest member for two reasons. The first one, and the most obvious one, was because she was a girl. After two years of being in the Glade with consistent male newbies, no one had any idea how to handle or act around a girl. The second reason why the Keepers were uneasy of Poppy, was because of her knowledge. She hadn't just said she knew Newt, Poppy said she recognized all of them. But, of all the boys in the Glade, not one of them had even the faintest inkling of Poppy.
Alby took Gally's opinion in to consideration, and agreed that precautions should be taken. Minho had apologized when he was told by Alby to bind Poppy's wrists together and escort her to the top of the Homestead. He locked her in a room while the Glade had a council meeting on what to do, and told her they would come back when it ended.
Poppy tried to piece the together her remaining fragile memories while she sat by the window watching as the light started to disappear from the sky.
You know Newt. Poppy tried to wade through her remaining thoughts and make sense of them.
Yes, but how do I know Newt? Technically, I feel like I know all of them.
Think. Try to place his face. What about his voice?
Poppy's head ached from the pressure. She sat down on the only bed and cupped her face in her bound hands. There was a bowl on the nightstand with water in it and a rag for Poppy to wipe off the blood on her face. She grabbed for it, and started rubbing off the grime on her neck.
What do you know? Her mind stressed, List it.
"I know I wasn't supposed to be in the box." Poppy started softly, "I know I'll get in trouble for being here. I know I made the Grievers. I know they aren't any good, or meant to be good."
Yes, and what else?
Poppy sighed, "I know Newt, and recognize everyone else."
Forget about Newt. Look around you. What else do you know?
Getting frustrated, she began again. "I know this building is a piece of crap. I know that I'm starving. I know that if I stay here any longer I'll mess things up. I know I have a job to do, but this isn't it. I know I have to get out and how to get out."
You know how to get out.
Her eyes went wide, "I know how to get out." Poppy's repeated her last statement quickly, "I know how to get out!" She threw the rag into the bucket and leaped back to the window. The Maze walls were just beginning to grind shut as the last bits of light faded away.
Poppy couldn't help but feel happy. It'll be easy. They'll let you out tonight after the meeting, then you just have to play it cool and run for the Maze when it opens tomorrow.
Poppy agreed with herself, "I'll run for it tomorrow."
"What's that, Slinthead?"
Spinning on her heels, Poppy snapped around and saw Gally standing there with a raised eyebrow and an untrusting look. "Nothing. Just talking to myself," she said.
Before Gally could reply, Alby and Newt came through the door. Poppy faced her captors awkwardly, and waited to be addressed. Newt came shoulder to shoulder with Gally, and started to explain the verdict.
"Not gonna lie to you, Greenie," he said matter-factually, "the council didn't go over to well. All of us decided that you did break a rule by punching Alby in the face, but only some of us agreed that you needed to be punished for it."
"How was I supposed to know that was a rule, Newt?" His name rolled off her tongue like a first language. Poppy knew that somewhere in the depth of her mind, she knew everything about this boy. But the longer she looked at him, the more it upset her. There was a secret about Newt hiding in her mind that made her want to cry.
Even though sadness was creeping in the cracks of Poppy's heart, Newt had to hold back a budding grin when she said his name. "Exactly, you don't know our rules, which is why we decided it wouldn't be fair to punish you for breaking them."
"However, we've agreed that you need to be watched." Alby said firmly, with a satisfactory nod from Gally.
Poppy lifted her chin, getting defensive. "What's that mean?"
"It means," Newt began again, "that one of us is going to be with you for the next couple days. Just until we can trust you not to hit anyone again or make some klunk move. You'll do what all everyone does when they first get here. Newbie's go through each trade, until they find one that best suits them. You'll start with the Slicers tomorrow, and work your way through until something sticks."
Poppy mulled his words over. This put a dent in her escape plan. You can't stay here, you'll ruin everything. You have to get out.
She look to Alby instead of Newt, "I'm sorry. But you don't seem to understand. I don't belong here. I need to leave."
Gally folded his arms while the other two eyed each other. "None of us klunking belong here, Greenie. Every Shank in here, including you, doesn't have any memory of who they are or where they came from. There's no way out."
Poppy wanted to laugh at Gally's remark. "Listen to what I am saying to you," she said slowly. "I don't belong here. You were all put here for a reason, I was not. I was put here by some jack-off who did a piss-poor job of wiping my memory. Me being here could ruin everything!"
Anger was starting to radiate through Poppy. Some of her words didn't even make sense to her, but she knew she was speaking the truth. "I'm leaving, and you can't stop me," she tried in her most threatening voice.
"That's enough!" Alby stepped forward and intruded on Poppy's space. He leaned in to her face, just as angry as she was, and said it again. "That's enough. You're not leaving, none of us are. We've known for a long time that there are people out there somewhere, watching us, supplying us, and giving us new Greenies. And that's all you are. A Greenie. You're not special. If you were sent here, you're stuck here. Just like all of us. And if you're one of us you're going to start acting like one of us. You're going to find a job, do it, and escape the same day we all do or die waiting!"
His words echoed through the poorly lit room. Poppy narrowed her eyes up at Alby's and stepped closer, their chests touching, "I'm leaving," she hissed at him.
With one swift movement, Poppy was on the ground coughing for air. There was a commotion going on around her that she couldn't grasp. A second blow to her stomach caught her off guard and she yelped in pain. She could hear Gally and Newt yelling at Alby, a clashing of bodies, and then finally the slam of a door announcing their exit.
Poppy swore under her breaths as she tried to regain the air in her lungs. She sat on her knees and winced at the pain growing in her side. Poppy spit, and a slick glop of dark blood landed on the floor.
"You got a death wish or something, Greenie?"
Newt's voice caught her off guard. She rolled off her knees and on to her butt, propping herself up against the old bed frame. "Probably." Poppy tried to laugh and find the humor in the situation, but it hurt too much.
Newt grabbed the bucket of water off the table and crouched down in front of her. His dark eyes scanned her face, while she tried her hardest to look anywhere but at him. "The Med-jacks been up to see you yet?" Newt wet the rag in the water and rang it out, then started to reach for the dried blood on her face.
Poppy flinched away before he could touch her. "I'm not going to hurt you." He said and tried to slowly reach for her again.
The cold rag against her skin made Poppy want to whimper. Everything hurt, she was tired, hungry, and entirely covered in her own blood. Nothing made sense. She looked up at Newt and saw him watching her intently while gently dabbing her face. Give me something, Poppy pleaded with herself, give me something else to remember about him. Anything.
Newt cleaned her forehead in silence then started to look for the source of the bleeding. It hurt when he found the gash hidden under her matted hair, but Poppy knew he was only trying to help. Newt always only tried to help.
"Doesn't look like you need stitches." He finally said and threw the dyed red rag into the bucket for the last time. Newt cleared his throat and shuffled over next to her to sit down. "We need to talk," he mumbled.
"I'm not apologizing to Alby," Poppy said, looking straight ahead.
She could almost hear him smile, "No, that shank should apologize to you. He shouldn't have yelled at you, or hit you, I suspect he feels pretty bad about it."
"Is that how he motivates everyone here? Telling them they're stuck here until you find a way out or die trying?"
Newt cleared his throat again, "No. No, Alby is actually a good leader. I think you being here and wanting to leave so badly is what upsets him. See, Greenie, everyone here arrives and wants to leave immediately. As the leader, Alby can't let you leave. He knows what's out there in the Maze. You'll die out there, and he'll feel responsible for it."
Poppy thought about it from Alby's perspective. "That's why everyone is riled up? Because I want to leave so badly?"
"We don't want you going out there and dying, Poppy."
They already care about you. Poppy's stomach tightened as the realization crossed her mind. She turned her head to look at Newt. His kind face and dark eyes were riddled with stress from the daily struggle of trying to keep order. She was not making his job easier.
"Do you remember?" He asked quietly, "do you remember where you came from?"
She yawned, "Yes and no."
"You said we all were sent here for a purpose-?"
"Alby has it right, people are watching you. You were all picked to be here, I can't remember why, but I know that I wasn't supposed to be sent up. I wasn't picked, I was just…a mistake, I think."
Newt weighed her response and tried to form the next best question. "If it was a mistake, then why do you want to get back?"
"Because I have a job to do, Newt. I'll get in trouble if I don't do my job." She wanted to tell him all of the tattered pieces of her memory. Poppy wanted to tell him that she came from the place where the people watched, that she made the things they feared the most. Poppy wanted to reach out and shake him while yelling that she helped make this death trap. She wanted to tell him to listen to Gally and not to trust her. That they should all want her to run into the Maze and never return. But Poppy couldn't tell him, that would mess everything up more. Telling him would make them mad.
Poppy felt defeated. Trapped in a web that she did not want to fly in to. She closed her eyes in exhaustion and let her head rest on the edge of the bed.
"Do you know how to get out, Poppy?" The softness in Newt's voice made her heart relax.
She sighed and responded just as softly, "No, I don't."
The simple response shrouded an enormous lie. However, the effects of the lie had an immediate positive impact. Poppy could physically feel Newt relax, and all of the tension was sucked from the room.
Newt grinned, "Guess you're stuck with us then."
Chapter three! Few things: I know this chapter is somewhat boring (at least I thought it was). Getting the idea of what Poppy does and doesn't remember is super difficult. The idea is Teresa did a crap job at wiping her memory. She can piece together most of what has happened to her, but has lost the big things (like the who's, what's, where's, and why's of most situations). Poppy's biggest thing is that she doesn't want to be in The Glade because, subconsciously, she understands how much her being there could royally fuck up the trial. The next chapter will pick up speed with trying to escape, little bit of romance, little bit deceit, all the good stuff.
Let me know if you like this chapter! Hopefully I didn't lose any interest. Next chapter is up tomorrow :)