A Gallant Boy

"You're not coming back into the kitchen until you give that wound time to heal!" Hope remembered Frypan's words. "Give yourself a rest, okay? Just… do something for yourself for once."

Hope hated resting; she hated not doing anything. So, instead of listening to Siggy's wise words, Hope listened to the terrified voice in her head: You can't sleep. You can't sleep. You can't sleep. Therefore, for the next two days, Hope spent her time beside Gally in the woods. He started giving her lessons on wood carving, and although he was quite strict, Gally was a phenomenal teacher.

It was a long, tedious process, but Hope enjoyed it. She enjoyed it so much that Hope worked through the nights. Instead of sleeping like Frypan or Newt had instructed, Hope worked on her bow. Most times, her arms would get tired and stiff, yet she would always carry on. She wouldn't give up. Even when Hugo growled at her to go to sleep, even when her eyes felt droopy, Hope would not stop working.

Yes, it wasn't good for her. Not even close. However, for Hope, it was better to be tired physically than to be trapped in her own mind. So much better.

Bang!

Rustle!

Crack!

Bang!

Rustle!

Crack!

Bang!

"Dang," Gally scoffed, "you're bad at this."

"I-I am, aren't I?" Hope stuttered in defeat, dropping her newly-made bow to her side. "I've missed every single time."

"You've also broken two of your arrows," Gally added. "At this rate, you'll have to make more."

Once Hope had finished making her bow (and a few arrows), her and Gally had started working on using them. It was the middle of the day, the sunshine glistening through the tree branches above, and Hope's target was the source of a few of those branches: a tree. Its strong, wooden body grew out from the mossy ground, and there wasn't a single indent on it. Every single shot Hope took, an arrow would either hit another tree, fly into the bushes, or crack against a rock. Either target, however, wasn't the one Hope was supposed to hit. Even her left pointer-finger, which was the one stitched, didn't want to watch Hope fail so miserably.

"W-What do you think I can do, Gally?" Hope queried hopefully. "Do you have any tricks for me?"

"Well, I'm no expert with a bow," Gally said with a shrug. "However, there is something that… could work in this circumstance."

Hope's eyes lit-up. "Like what?"

"Like… when I'm workin' with an ax," Gally started, "it's hard to keep up the momentum sometimes, y'know? Your arms get tired, your back gets tired, your will to keep chopping gets slimmer, and you just wanna break. But if you do take a break, you'll never want to chop again. So, instead of taking a break and stopping, I think of something that gets me fired-up."

"And what would that be…?"

"Something that makes me angry. Like, um, when Greenies think that they can do whatever they want without consequences. Or when they do stupid things over and over again. Stuff like that makes me hit the tree harder. Faster."

"I see…" Hope nodded in understanding. "That makes sense…"

"Okay, let's try this: put your bow back up," Gally remarked, prompting Hope to immediately follow his directions. She took an arrow out from her pouch, lifted up her bow, and positioned the arrow right against it. Once she had pulled the arrow back, Gally spoke again. "Now, imagine that tree as something that you wanna get rid of in your life. Something so annoying that it makes you feel all the emotions in the world. However, if you managed to hit this tree with one arrow, then that thing you wanna get rid of… goes away."

"Wow," Hope huffed. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

"But don't think about the 'niceness' of it," Gally protested. "Think about the badness. Think about how it makes you feel now while it's still in your life. What has this thing taken from you? What will it continue to do? Think of the bad things… and then shoot them away."

Hope took a deep breath in through her nose… and out through her mouth. A few yards away from her, Hope's eyes singled in on the tree, while her hands positioned the bow in front of it. A wind flew through the forest, twirling Hope's long hair and rustling the tree-leaves above her. But despite the beautiful sounds of nature, Hope's inner-thoughts were anything but beautiful. Not even Mother Earth could save Hope… from herself.

"She's… different from the rest."

"I think there's something wrong with her."

"I like you to meet someone, Hope."

"W-Why am I sick?"

"You're my toy!"

"Toys are meant to be thrown away."

"Sh-She scares me!"

"I hate you!"

Thump!

Hope had let go of the arrow without even realizing it. Her hand holding the bow slowly dropped back down to her sides, as her eyes widened and her breath stopped. The tree in front of her… had an arrow within its bark.

"You did it!" Gally gushed, genuinely glad that Hope had done it. "I'm gonna be honest, I never thought a weirdo like you could do it, but I guess… weirdos… can… Greenie?"

Hope's eyes were still focused on the arrow. Her breath was hitched, her fingers felt tingly, and her mind felt… fuzzy.

"Hey, c'mon…" Gally urged when she didn't respond. "What's up with you? W-What did you even… think about?"

"…That was my voice," Hope muttered out, causing Gally's expression to turn even more confused. Nevertheless, Hope couldn't stop herself from voicing her discovery. "I-I said that… she scared me."

"Sh-She scares me!"

Hope realized that that was her voice.

Somehow, in some way, she'd recognized her voice.

And, somehow, for some reason, Hope was scared of this 'she'.

But who was 'she'?

Who was the woman? Who was the girl?

Why was the woman always kind and… the girl always terrifying?

However, before Hope could comprehend what was going on, her vision went black.

And the last thing Hope heard was…

"H-Hope!"

"I'm sorry that this is happening to you.

"I'm sorry that you're in so much pain.

"I know my words mean nothing.

"I know what I've done cannot be forgiven.

"But please, Hope… Please, never give up."

Hope's eyes snapped open. The quickness of her action made her vision blurry at first, but only after a few moments did Hope see the five faces above her. They each looked down at her, worry and confusion swirling within their eyes. Hope's expression wasn't much different either, since she knew what those looks meant; she knew what those looks meant from Alby, Chuck, Frypan, Minho, and Newt. She had disappointed them: the worst thing that Hope could think of.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Chuck was the first to speak; he was sitting to Hope's right. "You scared us half to death!"

"I… I, uhm…" Hope could only stammer as she slowly sat up. Around her was her bedroom in the infirmary, and outside, she could see the night sky. The realization posed a question. "H-How long was I asleep for?"

"All day," Minho said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Though, don't try to change the subject."

"You remember what happened, don't you?" Frypan inquired with eyes angrier than ever before. "You fainted, Hope. From exhaustion. I gave you the days off so you could rest, not so you could work day and night making a bow!"

"We're worried, Hope," Alby acknowledged. "What's going on with you?"

Chuck nodded. "Yeah, why are you picking a stupid bow over sleep?"

"What do you even need it for, anyway?" Minho snapped. "It's not like you're strong enough to do anything with it. You're too weak for that kind of stuff."

Oh, but that… that hurt. That hurt Hope. It hurt her more than it should have. Her head turned downward, her eyes were wide with shock, while her hands clenched around her blanket. Hope's frazzled mind started replaying Minho's words: 'You're not strong enough,' 'you're weak, 'you're not strong enough,' 'you're weak,' 'you're not strong enough,' 'you're weak.' Minho had presumably meant nothing by it, nor should it have mattered to Hope, since the boy barely knew her. Still, in spite of the terrible nightmares and the lack of sleep, those words made Hope's heart squeeze painfully in her chest. Likewise, Frypan's anger and Alby's worry and Chuck's confusion made it all the more worse.

It hurt.

It hurt her so much.

So much so that…

"Mm…" Hope let out a whimper of sadness, tears forming in both her blue and brown eye. "I-I'm… I'm so, so sorry."

Everyone froze. The moment that that whimper escaped Hope's lips, the five boys' minds stopped. But then, when they witnessed a single tear fall down her cheek, those minds went into full-on panic-mode.

"…Oh, no." Alby was the first to react: he ran to Hope's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hope, no. No, please don't cry."

"W-Was it something I said?" Siggy questioned while taking a step closer to her. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad!"

"We were just worried!" Chuck also commented. "We aren't angry at you or anything!"

"No… N-No, it's not you," Hope sniffled, placing a hand over her tear-streaked lips. "It's me. I-I'm not strong enough. I'm weak. I-I tried to be stronger, but… I'm not. And I'll never be."

Once more, everyone froze upon hearing Hope's words. However, unlike the last time, a certain person's heart shattered in understanding. Minho barely knew this girl, he'd barely talked to her, and he only saw her about three times a day. Still, every single time he did see her, she was always glad to see him. Hope always greeted him with a smile. And truly, Minho hadn't meant anything by what he'd said. It was just an observation… or maybe even a bad joke. Nonetheless, Minho hadn't meant to make her cry. He didn't mean to make the person he always saw smiling… do the dead-opposite. Minho simply wasn't good with people, so he didn't know how to act. But before Minho could apologize-

"…You're not weak, Hope." Newt finally stepped in. He pushed away from the wall he was leaning against, walked straight over to Hope, and kneeled down at her side. Hope's teary eyes looked down at him in surprise, while Newt's eyes looked up at her with utter kindness in them. "You've never been anything less than strong. Since the day you got here, you've always smiled. You were never intimidated by a bunch of boys or the fact that you were trapped here. And I may not know what's going on with you, but whatever it is, you're still smiling through it. You're not giving up. You keep on working. And if that isn't a testimony to how strong you are, Hope, then… I have no bloody idea what is."

Hope's tears stopped. Her breath calmed. Her heart started beating at a normal rate. And her mouth turned upward in a thankful yet sad smile. Hope's problems didn't go away, but Newt's generous words were more than enough for her large heart to feel better. Even if she was too modest to fully believe them. "Th-Thank you, Newt… And I'm sorry for… for crying like this."

"Hey, no. Don't apologize," Newt said, absentmindedly placing his hand atop Hope's. Although, when the boy noticed the girl's eyes widened and her cheeks redden, he instantly swiped his hand away. Still, he wouldn't let Hope apologize for something that didn't need apologizing. "I-I mean, remember what I said about your feelings? You deserve to let them out, Hope. It's okay."

"But still, you need to take care of yourself," Alby chimed in while he reassuringly rubbed Hope's shoulder. "And, if you can't do that, take care of yourself for us. Look around, Hope. Look around at everyone who cares about you. Please don't make us worry anymore, alright?"

"W-Well… Oh, Alby, if you put it like that, then…" Hope sighed. "I-I almost have to."

Frypan pointed right at Hope. "But, this time, Clint and Jeff are gonna make sure you stay in bed. I'll even give Hugo extra treats if he keeps you in bed, too."

"O-Okay. I got it, Fry." Hope smiled sheepishly, but then finally noticed something - or someone - missing. "Hey, wait… Where is Hu-"

Creak! Just then, Hope's bedroom door opened to reveal Hugo. Once inside, the dog ran straight over to Hope, jumped onto her bed, licked her hand, and laid down beside her. However, the black German shepherd wasn't alone, since dogs couldn't open doors. Hence, the boy who had opened the door the other person missing from the room. This boy had very short hair, a freckled face, crazy eyebrows, and was holding something in his hand. Gally immediately placed those hands behind his back, though, after noticing everyone staring at him.

"O-Oh, um…" Gally gulped. "Hello, everyone."

"Gally…?" Alby muttered, standing up straight and facing the guilty-looking boy. "Where've you been?"

"With the dog," Gally replied, causing Newt to stand up straight as well.

"Doin' what?"

"Doing… things," Gally shrugged, "with the dog."

"All you did was repeat what you just said," Frypan argued. "And… what's that hidin' behind your back?"

"None of your business," Gally claimed, not giving up. "Just leave a shank alone, will ya?"

"Not when he's acting weird," Chuck grumbled. "C'mon, dude. Tell us what's-"

"Hey, guys, why don't we leave the two alone?" But when Alby proposed this, Gally's eyes almost lit-up with relief. "Hope needs to rest, and since Jeff and Clint are a little busy right now, Gally can look after her until she goes asleep. It's not like Hope's gonna do that with all of us in the room."

Frypan shrugged. "I see no problem with that."

"B-But I do!" Chuck protested with a pout. "I wanted to stay with Hope!"

"Pfft," Frypan snickered. "You'd just keep her up, buddy."

"Yeah, you wouldn't be able to keep your trap shut," Gally furthered, making Chuck glare at him.

"Shut up! And don't act like your reasons are innocent! I know you just wanna- Mph!"

"Yep. We're gonna go now," Alby beamed after placing a hand over Chuck's mouth. "C'ya later, Hope. Gally."

As Alby walked passed by Gally, the older boy showed the younger one a knowing wink. Alby's gesture could have meant so many things, but Gally knew right away what it was about - the thought made him almost throw up. Alby could be such a romantic sometimes. Regardless, when their fearless leader walked out, his loyal men followed behind shortly after. Siggy gave Hope a wave, while Chuck gave Hope a depressed goodbye. Although, those were the only two normal ones. Minho rushed out of the room without so much as glancing at Hope, and Newt slowly left the room without looking away from Hope.

They're all so different, Hope thought as she wiped away her last few tears. Very different.

Then, Gally and Hope's eyes met. He stood in the corner of the room, while Hope sat on her bed, silence surrounding them each. Though, for Hope, it wasn't an awkward silence. Not at all. She could tell that Gally needed time to collect himself, and she was perfectly fine with allowing him to do just that. Moreover, Hope wondered what truly was hiding behind his back.

"…Hey there, boy." Hope eventually turned her attention to Hugo lying beside her. She lifted her hand to softly pet behind his ear. "Where were you, huh? I missed you when I woke up."

Almost instantly, Hugo turned his head toward Gally. "Ruff!"

"Yeah, um… Hugo helped me find something," Gally murmured, prompting Hope to tilt her head in curiosity.

"Oh? Like what?"

"Like," Gally moved his hand out from behind his back, "these."

Hope's eyes widened, and she practically felt her heart stop. Within Gally's hand, were the exact same flowers that Hope had found the other week. Their fiery orange petals with a black and yellow center looked out-of-place within Hope's room because of how utterly beautiful they looked. But still, why would Gally…

"G-Gally, what…" Hope's eyes looked back up into Gally's. "What's this for?"

"It's for you," Gally said, glancing away embarrassingly. "I-I wanted to give you something, since… you haven't been feeling well. And, uh, to congratulate you on hitting that… tree."

"Oh, Gally…" Hope gushed. "You didn't need to…"

"I kinda did," Gally said and then hesitantly walked closer to her. Similarly, he reached out his hand holding the three flowers for Hope to take. "I saw how happy they made you that day, and I… I feel bad about letting you push yourself so hard. You've been pretty worried lately, haven't you?"

"That's…" Hope shook her head. "That's not your fault, Gally. That's-"

"Just take the shuckin' flowers and slim it!" Gally barked, causing Hope to immediately take them.

"O-Okay! I'm sorry! Thank you, Gally!"

"…Yeah, whatever," Gally grumbled while he swiftly put his hands into his pockets. "Just… get to sleep, Greenie. Your bow will be waiting for you when you wake up."

Hope sighed, but laid back in bed nonetheless. She pulled the blanket over her body and rested her head against the pillow, trying not to relish how amazing it felt to be in this position. How hard it was not to fall asleep. So, instead, Hope thought about the person staring down at her from above. Her drowsiness, plus her thankfulness, made Hope more honest than ever before.

"Y'know, at this point, I'd let you shoot me with my bow," Hope acknowledged with a small smile. "After all you've done for me, Gally, I'd let you shoot me a hundred times. You do so much for this place, and I'm so glad that you're a part of it. I… I respect you so much." Hope hugged her flowers to her chest, slowly closing her eyes. "I never want you… to… forget how… wonderful… you are…"

The girl then allowed herself to fall into a deep slumber, leaving Gally to stand over her completely flabbergasted. While Hope, on the other hand, merely dreamed another dream. Another dream that turned into another nightmare. But, this time, Hope allowed the negative voices to bombard her senses. She allowed the darkness to consume her. For Hope, this was her punishment for being such a burden. This was her way of trying to make amends.

Hope would have rather chosen torture… than to be a burden to those wonderful boys.

A/N: Alby the instigator. ;+)