The boy with the accent

Chapter 6

  I adjusted the sleeves of my work shirt as I stumbled out the doorway of my room. Alby's leaning against the wall right outside with his arms crossed and his foot against the wall.

"Oh! Geez, you scared me," I laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're real nervous. How's your little boyfriend, Greenie?" he wiggled his eyebrows and I scoffed.

"What's my job for today?" I said, changing the subject. His smirk vanished as he began walking down the hall towards the kitchen.

"You'll be trying out with the Track-hoes today," he said. I remembered Newt saying they were like gardeners. A buzzing feeling flushed through my nerves as an image of vibrant, but fading colors of plants and straw hats cascading shade upon a blank face flashed through my head. Ripped gardening gloves dug deep into rich soil as the figure crouched on the ground. Echoes of laughter sounded through my ears. The image and sensation vanished as soon at it came and suddenly I couldn't remember what it even was of. My ears began to ring a piercing tone in my brain. "Y/N! Are you even listening?!" Alby snapped in my face. And the ringing vanished.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Alby I didn't hear you," I said sheepishly. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"As I was saying, you'll be sticking with Zart today. He's the keeper of the Track-hoes. He'll teach you what you need to do for today," he said with annoyance laced in his voice. I felt bad for making him repeat himself.

We arrived in the kitchen with other boys bustling amongst themselves. Some were yelling, some arm wrestling, some just spacing out. Frypan served everyone their breakfast and people made their way outside and off to their jobs.

Alby led me towards The Gardens.

Zart was watering a big oak tree when he lifted his gaze and smiled at us. He put down his can of water and came over.

"Hey Greenie! You with me today?" He asked cheerfully. I nodded. I was pretty excited for today. This seemed like a fun job.

Long after Alby had gone on his way, I sat with Zart in front of a ten-foot long soil bin. I had a bag of seeds and water next to me. Little sensations and images would flash through my mind occasionally full of vibrant colors with blank and blurry faces and voices. Memories with empty people.

"Alright, so dig a two inch hole with your finger, plop a seed in, and bury it," he explained. I quickly complied, following his orders. "Now take this water can and pour enough so that the soil is damp but not too much," he said. I could see his hands moving ever so slightly as if he wanted to do it himself.

I finished my first seed and turned to him. "Great. Now do that fifteen more times," he gazed towards the rest of the ten-foot long bin. My face dropped. He laughed and punched my arm lightly. "G'luck Greenie," and with that he stood up and ran off.

(unfinished)

As I was patting dirt to bury the last seed, someone grabbed my shoulders firmly and shouted, "BOO!" right in my ear. I turned around quickly and laughed when I saw who it was. Newt stood there with a dorky smile on his face. "This suits you, ya know," he laughed as he crouched next to me. He held up a bottle of water and held it in front of me. I took it and drank it until it was empty. I hadn't realized how hot it felt outside. "Woah, don't choke" he teased.

"I actually don't mind this job. It's not so bad," I said as I looked over my sixteen planted seeds.

Just as I had pushed myself to my feet, Zart came jogging over and looked over my work. He tugged off one of his worn gloves and patted the damp dirt atop my seeds to see how I did. "You watered them perfectly," he said with a surprised look creeping across his face, "I'm impressed."

I smiled proudly. "Why, thank you," I said with a dramatic curtsy.

"Just don't come for my throne as Keeper," he winked jokingly. I laughed.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I said sarcastically.

As soon as I turned, Newt's arms were suddenly around me as he swung me over his shoulder. I yelped with surprise as he ginned. "It's lunch time," he said with a laugh as he carried me all the way back to the Homestead.

"Newt!!!" I yelled while smiling. "What happened to that limp?" I ask jokingly.

We were laughing hysterically as we pushed open the door and made our way into the kitchen. About twenty boys stopped their chatter and turned to look at us like deer in headlights. We stopped laughing and Newt put me down slowly.

"Hey.. guys," I laughed nervously. "Nothing to see here," I had my hands up in a 'I surrender' gesture. Newt was rubbing the back of his neck with one hand as his face was tinted pink. Several 'Oooooh's' came from a few of the boys. We walked over to the counter pretending they didn't just see that and carried on.

As the conversations and arm wrestles began to resume, Newt and I eyed each other and we were cracking up as we tried to stop laughing and eat quickly before returning to work.