Left Behind -Gally-

Chapter 2

Emma wiped the sweat off her forehead, a sigh escaping. The sun was high in the sky with no clouds to bring them any shade. She hated working outside more than anything. It wasn't enjoyable. The only benefit was the friends she had made.

Pushing off her hands, she sat on her knees. "You all right, Greenie?"

"Yeah," she responded to Newt. "Hot, but fine."

He nodded in understanding. "Go get some water."

Not needing to be told twice, she stood up. Dusting her hands on her pants, she walked toward the kitchens. It was still early in the morning. Lunch wasn't for another hour at best. Normally, it was around the same time every day. Frypan would ring the bell, and people would filter in and out whenever they were able to take a break from their work.

It was easy to adapt to the ways of the Glade. Things worked perfectly. There were three rules. Rule one, never go outside the Maze doors. Only Runners were allowed to leave. Rule two, never hurt another Glader. And rule three, everyone has to do their part. Each rule was important. It was what kept the Glade stable.

There were rules for a reason. If a rule was broken, the punishment varied. Slackers seemed to be thrown in the Pit. That had happened twice since she arrived. Usually, a night in the Pit was all someone needed. However, the other rules were different. The punishment for going into the Maze would, most likely, result in a few days in the Pit. That hadn't happened in a long time.

But hurting another Glader resulted in Banishment. There had to be trust in the Glade. Without it, everything would fall apart. Being Banished meant a Glader was sent into the Maze as the doors closed, locking them in the Maze for the night. In other words, it meant death. Nobody survived a night in the Glade.

Emma had asked about previous Banishments. The wall of names had a few crossed out. She wondered what happened to them, but nobody ever wanted to talk about it. So, she never pushed. One day, she hoped someone would tell her about everything that had happened before, but something told her that would never happen.

For now, she would remain curious.

Emma approached the water station, which was a pipe with a wooden handle that water came from. There was someone there already. It was Gally. Her steps faltered for a moment. Part of her wanted to turn around and wait behind a tree until he finished. The other part was eager to talk to him. As much as he hated and avoided her, Emma was drawn to him. Her eagerness to befriend him was something she didn't entirely understand.

"Hey, Gally," she greeted. His shoulders tensed as he filled his water jar. He kept his back to her, remaining entirely silent. Emma bit her lip, wracking her mind for something to say. "I saw your picnic tables. They look really good. I'm sure the Gladers will appreciate some new tables." Nothing. Gally said nothing. The tall, blond boy turned off the water. With a full jar, he turned around and walked past her. "Okay, bye." Emma watched him walk away, shoulders slumping in defeat. Gally walked toward the Builders station, never once looking back at her. It was as if she didn't exist.

Shaking her head, she began filling a glass with water. "Hey, Greenie, you good?" Looking over her shoulder, she noticed Frypan leaning out the kitchen door. "You look down."

"I'm fine," she promised. "Just thinking."

"Hm," he didn't believe her. "Thinking about how Gally's giving you the cold shoulder?"

Turning off the water, she stood straighter. "You heard that?"

"Oh yeah," he confirmed. "Not the first time either. Surprised you're still trying."

Emma walked around the front of the makeshift kitchen, leaning on the wood. Frypan moved back, returning to cutting vegetables. "I just don't like being unliked." It bothered her. She had done nothing to upset him. "And I didn't even do anything."

"You're a girl. Reason enough."

She playfully glared at him. Emma and Frypan were sort of friends. They spoke during the day whenever she came to get water. He was nice and incredibly friendly. Because they worked in different areas during the day, it made talking hard. This was the only time they could converse. "Well, it's stupid."

That caused him to laugh. "Gally's a tough one, but he'll crack. He'll realize soon that you're not a Creator."

Emma froze, eyebrows raising. "He thinks I'm a Creator?"

Frypan realized what he said and attempted to backtrack. "He did. I think he's moved on from that theory now." She kept staring at him. "Gally's all types of complicated. Doesn't trust easily, but he'll come around. Give him some time to realize you're just like the rest of us."

That didn't bring her much comfort. How much time did Gally need? Why did he think she was a Creator? That theory was insane. "Yeah, you're right." But that didn't mean she wasn't going to try and be his friend. "Thanks, Fry. I'll see you later."

"Good that," he said. "Lunch'll be ready soon." Emma nodded. Without saying anything else, she turned on her heel and walked back toward the Gardens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Newt, Zart, and Emma walked through the Glade together. They were done in the Gardens with nothing to do before dinner. A few others were doing the same, but most were still working. Among those were the Builders, who always worked late, never finishing until the sun started to set. That was because of Gally. He didn't like slackers and always worked harder than everyone else.

Emma admired that work ethic. The Builders always got work done and helped out wherever was needed. It was honorable. Something she couldn't do because working outside under the heat of the sun was too much. After a few hours, she needed to rest. The Track-hoes and Gardeners she worked with were the same way. There also wasn't too much work.

Her eyes find Gally and Alby as they spoke in the middle of Glade, pointing at a pile of wood. "What's with the wood pile?" Emma had noticed it a few days prior. Gladers were tossing chunks of wood or dead branches into a pile.

Zart followed her gaze. "It's for the bonfire."

"Bonfire?" Emma didn't understand. "What bonfire?"

Newt was puzzled. "Nobody told you?"

That seemed obvious. "No. Told me what?"

"Every month, we have a bonfire for the new Greenie," he explained. "It's the one night we get to relax and have fun." This was the first she had heard about it.

"Helps them relax," Zart added.

"Frypan cooks a lot of chicken. It's always better, for some reason." She listened closely. "We drink Gally's secret recipe-"

"And watch as he challenges others in the fighting ring. He always wins." That wasn't surprising. Gally was strong, bigger than a lot of the others.

Emma nodded. "That sounds fun." It was true. A bonfire did sound fun. "Why didn't I get one?"

Newt thought about his words carefully. "We planned one, but you're arrival was," he paused, "surprising." None of them were expecting a girl to show up in the Glade. "There was a lot of debate and uncertainty-"

"And fear," Zart added.

Newt glared at him. That wasn't a word he wanted to use. "Alby thought a bonfire would be too much."

"Oh," Emma muttered. "I'm sorry." She hadn't meant to ruin it. It sounded like it was the only time they could unwind.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault." Newt patted her shoulder. "It worked out all right, didn't it?" It had worked out. "Bonfires in three days. It's fun. You'll like it."

She smiled at him, growing excited. "I can't wait."