Left Behind -Gally-

Chapter 20

Another week had gone by in the Glade. It seemed, after many months, the Glade was beginning to feel like an actual home. It had always been home. The only home she knew because her memories were gone, but it was starting to feel that way.

Emma knew it wasn't her actual home. Simply a place she was put. But she was stuck here, and viewing the Glade negatively wasn't doing her much good.

The change had begun a few weeks ago. Around the same time, her friendship with Gally began. Deep down, she knew there was a correlation. The comments Newt had made a week ago echoed in her mind. Emma liked Gally. She had from the start, even when he hated her. Emma had always been enamored by the Keeper of the Builders. Now that they were officially friends, it was worse. Constantly, her eyes found him in the Glade. It didn't matter where he was. She always found him. Occasionally, their eyes would lock. She'd flash him her signature smile, and his cheeks would flush as he faintly smiled back.

At first, she denied her feelings. They were friends. That was it.

But after a few days, Emma began to believe that Newt might be right. It terrified her at first. She refused to believe it. Feelings? In the Glade? It wasn't something fathomable on her behalf. Emma couldn't afford to focus on her feelings.

So, she did the next logical thing. She buried them. She buried them deep in her mind, in the shadows, never to be found. It worked, for a bit, but anytime she was around the Builder, which had become more frequent with each passing day, the nagging of her emotions returned.

Newt said her mind tended to wander. Emma hated that he was right. She took more active steps to ignore her thoughts. She worked harder. Spent more time with Chuck, showing him the ins and outs of the Glade. Helped wherever she could—mostly helping Frypan cut vegetables twice as fast.

However, sleep was still hard. It didn't matter how tired her body was. The thoughts inside her mind constantly raced. Tonight, like every other night, was hard. Emma typically liked to sit on top of the tree hut, but Gally started joining her.

Emma wasn't avoiding him. She wouldn't do that. She enjoyed spending time with him. However, she wanted time to organize her thoughts. Once they were buried for good, being around him would be easier.

In front of her was the wall of names. There were many names, hers included. Hers was carved under Newts. At the time, she felt close to him. Now, it was silly. A few names were crossed out. She had always wondered what had happened to them, but nobody ever told her. Most of their bodies were buried in the woods. Emma had never been brave enough to find the markers.

"Hey," Gally's voice tore Emma from her thoughts. Quickly, she spun around. The taller man had his hands stuffed in his front pockets. There appeared to be a nervous expression on his face.

"Hey," she greeted.

"What are you doing over here?"

Emma glanced at the wall, not knowing how to explain her thoughts. "Not sure, actually. I just sort of ended up here." It was easier than explaining the spiral of thoughts inside her mind. Although, Gally had proven to be an excellent listener. He often listened to her never-ending rambles on top of the tree hut. "What are you doing here? You never venture this far out at night." Emma had picked up on Gally's typical routine.

Before they became friends, he stuck to his work. He worked late, even after dinner. Then he would report to Alby before heading to the showers and then to his room. Now, he would shower in the morning in order to spend his extra time at night sitting in the tree hut with her.

It wasn't a big deal. A simple adjustment to his day, but it meant more to her than Gally realized. It meant more to her than it should.

"Yeah, I-" he stopped himself. Emma raised an eyebrow curiously. It was dark out, but she noted his flushed cheeks. The tips of his ears were red. "You weren't-" another paused, but Emma knew what he was trying to say.