Left Behind -Gally-

Chapter 23

The next few days went by without incident, and Emma made sure of it. She woke up, worked, ate lunch, worked, ate dinner, showered, and sat in her room until she was tired enough to sleep. It wasn't ideal, but it worked. Truthfully, she didn't have the energy for anything more. Newt stayed by her side as much as he could, and Emma was thankful for it.

It was fine, for a while. She didn't mind his presence, but she found herself missing Gally. They hadn't had one of their late-night talks in days. Hadn't had a conversation that lasted longer than a minute in days. It was her fault. Emma knew that. She was pushing everyone away and had no idea how to stop herself from doing it. Whenever she felt comfortable, the words Jordan spoke would re-emerge from the shadows of her mind, and she would remember why she was scared all over again.

The last few days had been going fine. For a moment, Emma thought everything could go back to normal.

The sun was setting under the Maze walls. The sky was dark blue with streaks of purple. A color that wasn't overly common but always appreciated. Newt and Emma ate in the Med-Jack hut with Clint, who was fixing a cut on Minho's hand from where he tripped in the Maze and scraped it on the wall trying to catch himself.

The night was going well until Alby called Newt to the Gathering hut, needing to talk to him about something. Minho and Clint had been asked to tag along, but Emma wasn't allowed. She wasn't needed. When they left, she was alone.

For the first time in days, Emma found herself alone outside of her room. She felt vulnerable, and it unnerved her. Realistically, she knew nothing would happen. Emma had simply built up the fear inside her mind, and it was taking over every bit of rational sense she had.

But that's how fear worked, right? It was irrational. Emma walked out of the Med-Jack hut in a haste. She had one goal in mind, to go back to her room. It seemed simple enough.

It wasn't.

As soon as the Homestead was in eyesight, she caught sight of a few people outside. Jordan being one of them. Emma immediately froze. The grip he had on her was almost comical. Jordan hadn't even done anything. He didn't even see her, yet she was overcome with fear.

Emma, without thinking, turned on her heel and walked in the opposite direction. She walked, and walked, and walked before realizing that she was no longer walking but climbing the ladder to the tree hut. Everything felt distant, like she wasn't in control of her actions.

Making it to the top, she sat on the edge. Emma brought her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knee. Wrapping her arms around herself, she felt small. Instantly, her eyes went to Jordan. From here, she could see him. She knew where he was, and that made her feel safe. Up here, she felt untouchable.

Then, the doubt started. What if Jordan cornered her up here? He could push her, say it was an accident. Everyone would believe him. Emma was known to be clumsy. It would be easier to believe than Jordan killing her.

But Jordan hadn't said he wanted to kill her, had he? Sure, he threatened her, but that could mean anything. Maybe Emma was worsening the situation inside her mind. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding. Jordan had been in the Glade for years without incident. Why would he randomly get violent with her? It didn't make sense.

However, Emma was the first girl. Could that have something to do with it? Did Jordan hate that she was a girl? Or did he hate that she didn't like him? There were endless possibilities, and none of them made any sense.

"Hey," a voice said. Emma jumped nearly a foot in the air at the voice. Whipping her head to the side, she felt relief surge through her system at the sight of Gally. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Thought you heard me." He must have been making noise purposely, considering he always moved rather quietly.