Left Behind -Gally-

Chapter 24

Emma slammed the machete into the weeds before pulling the plant out of the ground and tossing it on the pile. Newt watched her out of the corner of his eye. She pretended not to notice, but she did. It had been like that for a while, and it was starting to annoy her.

But she didn't plan on saying anything. If Newt wanted to talk, he knew how.

"Hey, guys," Zart's voice called out.

Emma looked up and noticed Ben and Minho running past them, having finished in the Maze for the day. "Hey," Minho waved as he passed. "How are my favorite Gardeners?"

"I'm a Track-Hoe," Zart said.

"Not a Gardener," Newt said.

"Good," Emma said. The three had spoken at the same time. Ben snorted, shaking his head.

"Same thing, really," Minho responded. "Maybe we should call you the providers of the food."

"Bit of a mouth full, isn't it?" The Keeper of the Runners shrugged in response, following Ben toward the Map hut in the woods. Once he was out of earshot, Newt spoke again. "What a Shucking idiot, that one."

Emma laughed, agreeing with him. Minho was a bit strange, but in a good way. He always knew how to make people laugh. "Okay, I think we're good for the day," Zart said. "Gonna leave Alex to finish up. Shank's been slacking lately. Needs to earn his keep." From his spot on the ground, Alex huffed but didn't object.

Emma was fine with that. She was exhausted after work and wanted to relax before dinner. "Sounds good to me." The dark-haired girl stood up, wiping her hands on her pants. "I'll see you sorry Shanks later."

"Where are you going?" Newt was curious.

She waved the machete in the air. "I need to return this to Gally." His rule for her borrowing his tools was that she had to return them the moment she finished.

The blond man crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "You borrowed his machete again? You know we have some here."

A tint of red crept onto her cheeks at being called out so bluntly. "Well, his is better." It was a weak excuse.

"Mhm, sure." Newt didn't believe her for a second. "Go on. I won't stop you."

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "Stop it."

He threw his arms out. "I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, but you've got that look in your eye."

"What look?"

"One that I hate."

Newt snorted. "Go on."

Emma waved her hand dismissively at him. Without bidding him farewell, she turned on her heel and walked toward the Builder's hut. A place she found herself visiting multiple times a day. Gally was almost always there. If he wasn't, it was because he was fixing something elsewhere.

Once her eyes find the tall, muscular man, she feels the day's stress melt off her. It was amazing the effect the man had on her without even trying. Emma held the machete behind her, a faint smile on her face. "Captain Gally, hard at work." There was a teasing tone in her voice.

Gally smiled before he even looked at her. The tension in his shoulders eased. "Glader Girl, not hard at work and bothering me, again."

Her face scrunched at his words, almost offended. "Bothering you? Here I thought you enjoyed my company."

The dirty-blond Builder spun around, leaning his body weight on the table. "I do." Emma beamed at him, biting her bottom lip. "What can I do for you?"

She moved the machete from behind her back. "Returning your precious machete. I know how protective you are over it." Gally was very protective over his personal tools. He never let anyone use them. Or anyone but Emma, who he let use whatever she needed whenever she asked.