This Conspiracy

Chapter 36

Author stuff: Surprise! Another update this week!

We're over half way through book 1, most of the way through part 2, and there's still a lot of secrets to uncover.

Chapter 36

In Which The New Girlie Gives Her Name. Sort Of.

She was in that white world again, the one that smelled of death and sterility. The one she knew she hated and didn't know why. Well, she did – mostly because there was no green or life to be seen – but there were other underlying reasons she couldn't place.

She was young, she knew that, and she was holding the hand of a tall, olive skinned man who felt familiar to her. She tucked herself behind him, hoping that he would protect her from whatever was out there.

"It's alright," he said, a laugh in his voice. It was warm and deep and it settled on her shoulders like a favorite blanket. "I think you'll like it out here."

"But what about the monsters?" she said, looking around frantically.

"The monsters can't get you here. This is a safe place."

"Are you sure?"

"Absotively, posilutely."

He opened the door, and she was overtaken by warm, white light.

. . .

She had been summoned by Nick in the middle of breakfast – on bedrest in the Med-hut, mind – to go with him and Alby to get any information from the new girl. If they could.

She didn't seem to like the boys too much.

Flossy quickly braided her hair as she trailed after Alby to the Slammer. She knew that Clint and Jeff had had quite the time trying to bandage the girl's head from where she'd been hit by the shovel. She wasn't quite sure what she was walking into.

The silence from the Slammer was... promising.

"You realize," Alby said, "that every single one of you Girlies have spent some time in the Slammer."

"At least my time was for visiting Newt," she said.

He looked back at her, frowning.

"What do you know?"

"Just what Newt tells me. I just want him to be happy."

"Do you think he's happy? With me? With... this?"

"No, he's not. That's why I think you two need to have a talk."

"And we're done."

"What?" she said. "Don't feel like having a heart to heart? Or are you missing something that would make that possible?"

"Watch it, Girlie." He halted and jabbed a finger in her face, tapping her nose.

"Come on, Alby," she said, gently lowering his hand. She knew full well that he actually wouldn't hurt her. "I know Newt means a lot to you. Just... sit and talk with him about it some time, yeah? It doesn't have to be any time soon, just eventually."

He shook his head and continued on to the Slammer, leaving her to catch up. When she finally reached his side, it was because he was glaring at the cell door with Nick.

"Think you can get close enough to talk to her?" Nick said, gesturing to where the new girl was hiding in shadows. She had a familiar sense of deja vu.

"Depends on how close she'll let me," she said. She took tentative steps forward, calling out to the girl before she reached the door. "Hey, you still in there? It's okay. My name's Flossy. Why don't you come a little closer so that we can talk?"