This Conspiracy

Chapter 37

Author stuff: What's this? Do my eyes deceive me? An Adne POV chapter again?

Oo-de-lally! Let's dive in, shall we?

Also, a month has passed since the last chapter. Because everything needs to move forward.

Trigger warning, a brief mention of blood. Death.

Chapter 37

In Which There Is A Lengthy Girl Talk Session And Adne Runs The Maze

Adne was unusually flexible. She learned that within the first week of being in the Glade – first two days, actually. She'd been stretching in her and Flossy's room, her roommate watching on in horror as she contorted in odd ways that felt comfortable as her muscles were stretched.

It was starting to feel cramped in their little room with three of them. Especially after being kept in the Med-hut the past few days.

Verena slept on the floor, not wishing to sleep in a hammock – or hanging coffins, as she called them with her hand signs — sign language as Flossy and Clint called it. Adne was much better at it than Flossy was. She and Flossy made up a little space of spare blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags in one of the empty corners.

She could feel Verena's eyes on her, burning holes in the back of her head, while she stretched. It was... unsettling, to say the least. As it had been for the two months the girl had been with them.

"Could you not?" she said. Verena whistled as she rolled from her back to her stomach. Adne straightened up, rolling her eyes. "Fine. I'm done stretching anyway."

Flossy strode back in, hair wrapped in a towel and dressed in her pajamas. She looked over to her two roommates.

"Hey," she said, "anything wrong?"

"Oh, thank you, great Keeper of the Girlies," Adne said. Okay, teasing Flossy about so readily agreeing to her new role was amusing, and she could do it all day, but she had other matters that needed to be handled. "Verena's watching me again. Can you get her to stop?"

"Vee, stop staring at Adne."

Verena heaved a great sigh, moving to stand next to Adne. She reached up and brushed Adne's hair – tried to, actually. Adne slapped her hands away.

"Don't touch me," she said.

Verena pouted, looking at Flossy. She made several signs, but Flossy didn't understand them. Adne turned away, not wanting to know what she had to say.

"She's pathetic," Adne said. "How does Zart stand her being in the Gardens all day long?"

"She doesn't say anything to him so he doesn't really care," Flossy said, shrugging. "How was the Maze today?"

"So exciting. I ran so far away from the Glade. The walls were really high. Lots of vines. Had lunch. More high walls and vines. And running. Lots and lots and lots and lots of running."

Flossy hummed, patting Verena's head and combing her hands through her hair, braiding it.

"Alright, it's bedtime, Vee." Flossy untangled her fingers from the orange-y coppery strands. Verena curled up readily, watching the other girls as they finished up their nightly routine. "How do you do it? Running around like that every day. Don't know how you can handle it."

"Don't know how I do either," Adne said, lying down in her own hammock. "I just do it. It's like... It's kind of like breathing. I just can't not do it. You know?"

"Kind of."

"Kind of?"

"Yeah, kind of."

Adne snorted and rocked herself while she fiddled with the chain around her neck – the one she hadn't allowed anyone to see. She looked over to Flossy, who was drying her hair with the towel.