𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐄

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋

IT'S BEEN a month since I arrived at the Glade. The boys and I got along well. Newt and I worked tirelessly, and Chuck and I bonded over our love of crafting. Chuck was the one who woke me up today, mentioning something along the lines of, "The new greenie is coming." It would be the first greenie arrival I'd see, and it's safe to say I was curious, anticipating what it'd be like.

I pushed through the cluster of male shoulders as the alarm blared repeatedly and the boys crowded around the box. I winced as the blaring swarmed my thoughts and stood in place in turmoil. My head was pounding, and my eyes were squinted shut as I tried to ease into the painful blaring. I still wasn't used to loud clamoring, but it was better than before. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, finding myself facing the box. It was weird. Just a month ago, that was me arriving at the Glade. Just a month ago, it was me inside the box, scared of what was going on, wondering what I did to deserve this. Just a month ago, I was the greenie.

I released my breath and swallowed hard, ignoring the sting in the back of my eyes. It was not the time to relive my memories. It wasn't, and I wouldn't. I had to be there for the new greenie like Chuck was for me. My eyes blinked repeatedly as I felt them dry to where I was left with only the sting. I could hear the box approaching the surface, and the blaring began to tune out in the back of my mind. I was focused on the arrival and the commotion of the box until it stopped.

My breath hitched as I watched the others move closer to the box, standing over the borders to either get a better look or help the greenie. Would it be another girl like me? Would it be a male, like it was supposed to be? Were there going to be more errors? Questions flooded my mind as the tension in the atmosphere arose. There was a loud clank that rang throughout the Glade, causing friction in the field. I could feel my feet vibrate in correlation to the ground, and I knew that the box had opened.

Several shoulders bumped into mine as they passed by me toward the box. But I just stood. I was stuck in place, and I couldn't. I couldn't move. I couldn't move and walk up to the box to help out with getting the greenie situated. I was helpless, like a porcelain doll. I could hear voices but not their words. I was just there, in the midst of a moving crowd, all headed in the same direction. My eyes began to flicker around, searching for something, someone, to calm me down.

"Pull up the doors!" I heard a clear—no, Newt's—voice. I searched rapidly for him amidst the boys in an array of desaturated clothes. I searched for his light hoodie and found him standing next to Gally. He was pulling up the doors with the others before resuming his original spot. I stood and took shallow breaths as the sun blared onto his back, as he watched Gally jump down into the box.

I felt myself starting to near Newt until a figure was thrown in front of my feet. I yelped as my reflexes stepped in and I jumped back. I saw myself on the floor, scared of where I was. But it wasn't me. No, it was the new greenie. I could see myself in him. I could hear my thoughts from a month ago. He was as scared as I was. My eyebrows subconsciously furrowed as I observed the boy in his manic manner. He was confused, and I was sure it wasn't helping that Gally and the others were towering over him, kicking him. He began scooting back into the grass, desperately attempting to escape the multitude of teenage boys, the majority speaking nonsense to him.