His Little Distraction ✔️

7

We returned to the Glade with the strange stares of the other teenage boys.

Gally, who had been watching me from afar, suddenly appeared beside us.

"Is she injured?" he asked, slightly concerned.

Minho shook his head quickly, "she's just tired. I'll take her to a shadier place. Could someone fetch some water for her?"

One of the Gladers answered the call and quickly ran towards the kitchen.

Minho placed me under a big, shady tree. For some reason, Gally was still trailing behind us.

I thanked Minho for carrying me this far, "thank you, Minho. I thought you were the type to just go and call someone else."

Minho snorted, "I thought so too. I guess the Runner's job isn't suitable for you. It's not that you can't run fast, it's just that your body's endurance isn't enough, and you're more suited for short-distance running. Something like a marathon would kill you. You also don't observe your surroundings when you're running, because you can't divide your focus, you might end up tripping."

I nodded in agreement. This time, I had enough running.

Gally, who had been standing beside me the whole time, simply observed and listened to our conversation.

"What's up?" I asked when I noticed him frowning.

"Nothing. I'll just go back to work then," he said, excusing himself.

Minho grumbled at his cold demeanor, "what's with him? He comes and goes as he pleases. He doesn't even say anything."

I just shrugged, "I don't know."

That night was the first time I touched water again and washed my body.

I don't remember if I had bathed when they sent me to the Glade. But I had a feeling from its smell that I hadn't showered for at least three days.

Am I this sensitive to smell? Not really. But faintly, there's a memory attached to my sense of smell.

And again, I had to adapt to this. In the Glade, even though there was plenty of drinking water supply, and enough water for all the Gladers to bathe, the fact was they only bathed at least once a day. I even heard some skip their bathing schedule for up to two days.

Is that normal in this situation? Or just teenage boys?

But I am aware of how they work. After waking up they had breakfast, then rushed to their respective jobs until noon for a lunch break, after which they would continue working until the afternoon.

Only then did they have at least an hour free before dinner, and naturally that was the best time to bathe.

After all the sweat they produce, water will cure their fatigue.

The sound of a twig breaking woke me from my reverie. I immediately took my shirt and put it on, even though it made me soaked. Then I opened the window loudly shouting, "who's there?!"

There was the sound of footsteps running away. Someone just peeked at me. No, from the sound of the footsteps there were at least two people.

My head stuck out and I swiftly jumped from the window. Even with bare feet, I ran towards the sound of them running away.

Like Minho said, I'm not slow, but just my endurance that can't keep up.

The time between when I got out of the window and when they ran away was only a fraction of a second. Even though they are men doesn't mean they are faster than me.

I caught up. But from behind I couldn't recognize who they were, but I also didn't know anyone yet in this Glade.

With just a few wide jumps, I kicked one of them down, leaving him on the ground and continuing to lunge at the other man.

I violently kicked him in the stomach when he tried to turn against me. When his guard dropped due to the pain, I moved quickly, pulled his right arm back, then my body spun around, I dropped him on both knees, making him scream loudly.

Then, with my left hand, which had been holding a knife, I pointed it at this man's neck.

I don't know when they all gathered, maybe since my first scream in the bathroom. The crowd of Gladers who were running towards suddenly stopped when a flashlight was pointed at me.

The bright lights that suddenly attacked my eyes made me close them instantly. The knife is still at the man's neck.

Then I heard the command to turn off the flashlight and those carrying torches walked over.

My eyes opened slightly, seeing Alby leading the troops who approached me with his torch.

"What happened?" he asked warily. His eyes glanced at my knife. "Firstly, can you drop your knife, Riley?"

Now they know my name. Minho was the first to spread it at dinner.

I sarcastically answered, "Why should I be so kind as to let this peeping Tom go?"

Alby looked surprised to hear my words, "he peeked at you?"

I confirmed his question, "they, there were two people peeking at me. I kicked one of them before I caught this man."

The Gladers looked at each other, confused about who the other guy is.

I answered the confusion, "I'm sure I left a dirt stain with the soles of my bare feet right on his back. If you look for it you will definitely find it, there's no way the stain can just disappear."

One of the Gladers screamed in confirmation, "found him!"

The man tried to run, but someone immediately grabbed his collar and he fell backwards.

"How dare you, making the Glade  dirty with such sins?!" he growled angrily.

"Gally, slimit," Newt asked coming over.

"Shut up, shuck face. I will punish them for the crimes they committed," Gally replied in a fierce voice.

"Gally!" Alby shouted, making Gally look away. "You don't have the right to punish as you please. For now, we'll put them in the pit, and the next day let's decide together what punishment they deserve."

Gally snorted, "Your attitude is too soft as a leader. You should be more firm!"

Alby straightened his back, "I have said this, and you must obey it."

"But I wanted to kill him," I interrupted, which made all heads turn in my direction.

Terror, perhaps is the only appropriate word to describe what they are feeling right now.

Although I don't see what causes that feeling to arise in them.