flo was no stranger to being jolted awake by all manner of disasters, especially after three years surrounded by reckless boys, but she really didn't enjoy waking up to this interruption.
clint's hands pressed firmly against her shoulders, rousing her from a deep, dreamless nap that she desperately needed. that action in itself was upsetting, but what really sent her over the edge was the words that came out of his mouth next. "the girl's awake."
she had no qualms with the girl waking up—in fact, it was fantastic news—but she was simply exhausted. a groan escaped her mouth as it all pieced itself together, and with a frustrated huff, she pushed herself up, muttering complaints as she rose.
"i get one second to myself, and the world finds a way to ruin it. can't even take a nap in peace. this stupid place always needs me, always up my ass."
the atmosphere was tense, to put simply. clint stood stiffly, eyes cautious as he watched florence. when she finally gave herself a moment to look up and gaze at the boy, she recognized his expression—a mix of fear and apprehension. the one that screamed i have more to tell you, but i'm scared you'll bite off my head.
"what else?" she demanded.
clint's nervous grin was enough for her to confirm... she wasn't getting that nap back.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
florence told the boys to stop, to give the girl her space, but did they listen? why, of course not. why listen to common sense? it's just too on the nose, right?
she leaned against a tree, soaking in the shade while she watched the scene in front of her with an irritated gaze, paired with red puffy eyes due to lack of sleep. a horde of boys stood beneath the treehouse, wielding pots, lids, boards, anything as makeshift shields while the girl perched above them all. she had hell of an arm, though, based on the way she hurled random things down at them, so rapid and so angry that florence had to appreciate her dedication.
she almost wished she could join the girl.
a snort of amusement escaped her when an apple struck gally in the head, smile too difficult to keep down. or perhaps she was just too irritable to want to hide it.
"flo!" a voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned to look at thomas and minho jogging towards her. "florence!"
"look who decided to show up," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "we have quite the athlete." a quick gesture to the game at hand, and even minho had to suppress a laugh.
thomas looked as stony as ever.
"when did she wake up?" thomas asked, brows furrowed. curious, florence thought, but she pushed it into the back pocket of her mind.
she shrugged, helplessly. "i was asleep, got woken up like... fifteen minutes ago by clint? so a bit before that, i guess." florence looked back over as another piece of wood or what-have-you was chucked over the side. "but, it's been as chaotic as this since i got here."
thomas' face remained stoic, eyes taking in the sight while his brain slowly turned over his curious thoughts and wonders. "maybe i can help," he offered.
florence merely shrugged in response. "might as well try. she seemed to have... recognized you earlier. when she first woke up and all. maybe... maybe she still remembers?"
"it's worth a shot," minho agreed, echoing her shrug with his own.
with that, both boys began to walk forward, breaking into a light jog to join the commotion. for a moment or two, flo stared, weighing her options. should she join the fray? stay back and watch?
deep in her mind, she knew she'd sat back and watched for long enough, and though she really didn't want to, she might as well try and help.
with a groan, she pushed herself off the tree, joining minho and thomas without a second to spare.
when the trio finally arrived to join the rest of the glade, florence couldn't help but find herself impressed by the sheer number of throwable objects in the treehouse. flo ducked behind thomas as a potato flew at her, a small squeal escaping her throat. hearing newt's snort of amusement, she rolled her eyes and shot him a playful gesture.
"woah," thomas yelled, ducking another projectile. "woah, hey, hey," he tried to call outm though it was unlikely the girl could hear him over the noise.
then he yelled, "it's thomas!"
instantly, the objects stopped, and the crowd's murmurs of surprise and shock filled the silence. from the ground, right next to thomas, florence watched with furrowed brows as a face peeked over the treehouse edge—the same face she'd spent the past few hours watching as it slept, calm and peaceful. well, calm and peaceful no more, that much florence knew.
"alright, i'm gonna come up, okay?" thomas asked, trying to make the first move without provoking another attack.
when the girl only slid away from the edge, the barrage of thrown objects ceased—a silent form of permission. "okay," thomas sighed, voice tinged with fear. florence hid a smile.
"good luck, soldier," she whispered, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
as thomas began to make way towards the ladder, gally moved to follow. thomas stopped him with an arm. "just me," thomas insisted.
gally's skeptical look was met with florence's firm nod. "he's right, gally," she insisted, eyebrows raised in emphasis. gally relented, and thomas threw her a grateful look. she winked back, silently encouraging him.
with that, thomas began to climb up the ladder.
a few moments passed, thomas climbing and entering the treehouse, but once the boy safely made it to the top without being attacked by the mystery girl, florence let out a sigh of relief.
beside her, newt did the same. thomas made it, and now he had to handle this himself. "alright," newt sighed. "let's go."
florence nodded, turning with one last look at thomas and the girl, and began to fall in step with the rest of the boys.
"is this what all girls are like?" fry teased beside flo. she rolled her eyes, although a small smile graced her lips.
with a small shove, she rammed her shoulder right into his. "haha, so funny."
but, even as she walked with the boys, even as she found herself returning to her cot, she couldn't fall back asleep. for one thing, all she heard was the groans of alby, which was unsettling and honestly painful to hear. when one's friend is in pain, oneself is in pain, a common lesson in florence's world.
all she could think about was thomas and the girl, and she prayed that this actually meant something, prayed that this girl was the glade's saving grace.
prayed that this was the beginning of the end.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
thanks for reading! don't forget to leave a vote or comment of some kind.
i don't know if anyone has noticed, but i've started doing a more organized and consistent release schedule of every 4 days, but i might make it even shorter considering i have a BUNCH of prewritten chapters ready, and i'm almost done with the entire first movie! so, cheers to that.
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teenage wasteland ;; the maze runner
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