The First Runner

Why can't people just do what they're told?

I woke up the next morning as early as I usually do and stretched. Thankfully I had a bit of a break, almost like my day off. I got up and pulled on a pair of short and a tank top.

After getting dressed and lacing up my boots, I headed to the kitchen where Alec was already bustling around, preparing breakfast. The smell of fresh bread and scrambled eggs filled the air, making my stomach growl.

"Morning, Jess," Alec greeted with a smile. "How'd you sleep?" He said pouring me a cup of coffee and sliding it across the counter and into my hands.

"Not too bad," I replied, taking a sip of the coffee. "You?"

"Could've been better," Alec said with a shrug. "But we've got a lot to do today."

I nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. The influx of new Greenies meant we had to get everyone settled and assigned to jobs. It was going to be a long day.

There was a knock on the door, and I answered it with a raised eyebrow. Standing in the doorway was one of the Greenies I was lucky enough to meet last night.

"Hey, Siggy. What can I do for you?" I asked, leaning against the door and taking another sip of my coffee.

"Hey, Jess. I was just wondering if I could help out with breakfast," Siggy replied.

"Hell yeah, you can, man," Alec called from the kitchen, and I moved out of the way to let Siggy in.

"Thanks," Siggy said with a smile as he entered the kitchen. He quickly got to work, helping Alec with the preparations.

Siggy was a natural and before I knew it there was a full feast prepared for the army of boys, none of which had shown their faces yet.  

"I forget that you're usually the only early riser," Alec chuckled pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Yeah," I said waiting a minute, "Ok I'll go wake the sleeping beauties," 

I headed out of the kitchen, coffee still in hand, and made my way into the Homestead first, where Nick, Alby, and Leo were standing downstairs talking.

"Morning," I greeted, "Breakfast's ready."

"Thanks," Alby said, heading out of the Homestead, the others following close behind. I then made my way upstairs and started knocking on doors.

"Rise and shine, everyone! Breakfast is ready!" I called out, knocking on each door as I passed.

There were groans and murmurs from behind the doors, but soon enough, the sounds of shuffling and yawning filled the hallway. One by one, the boys emerged, bleary-eyed but drawn by the promise of food.

I reached the last door and gave it a firm knock. "Come on, sleepyhead. Time to get up!"

The door creaked open, and Newt appeared, rubbing his eyes. "Morning, Jess," he said with a sleepy smile.

"Morning, Newt. Breakfast is waiting, so let's get going," I replied, giving him an encouraging nod.

"Minho! If you don't get up I'm coming in there!" I shouted banging on his door. I heard a groan and the sound of movement and Minho appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning," I said with a smile, then headed outside to the sheltered area where the rest of the boys were sleeping.

The sheltered area was filled with hammocks and sleeping bags, a mix of snores and sleepy murmurs filling the air. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the task ahead.

"Alright, everyone! Time to get up! Breakfast is ready!" I called out, moving through the area and nudging a few boys gently to wake them.

There were groans and complaints, but slowly, they began to stir. One by one, the boys rubbed their eyes and stretched, reluctantly getting out of their hammocks and sleeping bags.