Her

Chapter Seven

"Hey!"
She heard a distant voice yelling at her.
"Hey! Get up!"
She felt someone jostle her and push her onto the ground. Her body ached as her eyes opened to see an angry Gally.
"What's your problem?" she said picking herself up off the ground.
"My problem? Lazy shuck-faces like you."
"You're such an exasperating prick. What do you even want from me, anyway?"
His face turned a subtle red and seemed taken aback. He spoke in a softer voice,
"Uh, Alby wants to see you..."
She left Gally stunned in his place and found Alby writing down harvest amounts.
"Did you need me?"
"Greenie! Yes, we're a couple hands down today, seems to be something going around. Anyhow, I need you to patch up the runners again when they get back."
"Alright. Actually, about the runners...I was wondering something."
"And what would that be, now?"
"I was thinking...that, maybe I could run the maze too?"
He looked up at her from his notebook and raised his brow,
"And just why now would you want to run the maze?"
"I don't know. I-I just have this urge to do it. Like it's in my blood...or something."
"I'll keep it in mind. But first you gotta prove yourself."
"How so?"
"I dunno. I just gotta know that you can think fast and well under pressure, good that? Once I know you can do that, I'll start to really consider making you a runner."
"Okay, yeah. I'm up for the challenge."
"Great, now get to work Greenie."
It had been almost four weeks since she arrived in the there, and Alby now had her working in the Bloodhouse, by far her least favorite place in the Glade, perhaps with the exception of anywhere near Gally.
By the end of her shift, she smelt of blood and flesh from her work. The most repulsing thing was the fact that she would have to do it all again tomorrow, and the day after that, and so forth for the next month or so.
She snuck away to the river before her next shift in the health center. She sat by the bank and ran her hands through the stream. She brought the cold water to her face and looked at her reflection. It was the first time since she was brought here that she'd actually really looked at herself. She remembered her vibrant eyes and her nose that she was not so particularly fond of, but she figured it wasn't the worst she had seen. Her hair hung down just long enough to skim the surface of the water she was gazing upon. Yes, it was all so familiar, but her name still remained absent.
The sudden appearance of Newt's face startled her. She turned to see him standing there with a soft smile. She had lost track of time.
"I didn't know the runners were back yet. I'm supposed to be—"
He interrupted,
"I know. I figured I'd find you before Alby got wind that you're late to your shift."
He didn't say or do any more. Newt just stood and stared as if in a trance, infatuated with the way his mind always seemed to blank when he looked at her.
"Is...something wrong?" she asked.
He snapped back into reality,
"Not at all. We better get going."
He extended his hand and helped her up. They walked back to the Homestead and she treated the runners as Newt told her about their day in the maze.
"There were an unbelievable amount of Grievers in there today. But we almost made it to the outer layer of the maze. There are these weird, giant blades sticking out of the ground, but we had to run back before we could figure out what they were for."
She looked up at Minho, whose leg she was wrapping a cloth around,
"What do you think they're for, Minho?"
"I dunno. But if I do know one thing, it's that the people that put us in here are cruel sons of bitches, so the blades most likely aren't to our advantage."
"So I, uh, asked Alby to become a runner today." she said earning both of the boys' full attention.
"Well...what did he say?" Newt questioned.
"He said I had to prove myself. He needs to know I can think well under pressure."
"Good luck with that. Alby is a tough one to please." Minho said before taking a sip of water.
"I also called Gally an exasperating prick today."
The water fell out of Minho's mouth as he bursted out laughing. Newt chuckled and asked her with a smirk,
"And how did he take that?"
"Well, he sure was quiet afterwards."
Minho contained himself and added,
"Damn, Greenie. You about made me piss my pants."
It wasn't long until the sun set and she settled into her hammock for the night. She saw Newt's reflection again, only this time, in the stars. Why couldn't she get Newt out of her head?
She fell asleep to the thought of his voice and his warm eyes. How kind and caring he was, while still remaining witty and wise. And the way he stared at her earlier that day...made her feel as if she hadn't existed before she met him.

               *Chapter Seven of Twenty-three*