Strange Atmosphere | Aris Jones [1]

11 || A Beacon of Hope

I didn't get any sleep that night. Claire's loud screams and pleas were stuck in my mind, playing over and over again until I finally shot up from my hammock the next morning, panting and sweating. I looked around and saw that everyone was still fast asleep. I huffed a sigh and tried to calm down, relax a little. Then, Rachel gasped beside me, waking up as well.

"Bad dream?" I asked her.

She looked up at me and nodded her head. "Yeah, something like that."

I shook my head and looked at the Walls. "I just can't stop thinking about the Banishment from yesterday. All I can hear is her crying out to us, to help her."

"Well, it's like you said, Piper, it had to be done," she reminded me.

I nodded my head. "Right."

Suddenly, the gears on the Doors began to turn, opening up for the day. Harriet, Sonya, Jane, and Maeve were there, talking and nodding their heads. But instead of Maeve and Jane running into the Maze, Harriet was the one that followed Maeve inside. Sonya and Jane waited a bit before walking away from the Doors and heading to the Homebase.

Soon, everyone started to wake up, getting ready for a new day. I wasn't sure how everyone would go on like there wasn't a Banishment yesterday, but they were doing a good job at it. Breakfast went on like it normally did with the Glenners going on with their usual discussions, almost as if Claire didn't even exist, like she never showed up to the Glen at all.

Then, everyone got to work right after breakfast was over. None of the Baggers had to go to the Deadheads today, so we planned to patrol around the Glen like yesterday.

As we were walking out of the Homebase, Nancy let out a sad sigh. "Poor Beth," Nancy stated, looking over at Beth, who was sitting down on the grass, leaning against the Homebase, staring out at the Doors. "I can't imagine how her and Gwyneth feel right now. Losing a friend is hard."

"Obviously," Margaret muttered, rolling her eyes. "I know it sucks that Claire is gone, but we have to move on. We don't see Gwyneth moping around like a stick, do we?"

Then, Esther spotted Beth and walked towards her. "Come on, we've got work to do." She stuck her hand out for Beth to grab.

But Beth wasn't having any of it. She let out a scoff and crossed her arms. "Leave me alone, Esther. I'm not in the mood."

"Beth, don't be like this," Esther said. "I know you're still upset about Claire, but we've gotta get over it. We can't do anything about it."

"Yes, you could've let her stay in the Glen," Beth retorted.

Esther was now frustrated. She bent down to Beth's level. "Get up, Beth."

"No," she snapped. "I'm mourning, Esther."

"I don't care if you're dying, this is an important job for you to do, to help all of us." Esther sighed and rubbed her temples, doing her best to calm down. "Look, Beth, we need you right now, okay? Claire would've wanted you to move on." With that, Esther stood back up, her eyes still on Beth. "Come on. We can use your help with a few things." Esther put her hand back out and Beth reluctantly took it, being pulled up by the brunette.

"Wow, Esther and Beth being civil towards each other is something we'll probably never see again," Emily said. "Okay, you know where to go, girls, so move it."

Lillie and I started at the Kitchens, then made our way to the Blood House, then we strolled by the Gardens. Rachel was sitting on a log, picking at a piece of fruit. "So why would Harriet go into the Maze instead of Jane?" she asked Sonya. "I mean, she's not a Runner."