The Box

Chapter 4

Toria's P.O.V

I watch as Newt gently shakes Piper awake and yawn.
"Just because she's the love of your life doesn't mean she should get special treatment. I mean really, look how your waking her up."
Newt's face reddens and he frowns up at me, pausing the shaking for a moment. "She's not the 'love of my life' and she's not getting any special treatment."
I feel insane as I laugh at his bad acting skills. "Look how you're shaking her and whispering her name!!! I got kicked awake!!"
My yelling wakes up Piper and for all I knew, the whole Glade.
"Oh, hey Newt." She flutters her long eyelashes at him and his hand lingers on her shoulder. "Why do I gotta get up so early?"
He shakes his head and pulls her up, then loops his long arm around her itty-bitty waist.
"Gotta show you the Greivers. First, though, we gotta get Thomas."
I linger behind the 'happy couple' as Minho and I have taken to calling them. How I wish that he and I were the 'happy couple'.
"No. Stop that." I scold myself under my breath.
We walk to the Homestead and Thomas is woken up the same way I am. He groans as he sees Newt and Piper. "I know right." I whisper back and he snickers.
Newt leads us to grimy window in the wall of the Glade and we peek out, struggling to see anything.
"Just wait." Newt whispers uneasily. Suddenly, a disturbing creature rolls into the view. It is lumpy and slimy and has mechanical arms sticking out in every direction. I gag in disgust. Piper stares in horror. Thomas' gaze freezes on the glass.
He takes us away as the Griever slinks down another long, vine-filled corridor.
His face switches into a large goofy grin, and he lifts both thumbs up.
"Now you have to go try out tons of jobs!" He pushes to the homestead where an (obviously) grumpy looking Alby waits.
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After we each finish our job for the day, Thomas needs a break and walks lazily to the deadheads. I shrug and Piper and I follow.
He curves through the trees, obviously trying to shake us off. I tug on Piper's sleeve and she stops.
"We should leave him alone." She nods. We begin to walk back to 'our place' when we hear a strangled scream.
She turns around and pushes her way through the thick foliage. It slaps back at me.
"Thomas!!" I scream desperately, praying for that scream to have belonged to someone else.
We come in on a clearing filled with gravestones and ivy, but all focus is on Thomas.
A pale boy is straddling his body, hands around his neck. Piper lunges for the boy but behind Thomas, Alby emerges into the clearing with a bow.
"Piper step back." Piper listens and backs away angrily, face steaming red.
"Ben, what are you doing?" Alby's voice is calm and low.
The boy, Ben, looks like he is about to launch onto Alby, but instead just turns back to him, grip not loosened.
"He's b-bad. T-They're bad. I saw him. Them, too." He wags a dirty finger at us. Alby looks to us in half-confusion half-anger.
"In the changing." Ben turns back to Thomas and presses harder onto his neck.
Alby pulls back the bow and looses the arrow. It connects with Ben's temple and he falls limp at Thomas' side. Piper runs away, and I hear her puking into some bushes.
"The Keepers will be having a meeting. Don't think you're off the hook for whatever that was." Alby leaves us alone with the body and I rush to Thomas' side.
"Are you okay? Whatever that was....oh my gosh. Even I'm scared and I wasn't being strangled by a psycho!" We look back to see Piper, pale and pukish staring at us warily.
"We better get you two to the med-jacks." I help Thomas up and he walks to Piper who holds out a hand.
"You might wanna keep your distance." She laughs weakly. We walk to the Homestead and the Med-jacks take both of my friends away from me.
I sit on the floor of the Homestead for what seems like hours until I fall asleep.