Fervency

CHAPTER: S E V E N

Once Elodie was beneath the hut, she caught sight of the baby lamb. She crawled closer to discover that it was caught on some chicken wire that had been thrown there. Once she approached it, she bit her lip in worry at the sight of blood coming from the animal. She grabbed its leg and at first it struggled, until it realized she was trying to help. Finally, she was able to free it.

She pulled it out of the deck and the builders cheered.

"Alright, back to work. We were almost finished." Gally instructed the group and they soon dispersed.

"Thanks, Greenie. Great job." Gally gave her a pat on her forearm. She turned to leave but was soon stopped.

"Wait, I wanted to apologize."

"Really?" she shot him an unconvinced expression.

"Really." he repeated. "I was just messing with you yesterday, but John blew it out of proportion. Truce?"

"Truce." She shook his hand with her free hand. "Alright, well, I'm gonna get this lamb to Clint. Seeya."

When she arrived outside the medjack tent, laughter was heard from inside. She approached two boys from behind and then cleared her throat.

"Oh! Greenie." One of them turned around, "Come on in."

"Can you stop the bleeding for this lamb?" she wondered, her eyes full of worry. The one with graying hair studied the lamb's leg and then sent her a nod.

"Should be no problem." he reached for it and then handed it off to his friend- telling him to hold it still.

"I'm Clint, by the way." He smiled up at her before rustling through a drawer for supplies. "And I'm Jeff." the one holding it said.

"Nice to meet you guys. Thanks for doing this."

"It's no problem at all." Clint responded and then began tending to the wound.

"I'm gonna take a bath. I'll be back after alright?"

"Take your time. He's in safe hands." Jeff assured her.

***

Once Elodie was finished bathing she changed into some leggings and a T-shirt. On her way back to the medjack tent, she saw a giant bonfire aflame in the distance. Laughter and hollering bounced off the walls of the glade, drawing her curiosity.

"What's going on over by the homestead?" She said as she entered the tent.

"Oh" Clint chuckled, "We have a giant bonfire every other Saturday."

"It's tradition" Jeff added.

"I see." She nodded and then scanned the room looking for the lamb.

"He's over here." Jeff motioned for her to follow. They passed a few rows of beds to find the woolen creature sleeping soundly on the sheets. A half-hearted smile came to her cheeks as she stroked its head.

"Thank you..." she murmured softly. "I'm glad he's alright."

"Come see the bonfire. We sedated him for now. You can take him back to the pen in the morning."

"Alright" she grinned, "let's go!"

***

When they arrived at the fire, Frypan greeted her.

"Where have you been all day? Didn't even grab your dinner, I'm offended"

"Well...you were just gonna give me vegetables." she shot him a crooked smile. "Here, follow me." They turned the corner and entered the kitchen where he found her a plate of food.

"Lucky for you, I'm a kind person- able to look past what you just said." The two of them burst into laughter as they made their way back over to the fire.

"So, I heard you're my Sue-chef tomorrow." he relayed. "Yeah" she took a bite of her food and swallowed.

"But I heard you don't like anyone in your space, so... how's that gonna work out?"

"You are one of the few people in the glade that don't get on my nerves."

"Take that as a compliment" Gally approached them.

"Man" Frypan clicked his tongue, "What are you doing here"

"See." Gally pointed to him, "told you."

"How's the lamb holding up?" he changed the subject.

"Clint fixed him up. He should be a lot better." she replied before shoving another bite of food in her mouth.

"Here" Gally set a jar of suspicious liquid in her hands. Elodie studied the brown liquid and then swallowed.

"What is this?" She held it beneath her nose. A strong scent burned her nostrils and she jolted it away. Instantly, she covered her mouth to sneeze.

"Never mind." she chorused. The two boys burst into laughter and she shook her head.

"Laugh all you want. I'm still gonna drink it."

"Ooo" Frypan drawled, "Okay! I see you."

"Careful" Gally warned, "It's strong."

But Gally should have known better. If there was one thing Elodie didn't do, that was hold back. She downed the drink in an instant. Minho, who was passing by, caught sight of it and immediately his jaw dropped. He exchanged looks with Frypan from afar and then continued on his way to warn Alby.

When he came back, they found that Frypan had been checking up on her. Chuck had joined her side now and was laughing.

"Are you alright? You've been glaring at John for a long time now." She looked him straight in the eyes, and then her head dropped straight on the picnic table in front of her. The Gladers surrounding her cringed.

"That one had to hurt." Frypan held her up.

"Elodie? You alright?" Minho joined the group with Newt and Alby at his side. Instantaneously, her head snapped up. She swayed for a moment and then a mischievous grin stretched at each corner of her lips.

"We gotta pants him"

"What?!" Minho furrowed his brows in confusion.

"That guy-John. We gotta pants him." She looked him dead in the eyes, as if what she was saying was more important than finding a way out of the maze.

"Oh my god!" Minho burst into laughter. "Listen, I know you're evil, Elly- but you can't just go around pantsing people that you don't like."

"Why not?!" she slammed her hands on the table.

"Because I said so!" he copied her movements from the other side. The two of them held a stare off and then Chuck and the others burst into laughter.

"What is going on?!" Frypan asked in disbelief.

"Trust me" Minho held up a hand, "I know how to deal with her!"