Back In The Box

Chapter 4

  Sunlight streamed through the window, waking me up from my deep slumber. I noticed that the blanket I used to cover Newt last night was now used on me.

  How stubborn, I thought.

  I propped myself up against the wall next to the bed and rubbed my eyes wearily.

  Newt was already up, cleaning the room. "Hi," I said, getting his attention.

  "Oh, you're awake. Okay, time for your tour!"

  Newt brought me around, showing me the different structures and their uses. "That's the keeper of the builders-Gally. After the tour you'll be going with him for the rest of the day to see if you're fit to be a builder." Newt explained.

  "Try not to get on his bad side," he added.

  We reached a well. I peered in and saw my reflection for the first time since I reached here. I had dark, wavy hair that cascaded down my shoulders and hazel eyes that shone in the light. I reached towards the water, trying to touch the reflection.However, once my hand connected with the water, ripples formed, ruining the image.

  "This is the end of the tour," Newt said, some time after we finished our lunch.

  "Now, you'll be with Gally until dinner." He gestured for me to follow him. Newt brought me to Gally, a broad shouldered boy with unnaturally high eyebrows that curved in the middle.

  Just as Gally was introducing himself, Newt walked away, muttering about forgetting to do something. "My name is Gally. But you can call me Captain Gally. I'll be accessing you on your building skills. First, we'll start off with nails and hammers."

  He picked up a nail and twired it with his fingers. "You'll be nailing them onto this board. Ten nails to nail, finish them in seven minutes," Gally ordered. He passed me a hammer and ten nails.

  One... Two... Three... Four...

  Ten! Finally, I was done, but I nursed red swollen fingers. "I'm done, Gally!" I shouted.

  "Captain Gally," he snarled. "Not bad for a first timer, except for those poor little fingers!" He mocked, waving his fingers around. I rolled my eyes.

"What else do I need to do?" I asked.

  "Go there and help Glenn carry those wooden planks," Gally ordered as he pointed towards a tall, skinny boy with brown hair and green eyes.

   "Hey, I'm Jade. Gally asked me to help you with the wooden planks," I said as I walked up to Glenn. "I'm Glenn, and you don't need to help me. How could I possibly let a lady do such tough work?" He said.

  "What makes you think a girl can't handle these?" I asked, pointing to the wooden planks.

  Glenn raised his hands in defeat. He gave me instructions on what to do and went back to work. I picked up a plank. It's not that heavy, I thought.

  Just as I was walking, I saw Newt in a distance, his face scrunched up in concern. I thought nothing of it and went back to what I had to do. After a while, he was gone.    

  Two hours later, it was time for dinner. I picked up my food from the kitchen and went to the table where Chuck and Thomas were seated.

  "I'm just curious. Where did you sleep last night?" Thomas asked just as I sat down.

  I blushed. "Umm... Newt's room..." I said softly.

   "So Minho was telling the truth!" Thomas exclaimed.

  "It's sleeping arrangements!" I said, trying to defend myself.

  "If you say so..." Thomas said in a sing-song voice. I stuck out my tongue at him before returning to my dinner.

  "Hey! Wanna have lunch together tomorrow?" I heard Glenn's voice. I turned around. He was looking at me.

  "Ermm... Sure," I answered.

  "I'll meet you there tomorrow at lunch!" He said pointing to a spot near the kitchen. I gave him a thumbs up.

  Thomas raised his eyebrows. "You sure that's a good idea?" He asked.

  I shrugged. Then, Newt and Minho jogged over to join us. Newt plopped down beside me, sitting so close that our elbows touched. I scooted away a little, not used to the closeness.

  After dinner, Thomas brought me to the showers and stood guard outside while I bathed.

  When I reached up to scrub my scalp, I felt a stinging pain in my shoulders.

   It must be those stupid planks, I thought.

   I quickly washed off all the soap and shampoo, trying to make it quick so that I did not strain my shoulders too much.

   When I came out with a towel wrapped around my head, I saw Thomas tapping his foot impatiently.

   "I'm done," I announced.

   "What took you so long, Jade?" Thomas asked.

    "It was only ten minutes!" I protested.

    "And do you know how many people I had to stop from going into the in that ten minutes?" Thomas asked, irritated.

    "Fine, I won't bathe for so long next time, happy?" I said. "I'm going to sleep now, bye."

    With that, I made my way back to my room.