The Ignition - TMR Group B

Part 4

I look around the top of the box to see twenty to thirty teenage girls staring at me.

"Welcome to the Glade Greenie. You got a name?" A brown haired, dark skinned girl says to me while she tosses down a rope. I grab it and start to climb up the side of the box.

"Emelia." The dark skinned girl gives me a hand up and I climb out of the box. "Why can't I remember?"

"Easy shank. Names Harriet and none of us can remember either. So calm down and Sonya here will give you the tour." I blonde haired, blue eyed girl approaches me and waves.

"Hey I'm Sonya. Come with me." I follow her over to a large wooden building that's pretty ragged looking. "This is the homestead. The keepers live here. They are in charge of the jobs, there are Slicers, Builders, Cooks, Track-hoes, Med-Jacks, Bricknicks and Sloppers. The sloppers are not good at any of the other jobs so they clean. They all have a keeper that keeps everything going."

I nod along as Sonya keeps walking. We move around the large green fields. In one corner is the homestead, in another corner is the deadheads a forest and at the back is where the bodies are buried. In the third corner is the blood house where all the livestock live and the slicers do their work. In the fourth corner there is the gardens that span almost an entire corner of the glade.

"So, we work everyday to find a way out of here. Oh,"  She says looking at me and smacking her forehead. "I almost forgot! You have blue eyes and mid length brown hair. Quite pretty actually. There's no mirrors, incase you were wondering."

"Thanks." I say looking around taking in the Glade as they call it. "What do the runners do?" "We'll have time enough for that Greenie. For now lets get your hammock set up."

After we set up my hammock, Sonya takes me to the doors. "The Runners will be back soon." As soon as she says that two girls round the corner sweaty and red faced. Both of them have with small leather backpacks on and different shoes than the rest of us.

Sonya waves them over, "Kim, how's today? You get a griever kiss?" She says teasing them. "Shank" The raven haired, hazel eyed Kim says smiling at Sonya. 

"This our simpering new Greenie?" She asks, gesturing to me talking about me like I'm not even there.

"This simpering new greenie has a name, shuck face." I bite back rolling my eyes using some slang I heard other gladers use.

"Wow, she's got some attitude." Kim says to Sonya. I smile wickedly at her. "Just serving it how I get it." 

"Kim." Says the runner shaking my hand and smiling.

"Emelia." I say shaking it back, Kim seems kind of cool, like she only makes fun of you if she likes you or something. It doesn't bother Sonya so I won't let it bother me.

"Hey Greenie." The other one says. A tall red headed girl with green eyes and a band of freckles across her nose. "Names Val." I smile at Val. 

"See you guys at the bonfire." Sonya says and we head our separate ways.

"So those are the runners?" I ask Sonya, she nods. "They make maps of the maze everyday until we find our way out." "Cool." I say thinking that it would be a sweet job to have. "No," Sonya says curtly, sharply and almost defensive towards the subject. 

"There are Grievers in the Maze. Ugliest, scariest, nastiest pieces of klunk in the entire maze, if you're lucky you make it back before the doors close and the Med Jacks can heal you up or you die. In the morning I'll show you one." 

"In that case," I say. "I'm starving. What's for dinner?"

❖❖❖

At the bonfire Sonya introduces me to some of the other girls. Marina a bright eyed girl with dark brown haired, who is the Keeper of the Med-Jacks. Artemis a silver haired, ice eyed Keeper of the of the Kitchen. Sonya finally introduces me into the Keeper of the Builders, Beth. She has dusty blonde hair and a smug look on her face.

"Hey Greenie." She says.

"Not Greenie, Emelia." I sternly, I hate the name Greenie. 

"You haven't earned your name yet, shank. Not until you win in the ring." Beth gestures to a sand pit in between the homestead and fire pit. Where Kim and another girl are going at it with no intention of actually hurting each other.

"Alright then, lets do it." I say standing up, making my way across the lush green grass to the ring.

We square off. I take a couple of steps closer raising my hands in a protective stance. I punch Beth real good in the nose it starting to gush blood. She wipes her nose and scoffs at me. "Not bad for a Greenie." 

She throws a punch at me and I dodge around it her fist whizzing by my ear. I step in to Beth throwing a punch right in her kidney. She grunts and sweeps her foot around knocking my feet out from under me. 

I feel my body hit the ground. Beth stands over me and kicks me in the face. I gasp from the pain and feel hot sticky blood drip down my face. I swing around and kick her in the knee buckling it.

"That all you got Beth?" I say standing up and wiping my nose. 

"Not even the slightest." I smirk at her. She drops and rushes me attempting to tackle me. I side step her pushing her arms out of the way, circle around, grabbing her waist and throwing her to the ground. I sit on her chest pinning her arms and legs. 

"You gonna call me Em yet?"

"Fine." Beth says begrudgingly. I get off of her, offering my hand to help her up. She brushes me aside, and storms off.

I walk over to Sonya with my split lip and black eye and sit down grunting. 

"Jesus, Em, Beth got a couple good hits on you, do you want to go to the med jack?" 

"No." I say with a smile. "Nothing a little moonshine won't fix." 

The night passes quickly laughing and talking with Sonya, Kim, Harriet, Val and Artemis. It feels like I've found a band of sisters.