No Matter What - Book 1

Chapter 3

When the girl woke, she heard a dozen voices whispering nearby. Slowly sitting up, making sure to not upset her hammock, she felt a couple of eyes peering at her from around the corner and when she turned to them, they bolted off, causing her to smile. She got to her feet and grabbed her shoes which she had left on the grass below the hammock, only to find a small white daisy resting in one of the shoes. Feeling her heart pounding, she pressed the flower close to her nose and besides the fresh scent coming from the flower, she picked up a scent of soil, cotton, and something almost citrus like... sort of like an orange. She wondered who left it there.

After pulling her shoes on and placing the daisy carefully in the front pocket of her jeans, she headed towards the delicious smell that was coming from one of the huts. As she approached, she found several wooden tables set in a circle fashion, all the boys lined up getting their meal servings.

"Say Frypan," Gally called as he sat down with his food at the head of one of the tables. "You never make bacon for breakfast. What's the occasion?"

Before Frypan even needed to answer, he caught sight of the girl approaching and grinning broadly, pointed his frying pan in her direction.

"It's Girl!" Winston shouted, causing every eye to land on the girl as her face heated up when she found herself at the center of attention.

Zart elbowed him harshly, "That's not her name!"

The girl was about to begin to dream of a life where the earth swallowedhere in this instant when a hand rested on her shoulder, making her jump and there stood Alby with a comforting smile on his face.

"Come on tough one, time to eat." He said, draping his arm over her shoulders and bringing her toward the line.

When Frypan handed the girl her plate, Alby led her over to the table where Gally, Winston, Zart and Newt sat. She found myself squashed between Winston while Alby sat beside her to keep her from having to sit next to Gally, meaning that she was across the table from Newt.

"So?" Winston chirped before she could even take a bite. "Figured out your name yet?"

She shook my head, "No... nothing... all I can remember is WR."

"WR?" Gally inquired. "Couldn't that be your initials or something? Though that would be strange since all of us only has one name."

She shook her head again as she took a bite of bacon, "No... I know for a fact it is not my name... I feel like I would know that it has something to do with my name or not... it is almost like... like the Glade. The Glade is where you guys, and now me live, eat and sleep. It is a part of your identity. I feel like WR is a part of my identity... just not my name."

Soon, all eyes were on her and everyone, but Alby and Newt were staring at her with slack jaws and wide eyes. Alby was smiling thoughtfully at her while Newt was smiling with a look in his eyes that she did not know but it made the feeling of his gaze made her blush crimson.

"Is there a job in the glade for really smart people?" Winston inquired. "Because I think Slicers is way underrated for her."

She smiled but shook my head, "Honestly it's fine. I want to help there. I'm not that smart anyway."

"Well, we cannot keep calling her Girl," Gally observed. "We can always resort to..."

"Do not finish that sentence," She warned through my teeth.

Gally lifted his hands in surrender, a smirk on his face. "It has never taken this long for someone to remember and we gotta know what to call you."

the girl shrugged when suddenly something brushed her foot and she realized that Newt's foot had been resting next to hers on the ground below the table and when he sat up straight, his foot shifted.