Out Of Order (TMR Fanfic)

Chapter Eighteen

I finished telling Alby about what had happened. He said he'd take care of it, whatever that meant.

It was now about 3 or 4 in he afternoon and the rest of the runners would be back soon before the doors closed shut for the night.

Tommorow, the keepers would decide my job. I'm a bit nervous but mostly just excited to have a purpose here in the glade. I need something keeping me busy. Or maybe I just needed something to distract me from how unsafe I felt here in the glade.

I pass by the rest of the day, just singing in the deadheads up in a tall tree. I loved singing, it made me feel more relaxed when I'm stressed out. And to better that, I had a pretty good set of lungs that could hold a tune quite well.

I was singing when I heard a voice out of nowhere.

"Wow. You've got a hell of a voice, Eve," Frypan said. Still startled, I quickly jumped down from the tree.

Blush covered my face as I didn't know anyone could hear me singing.

I stared down at my feet and spoke, "did you need something?"

"Oh, yeah. Since you're getting your job tomorrow and you have yet to train with me, I thought you could come help me prepare dinner. If you want," Frypan said, awaiting my answer, hopefully.

It didn't seem like he got a lot of help around here. After all, he did cook for dozens of gladers daily, and all by himself.

"Yeah sure, no problem." I nod and walk with Frypan to the kitchen. This was the first time I got to see the inside of it.

It was about the size of Minho's hut and it smelled like burnt bacon. There was a stove, a sink, and a small box that looked to be some kind of makeshift fridge.

Frypan motioned me inside as he poured out a bunch of vegetables onto the counter. Mostly just carrots and celery.

"Dinner today is soup. All you need to make it is carrots, celery, a bit of tomato, milk, broth, and some spices. It's pretty easy over all. This may sound odd but I'm going to give you what you need to make it and just let you cook. I'm curious to see what you'll make out of it," Frypan said, starting to chop up the vegetables. I nod and start pouring the wet ingredients into a large pot on the stove.

Frypan finished cutting the vegetables and slid them over to me. I didn't know how Frypan normally made the soup so I just decided to do it my own way.

I took the vegetables and put them into a small skillet on the other end of the stove. I turned the burner on medium heat poured a bit of olive oil onto the vegetables, stirring them around.

I was going to fry the vegetables, rather then steaming them to give them a more crisp taste instead of a mushy one.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Frypan's soup but it could use a bit of work. That's why I'm here, I guess.

Once the wet ingredients were beginning to steam, I poured in the vegetables and began looking through all of Frypans seasoning cabinets. As I did so, Frypan shot me a confused look. I continued what I was doing. I mixed about seven seasonings in a bowl, then poured them into the soup.

Soon, the entire glade was beginning to smell like my soup. It smelled delicious. It tasted that way too. I had taste tested it before starting to put it into bowls for the gladers. I'm proud of my soup.

I finished serving all of the gladers before I went to find Newt and sit with him for dinner.

The glade was filled with smiles. The gladers must have liked the soup. I could see Frypan's jealousy as a few of the gladers made small remarks about how he should take lessons from me. I smiled and sat down with Newt and Minho.

"Hey," I said to the boys.

"Oh hey, Eve. Great soup! Frypan must be furious that you outdid him," Minho chuckled as Newt nodded in agreement.

"Thanks. He doesn't have much competition though. Cooking was fun but I don't think it's really my cup of tea," I said, plainly as the boys when back to enjoying the soup.

"Aren't you going to have some," said Newt, referring to the soup.

I still wasn't where I wanted to be, weight wise and I could afford to not eat a little longer.

"I already ate," I lied. They both nodded. 

"So, how was your guy's day?" I ask, wanting to know the latest on the glader gossip.

To my surprise, the boys just shoot eachother a worried glance.

"What?" I ask, concerned.

"There was a bit of an incident today, regarding our housing," said Minho, hesitantly.

"What kind of incident?" I ask, this time, confused. They both look over at me.

"There must have been a loose board somewhere in our hut. I went in to get some clothes and when I shut the door back behind me, the whole thing just collapsed," Minho said.

I was surprised he wasn't more upset. "Oh. So, where does that put us?" I ask.

"Minho will be sleeping with the others in the homestead until the builders are able to rebuild the hut. You however, are going to be staying with me, in the meantime," Newt said, grinning.

I could tell this bothered Minho. I just couldn't tell how much. Did Minho actually like sharing a hut with me?

"It's just temporary," Minho retorted. I nod and get up to go help Frypan with the dishes that were beginning to like up.

"You look tired, Fry. I can finish up here, go get some rest," I say to Frypan, as I finish washing the rest of the dishes. He nods and gives me a thank you look. I give him a friendly smile back.

By now, it was dark out and almost all of the gladers had gone to bed. Newt sat at the far end of the kitchen grounds at a picnic table. He was staring at me. Had he been here the whole time?

Newt started walking over towards me as I dried off my hands and blew out the torch that lit the kitchen.

"Ready for bed?" He said tiredly. I nod and we both head for his hut.