Variant | Newt

7 | divide

Mentally, I cursed. Gally really was a piece of work; hanging me out to dry like this. But, I never was one to shy away from a challenge.

"Well, what needs to be built around here? Like... tables, or what?" I tried again, almost begging Gally to give me any piece of advice.

He held his hands ip like an innocent man at gunpoint. "You're supposed to be smart, right? Figure it out."

Alright then. I have creative freedoms and no instruction manual... what's this Glade need?

Gally went back to work, on what looked like a bed - probably the one Alby instructed him to make for me. I knew their were plenty of baskets and crates in the supply room, and more than enough tables and chairs for meals. Maybe another bench? No, too basic.

I racked my brain, trying to think of anything interesting enough to prove to Gally I was actually worth something around here. He was, of course, Keeper of Builders. Alby needed his vote to make me Keeper of Supplies - I had to do something over the top but also necessary.

Fix the needs, fix the needs, fix the needs...

My mind traced back to my first meeting with Gally; upstairs in the Homestead. He was suspicious of me then, and obviously still hates me.

Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head.

I was standing in that hallway because Newt was changing- he needed the privacy, and so did I. Roommates still need privacy within their shared spaces, and that's exactly what I'd build.

"Do you have any hinges?" I spoke up, asking any of the Builders who would listen. Gally was first to answer, sending me a quizzical stare. "What, like, for doors?"

"Yeah, or for lids," I confirmed, eyeing the pieces of scrap wood lying around. There were larger, thin sheets of wood, plus plywood boards and smaller bricks. I needed the large sheets - one and a half seemed to do the trick.

"What do you need em for?" another Builder asked me, setting down an old soup can filled with metal hinges. He watched as I grabbed a sheet, about five feet by five feet, and drag it over to the grass where I stood.

"What, you paintin' a picture?" chuckled the other Builder, and I ran a hand through my hair, realizing something from his joke.

"Actually, do you have any?" I questioned him, holding my hand out expectedly. "Any color. Black would be best."

The two Builders looked at me like I was crazy, while Gally scoffed in disbelief. "Come on, give her the paint," he ordered, snapping at one of the guys.

I had everything I needed; the sheets of wood, white and black paint, hinges, and a saw.

I'm no craft-goddess, but I think I could do this.

The sun was hot on my back as I marked where I wanted to cut the boards, right down the center to create more rectangular pieces. Sawing those took a bit of time, and I knew I would be drenched in sweat.

Wordlessly, Gally slid me a Mason jar of water. I met his eyes, and while we held contact for a few seconds, he quickly averted his gaze and went back to work, clearing his throat with a huff.

I didn't know why he was giving me any acts of kindness, but I didn't point it out and took the water gratefully. I don't think he wanted the other boys to notice, and I didn't want to make a big deal of the small act of care.

The wood was cut, three rectangular pieces, each about five feet high. There was some extra, but I tossed that to the side. Next, I needed to attach the hinges. I needed some extra nails, but those were thrown about the dirt so I found them pretty quickly. Lining the hinges up so they were even among the wood panels was a bit tricky, but I did my best. That took another chunk of time, but once I finished the first hinge, the other three were fairly easy to figure out.