Left Behind -Gally-

Chapter 1

She slept in the Homestead. Because she was a girl, Alby assigned her a room. Normally, only Keepers got their own rooms, but the first night a few of the Gladers tried to crowd around her. It was overwhelming. Thankfully, that wasn't a problem anymore.

Her eyes traveled to the Maze doors, watching as Ben and Minho ran out. She had met the two Runners accidentally, having gotten lost in the woods. The girl ended up on the trail toward the Map Room when they were leaving. They were friendly, finding her nervousness entertaining. They brought her back but never dropped the subject. It had become a running joke that Emma wished would end.

"Hey, Greenie," it was Newt.

"Hm?"

"You certainly get lost in your own head a lot."

She shrugged, "sorry."

Newt's eyes studied her for a moment. Clapping his hands together, he stood up. "Let's call it." That surprised her. "What? If we get all the weeds today, then there will be nothing fun to do tomorrow."

"I wouldn't call this fun." Newt stuck his hand out. She grabbed it and helped herself off the ground.

"What would you call it then, Greenie?"

"The most boring job in the world."

Before Newt could answer, a voice cut in. "Boring, yeah, but at least we're not Sloppers." It was Jack, a red-haired boy who worked in the Gardens with them.

Emma cringed at the idea of being a Slopper. She would take being a Garnder over a Slopper any day. "Gardening isn't looking so bad now, is it?"

"Better than a Slicer too." She couldn't handle the blood. Or the idea of killing the animals they raised. "I'll happily pull weeds until the day I die if I don't have to be a Slicer."

"See? There's a bright side to everything.

"Slim it," she laughed. Glader slang was still a learning process, but she was a fast learner. "I'm going to shower before it gets crowded." The best time to shower was during the day. Gally, much to his dismay, installed a functional lock on the bathroom door for her. It allowed her to shower privately. It was nice.

"See you later," Newt called out. Emma waved over her shoulder, heading toward the showers. Her eyes scanned the Glade as she always did. She noticed Frypan in the kitchen. He was preparing dinner. It looked like stew, something he made often. Builders were working on some unknown project. To Emma, it looked like new picnic tables. It was hard to tell from a distance. A few Slicers were by the fences, feeding the animals. Emma always stayed away from the animals, not wanting to get attached.

Shaking her head and forcing the thoughts away, she headed toward the showers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emma was right in her assumption. Frypan was making stew for dinner. It smelled delicious but didn't always taste the best. However, food was food. At the end of the day, she went to bed well-fed. That was all that mattered.

Holding the bowl in her hand, she spotted her friends. Newt sat with the others who worked in the Garden. Although he wasn't a Gardener himself, he spent a lot of time there helping out. Newt was second in command in the Glade. He was the leader under Alby. Emma didn't know Alby well. They talked on occasion, but he was always busy. Never staying in one place long.

"Hey," Jack noticed her first. "There she is."

"Here I am." She sat beside Newt.

"Thought you were skipping out on us," Newt nudged her shoulder.