Left Behind -Gally-

Chapter 10

"Hey," a voice said. The sudden sound caused her to gasp. Emma moved to stand up, the back of her head hitting the counter.

"Shuck!"

"Are you okay?"

Jordan moved closer. "Fine," she chuckled, rubbing the back of her head.

"Didn't mean to scare you, Greenie."

Emma eyed him cautiously. "What are you doing here?" The Kitchens were off limits. To enter at night, a Glader needed to ask Frypan for permission. They had enough food but couldn't afford for Gladers to raid the Kitchens after lights out.

Jordan leaned on the counter, crossing his arms. "I could be asking you the same question."

She shifted under his intense gaze. "Uh, I got permission from Frypan."

His smile didn't falter for a second. "Rule follower. I like it."

"What are you doing here?" She repeated her question.

There was a pause. A long pause as he tried to figure out what to say. "Maybe I was hungry too."

Emma let out a forced laugh that sounded more awkward than anything else. "Okay." She rubbed her hands on her pants nervously. "Well, there isn't much here." Her attention shifted to the baskets in front of her.

Jordan pushed off the counter, moving closer. "I'm sure we can find something."

As he stood behind her, Jordan raised his hands and squeezed her shoulders. It wasn't gentle by any means. If anything, it hurt. Emma reacted instantly, her body stumbling to the side and out of his tight grip. "What are you doing?"

Jordan raised an eyebrow. "Just looking for something to eat." Emma rubbed her shoulder, heart racing. "You okay, Greenie?" He reached out to grab her hand, but she yanked it back.

Immediately, she put her hands in her pockets. "Fine, I'm not the Greenie anymore."

"I know," he let out an airy chuckle. "But it's a good nickname for you. Newt still calls you that. It's cute. It's cute when you get flustered about it."

Emma's lips parted. For a second, she thought she had misheard him, but she hadn't. "I'm-" her throat was dry. "I'm going-" she was struggling. "Bathroom."

"Greenie-"

Her name was Emma. The nickname was a joke her friends called her. "I have to go."

"Why the rush?" Jordan was confused and annoyed. "I thought you were hungry?"

She blinked a few times, not sure what to do. This entire situation felt wrong in a way she couldn't explain. "I'm not anymore."

As she turned around, Jordan dashed in front of her. He raised one arm, blocking her path. His actions caught her by surprise. "Come on, now. You're hungry. Eat something. It's a long time till breakfast."

Emma glanced up at the tall Slicer. His red hair looked brown in the shadows of the Kitchen. "I'm not hungry anymore." They stared at each other. For a moment, she wasn't sure what was going to happen. Jordan's eyes flickered down. A second later, he dropped his arm.

"Well, then, I guess I'll eat for the both of us." She forced a smile. "Night, Greenie."

"Night." The moment she could, Emma stepped away from him. She had never wanted to end a conversation so bad in her life. Something about it frightened her.

As Emma walked away from Jordan, she wrapped her arms around her body, feeling insecure. Instantly, her mind began to unravel with different questions and concerns about his behavior. He was always making questionable comments or getting a bit too close for comfort.

Her feet carried her through the dimly-lit Glade at a swift pace. Emma had no idea where she was going but didn't care. All she knew was that Jordan bothered her, and she needed to get away. He creeped her out and made her very uncomfortable. With each passing day, he seemed to be getting worse. She knew it was all in her head, but she couldn't help it.

Emma continued to walk down through the Glade with her mind spiraling. In her spaced-out state, she hadn't heard the footsteps approaching from the opposite direction.

A person stepped into her path, and her body collided into them. Emma let out a puff of air as she stumbled backward, her hands flying up. The person she ran into reacted faster than her. He grabbed her upper arms and yanked her upright. She inhaled at the sudden harsh movement. The girl looked up through her lashes to lock eyes with Gally.

For a moment, they stared at each other. Gally seemed equally shocked by the incident. He hadn't seen her, too caught up in his own head. "Gally," she said breathlessly. Nothing else followed. Emma had no idea what to say.

"Are you good," he asked with raised eyebrows. He was speaking directly at her. It was rare, and it caused her to lose the ability to speak entirely. The question caught Emma off guard. She nodded despite her mind going blank. "Good." Gally let go of her arms. He took a step back, eyes scanning the girl. Her hair was wet. He assumed she had recently showered. A few strands stuck to her cheeks, which were flushed. It was hardly noticeable in the limited lighting. "Watch where you're going next time, yeah?"

Emma felt helpless in the situation. She didn't want to upset Gally anymore than she already
had but found herself more concerned about Jordan. "Yeah, sure," she mumbled as she glanced over her shoulder. Her response confused Gally. It wasn't the response he expected. He was expecting a wordy apology, and Emma trying to use the opportunity to talk to him more. None of that happened. Instead, she looked bothered, like she was running from something. "Sorry. Won't happen again."

She quickly moved past him and practically ran to the Homestead. Gally watched her for a moment, slightly curious. He then looked where she had, but didn't find anything. Just a shadow vanishing out of sight. Whoever she had been with was long gone, as was she. Brushing off the incident, Gally continued on his journey.