Sapphire Stones

Okay, but why is Gally yelling at Thomas kinda hot...?

I must have fallen asleep at some point, because when I move my head away from Gally's neck and open my eyes, all I can hear is silence.

I look around at the Box, seeing all of the boys inside shaking, crying, and muttering to themselves. I look up at Gally and see that he has a completely straight face, his lips tight and eyebrows slightly furrowed. His eyes are trained on a spot across from him, but I don't think they're actually seeing anything. 

He looks down at me when I run my hands through my hair, his mind snapping back to reality. 

"Is it over?" I ask, breaking the eerie silence in the small Box. He doesn't respond, instead just moving me off of his lap and standing up, walking to the entrance and peering through the chain link doors.

More silence as everybody watches Gally, waiting eagerly for him to tell us whether or not it's safe. After a few minutes of intently listening for any noises above us, Gally looks over and nods, slowly pushing open the door.

Everybody shoots to their feet, following Gally's lead. When I pull myself up and stand on the grass for the first time in hours, I find myself wanting to crawl right back into the Box and hide in the corner again. 

Flames lick the air, the red and yellow ribbons of heat intertwining together, dancing and swaying in the wind. They're burning everything they can get their fiery hands on. My skin feels as if it's melting in the heat. My eyes and lungs immediately begin to burn from the acrid fumes of smoke. Boys around me are coughing, their lungs tickled by the smoke. 

Everything we've built is on fire. One look around and I can already tell that nearly every building has been destroyed. Three years of hard work and labor, smashed to smithereens within seconds.

I see Gally standing at the very front of the group of boys, his eyes scanning the total destruction surrounding him. His entire demeanor has changed. Even from my spot at the back of the group, I can see that. His body is tense, hands balled into fists at his sides. 

I push through the crowd, still coughing as I near Gally. I look up at him and see his eyebrows arched, eyes narrowed, and jaw clenched tight. 

"Gally?" I ask cautiously. I reach out to touch him, hold his hand, but as soon as my fingers graze his, Gally flinches away from me, snapping his eyes away from the burning Glade for just a moment to look down at me.

His gaze softens ever so slightly when he sees me, but it only lasts for a second before he's angry again. Without a word, fists still clenched, Gally takes off towards the Meeting hut. 

"Gally!" I shout, scrambling to keep up with his quick, long strides. He doesn't respond. He's in a state of such anger that he can't even hear me.

"It's his fault." I can hear him muttering, eyes set on the Meeting hut. "Everything. It's his fucking fault. His fault."

I see Thomas along with a small group of people through the thick smoke, emerging from the half-destroyed Meeting hut. The roof is caving in, wood and nails all littering the grass around the hut. A Griever must have broken through.

"Gally!" I call out, still chasing after him. Again, I get no response. I try to run faster, but my legs won't let me. My body is too tired to run right now. I see Gally's right fist clenching by his side, his eyes set on Thomas. Before anyone can react or say anything, Gally lands a solid, right-hook to Thomas's jaw, sending the boy flying backwards and onto the grass.

"This is all you, Thomas!" Gally shouts, his voice cutting through the shouting around him as some of the boys attempt to hold him back.

"What the fuck?!" I scream, my hands flying to my mouth. I can't even get my feet to move so that I can react. They're glued to the grass.