Losing Hope

Ten

"You have to protect her." 

The words echoed in my mind, and somehow I knew the voice was talking about me. There was something very familiar about it.

I felt hands grabbing my arms, but all I could see was a silhouette, apparently crouching in front of me. I couldn't make out any features of its face and its body looked like more of a shadow than an actual body. But I knew that what they had to say was important.

"Caroline, listen to me. They will take care of you, okay? They will protect you. And if you're ever scared, just know that I'll never be far from you." The same male voice as last time said, and I felt something being placed on my wrist.

"I love you Caroline."

I woke up sucking in a breath. Although the person talking to me was just a blurry silhouette, I felt that there was a link between us. My gut told me he was my father, but my mind begged to differ. After all, I had never really heard this voice before. And I couldn't know who it was for sure. It was only a dream.

I realised that I was clutching something on my wrist and looked down. It was the bracelet that I had on ever since I had woken up in the Box. I frowned, taking it off to look at it. There was nothing special about it, no secret writing, no key, nothing. It was just a plain, brown braided bracelet. A little voice in my head told me that it could be a gift from my father, but I shut it off, putting the bracelet back on my wrist. It was too early for me to deal with that.

I got up and got dressed in my usual outfit, and as I put my clothes on I remembered a part of my dream. Caroline. The man had called me Caroline. The name sounded very familiar in my mind, and I repeated it over and over. There was no doubt I could have : my name was Caroline.

I felt a wide smile spread on my face as I went down the reclined stairs and to the dinner area. Boys were already all around the Glade, and I frowned when I realised that everyone was already up and working. I went to Frypan's kitchen, and he smiled brightly when he saw me.

"There she is! How'd you sleep, Green Bean?" He asked, handing me a plate of still steaming leftovers from breakfast. I smiled at him.

"Actually, it's Caroline," I revealed, and his smile got bigger.

"Yeah, Green Bean's got a name! Welcome home, Carie," he said dragging the first word, and I frowned, gently smacking his arm.

"It's still Caroline for you," I joked, and he pretended to be offended by my words. I laughed, shaking my head, before I settled on the counter and started to eat my food. I explained to Fry about how it came to me in a dream, keeping the rest of the dream to myself. Once I was done, he told me to go find Alby.

I was walking towards the Council Hall when I noticed him chatting with Winston near the Bloodhouse. I headed that way and when they saw me, Winston went back in as Alby walked towards me.

"Good morning Greenie! You slept in today," he said, and I shrugged.

"Y'all just had to wake me up?" I said, half accusing and half suggesting that they did that the next time. Alby had a small laugh and was about to say something, but I cut him off. "Also, my name is Caroline, not Greenie."

Alby's eyes got wide and he smiled. "Well, I was planning something for you, but I guess we'll do something else," Alby said placing a hand proudly on my shoulder. I smiled as he pushed me towards the Builders. He grabbed a knife and some sort of metal stick then we walked towards the wall with the names written on it.

My eyes drifted to Jack's crossed name, but I forced myself to look away. "You're part of the Glade now, Greenie," he said, handing me the knife and the stick. I frowned at him, then looked at the wall, then back at him. I smiled at him, grabbing the tools. I found an empty spot just under Jack, next to a crossed Nick.

Alby stood beside me as I carved my name into the wall. My hands were slightly shaking, and honestly, Caroline is not an easy name to carve. I considered writing only the nickname Frypan gave me, but there was ring to it that I disliked. As I was trying to make a satisfying circle for the 'o', the knife slid away from the wall and went straight into my forearm, as my hand holding the metal stick hit the wall, squeezing my fingertips between it and said stick.

I let go of both tools and instinctively reached for my arm with my other hand. I stared as blood started dripping down my elbow and onto the ground. I applied pressure on the wound, looking up at Alby. He was staring at me wide eyed, before he grabbed my shoulder and dragged me over to the Homestead.

"Did you really just manage to cut yourself while carving your Shuck name on the wall?" Alby muttered, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, well you did put a knife in my hands while the last days obviously showed us that I am clumsy as hell," I replied in the same tone, and Alby looked at me sideways, a slight smirk creeping on his face. I felt my face heat up and I looked down. "Sorry, I mean-"

"Caroline, you don't have to be scared of me, okay? I'm not gonna put you in the Slammer because you're being witty," Alby cut me off, and I smiled. We finally reached the Homestead and Jeff had a small chuckle when he saw me.

"Once more, Green Bean managed to hurt herself," he joked. "What did she do now, try to cut chicken for tonight's dinner?" He asked, grabbing the stuff he needed while I sat down, Alby leaning on the wall next to me.

"No. Caroline here was trying to carve her name on the wall," Alby said, and Jeff sat down, scoffing.

"I can't believe he put a knife in your hands and let you carve your name yourself in the wall. I mean, no offense, but your number of injury in the first week is spectacular. Congrats on remembering your name, though," Jeff spoke as he poured some liquid on a piece of fabric, before placing it on my arm.

"Thank you," I mumbled, shooting a glare at Alby, who was still smirking, arms crossed on his chest. He seemed to find the situation very amusing. I looked down at my arm and hissed as the fabric touched my wound, feeling the burning sensation. Jeff shot me a sort of apologetic look, before cleaning the blood off my arm. He applied the ointment and bandaged up my arm, as I was now used to see him do.

Once that was done, Alby sent me off to see if Frypan needed help with that day's lunch. As soon as the cook saw my bloody bandage, however, he sent me away to find something else to do. I went to see Zart then, and he let me help by picking up ripe fruits and vegetables, warning me to be careful not to put blood on them.

The day went on and soon enough, we were in the middle of the afternoon. I was glad I was able to do something regardless of my injury, and I really felt like my place was with the Track-Hoes. The boys were also starting to accept me a bit more, making little chats and joking around with me. As much as I felt uneasy on my first days, I was really starting to like the Glade. It didn't feel like home, and probably never would, but I didn't feel like a stranger anymore.

I was just dropping the two bags of fresh vegetables I had been carrying to the kitchen along with another boy, Scott, when the Runners started arriving. Ben jogged past us and waved, greeting Scott, followed by another Runner that I didn't know. Scott went back to the Gardens as I walked over to the main door, the one by which Minho usually left. I was just reaching it when he came out, heading straight to the Homestead. I frowned, until I realised that he was carrying someone. And the familiar blond hair told me it was Newt.

.......................................

Okay, before you attack me in the comments, I am fully aware that what this part suggests is not chronologically correct, however, I decided to make that change. So, my dear readers who have read The Fever Code, please don't be mad at me. I love you all.

~Laue