The Girl

Chapter Thirty

  "Alright, shanks! Shut your holes and listen up!" Alby demands and stands from his chair. A wave of silence quickly washes over the room. We all look up at the leader. Our chairs are arranged in a circle, one chair per Keeper. I don't know half of the boys in the room. Most of them look familiar but I've never taken the time to get to know a lot of them. Alby's sitting in the chair closest to the door, Newt on his left and Gally on his right. I'm sitting between Newt and Minho.

"We've got a bit to discuss. As you all know, our new greenie this month was Beth. A girl. Now, she obviously has some significance or they wouldn't have just sent her up without any changes. It doesn't make sense. Now, we need to figure out why and what to do about it." My head snaps up and my eyes widen at that last part. What to do about it? Are they going to try and send me back or something?

Newt takes my hand and delicately intertwines it with his own. "And if any of ya shanks suggest banishing her, I'll throw you down the box hole myself, ya hear?" He threatens, his tone surprisingly calm. The boys stay quiet.

"Not all at once, please," Alby says sarcastically and rolls his eyes. I begin to think maybe they wanted to banish me. Minho finally speaks up.

"Well, we didn't exactly have no changes. She and I came closer to killing a griever than we ever have before. Plus, usually we would've lost a few gladers by now. And we haven't. Too many of us were probably getting killed, so they sent her to save our shucking butts." He sits with his elbows on his knees.

"Or maybe they need us to find a way out of the maze, so they gave us her as a hint," Zart, the Keeper of the gardeners says. A few gladers murmur in agreement.

"Alright, alright! Quiet! Are we all in agreement then?" Alby asks. The boys all nod. Except one.

"Gally?" Alby asks and raises his eyebrows at him. Gally stays sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed. I watch him nervously.

"She could be an angel, she could be a demon. We don't know-"

"How the bloody hell would she be a demon?" Newt asks. Gally shrugs.

"Maybe she's here to try and tear us apart. She could be here to ruin our relationships-"

"Has she done that?" Newt interrupts angrily.

"Were you not there during yours and Minho's little fight?" Gally asks. Newt rises from his chair, ready to pounce on Gally, but I place a hand on his chest to hold him back. He looks down at me and I shake my head. He stubbornly sits down, shooting daggers at Gally with his eyes. I clear my throat.

"That disagreement was resolved, Gally," I say sternly but softly.

"Well... I guess she's not a demon then. Do whatever you shanks want," He says resentfully and pushes up out of his chair. He trudges to the door and exits the room.

"Well it's settled then. We'll go on about our business. Now get outta here, shanks," Alby says. The gladers disperse. I push up out of my chair and rush outside first looking around. I spot the back of Gally's head walking to the deadheads. I rush in his direction.

"Beth!" I hear Minho call after me, but I keep sprinting. Once I'm close enough I reach out and pull Gally's shoulder back. He turns around and a look of frustrations pierces his face as he sees me.

"What do you want, shuckface?" He burst out. I'm taken aback by his tone, but quickly recover.

"What the hell was that? Why'd you stomp out? What do you have against me? Did I do something to you I don't know about?" I toss out question after question. He huffs.

"Just shut it-"

"No! Tell me what's wrong!" I shout at him. He looks down at me, surprised by my angry outburst. I can see him debate with himself whether or not he should tell me. "Well?" I demand. He groans.

"Everytime I look at you, it's a constant reminder that I'm not with her! I miss my sister, Beth! And you're just a little piece of her, that reminds me I probably won't ever see her again! Are you happy now?" He screeches at me. I look up at him, not sure whether to be hurt or empathetic or upset. I couldn't tell him about my brother, could I? No. I shouldn't. How do I respond?

I pull him into a hug. I can tell he's startled by my gesture, but I feel him give in and put his arms around me, his tears falling in my hair.

"We'll get you home to her," I whisper. "I promise."

He pulls back. "After everything I've put you through, you still want to help me?" He asks.

"I believe in second chances Gally..." I begin. "But not third chances, so watch yourself."

He lets out a small laugh and we say goodbye. I turn around to see my friends staring at me, bewildered.

"What?" I ask innocently, stepping up to them.

"What the hell was that?" Minho asks. I shrug.

"I wanted to make sure he was okay," I reply casually.

"After all he's put you through?" Minho questions suspiciously.

"Yeah, he's still a person. I don't like it when people are upset," I state simply. It's the truth.

"Oh Beth, I worry about ya sometimes," He laughs.

"What? What's wrong with not wanting people to be upset?" I mock offense. Minho just smiles and shakes his head.

"Wanna watch the sunset again?" He asks hopefully. I smile. He's tough and stubborn, but it's sweet that he likes the calming sunset.

"I really would, but I'm just too tired. Tomorrow," I tell him, bumping his rib with my arm. He smirks.

"Alright, princess. Tomorrow."