The day that the new Greenie arrived came quickly. Emma was looking forward to no longer being the Greenie and the bonfire that would take place in the evening. Jack and Brandon hadn't stopped talking about it. They were thrilled. Their excitement fueled her excitement. Having a night to relax and have fun after a month of working hard was all she wanted.
The sound of an alarm blaring caused Emma to jump. The shovel in her hand fell from her grasp, hitting Zart in the back. "Ow," he stood up.
"Sorry," Emma rushed out. It was an accident. The sound had frightened her.
"Greenie's here." Newt dusted his hands on his pants. "Come on. Let's go." Emma followed them toward the box. Several others were doing the same, but not everyone. The alarm was loud, incredibly loud. It bounced off the walls. "You excited, Greenie?"
"Not the Greenie anymore," she spoke proudly. "Remember?"
Newt shrugged, a large grin plastered on his face. "You're right." They came to a stop at the edge of the group, not getting too close. Newt left them, pushing closer to assist wherever he was needed. Zart stood close by as they waited for the Greenie.
Emma watched through the bodies as Frypan and Gally bent over and pulled back the gates. They then two moved down and pulled open the set of doors. Once they were opened, Gally jumped in. Curiosity got the better of her, and she moved closer. Part of her hoped the Greenie was a girl, but that seemed unlikely.
Gally crawled out of the box a minute later. A brown-haired boy with dark skin followed him. It took him longer, but he managed to get out. Her shoulders fell slightly. Zart noticed, "you okay?"
"Hm?" She glanced at him. "Oh, yeah, sorry." Emma looked away. "I was hoping it would be a girl."
Zart frowned, patting her shoulder. "Sorry." He had no idea how to comfort her. He couldn't imagine what it was like to be the only girl. It had to be uncomfortable.
"It's fine," she said because it was.
Whispers began at the sight of the boy. He was tall but shorter than Gally. He looked older than a lot of the others but still young. The boy looked around. It was a lot to take in at first. Arriving in the box was the scariest moment of the entire process. Emma never wanted to experience that feeling again.
The boy looked fine. He wasn't crying or freaking out. For a moment, Emma was impressed. Then the boy bent over and vomited. The other Gladers jumped back, trying to get away.
"That happens a lot," Jack whispered to her.
She looked up at him. "Did it happen to you?"
He smirked. "Nope. I was entirely collected."
Zart snorted, shaking his head. "He was a crier." Jack paled. Emma laughed at the revelation.
"All right," Alby yelled as Newt guided the new Glader away, probably to find clean clothes. "Get back to work. Days not done yet." As instructed, everyone went back to work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Torches ignited the bonfire. The flames danced beautifully. The smoke from the fire disappeared into the night sky. Emma watched as the Gladers around her drank from glass jars and ate chicken on a stick. It was relaxing. It was fun. It was everything she needed.
"What do you think, Greenie," Newt questioned her. "How's your first bonfire?"
Emma tapped her chin. "Great, but I'm not the Greenie anymore. We got a new one." It was hard to hear over the laughing, talking, and chanting that came from the fighting ring.
Newt didn't seem to care that there was another Greenie. "Hungry?"
"No, thank you." She ate a lot at dinner. "I'll have some later."
"Your loss." Zart took the chicken from Newt. "I think Frypan can only cook during bonfires."
"Don't let him hear you say that," Jack spoke. "He'll spit in your stew next time."
Zart looked around, eyes searching for Frypan. "He's way over there." Emma sat on a log, watching what was going on around her. It was easier to observe in new situations. That way, she felt more comfortable knowing what was going on. She sat close to the fighting ring, which she wasn't actively watching, not like the other Gladers. Every now and then, she would watch people fight. It didn't hold her attention for long. "Nothing to worry about."
"Hey," Minho called as he walked toward them. "Here." He stuck a jar of amber liquid in Emma's face. "This is for you."
"What is it?" Emma took the glass jar from him. It had a dominant smell, something foreign to her nose.
Minho, who had a jar of his own, drank the liquid. "Gally's recipe," he explained. "Try it."
Emma was hesitant. "Gally's recipe?" Gally didn't like her.
"He makes it for everyone," Newt explained. He could see the concern that crossed her features.
As much as she didn't want to drink the unknown liquid, everyone was staring at her. "Okay." The group watched as the girl raised the glass to her lips. Nervously, she took a sip. Instantly, she pulled the glass away and began to cough. The liquid burned in the worst way possible. At her reaction, they laughed loudly. "Why did you make me drink it that? It's awful."
It was obvious to Minho. "Because I knew it would be funny."
"And it was," Jack agreed.
"Thank you for that." Emma set the glass on the ground. She wasn't planning on drinking any more of it. Zart didn't waste a second. He took the drink for himself. To him, someone had to drink it, or it would be wasted.
Rather than commenting, she stayed silent. The group shifted into another conversation quickly. Emma skimmed the Glade, watching the boys around her. Everyone was happy. The bonfire seemed to be a time when everyone came together. It was fun.
Her eyes came to rest on the closed Maze doors. They closed every night like clockwork. It was better that way. At night, Grievers would roam the interior. When it was quiet, she could hear them. She could hear them screech as they roamed the Maze. The Maze frightened her more than it should. She tried not to think about the creatures beyond the walls that wandered around in the dark.
But as much as the Maze scared her, it fascinated her. It was complicated and large. It changed every night. How was that possible? Who built it? It couldn't have been easy. It must have taken years to build. She wanted to know.
Returning her attention to others, she began to think about how long they've been here, how many bonfires they've experienced. Some of them had been here for over three years. Emma had been here a month, and it was overwhelming. She couldn't imagine years inside the walls.
Someone tapped her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. "You okay?" Newt noticed her silence quickly.
"Yeah," she said. "Fine."
That didn't convince him. "Are you sure?"
"Positive." Emma was quick to change the subject. "Has anyone talked to the new Greenie?" She was curious about him.
"Yeah," Zart spoke up. "His name's Lauren."
"How's he taking to the Glade?" Newt sat beside Emma, a drink in his hand that wasn't there a minute ago.
"No idea," Zart didn't know. "He's over there with Ably now. Looks fine." Emma searched the area for Alby. It took her a moment to find him. He was sitting near the edge of the clearing on a log with Lauren. Lauren was wearing new clothes now. "I'm going to get some more of Fry's chicken before it's gone. Does anyone want some?"
"I do," Jack raised his hand. "I'll come with." The two walked off.
Minho and Ben were talking a few feet away. Jack and Zart had left, leaving Emma alone with Newt. She didn't mind. She liked his company, always had.
From her spot, she could feel the warmth the fire provided—the sound of cheering caught her attention. More had gathered around the fighting ring. Newt had mentioned the fighting ring. It was a popular event that took place during bonfires. Silently, the two sat together. Newt watched the fire, and Emma watched the fights.
She watched as Gally threw another Glader onto the ground. More cheering occurred. A few Builders patted Gally on the back, their way of congratulating him. Since the start of the night, she noticed people would filter in and out. They'd mess around. The winners fluctuated until Gally. After that, he won over and over. He was good. Zart said he always won. "Does he actually always win?"
"What?" Newt followed her gaze. He watched as another Glader challenged Gally. "Yeah. He's pretty good."
That didn't surprise her. He was strong, had to be as a Builder. "Have you ever challenged him?"
Newt snorted, "me? Are you joking?"
Emma shrugged with a grin. "What? You could take him."
"I definitely could not," Newt responded. Even before his leg, he didn't stand a chance against Gally.
"I bet I could take him."
That made Newt laugh harder. "I'd love to see that."
"See what?" The question came from Zart as he returned with Jack.
"Emma challenging Gally to a fight and winning."
Jack sat beside her, holding back a laugh. "Sorry, Greenie, but Captain Gally would destroy you."
"Not the Greenie," she corrected. "And thank you for the vote of confidence. Really. You're all great friends." That was when his words set in. "Wait, Captain Gally?" That wasn't something she had heard before.
"Yeah," Jack said with a mouth full of food. "He tells everyone to call him that. Surprised he never mentioned it."
"He doesn't talk to me, remember?"
"Oh, yeah." He had forgotten. "Still?"
Newt was quick to respond. "A girl coming up in the box was a big shock. It takes people time to come to terms with change. Some more than others." He knew the Gally situation was starting to bother her more and more. It had been a month, and Gally had refused to acknowledge her.
Emma blinked a few times, focusing on the fight. An unknown boy had joined Gally in the ring. They had already fought before, but that didn't seem to matter. The two were stretching, preparing for their fight.
Gally turned around, stretching his arms as he prepared to fight. Emma watched as his eyes searched the area before landing on her. He blinked, holding her gaze for a moment. She sat up straighter but didn't look away. Something told her not to.
It felt like hours had passed, but it was actually a few seconds. Emma realized how weird she must have looked staring at him. Not knowing what else to do, she smiled at him. Gally blinked again, his arms slowly lowering. Before he could do anything, the boy came up from behind and shoved him forward.
The crowd roared, cheering at the boy for catching Gally by surprise. However, the Builder recovered quickly and threw the other boy out of the circle.
They were right. He always won. Unable to look at the boy who hated her, Emma stood up. "I think I'm going to try some of Fry's chicken now." It was the only thing she could think of to do. "Newt?"
The blond stood up. "Coming." With that, the two walked through the crowd, further away from the fighting. Emma planned to eat something before going to bed. She still had a job to do in the morning and didn't want to be tired again.