[unedited]

The day for a the Box to come up had arrived, Asa had hoped for another Greenie as sweet as Chuck had been. She also hoped for another girl, but the likeliness of that had been little to nothing, she knew it. But she could hope. As much as she loved the boys, she knew having another girl around would make things easier for her. The wandering eyes, the snide comments, even having someone else to blame for the shipments of stringed cotton items.

She was sat in the Med room when the alarm began to blare, her hands instantly cupping her ears to drown out the noise. The anxiety she'd gotten the previous month rose again, her heart pounding and tears threatening at her eyes. She didn't understand why it had affected her the way it did, it was only noise. Even after the alarm had stopped and she heard the crate opening, she continued to shake, her breath gradually slowing.

Then, she heard yelling. In attempt to push away the anxiety, she forced herself from her seat, exiting the Homestead. The swarm of boys stood around the box as Gally pulled him up, the Greenie falling into shock as his eyes bounced around the group.

Within seconds, his feet kicked off, running without destination.

"We got a runner!" Zart yelled out, the group laughing as the panicked boy made his way through the Glade.

His running hadn't lasted long though, he tripped, tumbling forward into the overgrown grass. Asa ran after him, the group following in pursuit. She was the first one to him, his weary eyes lost at the walls. As she stood over him, her hand held out to assist him from the ground. She'd gotten a good look at his face. Something about him was familiar, like a flash of deja vu. Yet, she couldn't place it.

"Asa, get away from him." Gally called out, she dropped the boys hand as he stood. "He could be dangerous." Asa rolled her eyes at his dramatics, the Greenie was scared not dangerous.

Several of the boys took hold of the frantic newbie's arms, dragging him towards the Slammer to cool off. Asa didn't like that, she understood he could act irrationally with the shock of the Glade; but they didn't have to lock him up. They could've tried to talk to him first.

"Gal, is that really necessary?" Asa asked, brushing off the strange feeling of familiarity.

"Yeah, it is." Gally answered, slinging his arm over the girls shoulder, watching as they locked the boy in. Asa threw off Gally's arm, annoyed with their behavior towards the boy. "Are you seriously pissed off?" Gally asked, looking down to his girlfriend as she debated on walking towards the Pit.

"No, Gal, I just think there's better ways to handle this." She answered, marching forward to shove her way through the Gladers. They all stared at her as she crouched down in front of the door, unsure of what they should do. "Go on, I'll be fine." Asa waved them off, the group of boys shrugging and leaving her be.

The boy stared up at her, a face of fear and shock. She could hear his breathing, similar to hers moments before. Asa smiled down at him, giving him a moment to relax before speaking.

"You alright?" She asked, he stared back blankly. He was so familiar, it had began feel like an itch she couldn't scratch. "My name is Asa." She said calmly, he nodded slightly, moving forward from the dark.

"I—I can't—where am I?" He asked, his eyes frantically searching around the space.

"How about I get you out of here and I'll try to answer all the questions you have, okay?" Asa kept her voice hushed, not wanting to frighten him any more than he had been. "If I open this door, you're not gonna run again, are you?" She asked, he shook his head quickly and she unlatched it, the boy flinching back as she did so.

"Now, do you remember your name?" She knew the answer, but she still had to ask.

"I—I don't—I don't remember anything." He started to panick again.

"Hey, that's okay, it's normal. You'll get your name back soon.." She assured him, reaching her hand down to assist him out. "Come on, we'll get you some water and I'll show you around your new home." She'd begun to regret telling Alby she could do this, the fear on the boy's face breaking her heart with each moment. They didn't deserve this.

As he got out of the Pit, he got lost in a daze, staring at the walls around them. "Freaky, right?" Asa tried to joke, but he didn't budge.

"What is this place?"

"The Glade." She answered, she had no idea how to explain it to him when the place had still been somewhat of a myster to her. Asa began to walk towards the Homestead, making sure the boy had followed. "We sleep here, we eat here, everything you see has been built by us, actually them. We grow our own food and what we can't, well.." she pointed to the Box he'd come up in, where they'd began to take out this month's supply. "It all gets sent up."

"By who? Who put us here?"

"That, I don't have an answer to." She told him honestly, waving to Gally with a small reassuring smile when she'd noticed he'd been watching their every move. Alby exited the Homestead, walking directly towards them.

"Hey, Green Bean." Alby greeted the boy, his brows furrowing at the name.

"This is Alby, he's kinda like the big boss so, don't piss him off." Asa joked, Alby rolling his eyes at the girl. "Um, I guess that's the end of my tour, I should get back to work. You got this?" The boy's eyes widened as she went to leave, darting between her and Alby.

"Wait, where are you going? I still—I still have more questions."

"You're better off with him answering, but if you truly need something I'm not too hard to find." She said, spinning back on her heels and walking the opposite direction of the Homestead.

Asa looked around, in search for Gally who'd finally faltered his attention from her and to his work. She ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso and he tensed. The axe in his hands dropped, his head tilting to see her fingers locked over his chest.

Gally let out a sigh, placing his hand over hers, "you've got work." He mumbled, his shoulders dropping and stepped on her toes, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"I passed the Greenie off to Alby, he should be distracted for a while." She whispered, and he shook his head. "C'mon, a few minutes just us in the fort?"

"I've got more important things right now." Gally said, removing her hands from his waist and picking the hatchet from the ground.

"Like collect wood when we've already got a pile big enough to light a fire as tall as the walls?" Asa questioned, following him closing as he walked away from her. "Are you ignoring me now? Gally, what is-"

"Asa, please, I am busy." He tried not to raise his voice at her, but the words came out too harsh. She backed away, hurt by his tone and feeling as though she'd done something wrong. The second he saw the tears build in her eyes and her back begin to turn, he felt guilty. He truly had been busy and wanted to spend time with her but he'd also been irritated by the arrival of the Greenie.

Asa walked away, sucking back her pride and storming off into the Homestead. Clint and Jeff had been laughing when she walked in, wide smiles as she took her seat.

"Did you see the way the Greenie ate dirt—bean, what's wrong?" Clint's playful manner fell as he noticed her slouching posture, frustration written over her face.

"Nothing, I just—I'm tired, that's all." She forced a smile, not wanting them to worry over something she shouldn't have been upset about.

"Yeah, Clint, she's probably just having one of her moods, you know like—"

"Slim it, would you?" Clint muttered, smacking the back of Jeff's head. "Is it Gally? He's seemed a bit more tense today and if—"

"Don't worry about it, it's seriously nothing." Asa tried to assure him, snapping the hair tye around her wrist repeatedly.

"How was the Greenie then?" Clint asked, taking a seat as Jeff opened the window.

"He's scared, confused, as he should be." Asa answered, her head falling into her hands. "Do you ever get the feeling that you remember something but as soon as you try to think of what it is, its just.. gone?" She questioned, unable to get his face out of her mind, frustration building at the fact that she couldn't figure it out.

"I think we've all felt like that at times." Clint answered, but she shook her head, sitting up slightly.

"This feels different." She mumbled, her leg beginning to bounce off the floor.

"What does?" Jeff asked, curious by what she'd been getting at.

"I don't know." She looked out the window, her attention falling to the Greenie who was now accompanied by Chuck. The young boy had been guiding him around the Glade, doing what she should've been.

Minho and Ben exited the Maze, greeting the nameless boy briefly. Their arrival seemed to spike his curiosity, because it wasn't long until he'd been making his way towards the Maze. Asa's eyes widened, but she knew if she'd gotten up she wouldn't be quick enough to stop him.

As the boy stopped in front of the open walls, he was shoved back and angry Gally launching him to the ground. Asa watched the scene unfold, shocked by her boyfriend's actions. Gally was stood over the boy, but they were too far for her to hear, by the looks of it, the Greenie was panicking. Then the doors closed, taking the boy by surprise and he'd stopped yelling.

—

Asa stood in her room, staring at the limit clothing items in search for something comfortable to wear to the bonfire. She was stood in her tight sports bra, already changed into a pair of joggers. Her options were a t-shirt which had started to tear at the hems, a mud colored sweater she'd stolen from Gally and a zip up jacket.

She didn't take notice of her door opening, her mind racing with thoughts other than what to wear.

"So that's where my sweater went." She jumped, surprised to hear Gally's voice as he walked behind her. "You can't go to the Bonfire in your bra." He said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and hugging her close to his chest.

"I'm not even sure I want to go at all." Asa mumbled, leaning back against him, though she'd still been upset with the way he'd acted during the day.

"Why not? Afraid you'll get your ass kicked again?" She rolled her eyes, pulling forward and breaking from his hold.

"If I remember correctly, you got your ass kicked." She reorted, turning to face him and she glared up at his sweat beaded face. "You're a real dick, you know?" Asa mumbled, taking the sweater from the desk and tugging it over her.

"I know." Gally said, stepping towards her and she scolded up at him. "Ace, come to the fire." He said, his eyes pleading, reaching for her hands. She allowed him to take them, her eyes caught by the bracelet.

"Are you gonna stop being a jerk?" She asked, moving her fingers to adjust the strings that were slowly wearing away.

"Sure." He answered, her head tilting up, glaring at him. "To you, yes. Anyone else who gets on my nerves, no." Gally said, using his free hand to cup her face and took a step closer to her.

"I guess that's good enough." Asa muttered, slightly rolling her eyes back but moved to kiss him anyway. Gally smiled into the kiss, continuing to move forward until her back pressed against the desk. She broke away, raising a brow at him, "no, we're going to the bonfire." She said, a sarcastic grin forming on her face.

"Come on, I haven't kissed you all day." He whined as she laced their hands together, dragging him from her room.

"And who's fault is that?"

"It's, uh—gah, Asa, you are annoying." He uttered, a breathy chuckle leaving his mouth as they walked down the steps.

"Some would say that's why you love me." She sang, pushing open the door, met with a swarm of fun hungry teenage boys.

"Who ever said that?" Gally asked, she shrugged, continuing to hold his hand as they made their way to the unlit fire.

"Alec!" Asa yelled out, the Builder instantly following her voice and waving to her. "Why does Gally love me?" She asked, Gally looked to his girlfriend, an 'are you serious' expression taking over his face.

"Cause you're an annoying little shank!" Alec yelled, Asa turning to Gally with a prideful smile.

"Why are you happy about that?" Gally asked, his nose scrunching at her odd nature.

Asa shrugged, her eyes wandering the crowded area, "you made your drinks, right?" She asked, letting go of his hand as she looked to the food table, seeing the drink bowl sat on top.

"Is it weird that you actually not hating the drink makes me more attracted to you?" Gally asked, shaking his head as he followed her to the table.

"Depends on what you put in it." She answered, taking a cup and filling it with the strange liquid.

"I'm not giving you the recipe if that's what you're asking." Gally said, taking a cup for himself.

"Why would I need the recipe when I'm always gonna have you around to make it for me?" She questioned, turning to him with a soft smile and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "Same with Fry and those damn cookies." Her eyes wandered, in search for the Chef, wandering if he'd made the cookies she couldn't stop craving.

"You really have a problem." Gally told her, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling him to his side.

"It's not my fault they're one of the few actually good things he makes." Asa retorted, taking a sip from the cup, her nose scrunching as the vile taste was forced down her throat. "God, and I could use them to wash this shit down."

The torches lit up in front of them, the wood for the fire stacked perfectly in the middle of the party. Cheers arrayed from the crowd, excitement growing knowing the night was about to begin. Everyone had always looked forward to the bonfire. While it was a celebration for the Greenie, it was undoubtedly, the only time they could really have fun without the distraction of work.

"Light 'em up!" They all cheered as the torches hit the wood, the flames igniting their frames into an orange glow.

"You going to fight?" Asa asked, leaning into Gally, his eyes focused on the flames as he drank from the glass.

"You gonna watch me?" He redirected the question, a smirk inching to his lips.

"Duh, but I'm gonna go find my brother and maybe some snacks." Asa said, moving away from him and he nodded, walking towards the group of builders who'd been preparing for him to challenge one of them.

Asa made her way around the fire, spotting Minho sat alone on a log. Sitting down, she forced him to move over on the small space, ignoring the boys standing around them.

"What do you want?" Minho asked, looking to her with a raised brow.

"What? I can't come say hi to my brother?" Asa retorted, flicking his forehead and he shoved her hand away.

"Well usually you want something or did something wrong, so which is it?" Asa rolled her eyes, leaning towards the heat of the fire and took a drink from her glass.

"Have you met the Greenie?" She asked, pointing to the boy sat behind a log with Newt beside him.

"Not yet." Minho mumbled, his attention drifting to the dirt beneath his feet.

Asa kept her eyes on Newt and the Greenie, taking notice as they turned to look at them. She gave a small wave, Newt smiling to her, raising his drink in his hand and she tilted hers towards him. The Greenie stared at Minho though, curiosity filling his eyes. She could tell he'd been questioning each person he could nonstop, Newt now getting the end of it.

"Asa! Come dance!" Jeff shouted, making his way to her, his body wiggling to the soft drums a few boys had started to play.

"I'll pass." Asa said, waving him off but Minho shoved her forward. "I don't know how to dance you idiot." Asa nudged her brother back and he laughed.

"None of us do, so go, make a fool of yourself." Minho ushered her up, taking her drink as Jeff grabbed her hands, dragging her over to where he and Clint had been.

"Jeff, this is stupid." She laughed, the boy guiding her with his awful movements. He swung their hands around, laughing at her tense body.

"Loosen up!" Jeff exclaimed letting go of her hands to spin himself around, nearly tripping in the process. Clint's high laugh could be heard from beside them, losing control at the sight of what Jeff called dancing.

"I guess whatever I do couldn't be worse than you!" Asa said through her muffled laughter, her hand cupping her mouth as she tried to look away.

"I'm the best around!" Jeff retorted, she shook her head, tears nearly spilling from her eyes.

"Jeff, seriously, you're terrible." Clint told him, taking his shoulder and pulling him back in attempts to stop him.

"You're jealous." Jeff argued, as slowly stepped back, trying to find her way back to Minho while the boy had been distracted.

"These are our Medjacks, Clint, Jeff and—" the girl walked into the Greenie, her attention having been on the two other Medjacks as she walked away from them. "And Asa, who apparently greets people by running into them." Newt said, he'd had an uncontrollable smile on his face, one the girl had only witnessed very few times.

"Yeah, we've met." The Greenie said, his hands grabbing her shoulders to support her from falling into him. "How come she's the only girl?" The boy asked, as if she hadn't been standing in front of him.

"Because I'm special." Asa answered, her hands waving in the air, shaking out for emphasis. "Nah, see that ugly Shank?" Asa pointed over to Minho, who had already been watching them.

"Minho, right? He's the Runner."

"Sure, anyway, my brother, that's all I have for my reason of being, well.." she paused, gesturing around the Glade. "Here."

"Oh." The Greenie mumbled, his brows furrowing and he once again stared over to Minho. "What if I want to be a Runner?"

Asa choked on a laugh, "trust me, you don't." She answered for him.

"Have you not been listening to word I've said? No one wants to be a Runner." Newt retorted, a stiffled laugh leaving his mouth. "And besides, you get chosen." Newt said. Asa stepped back, noticing Gally's fight beginning to move towards them.

"Get chosen by who?"

Newt wasn't able to answer him until Henry went flying it the boy's back, knocking him forward. Asa was tempted to help him, until she saw Gally staring challengingly at the boy. Gally looked to the girl for a moment, sending a quick wink to her as he rolled up his sleeves.

"What do you say, Greenie? Wanna see what your made of?" Gally asked, though he'd still been trying to catch hus breath from the previous fight. The boy was wide eyed, hesitant of his answer.

It wasn't until the crowd began to chant, cheering for him to join that he was forced into the circle. The Greenie took slow steps, an obvious discomfort in the fight. Gally didn't seem to care though, beginning to walk around him until he was stood beside Asa.

"If I win this we're—"

"Shut up and tell him the rules." Asa interrupted him before he could drag her into a bet.

Gally turned back to the Greenie, "alright, the rules are simple, Greenie. I try to push you out of the circle.. you try to last more than five seconds." Gally had been cocky, having already won several times that night. Asa smiled, finding her way back to Minho and grabbing her cup to watch.

Within seconds, Gally was running towards the boy, shoving him backwards into the crowd. Zart and Alec shoved him back in, Gally tripping him and he went face first into the dirt.

"Come on, Greenie, we're not done yet." Gally said, dancing over him tauntingly, waiting for the boy to push himself off the ground.

"Stop calling me Greenie." The boy spat out as he stood and the crowd laughed.

"Stop calling you that?" Gally questioned, glancing over to Asa and then back to the dark haired boy. "What do you want to be called? Shank?" Gally retorted, circling around him, waiting for his next move.

The crowd laughed again, shouting 'shank' at the boy, which had only made him more upset. Asa watched closely, beginning to wonder if the Greenie had an actual chance at winning as he lunged himself forward. Gally caught him though, gripping onto his arms and swinging him around, forcing him back to the ground.

"He's being a bit rougher than usual, don't you think?" Minho questioned, leaning into Asa's ear as he spoke, making sure she heard him over the yelling.

"As long as I don't have to work tonight, it's fine." Asa shrugged, Minho nodded, standing from his spot to get a better look and the girl followed.

"You know what? Think I'm settled on Shank." Gally said, waiting for the boy to come at him again.

This time, the Greenie ran forward, taking hold of Gally's torse in hopes of shoving him back. But Gally was stronger, pushing his feet across the sand with ease. Then the boy let go, hitting Gally in the back and sending him to the ground.

"C'mon, Gally! Get up!" Asa yelled, watching as what little of playfulness Gally had, decimated into rage.

The boy got up, shock on his face as he thought to have won, "not bad for a Greenie, huh?" But he'd spoke to soon, Gally's foot swiping up and sending the boy flying to the ground. His fall hadn't been soft either, his head bashing into the patted down sand, groans leaving his mouth, muffled by the cheers.

"Okay, that was a bit—" Asa was interrupted, everyone falling silent as the boy recovered quickly.

"Hey, Thomas!" Everyone stared as he shouted the name with surprise. "I remember my name! I'm Thomas!"

"He could be hurt, that was a—"

"Asa, stop working for like ten minutes and have fun." Newt said, tapping his finger against the glass of her cup. She sighed out, taking a long drink from the cup and made her way to Gally.

"Good job.." Asa smiled as she stepped beside the tall boy, his hand placed on Thomas' shoulder. "Thomas." Gally told him, dropping his hand to place it around the girl. Thomas didn't say anything in return, staring questionably between the couple.

"Welcome, Thomas." Asa smiled to him, "don't let this big idiots ego get in your way of feeling welcome, he does it to everyone." Asa assured him, taking notice that the boy hadn't been too fond of Gally. Not that Gally seemed entirely fond of him either.

"Tha—" Thomas was interrupted, jumping back in surprise at the screeching beyond the walls. "What the hell was that?" Thomas asked, staring curiously in fear of the walls.

"That'd be a Griever." Asa answered, sighing quietly as she moved closer to Gally. She'd still hated the screams of them, the way the metal scratching had echoed through the Glade—it was terrifying. "Don't worry though, we're safe here." She assured him, spotting the slight fear on his face.

"Alright, guys! Let's tuck it in for the night!" Alby shouted, clapping his hands together as the party died down.

"You've been settled into a bed, right?" Asa asked Thomas, the boy nodded. "Good then, I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled to him, turning back towards the Homestead with Gally following.

"Where ya going?" Gally asked, grabbing her hand before she could walk inside.

"To bed."

"In a bit, I want to watch the stars." Gally said, their fingers locking together as he guided her through the dark field. Asa rose a brow to him, bringing her free hand up and smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow, what was that for?" He groaned, rubbing the spot she'd smacked though she'd barely put force into it.

"You were being a dick to Thomas." She answered, unable to see his eyes roll back in the dark.

"I was just giving him a proper welcome." He shrugged, his thumb lightly rubbing across her knuckles as they walked.

"My welcome from you was a lot nicer than that."

"Ah, would you prefer me to flirt with him, then?" Gally questioned, his tone irritable.

"I never said that, I just don't get why you were being so hard on him." Asa retorted, her feet dragging in the dirt as she kicked the rocks from the ground.

"Sorry I haven't been giving him eyes says the moment he got here." Gally muttered, her brows furrowed, stopping from going any further.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She questioned, her hand breaking from his.

"Maybe it's a little annoying watching my girlfriend stare at him like he's some majestic creature.." He told her, his arms locking tightly over his chest.

"What the hell are you talking about Gally? I've only been nice to him, the same way I am with everyone else in this damn place." She explained, hurt by his suggestive words. How could he think she'd had eyes for anyone but him?

"You think I haven't seen the way you've been looking at him?" Gally retorted, but then it hit her. Gally didn't know what she'd been trying to figure out about Thomas, how she felt as if she knew who he was. That's how she'd looked at him, why she'd been watching him.

"Are you seriously that dense? Do you not realize that you're my boyfriend? I don't give a damn about some new Greenie!" She was frustrated, she didn't know how to tell him. But at this point, she didn't know if she should tell him.

"Then please, Asa, tell me why I seem to be overthinking." Gally was struggling not to raise his voice, his hands clenching to his shirt with frustration.

"I—" she couldn't find an answer for him. "I'm going to bed." She muttered, turning away from Gally, wanting the fight to be over.

"You're just gonna run away then?" Gally called out, a slight crack in his voice.

Asa ignored him, the tears building in her eyes with each step she took. Gally watched her, the slight shadow of her figure disappearing into the Homestead, leaving him alone. It hurt the both of them, confused by their own emotions as neither new exactly how to let them out. Asa felt with what she had told him, he'd overthink it. Which he would.

She walked up to her room, ignoring the calls from the rowdy boys in hopes she'd join them on the drinking game they'd come up with. She kicked open her door, hands wiping away her tears with force. She thought if she could think through an explanation and give Gally time to cool off, by tomorrow afternoon they would be okay.

That everything would be back to normal.

authors note.
asa, im so sorry baby but nothing is ever gonna be normal again..

crying asa has already been through so much trauma, FUCK WICKED!