Crank killer. Apocalypse survivor. Loner.
Her world was flipped upside down when her brother was snatched from the apocalyptic world for a nasty experiment.
After living alone with her dog for years, killing zombies and hiding from WCKD, she's fin...
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"Are you sure? I mean, she hit her head pretty hard..."
"Yes, Chuck. She's fine," Jeff chuckled at the younger boy. Then looked up at me. "Take it easy. Maybe... stay on the ground for a while, yeah?"
Chuck and I left the medjack hut the next morning. So far, the only person that knows what I remembered is Frypan. No one else knows I've woken up and been cleared besides Fry and Chuck.
"I've been taking care of Dory while you were out. She likes to play chase! She tried eating my socks last night, too. It was weird."
"Greenie!"
I smiled when I heard his voice and turned around to see Minho sprinting towards me. I braced for impact and the second he reached me he almost tackled me over.
He picked me up in a hug and spun me around once before setting me back down. I braced myself on his muscled forearms, holding my head.
"Hi, Minho! Ouch!" I snickered. "Didn't know I was worthy of a bear hug!"
He's still wearing that grass bracelet. Despite some of the blades fading from green to yellow. He's still wearing it.
"You freaked me out! It's been three days! I thought you were dead!" He studied my face. "What the shuck happened?!"
"Fell out of a tree," I laughed. "Looks like I did something stupid while you were gone."
"And I totally missed it!"
"I um... I have some news. Where's Newt? Frypan? We should all go to the mess hall. Or somewhere private."
"Private?" He raised an eyebrow. "Good thing I was granted a day off today by Alby."
"Alby," I gasped softly. "I should tell him first. Where is he?"
"Last time I checked, with the builders at the slicer's hut. Something about needing new fences for the animals."
"Okay. You two go get Newt and meet me in the mess hall with Frypan."
Jeez. Newt. My brother. My heart was palpitating with anxiety. What if he doesn't believe me? He has to. It all makes sense now.
I made my way to the slicer hut and found Alby speaking with Gally. Both looked equally shocked to see me awake. Alby smiled and patted my shoulder.
Surprisingly, my bad shoulder is starting to hurt much less now. The stitches are gone as well. I assumed maybe Clint or Jeff tended to my car while I was unconscious.
"Good to see you finally up, greenie."
"Elsie," I blurted, grabbing Winston's attention as well as Gally's. I smiled big and blushed. "I-"
"Remembered your name!!" Alby positively beamed. "What is it again?!"
"Elsie!" I matched his volume with a laugh. He roped me into a tight hug.
"Aye, everyone!! Greenie remembered her name!!" He yelled, grabbing the attention of everyone in the vicinity. "Elsie!!"
Suddenly everyone rushed to me and started cheering, clapping and repeating my name. Some also complimented it.
Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Gally clapping. Clapping and smiling.
Before I had a minute to ponder on it however, I was strangely lifted up onto someone's shoulders. I looked down to see Minho, laughing and smiling up at me.
I couldn't help how contagious his smile was and I laughed too, taking the hand he held one of my legs with.
"Elsie! Elsie! Elsie!"
—
After all of the excitement died down, Alby announced an optional off day for the Gladers.
Which, almost everyone took advantage of.
Me, Newt, Chuck, and Minho are all sitting in the mess hall at the bar window in front of Frypan.
He was whipping up a batch of cupcakes for after dinner tonight to celebrate me remembering my name. So we all decided to hang out with him.
He's had to kick out a sneaky Chuck from his kitchen a few times now for trying to snatch the chocolate chips for the cupcakes.
Eventually he allowed the boy a handful so he'd stop pestering him about it.
"What about... Ellie?"
The boys are trying to figure out a nickname for me. So far, none of them have felt right.
"Guys, I'm telling you, it's too short for a nickname," I blushed. "But you guys can call me whatever version of it you want, I guess."
"Okay, then, Ellie," Minho teased. "What was the news you had to tell us? Besides the name thing?"
I thought about Newt. And how odd things are with him right now. And figured maybe it would be best to tell him the family thing alone. Just at first, so we can have a moment.
It's a huge thing. A personal thing. I feel like we should talk about it alone first before everyone else knows.
So, I brought up something else I was confused about.
"I found a rose on my lap when I woke up. Do any of you have any idea who it was from? I know Fry doesn't, he was with me when I found it."
Much to my dismay, all three boys shook their heads, just as clueless as me.
"Bloody hell, remembered your name and got a secret admirer all in three days," Newt laughed.
Oh, Newt. That's not all I remembered...
Suddenly my stomach went queasy. "Oh god, was it Zart?"
Newt shrugged. "Dunno. Could've been. I'm not sure how he could've done it though. He was working with me for most of the time you were out. We planted a whole row of cherry trees. So anytime we weren't working, we were showing or sleeping."
Cherry trees. My heart fluttered. The trees with beautiful pink flowers and tart fruit.
"Looks like I've got an ass to beat whenever we find out who it was," Minho sat up proudly.
"Hush, we're not dating, you've no need to get jealous."
"We could be," He smirked jokingly, laughing when I slugged his shoulder.
"Shove off, Minho."
All of us laughed.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a mystery," Newt said with a grin. "Find Elsie's secret admirer."
