~𝓐𝓴𝓻𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓪~

3.7

•Third Person•

   Athena wakes to find her lap and chair vacant, a note on her bedside stump.

  Greenie came up early
Wanted to let you sleep in
-G

The girl could tell it was Gally's note with or without the signature. His scrawl is neater than her younger brothers by a mile, his letters are loopy and lines straight while Newt's looked like he'd been writing it while on a gravel road riding a dirt bike.

    Athena smiles at the note, excited for someone new to be in the glade anyway. She gets off the bed, wincing at the pain in her back from sleeping sitting up.

    Gally smiles at the sound of small, quick footsteps coming up behind him. He laughs when Athena's weight springs onto his upper back and her arms find a home around his neck. "Where's the greenie?" She asks wrapping her legs around his stomach to keep from falling. "In the pit." Athena's eyebrows furrow at his statement. "Why?" She asks, worry lacing her voice. "Because he klunked his pants he was so nervous and he now won't stop crying. You're the only on with enough shuck patients to deal with him." He says with a chuckle.

Athena groans, pointing toward the makeshift prison. "Onward!" She exclaims patting his chest with her other hand. He laughs again, bringing his hands to her thighs the support the girls weight as he walks to the Med-hut instead. "We're getting him pants, Birdy." He says when she goes to protest.

    "Greenie!" Gally shouts a few yards away from the slammer. "We got you pants, don't klunk in these ones." He says tossing them to a scared looking young boy. "W-we?" He repeats unsure of the older stranger. Athena moves to the right a little, coming out from behind Gally. "Hi!" She waves with a welcoming smile. The little boy waves back meekly with tired puffy eyes.

Athena smiles when the small, pudgy boy lets Gally help him climb out of the cell and take him to the shower house. When he walks out again Gally pushes off the wall and crosses his arms, standing behind Athena. "Can you please tell me where I am?" The boy asks quietly, looking between the two of them. "Of course." She says, her voice gentle as she puts an arm over his shoulder and starts to walk toward the kitchen with Gally in tow.

The three knock on the kitchen door and a smile overcomes the older two's features when Frypan stands in the now open door with a jar of water and a confused face. "Oh, hey you two...who's that?" He asks when his eyes land on the child between the two. "This is the greenie." Athena's hands find both of the boy's shoulders and she pushes him in front of her. "I'm claiming him before Ben can." She informs with a grin. Fry and Gally chuckle at her statement. "Of course you are." Fry says, turning to lean against the counter and let the trio in.

Gally and Athena usher the young greenie to a table for lunch, each of the three holding a tray. "You'll get the 'official' tour later tonight when the runners come back. Ben is supposed to be your Glader for the first few days but if you don't like him I will gladly kick his ass and take his place." The greenie laughs at the girl and nods through a mouthful of sandwich.

    "You guys are really nice." The greenie says sweetly. Gally gives him a look. "Don't tell anyone." The greenie laughs again, feeling better than he had before meeting the blonde girl.

    A tall, lanky boy with green eyes and short, light brown hair jogs over to the trio and sits on the bench next to Athena. Gally's jaw clenches and he stands up. "I have to get back to the builders, call if you need anything okay?" He asks patting the top of the greenie's head over the table and squeezing Athena's shoulder. He nods to Ben and strides off.

    "So you're the greenie?" Ben asks resting his elbows on the table. "He is, and you stink." Athena mutters in reply, eliciting a chuckle from both boys. "Seriously. Go shower before the tour, please." She borderline begs the sweaty boy. Ben laughs again but walks off from the table, leaving in a similar way as Gally. He squeezed Athena's other shoulder and nodded to Chuck.

    Ben comes back fifteen minutes later, shirtless with a towel draped over his shoulders. Athena raises an eyebrow. "Where are the rest of your clothes?" She asks, eyeing his exposed torso as he steps closer. "You don't seem to mind too much." He smirks eyeing her in return. The greenie clears his throat awkwardly and stands with his hands behind his back. "We have a tour to give, runner." She mutters patting his chest and side stepping him to get to the younger boy. Ben chuckles and spins on his heel to face the two. "Where you suggest we start, beautiful?" He asks. Athena rolls her eyes, ignoring his question.

Athena crouches in front of the puppy that'd come up not too long ago with the greenie beside her. "This is bark, and before you start I know it's not creative but it's the only thing he answers to and I let Alby name him." The greenie giggles when Bark licks his face, jumping to put his paws on the boy's chest. Ben smiles as well, a fond look overtaking his features as he leans on a tree a few feet behind the pair. "She'll make a great mom aye?" Ben jumps at the sight of the bagger next to him, the boys black eye still prominent. Crossing his arms Ben let's a disgusted look stale his face. Ben grunts and leans further into the tree in reply.

The bagger holds out his hand. "Name's Kevin, don't think we've met." Ben clenches his jaw but nods and shakes the boy's hand. "Ben." He replies with a tight lipped smile. "Ben, everything okay?" Athena asks walking over to the pair and raising an eyebrow at the boy standing across from them. Ben gasps, keeping the other boy's attention off the girl. "You do care!" Ben accuses with a grin. "Shut up." She laughs punching him in the shoulder and turning to the bagger. "You need anything? We're kind of giving a tour right now." She asks plainly, gesturing to the young boy still playing with the dog behind them. "All good here, darling." Kevin says, blatantly eyeing her up and down.

Ben's jaw clicks, his expression hardening and he puts an arm around the girl next to him. "We should go." He says glaring at the boy and pulling her closer to him. Athena lets the boy next to her lead her back to the greenie with his arm around her. "Are you okay?" He asks dropping his arm from her shoulders. "I'm fine, just slightly uncomfortable." She assures with a small nod, crossing her arms in front of her. "Alright. Just...tell me or Gally next time he tries to talk to you, yeah?" He asks slightly unsure of her reaction. Athen just smiles and nods. "Thanks." She says. Ben nods again and turns to the greenie with a grin, kneeling in front of the dog with him.

Athena shakes her head to rid herself of the feeling Kevin instilled with in her when he decided she looked more like a zoo animal than a person. She walks back over to the two boys and Bark, giggling a little when Ben gets a lick to the face. "C'mon we've literally only showed you like two places." She says patting Bark's head and throwing him a treat. Ben and the greenie stand up, letting her lead the way to the actual work stations.

    "So, this is where the builders work." Athena says leading the young greenie over to Gally. "Gal here is the brute that's in charge of those guys." She points to a group of builders working together to fix something with the homestead. Gally wipes his hands and forehead with a small towel, nodding to the three with a small grin. "Hey, Birdy, boys." She smiles back at him and lets her arm rest over the greenie's shoulder. "You remember our greenie right?" She asks reaching over to mess up his curls. "Of course I do." He says pleasantly looking down at the boy. "Thinking about building with me?" He asks crossing his arms over his chest. The greenie shrugs unsurely. "We'll see soon enough. I'm sure you'll fit in great here." Ben pipes in from behind the two, resting a hand on top of the girls, on the greenie's shoulder.

   The three walk back to the gardens with the greenie. "These are the gardens, my little brother Newt works here." Athena says cupping a hand around her mouth. "Newtie!" She calls, grinning when everyone in the area but her brother look up from their work. "He's a little shy sometimes." She jogs the rest of the way over to him and messes up her brother's already tussled hair. "You know where Z is?" She asks glancing around. "Think he's getting more soil, why?" Newt asks with a raised brow. Athena shoots him a look. "Not for that." She says sternly. "The greenie needs to know who he's answering to tomorrow." She answers nodding over her shoulder at the greenie who was talking animatedly with Ben behind the siblings.