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"Pipe it, shuck-face," Alby grunted, pulling Nen to sit next to him "At least he can understand half hs, and then everyone gathered behind Alby and Newt, packing in even tighter, waiting to hear what they said
Alby spread his arht? It’s where we live, where we eat, where we sleep--we call ourselves the Gladers That’s all you--"
"Who sent er "How’d--"
But Alby’s hand shot out before he could finish, grabbing Thomas by the shirt as he leaned forward on his knees "Get up, shank, get up!" Alby stood, pulling Thoot his feet under hi to get away froht in his face
"No interruptions, boy!" Alby shouted "Whacker, if we told you everything, you’d die on the spot, right after you klunked your pants Baggers’d drag you off, and you ain’t no good to us then, are ya?"
"I don’t even knohat you’re talking about," Thomas said slowly, shocked at how steady his voice sounded
Newt reached out and grabbed Alby by the shoulders "Alby, lay off a bit You’re hurtin’ o of Tho with breaths "Ain’t got tiun Learn the rules quick, listen, don’t talk You getfor help Everything inside him churned and hurt; the tears that had yet to coht?" He nodded again
Thomas fumed, wanted to punch somebody But he simply said, "Yeah"
"Good that," Alby said "First Day That’s what today is for you, shank Night’s comin’, Runners’ll be back soon The Box ca, right after the wake-up" He turned toward Newt "Get hiet him to sleep"
"Good that," Newt said
Alby’s eyes returned to Tho "A feeeks, you’ll be happy, shank You’ll be happy and helpin’ None of us knew jack on First Day, you neither New life begins toh the crowd, then headed for the slanted wooden building in the corner Most of the kids wandered away then, each one giving Tho look before they walked off
Thomas folded his arms, closed his eyes, took a deep breath Emptiness ate away at his insides, quickly replaced by a sadness that hurt his heart It was all too much--where was he? What was this place? Was it some kind of prison? If so, why had he been sent here, and for how long? The language was odd, and none of the boys seeain to fill his eyes, but he refused to let the for anyone to hear him "What did I do--why’d they send me here?"
Newt clapped him on the shoulder "Greenie, what you’re feelin’, we’ve all felt it We’ve all had First Day, cos are bad, they are, and they’ll get much worse for ya soon, that’s the truth But down the road a piece, you’ll be fightin’ true and good I can tell you’re not a bloody sissy"
"Is this a prison?" Tho to find a crack to his past
"Done asked four questions, haven’t ya?" Newt replied "No good answers for ya, not yet, anyway Best be quiet now, accept the change--, his head sunk, his eyes staring at the cracked, rocky ground A line of se of one of the stone blocks, tiny yelloers peeping through as if searching for the sun, long disappeared behind the enorood fit for ya," Newt said "Wee little fat shank, but nice sap when all’s said and done Stay here, I’ll be back"
Newt had barely finished his sentence when a sudden, piercing screah and shrill, the barely huht turned to look toward the source Thomas felt his blood turn to icy slush as he realized that the horrible sound ca
Even Newt had ju in concern
"Shuck it," he said "Can’t the bloody Med-jacks handle that boy for ten htly kicked Thoe of your sleepin’ arrangements" And then he turned and headed in the direction of the building, running
Thoround again; he shrank back against the bark and closed his eyes, wishing he could wake up from this terrible, terrible dream
CHAPTER 3
Thomas sat there for several moments, too overwhelgard building A group of boysanxiously at the upper s as if expecting a hideous beast to leap out in an explosion of glass and wood
A rabbed his attention, ht his eyes just before disappearing around the trunk to the other side He scra his neck for a sign of whatever he’d heard, but he saw only bare branches, gray and brown, forking out like skeleton fingers--and looking just as alive
"That was one of theht to see a kid standing nearby, short and pudgy, staring at hiroup he’d seen so far,down over his ears and neck, scraping the tops of his shoulders Blue eyes shone through an otherwise pitiful face, flabby and flushed
Thomas nodded at hi to the top of the tree "Won’t hurt ya unless you’re stupid enough to touch one of the the last word, as if he hadn’t quite grasped the slang of the Glade
Another screah the air and Thomas’s heart lurched The fear was like icy dew on his skin "What’s going on over there?" he asked, pointing at the building
"Don’t know," the chubby boy replied; his voice still carried the high pitch of childhood "Ben’s in there, sicker than a dog They got him"
"They?" Thomas didn’t like the malicious way the boy had said the word
"Yeah"