Ruthie

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I woke up with a start.

Where was I?

It was dark, so I felt around. I felt the floor, and it was cold and hard. My fingertips kept searching until they ran into a wall. From there my hands searched upward, and it didn't even take five seconds to find the ceiling. I realized that if I tried to stand up I would hit my head.

I sat down just as whatever I was in-a box-started moving. I figured it was probably moving at a fast pace because I could feel the pressure of the speed almost weighing me down.

All of a sudden, I felt something hit my gut. Not hard, but almost like a nudge.

"Who's there?" I called out. No one answered, and I felt the nudge again.

My instincts told me to feel around again, and I did. I found that I was alone in the box except for a few crates in there with me.

The nudge came again. I felt all over myself, but I was terrified when I came to my gut. I started crying.

The box came to a quick stop. I heard a metallic noise, and the ceiling began to open. Light came pouring in. It was so bright I closed my eyes quickly.

"Woah!"

"It's a red head."

"Is she okay?"

"Someone get Rachel and Lovey over here!"

The voices were all female. When I could open my eyes again, there were girls standing around above the box and looking down at me with curiosity on their faces.

"Out of the way!" someone commanded. "Move! Back up! Give some space!"

Some of the girls moved out of the way to let two girls with blonde hair through. One was short with kind blue eyes and a gentle face, and the other was pretty tall with tawny eyes and was holding a medium-sized brown box.

The shorter one jumped into the box in front of me. I backed up.

"It's okay, sweetie," she said with a kind smile. "You're going to be alright. You're safe now. My name is Rachel. What's yours?"

What is my name? I thought.

Ruthie was what came to mind. Actually, that was my name.

"Ruthie," I said.

"It's nice to meet you," she said then held out her hand. "Come on. Let's patch you up."

I took her hand, and she led me to a ladder where some of the girls had put out for Rachel and I to climb out of the box. She went first and climbed out before I could blink. When it was my turn, I struggled.

"Help her up," Rachel said. Two girls obeyed, grabbed my arms, and pulled me out.

"Thanks," I smiled. My arm began to sting. When I looked down, a big cut was going down my arm, and the taller blonde came to my rescue. She put the box down, opened it, and pulled out a bottle along with cotton balls and some gauze. I was surprised I even knew what these things were. I couldn't remember anything before waking up.

Soft chattering filled the air. They were whispering something and staring at me.

"Why are they looking at me like that?" I asked.

"I'll explain later," the girl said.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"I'm Lovey," she smiled.

"That's a pretty name."

"Thanks."

"Alrighty," Rachel smiled. "Come, Ruthie. We've got a place for you to stay."

"Okay," I sighed.

"But first, we need you to carve your name on our wall." She handed me a knife and a rock, and led me to a tall wall made of stone. Names like Ruby, Marie, Arly, Rosa, and Ellie were carved in a jagged way. A few names had x's or lines crossing through them.

"What do the crossed out names mean?" I asked.

"We've…lost a few Gladers in the past," Rachel explained. "Most of them were Runners, but I'll explain later. First, carve your name then we'll get you to a bed for you to rest in. You look exhausted, sweetie."

I did as I was told. Carefully, I pressed the knife against the wall and carved an "R" in the wall using the rock to press it in. Next came a "U" then a "T" then an "H". An "I" and "E" followed. It wasn't perfect, but at least I knew I was an official Glader, as Rachel called it.

She took the rock and knife in one hand and wrapped the free arm around my shoulders. Guiding me to a little house, Rachel pointed out everything in what she called "the Glade." The place had a large open field with neatly cut green grass. A little barn had a few animals such as cows, sheep, and chickens roaming around.

How do I remember these things? I searched my thoughts, but my memory was lost. I did remember one thing that Rachel asked about, and it made me realize why the other girls were whispering and staring at me. I remembered why I kept feeling nudges in my abdominals.

"I know you don't remember anything before waking up in that box, but who's the father?" she asked as we walked up to the door of the wooden house.

I looked down at my gut. It was a bit large.

"I don't know," I replied. "I can't remember."

"Well," she said opening the door to lead me inside the house which was actually a large cabin, "hopefully you'll find out sooner or later."

She led me into the cabin. It was pretty cozy for something that should be dusty. A little table with a vase filled with lilies in it was in the center of a few chairs and a couch. It made the little cabin a little more homey and lovely.

There was a portrait of a woman in a beautiful old dress. She was looking downward on her left side, and her black hair was in a beautiful bun with diamonds in her hair. By her profile I could tell she was beautiful. She was smiling, but it was a warm smile. It was sort of welcoming.

"Ruthie," Rachel brought me back down to earth. "Come one."

"Sorry," I said then followed her up the stairs. She made me take her arm, because she didn't want me to fall.

"Here's your room," Rachel smiled as she led me into a room with a wooden dresser, a little nightstand, and a bed with clean-looking sheets and a white pillow.

I fell in love with the blankets almost immediately of laying my eyes on them. It was yellow with a blue-and-white floral pattern. The pillow at the other end was in a light blue pillowcase.

"It's not much, but it's one of the best we have," Rachel said as she pulled the sheets down for me.

"It's perfect," I replied. "Thanks."

"Not a problem. Lovey will be up in a while to check on you, but for now get some rest."

"Okay."

I slipped into the bed and settled down on the pillow as she tucked me in.

She was just about out the door when I stopped her. "Wait," I said.

"Yes?" she said as she stepped back in.

"Who's that a portrait of? Downstairs, I mean."

"We're not sure," she replied. "It came with the first few of us when we first arrived about two years ago."

"Okay. Her smile is very welcoming. That's all I wanted to say."

"She does have that affect on all of us. Now, get some sleep. We'll explain everything when you wake up," she promised.

When she closed the door behind her I rested my head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep.

I hope you liked it! And yes, the Rachel in this story is the same Rachel who was Aris's best friend. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.