"Wait ...Gally?" I blinked a few times, "Gally went through the changing?" I sputtered.

Frypan nodded, looking solum. He ran a hand down his face. And then shook his head, his shoulders slumped.

"Yeah. And he's doing pretty shucken good considering."

Well that would probably explain his flipping moods. Every once in a while when his eyes would soften, that must be who he really is. I felt like I sort of understood now, though not fully. I had never seen the changing, and I had never know him before. Maybe he was always up tight and a bit of a bully. But now I had a reason for his mood swings.

"Thank you Fry. Thank you for answering my questions." I said quietly, with a small sad smile.

"They weren't happy answers, but you seem like the gal who needs straight answers, no beatin' around the bush." He nodded and turned back to the stove, throwing the towel over his shoulder.

I slowly turned back to my job. I heard a sniff and out of the corner of my eye I saw Vinny scrunch his face. I felt my stomach drop, this Harley must have ment something to him. I didn't know what to say, so I just reached out and gently placed my hand on his biecep. I gave him a gentle squeeze, he glanced up, and with glassy eyes and gave me a small sad smile.

"He was my best friend, I came up the month after him. He was the shank who showed me the ropes my first month." He explained quietly.

I just squeezed this arm again, "I'm sorry. That's awful."

He patted my hand, "Not your fault, Kid. It's the damn creators. It's them." He growled.

We both went back to our work, lost in our own melencoly thoughts. It was a quiet afternoon until the supper bell rang.

Supper seemed to be the busiest, and the most chaotic. Breakfast and lunch the Gladers came in shifts, slowly trickling through. Supper was a different story. The work day was over and everyone was hungry. the line of Gladers was loud, full of pushing and shoving. I kept my head down and plated food, avoiding looking up. I focused on breathing slowly and not cracking my teeth when I ground them so hard.

The line of boys was finished and it was finally quiet. Fry and Vinny plated their food and went to go eat. I was feeling overwhelmed with everything that had happened in the few days I was here. All the horrible information and realizations. I didn't want to be the centre of attention, either with the blatant avoidance or the degrading treatment and comments. I stayed in the back of the kitchen, and cleaned up. The Sloppers would come and help with the dishes later.

It was getting dark and the dinning area was quiet and empty when I finally emerged from the kitchen. I had made some tea and sat down at one of the tables.

I couldn't get the voices out of my head. They bounced around my mind. And Alby's words saying no one had ever remembered anything. And then Frypan's words about the changing, only guys from the changing had memories. Then how come I'm hearing voices?

I sat at the table with the hot tea staring at the huge stone walls. It was the first day the opening and closing had scared the klunk out of me. Gally was right, I'm getting used to it. I didn't want to get used to it though. Some of these guys had been here a full year! And still trying to find a way out, a way home. But...why were we sent here in the first place. I didn't understand. But I wanted out. I wanted to go home. What if I had a mom and dad somewhere? What about brothers or sisters? What if I had a boyfriend? I snorted to myself, nah, I'm too much of a snippy grouch to have a guy like me in that way. The only one snippy and grouchy enough to match me was Gally. And I snorted again. Good one Charlie.

I finished my tea; glad for the quiet and time to decompress. I got up and nodded at the guys who were finishing up the dishes. I grabbed my stuff and headed to the showers, hoping I could find Newt or Fred or Minho or Alby to stand outside. But I had no idea where they were. I growled in frustration, trying to figure out what my next move would be, giving up and going to bed sweaty or roaming the Glade in the dark. I spun around ready to trudge back to the Homestead.

"What's your problem?"

I glanced up, Gally was just leaving the showers. He was rubbing a towel over his blond waves. What caught my attention was his shirtless torso. I could feel my face heating up. Every muscle was defined, and hard. I ripped my eyes away from his broad chest. Gally tossed the towel into the laundry basket and pulled a tight shirt over his head.

"What's up Shanket?" Gally folded his arms over his chest.

"Oh. Uh..I need a shower, but couldn't find anyone to uh stand outside."

"Well no one is in there now and I'll hang out until your done." He leaned lazily against the wall.

"I don't want to inconvenience you. I'm sure you have things to do."

He rolled his eyes, "Didn't you just say you couldn't find anyone? I'm offering, now go shower. You smell like a shuck Glader."

Without saying anything I walked in. I showered as fast as I could. Its not that I didn't trust Gally, it's just...I don't even know. I had a weird feeling, a mix of different emotions and I couldn't figure it out, not right now anyways.

I dried off and changed quickly. Gally was standing in the same position, arms and ankles crossed, his shoulder leaning on the wall.

"Thank you." I said quietly.

"No problem."

We stood quiet. I wasn't sure what to say and he seemed deep in thought, his lips pressed into a tight line and his forehead wrinkled.

"Well I should go ..." I turned to leave when his large hand grabbed my arm.

"Wait."

His hand was warm and callased, I stopped and turned to face him, surprised at this outburst. He dropped his hand and shoved it into his pocket.

"I just uh..." He ran a hand through his hair again, "I wanted to say...sorry."

My eyes went slightly wide. But I kept my mouth shut and waited.

"I... don't do good with changes. And I acted like a slinthead on your Day one. I'm sorry."

I stood rooted to the spot. This was a very different Gally then I had seen so far. He had none of the aggression, or walls up. He seemed genuinely upset. His usual steely sharp eyes had softened. They were still intense, but they didn't have the hardness behind them.

After Frypan's explanation of what the Changing does to people I felt sorry for him. He hadn't run off into the maze, he was here, but his shifting moods were a sigh he wasn't entirely okay. I felt something shift inside, maybe it was the pitty, or the understanding of his situation.

I reached a hand out and layed it on his arm, like I had done to Vinny. I gave it a gentle squeeze. He lifted his head. His eyes pleading for forgiveness.

"It's alright Gally. It's in the past. Don't be a slinthead and I'll keep my fists to myself."

I gave him a small smile. He snorted. The side of his lip twitched into a crooked smile.

"It was a solid hit, pipsqueak. I was kinda impressed."

I lifted an eyebrow, "only kinda?"

He chuckled. I only realized now I was still holdithis bicep. I let go quickly, running it through my wet tangled hair. I shivered, the nights cooled off quite a bit.

"Come on, let's get you inside before you catch a cold." He pushed off the wall and fell into step beside me.

"Or hyperthermia." I teased, elbowing him.

He huffed, "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

I just smiled innocently at him. He rolled his eyes, but had a small crooked smile. We were quiet for a bit.

"How's bunking with Newt?"

I shrugged. "Hardly see him. Though he woke me up the first time with a pillow to the face. Wasn't appreciated."

He just hummed in response.

"I smacked him back."

"Good."

"Oh? So I can wack guys in the face with a pillow but not my fists?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He let out a loud chuckle.

I smiled up at him. An actual genuine smile.

"I like your laugh Gally. You should do it more often."

He chuckled louder. Making me smile and a noise came out of me...it was a giggle.

"Did you just giggle?"

He stopped laughing and pouted at me seriously, he frowned at me, but his steel blue eyes had a sparkle to them, something I had never seen before. Much to my dismay I was drawn into them. They were bright and intense and full of life right now. They were beautiful.

I gasped, holding my chest. "I would never make such an undignified noise! How dare you accuse me of such nonsense!"

"I didn't think so. Someone with such strict standards, and love if all things serious, one would never stoop to a giggle." He said seriously and crossed his large arms over his chest again. He turned towards me, his feet planted, with such a lofty look in his face I almost cracked.

"Shucken rights! Giggling is highly frowned upon with such a strickness for the serious. Giggling is beneath me!" I said, trying to hold a stone face. I had to buy my lil to keep from giggling again.

He looked at me suspiciously, and narrowed his eyes. "I don't know, I think I see you caving into it. Your lowering yourself to the standards of giggling." He shook his head in dismay.

I couldn't hold it in anymore and I made another undignified noise in the form of a giggle. Gally broke then too. And we both laughed. What a stupid conversation, but for some unknown reason, it was hilarious. I actually felt the weight of some of the day lift off my shoulders. It was nice to feel a little happy. Everytime one of us got ahold on ourselves we would glance at each other and crack again, into a nother fit of giggles.

He finally stopped in the Homestead hallway, at the door to Newt and my room. He cleared his throat, and ran a hand through his hair.

"G'night Charlie."

"Night Gally."

He turned to leave, and on a whim, before my brain could overthink it, I reached out and grabbed his arm.

"If you wake up early enough come have breakfast with Fry, Alby, Minho and I."

He smiled and nodded. I smiled back, and closed my bedroom door.

"What the bloody shuck was that?"

I turned to see Newt sitting on his bed, he had his shirt half on, a shucked and almost horrified expression in his face. I frowned at him.

"What was what?"

"Did I hear Gally laughing? The shuck did you drug him with?"

"I beg your pardon?" I slowly sat down on my bed, kicking off my boots.

"I think I heard that shank laugh only a hand full of times...and since...uh..since-"

"The changing."

"How do you-"

"Frypan. Long story." I waved my hand,  "Anyways, he hasn't laughed since the changing two months ago?"

Newt finally managed to slip his arm into the arm whole, and nodded.

"Oh." I said saddly, my shoulders slumped. That's so sad to think about.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing really! I don't even remember...we were teasing each other about not laughing or something stupid!"

Newt frowned at me again, giving me a weird look. I rolled my eyes and got ready for bed.

"Good night Newt."

"Night Love. For what it's worth, I'm glad you got that shank to laugh."

I rolled over towards the wall, smiling to myself.