It took about a week and a half for Victoria's hand to heal, Jack was shocked at how fast her cuts healed. She shrugged as he pulled a few more stitches out making her wince and clamp Alby's hand.

Her latest nightmare came floating back to her. She frowned, pulled her eyebrows together. She got lost in her thoughts.

Yes. The brain scans look promising. We just need to see for ourselves."

"We are looking at the cerebrum part of her brain today, as well as the autoimmune system in her brainstem..we will see what the results are from the last injection of microtechnology and alterations. Remember we have added the altered DNA strands hoping to have increased her immunity."

"Doctor, are you hoping to increase her healing rate to diseases?"

"Yes. Also increase her rate of healing and recovery. If we are successful her system will be able to process things quicker, heal faster and matabolize things at a much quicker rate then the average human. For example; she breaks a bone, it would take a normal person 4-6 weeks to recover. It should only take her 3-5 weeks. Or if she consumes alcohol, her body will matabolize it quicker, eliminating the possibility of the hangover."

"Very interesting work Doctor."

"Hey! Tori? Hello? Earth to Tori!"

Someone's hand was waving in front of her face. She looked around, blinking and coming back to the present.

"Huh? What? Yep..yep good that."

"You really zone out hard." Alby frowned at her.

"I'm fine. What's so important?"

"You're done. Stitches are out. Everything is scabbed, just be careful not to rip any off or open." Jack said holding her arm up to show her.

"Oh. Good. Thanks Jack."

"Anytime. You know where to find me."

She nodded and got up and wandered out the door, again deep in thought, trying to figure out if her dream was real or her scars and abnormally fast healing was a coincidence.

"She's an interesting one, hey?" Jack said quietly to Alby.

He hummed.

"So?" Jack raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, "We betting this month?"

Alby glanced at their Glade medic, and smirked. "Absolutely."

"A week of dessert?"

"Why am I giving you desert when we both agreed to this month?" Alby scoffed. "Nah man. But I'm sure they're both very aware. Not sure what's holding them back."

"Not sure man. Maybe if they break up...it's a small area."

"What about you and G? What happens if you two break up?"

He shrugged, "we'll figure it out if we ever get there. Or maybe they just really have no clue."

Alby patted his knee and got up. "I got supplies to sort out. Oh, I think I saw some medical stuff."

"Uhh. I need another medic. The constant, go see the medic, Jack. The Medic, Jack, is there. The Medic, Jack this...medic, Jack that. Dude it's gotten to the point where the guys just yell MEDJACK. Like combining my name like a shucken ship name!"

Alby chucked as he left the room.

•×•

Victoria heard the alarm go off. Sighing heavily she picked up the basket of berries she finished picking. The kittens had been begging for attention all afternoon. Sighing again she picked up Oreo and plunked her in one pocket and Taffy in her other arm, Bark followed at her heels. She headed to the kitchen. She knew she had about 20 minutes before the supplies and Greenie was here. This marked four and a half months for her. Her life was pretty routine at this point. And she was quite content.

She heard footsteps behind her and she smiled to herself. "Hey Freckles." He smiled at her and tugged a curl letting it bounce back.

"Hey Bob. How's the building going?"

"Haha." He rolled his eyes.

"Did ya fix it?"

"Yes, we did."

Victoria snorted with laughter.

"Hey! Wait a second! Tori!" He cried as she laughed. He huffed, shoving his hands into his pockets. He walked beside her.

"So? What're those for?" He indicated to the basket. Without asking he took the basket from her arms as she shifted it, because Taffy was wiggling. As soon as she had two hands, Taffy was happy, she had a hand scratching her chin and she purred.

"Dunno. Fry asked if I'd pick some berries if I wasn't busy."

He hummed. And watched as she cooed over the kitten. "Spoilt little thing aren't you?" She scolded the cat. "And thanks Gal."

"It wouldn't be spoilt if you didn't spoil it constantly."

"Hey! Pretty sure I saw you feeding her part of your bacon this morning!" Victoria raised an eyebrow at him. He just rolled his eyes with a small smirk. They dropped off the berries and slowly headed to the box.

"So, you hoping it's a girl?"

"It's always at the back of my mind. But... there were 20 boys when I showed up, then another 10 boys, them 5 boys, then another boy. So...what 36 boys and me. The statistics for another girl is slim to none at this point. Also, the boys come up every four weeks. I came at 2 weeks...either I was a one time thing, or a possible accident."

"Sorry Tori. Must be kinda lonely." Gally frowned looking down at her.

She shrugged, she let the kittens down, they had enough attention and there were too many people they scampered away towards the Deadheads, chasing the bugs.

"Sometimes. But I'm pretty sure girls can be more dramatic and clique. But then...boys are gross and think their entitled to me and my body. So...I dunno."

"Is that still happening?" Gally asked, there was a sudden sharpness in his voice.

"No one has out right laid hands. But the whistling and cat calls, I don't wear tank tops anymore. A few times if there's a crowd somehow my ass is touched."

She heard him growl. Her stomach fluttered with how protective he was all the time. She laid a hand on his arm, like she was trying to calm him. She was the one being touched but she was calming him down.

"Gal, I appreciate everything you do. And George and All, and Win, and Fry, but you guys can't be everywhere at the same time."

"No...but it shouldn't be an issue." He turned his body to face her, he had his huge arms crossed, and was frowning at her. She looked up into his stormy eyes. She opened her mouth to say something when George slammed into them, wrapping them into a hug.

"Hey guys! You pumped for tonight? Bon fire night!"

"Yeah...so pumped." Victoria said flatly.

"We have the moonshine ready, finally!" George cried, with a wild smile, he let go of Gally and Victoria, instead throwing an arm over both of them and steered them closer to the box. Which had turned green.

"Hey, Gally! Come here and give me a hand!" Alby called.

Gally shrugged off George's arm and stomped over. They could hear the kid calling for help. Victoria sighed.

"I hate this time. Why do we gotta come up like that? It's so tramatic!"

"Dunno. Glad I didn't have to." George shrugged.

She hummed. Crossing her arms. She watched sadly as Alby and Gally pulled the doors open. Gally hoped down into the box.

She looked up at her brother, "why are you so pumped for this fire?"

He shrugged, "dunno. Feels like it's gonna be a good one. Just in a good mood sis. Lighten up."

She sighed and shook her head. George was also happy and in a good mood, and even more so since him and Jack were together. They weren't very open in public about it, but their friends knew.

Alby threw a rope down and a dark skin boy with short cut black hair stumbled out. The small sliver of hope of a girl disappeared and Victoria felt herself deflate. The boy spun in a circle looking lost confused and terrified. Alby threw and arm around the kid and steered him away from the boys who were throwing insults and laughing at the kid.

"How come their laughing at the kid when they all came up the same way and I'm pretty sure half of them were crying and another chunk managed to wet themselves."

"'Cause their guys with short term memories and they pick on the Greenie to make 'em feel better." George explained.

"Man, you males are stupid." She rolled her eyes.

"That we are sis."

He grinned and messed her curls up before walking towards the box to help with unloading the supplies. She smacked his hand away with a grumble. With the help of a few of the farm hands Victoria got the animal feed and other supplies to the barn. She was just herding the sheep and goats to the next pen, they had eaten all the grass from this pen when Alby came by with the Greenie.

"Hey Girly!" Alby waved.

Victoria looked up and smiled, she whistled for Bark and they came over to the fence.

"Hey All. Greenie." She nodded.

"Greenie, this is our only girl in the Glade. She is 100% off limits and if the keepers or her brother see anything suspicious we will throw your shuck butt off the cliff. Understood?" He growled. Alby rounded on the brand new boy, poking him hard in the chest. The boy threw his arms up and shook his head.

"Look, I- I don't want any trouble! I can't even remember my name! I'm not about to start hitting on a girl!"

Alby eyed him up for a second. Then nodded.

"Name is Victoria, the guys call me Tori." She held a hand out for him to shack.

"I'd introduce myself...but I ain't got a name. So .. I'll get back to you."

She nodded. Alby leaned on the fence, "she's CoKeeper of the Barn. She does the raising of the animals, Winston does the slicin' of the animals."

"Wh-what?" Greenie stuttered, Victoria saw his eyes go wide.

"We have been thrown into a self sustaining community, we grow what we can, butcher what we can and the box provides the rest."

"Oh...well I guess that makes sense. Not very pleasant, but makes sense."

"See, someone who doesn't freak out and who gets it. Thank you Greenie!" She exclaimed throwing her hands in the air.

Alby cracked a small smile and shook his head.

"You almost done Girly? Fire is starting soon."

"Ya, gotta get these sheep into the next pen and get Bessie and Daisy into the barn. Seems like both girls are pregnant now. That IVF worked."

"That's great! Now hurry up and go shower!"

"Ya. Ya." She waved a hand and whistled for Bark.

They herded the sheep into the other pen, Bark had to chase down one of the lambs, but they eventually got everyone into the pen. Daisy was being ornery now that she was pregnant, but Victoria got her into the stall with the help of Roy, one of the farm hands.

He was short and broad, he hardly said anything. When Victoria first talked to him his head bent down and looked at his boats. At first she thought it was because George threaded him if he spoke to her. But he did that with everyone, so she concluded he was just shy. They got along after that just fine. She didn't feel the need to make awkward conversation. They were both happy to work silently.

"Thanks Roy. She's a bit cranky now that she's pregnant."

"Might be due 'cause we might end up eating her as burgers soon." He shrugged, petting her nose.

"Very true."

Roy nodded and waved as he left the barn. Victoria sighed, took off her farm boots by the end of the stairs and went up to her loft. She grabbed some clean clothes and headed back down to the showers. On her way she ran into George.

"Hey...you busy?"

"Not really, what's up?"

"I gotta shower. And Gal gets all cranky if someone isn't outside and i-"

"Yes. I agree. One of us should be outside the door. Now get your shuck butt inside, you smell like a Glader."

She rolled her eyes but thanked him. Turning the water on she jumped into the luke warm water. She sighed as the grime and dirt and dust and sweat was washed away. She washed her hair and washed everything clean, she ran a quick razer over herself and stood for a second with the water in her face. Towelling off, she wrapped herself with a towel and stood infront of the mirror again, she had asked the creators to send some kind of product for her curls, help keep them from being so frizzy, she didn't think they would listen, but they had, and sent it up with her monthly box. Teeth brushed, face washed and body lotioned, hair had some kind of coconut smelling product in it she pulled on a pair of leggings and a hoodie.

"You are not wearing that are you?" Jack gasped as she exited the shower room.

George and Jack were leaning on the wall beside the door. She looked down at herself. George rolled his eyes. "Seriously, sis. You're the girl, aren't you supposed to be the...girly one?"

"What's the problem? I'm stuck with a bunch of shuck slinthead boys who do nothing but stare no matter what I wear."

"We're not worried about the others. Just one. Now come on."

"What?"

George didn't wait, he grabbed her, tossed his sister over his shoulder.

"Jack, dear, can you please grab the things from her bathroom?"

"Absolutely, Love." Jack grinned.

"You two are the shucken worst." She grumbled.

"You'll thank us later."

Jack caught up with them half way across the Glade. The guys had smug smirks.

"Can you put me down? I promise I won't run. I'll behave like the good little prisoner I am."

"I guess."

George plunked her down. And they marched her back to her room. They made her sit while George rummaged through her clothes while Jack fussed over how bad her nails were.

"Slim it! I work with animals!"

"So? Look how bad they are!" He scoffed, "but whatever those creators sent for those curls is working!" His bright blue eyes scanned her damp hair.

She sat helpless at the mercy of her brother and his boyfriend. George made her change, Jack squealed when he found some mascara and other makeup stuff she tossed aside and ignored for two months.

"Seriously! I live with boys who drool over me when I look like I've rolled in the hay with cows, why the shuck would I put make up on?"

"Because it's once a month. Be a girl for one night a month!"

"Ya so the inebrehated boys have more of an excuse to try touch my ass?" She spat bitterly.

"We won't leave your side! And we won't be drunk. Promise."

"I hate you two." She deflated.

The boys fist pumped and high fived. They made her put the mascara and blush on, and the slightest hint on pink on her lips. She stood in front of her mirror. She didn't want to admit it, but she actually felt kind of cute. She turned to face the boys who sat on her bed just about squealing with excitement.

George pretended to wipe a tear, "My baby sister all grown up and lookin' like a girl."

"I know. She's so cute. If I wasn't so gay..."

Victoria rolled her eyes, "He looks just like me, ya shank. We're twins."

Jack waved his hand, "Minor detail, darling, minor detail."

"And since when do you two have weird pet names, love, darling, dear? What the shuck?" She threw her hands onto her hips.

"Just for tonight." George winked.

"Tonight will be great!" Jack grinned mischievously

•×•

× fire outfit. ×
× what are Jack & George up to? ×