You staggered over a log and tried to regain your balance, but you were too tired and fell hard onto the forest floor, gasping for breath and rubbing at your arm where it had painfully struck the ground. You glanced down at your waistline, but it seemed just as thick as ever. You felt sick. How much exercise and no eating did it take to lose weight?! You knocked the back of your head against the ground in frustration, allowing yourself twenty seconds to rest.

You had gotten up at the break of dawn before the other Gladers in order to have some time to try to run off some fat before work, but so far you didn't like how it was going. You were hot and sweaty and dead-tired, not to mention sick to your stomach from the lack of food and sudden exertion. Taking a deep breath you forced yourself up and hauled yourself to your feet, dragging an arm across your forehead, before resting your hands on your still-to-thick thighs as you tried to get your breathing back down to a somewhat normal level. It was pathetic.

~Time Lapse~

You braided your stream-wet hair as you walked into the Glade, smelling the sickeningly tantalizing aroma of Frypan's whatever-you-call-it that was for breakfast that morning. You were ravenously starving, but instead of getting in line with the other Gladers, you turned and headed for the unfinished hut that the Builders had just started work on. It was to be used as an extra storage compartment to keep supplies out from under the rain. You grasped your hammer and lifted a board in place, searching for a nail.

"Here," you heard a voice say from the other side of you.

You turned to see Zart holding up a nail with an amusingly-silly half grin on his boyish features. You took the nail from his fingers and held it to the board, swinging the hammer with as much force as you could muster-which wasn't much. You were exhausted from your morning jog, and weak from hunger, but you were determined to not let it show. You would work just as hard as ever, and eventually have a slender figure too.

"So, uh...Y/N," you faintly heard Zart say. "Do you want to...uh...I don't know...maybe...dance with me tonight?"

The hammer missed the nail's head, as Zart's words sank into your muddled brain, and you realized that he was as good as asking you out. You shook your head slowly, trying to clear the fog as you tried to think of a gentle answer to tell him no, but nothing would come to mind. Finally, you heard yourself answering truthfully, despite yourself.

"No, Zart, I'm sorry, I love Gally. You know that. It wouldn't be fair to him. I'm going to stay loyal to him no matter what. I love him."

You didn't look at Zart's obviously hurt face as you swung the hammer again, missing the nail once more. You sighed and rested your forehead against the plank as you heard his footsteps fade away, and tried to catch your breath. What was wrong with you?! A little exercise shouldn't make you this tired! The sun was beating down, making you hot, and you drug your arm across your forehead, mopping up some of the sweat that had collected there.

"Y/N."

It was Gally.

You turned to see him standing with two plates of food in his hands, staring at you, and you realized instantly-even through your clouded brain-that he had heard every word you had said to Zart. The ever-present concern in Gally's eyes for you was now mixed with an awe, and you realized that Gally now knew that he could trust you to stay faithful to him, even when he wasn't around. And you also realized how much that knowledge meant to him.

"So you do still love me," he said softly. "I thought that maybe you and Thomas...oh-never mind."

"Gally! Of course I love you!" you said, faintly aware that Thomas' name had been mentioned.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?" he asked, a hint of confused and angered hurt rising in his voice.

It was really hot...

"I haven't! I just...I just need some time...to myself."

...Almost stiflingly hot.

"Then why haven't you been eating?" he asked sharply.

What?

"Don't think I haven't noticed!"

He...he had?

Gally took a step towards you, still holding the full plates. You grasped the hammer tighter and closed your eyes briefly. Why was it so hot!?

"I want you to tell me what's going on!" he said firmly.

You shook your head, as much as to say 'no' than to clear it.

"Y/N, what is going on? I want you to tell me..."

You tried to focus on what Gally was saying, but as he spoke, his words seemed to drift, as if being carried away on the light breeze. You blinked, feeling slightly dizzy and stared at his lips in an attempt to hear the words coming from his mouth, but you heard nothing. The world around you suddenly seemed to spin. You stumbled to catch yourself in the rocking waves of the grass beneath your feet, and thought you could hear the loud hum of some far-off noise, as darkness began to creep in from the corners of your eyes. The last thing you saw was Gally's concerned face hovering over you, shouting something inaudible as the world around you was slowly devoured by darkness.

~Time Lapse~

There were faint, distant voices. You stirred, and felt your eyelids flutter open as you blinked, trying to figure out where you were. The Medjack hut. The Medjack hut? What were you doing there? Then it all slowly came back, and you realized that you must have passed out while Gally was talking to you.

"You fainted," said a voice above you, as if reading your mind; it was Jeff. "My guess is from lack of food."

You swallowed, and struggled to sit up, but your head spun, and Jeff ended up having to help you lean back against a propped up pillow, handing you a glass of water which you immediately downed against his cautious warning to drink slowly.

"Here," he said as he took the empty glass and handed you a plateful of cold food.

Your first instinct was to grab it from him and devour it, plate and all, but then you remembered your fat thighs and stomach, and closed your eyes, fighting the temptation.

"I'm not hungry," you mumbled, but your stomach growled, betraying you.

"Eat." said Jeff. "If you don't, I'll get Frypan in here to cram it down your throat."

You were trapped. It was much cooler in the hut, and as you ate you began to feel a little better-well, at least your stomach did-but your head ached and you were so tired, and most of all, you missed Gally. You glanced towards the open doorway as you ate, and-to your delight-you saw his broad figure appear in the entrance. You watched as Jeff walked over to him, exchanging words. Gally turned his eyes from Jeff to you, letting his gaze sweep across your face and the plate in your hands. Seeing you eating must have satisfied him, at least for now, because he nodded to Jeff, then turned and walked off as Jeff closed the door after him.

You polished off the plate, turning over Dan's words in your mind.

Truth hurts, doesn't it.

You shoved the plate away from you and looked around the hut at the other beds lining the walls. They were almost vacant, except for the occasional boy with a stomach ache or minor cut, waiting to be attended to. Then the hut door opened and Chuck's short, chunky body filled the doorway as he took in the scene, bright eyes falling on you, as he made his way over to where you sat.

"Hey, Chuck," you said smiling for the first time that day.

"Hello, Y/N," he answered your greeting cheerily. "Whoa, you look awful!"

I know, don't remind me.

"Are you feeling better, though?"

You nodded at his question which caused him to grin broadly.

"Good! I cut myself," he said, rapidly changing the subject as he held up a finger to expose a small slice in his skin. "I was trying to wash dishes and one of the bowls broke. Frypan was mad."

"I bet!" you smiled softly again, thinking of the chewing-out that Chuck had undoubtedly received from the furious Glade cook.

"Oh!" he said suddenly, "I almost forgot! Here, Dan told me to give you this."

Chuck held out a ripped, folded piece of paper, and you took it-to please Chuck, if for no other reason. Chuck smiled as Jeff took notice of him and motioned him over to where he was, holding a roll of bandage. You winked at Chuck, and he smiled as he waddled over to Jeff's care.

You dropped your gaze from the two boys down to the note in your hand and swallowed. Taking a shaky breath, you slowly unfolded the crinkled paper to read the words inside.

"Now you'll have to start all over again. Truth hurts, doesn't it"

You tore the note and shoved it in your pocket, hating Dan, hating the note, and hating yourself for believing his words. You held the wooden heart in both hands, squeezing it tightly, and closed your eyes fighting back tears.

Gally! I need you!

___________________

Aw! Aren't you so glad that you finally told Gally what was going on? Oh wait, that's in the next chapter ...muahahaha... x)