Part I
My Arrival to the Glade

Terrified, I tucked my face into the top of my knees as a siren began to ring all around me. Lights from unknown places flickered all different colors, but I wrapped my arms around my legs and squeezed them tightly, trying to convince myself that this experience had to end.

Why am I here? I thought with difficultly as the siren blared. And why can't I remember anything beyond the last few minutes of waking up?

The stress of the siren and my failing memory made tears roll down my cheeks. The large cage like box I was in was moving upward fast, bringing me and many other things to an unknown place. I only brought my face from my knees when suddenly the dark box was penetrated with light, and the speed at which it moved quite noticeably declined.

Staring up, I gazed in wonder as all I saw above me was a beautiful sky, and then suddenly, many bodies with unclear faces surrounded every side of my newly opened prison.

"It's a girl!" I heard a male voice shout, in which a dozen more male voices began chattering excitedly.

Although I had wanted nothing more than to leave the box only moments ago, it felt like home now that the siren had shut off, and kept me a comfortable distance from the strangers above me. To my horror one young man dropped down into metal cage, his feet landing just inches from me. Immediately he extended his hand, and in his eyes I thought I saw great sympathy.

"I'm here to help you," he said, shaking his hand a little as an encouragement for me to take it.

His hair was short, dark, and his body quite lean. Blinking, I slowly lifted my arm and placed my hand in his. Though I had no idea whether I could trust him or any of the other strangers, I felt I might have to, just at this moment, out of necessity. My hand wasn't in the young man's for long before he quickly and easily pulled me to my feet, an action that startled me. Quickly I wiped the tears from my cheeks as he guided me toward a box to step on, causing many more hands to suddenly extend forward to finish lifting me out.

Both my hands fell inside two others after stepping on the box, and easily two boys lifted me into the air before my feet were set gently upon the earth. The sight of green grass and trees took me aback, and although I felt like an idiot in front of them, I began to cry again.

"This is called the Glade," one boy said, revealing a British accent as he came up beside me. "Don't worry about us. We'll take care of you here. We all take care of each other."

Despite his willingness to speak, none of the fifty or so boys around me made a sound. I glanced at the boy who'd spoken to me, quickly taking in his blond hair and very young appearance. Turning, I faced all the young men around and behind me. With great hope I searched for another friendly female face among them, but quickly realized... I was the only one.

From the crowd emerged the dark haired boy that had first dropped into the cage to get me. He came up to me quickly, concern and sympathy still in his eyes.

"I'm going to take her to the Homestead," he announced to the group. "She'll need some time to adjust before... dealing with all of us."

The chatter among the boys started again, but no one spoke up to disagree. The dark haired boy put his hand on my nearest elbow and turned me back toward the Glade. Without thought I followed him as he lead me across the grass swiftly, leaving the entire group behind. Stealing a look at him, his gaze was set ahead of us and determined.

Though I felt the urge to ask him his name, I refrained as we neared an over-sized and clearly handmade hut. When the young man pushed aside the twiggy door, I stepped through quickly, and again he directed me through a large space and down a short hallway, where we confronted another door made of many small branches.

The dark-haired boy stepped in front of me as he opened it, then motioned for me to take a look inside. Cautiously I stepped forward and did so, though my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The room was small, and many different kinds of supplies were inside-including what looked to be a very crudely fashioned mattress.

"It's not much," the boy said, his voice gentle. "But it will give you privacy, and a chance to relax until it comes back."

My eyebrows remained furrowed as I looked at him. "Until it comes back?"

"Your name," the dark haired boy said. "Mine came back the first night I was brought here. I'm Thomas."

"Thomas..." I said, liking the way it sounded, and happy to finally have some information about the handsome stranger.

"Enjoy your alone time while you can. As the only girl here... I'm not sure how long it will last."

Nodding, I stepped forward into the room, and Thomas gave me a long look before closing the door. I'm sure I was as strange to him as he and everyone else was to me. Stepping forward I approached the crude little mattress, made of different pieces of clothing stitched together and stuffed with straw and grass. I sat down on it and leaned my back against the wall of the room, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths.

If the rest of the boys were gentle like Thomas, I knew I could easily come to trust them. The fact that he said my name would soon return started to fill me with excitement.

One good thing to look forward too...

I woke to a knocking on the room door. Quickly I sat up and realized I had fallen asleep, my body having slid horizontally along the mattress, which was surprisingly comfortable.

"May I come in?" a voice said.

"S-sure," I replied, sitting up and drawing my legs close to me.

The door to the room opened, and in stepped a young man I'd never met. His skin was dark, but the expression on his face was kind.

"I hope you don't feel too overwhelmed, but if so, it's normal," he said, walking over and squatting in front of me. "I'm Alby, the leader of this group. As you might have guessed, you're our only girl, but there's no reason you shouldn't find some happiness here like the rest of us."

"Happiness?" I questioned. "Who put us here? How long are we staying? Thomas said I would remember my name, but why were my memories taken?"

Every question poured out of me like water from a broken dam. I thought I had said too much, but it turned out not to matter.

"All of those are good questions, but it's wise not to give you too much information. Let it come in pieces-like first, your name. As for happiness, none of us want to stay in the Glad forever, but some of us have been here a few years already. If you don't try to find the good here, well... just try to find it."

His soft smile was comforting, though I didn't know what else to say.

"Would you like to come out?" he said. "I know Thomas thought you might enjoy some time here, but you're not our prisoner."

"Well thank you," I said with a smirk, starting to feel a tad more normal. "I guess I am ready to go back outside."

"Good," Alby said, suddenly firm. "I'm about to call a meeting with the rest of the Gladers, and it's going to be about you."

In another large, hand-made hut similar to the one Thomas had led me to, I sat on a bench in a circular room. Alby was standing in the middle of it, and one by one the boys filed in, sitting down on the many benches that filled the outskirts of what I thought was the meeting hall.

My bench had no others in front of it, and the few boys who sat on it sat at the opposite end.

Great. I thought. Maybe I'll be avoided like the plague. Maybe that won't be such a bad thing.

Though I hadn't planned to look for Thomas, I suddenly remembered him and started to search all visible faces. When at last I spotted him, he was sitting directly across the room from me, and his eyes quickly shifted to Alby.

"Gentlemen, boys," Ably began, speaking loudly as the last few boys sat. "As we're all aware, we had a special member of the Glade arrive today."

Looking to his left, Ably extended his arm in my direction, pointing me out. I blushed.

"She doesn't remember her name yet, but I thought we might as well begin making some things clear, for the good of us all. She is not to be cat-called, teased, treated differently or most importantly... dated... by any of us. I could say more, but I'll leave it to your imaginations to make it clear."

There was a sudden snicker throughout the crowd, and I really wished I had told Alby I wanted more time in the supply room, as stupid as it sounded. Compared to where I was, and how embarrassed I suddenly felt, the supply room was heaven. (I'd even take the metal box that delivered me here).

"So when you say date, we can't take her into the maze for a good time?" one glader said, causing some others to laugh again.

Immediately I forgot my embarrassment, and raised my eyebrows. What did he say? A MAZE?

"I second Alby," a strong voice said, and the person it belonged to suddenly stood up. Across the room, a strong and intimidating looking blond had risen, his chest puffing.

"Thank you Gally," Alby said. "And if anyone is caught violating these new rules, the dirt jail is where they'll wind up. If that doesn't sound unpleasant enough, don't tempt me to change your mind. We simply cannot afford a child in the Glade."

A CHILD?! I shouted incredulously my mind, my jaw falling open. Of course there will be no children here, and certainly not my own!

My hands immediately gripped the edge of the bench on either side of my thighs. Although I wanted nothing more than to run outside the doors of the meeting hall and away from all of them, I fought to keep myself under control.

"Also, Thomas and I have discussed and decided that the supply room in the Homestead hut will be converted into her own private space. Seems the least we can do for a lady in these circumstances."

The meeting then shifted from me and to other concerns about the Glade, before Alby finally dismissed us all. Because I wasn't sure what to do, or if Alby wanted to speak to me, I remained where I was as most of the boys rose and left. Many eyes were cast in my direction as the room cleared, but I soon took to staring at the dirt floor.

"I hope I didn't put you in an awkward spot," I heard Ably say, causing my head to lift. "But it was necessary for the boys to have boundaries, and for you to hear them. If anyone of them ever violates what I said or does something else you don't like, let me know Greenie."

I couldn't help but smile, despite the fact that he had put me in an awkward spot. Alby had just been looking out for me, and in a strange place like this one, I could use it.

"Greenie?" I questioned.

"Yeah. It's what we call the no-namers until they remember their name."

"Has anyone ever not remembered?"

"No. Don't worry. You will."

I nodded, accepting his encouragement. Yawning, I glanced through the open doors of the meeting hall, realizing the sun had almost set. With everything I had been through that day, exhaustion was being to hit me. At that time, another boy stepped forward beside Alby, the last one that remained. Warmth and gladness filled me when I saw it was Thomas.

"I'll walk her back to the Homestead," he offered, looking at Alby.

Alby nodded. "I trust you'll be keeping an eye out for her Thomas, along with Newt and I."

"I will," he said, nodding.

My smiled widened.

The sun had gone down by the time Thomas and I walked back across the grassy land to the Homestead. Many gladers had already lit torches for the night, and they glowed almost beautifully all around the clearing.

"Thank you," I said to Thomas, hoping I wouldn't sound like an idiot. "Thank you, I mean, for being kind to me so far. I still can't believe there is nothing I remember before this place, or even my name. I feel like a nobody."

I saw Thomas smile, and he may have laughed at me a little. "You're not a nobody. None of us know why or who put us here, so everything you're feeling is shared by all of us. When you remember your name you'll start to feel more normal. And if..."

After several seconds and Thomas not appearing as though he wanted to continue, I pressed him.

"And if... what?"

"Well, I was just going to say, if you want someone to protect you, to keep an eye out for you... I'd be willing to do it," he said, his voice low.

I blinked, watching as his thin, handsome face seemed to try to hide something.

"Yes..." I said. "You, Alby, and someone named Newt, right?"

"Right."