The Girl in the Glade
A/N: I don't own the Maze Runner or any of the characters. James Dashner does. This will have parts of the books and the movie in this but it might be mostly based on the books. Or mostly based on the movie. Oh and part of this will be before Thomas and Teresa come up to the Glade.
I own Scarlett though.
Rated T for swearing and some violence. Maybe some innuendos.
Chapter 1
Scarlett gasped as she woke up in complete darkness, in some kind of box thing that was moving slowly. There was an overwhelming smell of oil and sweat that made Scarlett's stomach churn. There was also a faint smell of feet. She could also hear the squeaks and the creaks of the pulleys that were slowly pulling the strange lift up. The young girl had no idea where it was going. Slowly, Scarlett stood up, using the walls of the Box to pull herself up. The box lift thing violently jerked, sending Scarlett to the floor. She let out a string of curses, putting her back against the wall. The creaks and squeak of the pulleys echoed of the metals walls. She wanted to cry out of frustration and confusion, but no tears came. Out of all the confusion that Scarlett was feeling, a name came to her mind. Clear as crystal.
"Scarlett. My name is Scarlett." She muttered softly. That was the only thing she could remember. Well, she could remember things like the seaside, eating a burger, running down a snow-covered path but she couldn't remember where any of that was or who she was with. Scarlett guessed that she must have been in the strange box-lift thing for about half an hour, though it felt longer.
There wasn't much she could do in here, except wait to arrive wherever she was going. Images would appear in her head but they didn't make sense or they were blurry. Like a merge of colors. She didn't know how she got in the dark lift, who her parents were and if she had any siblings. Or how old she was. She didn't know where she came from. She couldn't remember anything else, except her name. As the strange lift swayed slightly as it made its journey upwards, Scarlett became used to the sounds to the point where it was almost comforting. Anything was better than sitting there in silence.
After a few moments, Scarlett decided to stand up, feeling the cool metal walls for support. It wasn't like she could walk around, the lift was quite small. Her eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness yet. The dark lift suddenly halted with a loud groan and a loud clank, making Scarlett lose her footing and fall to the floor. A minute passed. Then two minutes passed. A loud clank above her, making her jump and suck in a startled breath. There was a loud, heavy grating sound as the doors above her, watching the strip of light expand. The sudden light stabbed at her eyes, making her shield her eyes. She could hear voices above her.
"What the? No way.."
"What is it?"
"Oi, shut up and let the shank talk!"
"It's a girl."
Scarlett couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. "No shit Sherlock." she thought to herself, looking up at the voices. Though she wasn't sure where that phrase came from. The shapes above her were blurry at first, then everything adjusted like a camera. Scarlett could see that the people above were boys. Some of them were kids, teenagers even. Scarlett felt a wave of confusion come over her as she stared at the boys above her. They all looked as confused as she was, whispering and pointing at her. Scarlett blinked up at them, still very confused at what was going on.
"A girl?"
"That's what I said, you shank."
"Shut your holes!"
"Is she cute?"
"I got dibs!"
"How old is she?"
"I said shut your holes!"
"Hope you like the one-way trip!"
A boy jumped into the box, making Scarlett gasp in surprise and stumble backward. The boy had short brown hair and crazy looking eyebrows. He also looked tall and a little muscular. He looked at Scarlett with a curious look on his face. "Day one Greenie," he said. "Rise and shine." Before Scarlett could even ask any questions, the boy grabbed her and lifted her out of the strange box. Scarlett stumbled onto the soft grass, moving her hair out of her face. Her heart was still racing.
The chatter of the boys didn't stop as they surrounded her, looking down at her. Adrenaline kicked in and her instincts were telling her to run. Acting on her instincts, Scarlett quickly got up and pushed past the boys and started running. A few gasped and watched her run away from the crowd of boys.
"Hey, we got a runner!" One of the boys shouted.
"Watch the girlie run!" Another shouted. Scarlett ignored them and kept running. That is until she tripped and fell, landing on the ground with a soft grunt. Scarlett heard the boys laugh as she fell. Scarlett slowly got to her feet, looking around at the place she had just found herself in. She was standing in a vast courtyard several times the size of a football field, covered in grass. It was surrounded by four enormous walls made of grey stone and thick ivy. The walls had to be hundreds of feet tall and the walls formed a perfect square around her and the other boys. Each side split in the exact middle by an opening as tall as the walls. There was also a forest area and a few buildings here and there.
Scarlett could hear the boys still laughing and cheering as Scarlett looked around in confusion and awe. Scarlett barely registered one of the boys coming up to her. He looked to be seventeen and he was wearing normal clothes: black t-shirt, jeans, trainers and a digital watch. Some of the boys had moved away, getting back to whatever they were doing. The dark-skinned boy had short cropped hair and a clean-shaven face.
"You alright there Greenie? You not going to run again?" he asked, looking at Scarlett. "The name's Alby. Do you remember your name?" Scarlett had no idea what 'Greenie' meant.
"S-Scarlett," Scarlett replied, finally finding her voice. "Why can't I remember anything else?" Another wave of panic came over her, looking at Alby with wide vibrant green eyes.
"It's normal. It's the only thing that they let us keep." Alby said, with a light shrug. He didn't say anything else on the matter.
"What is this place?" Scarlett asked. Alby looked at her then around, giving a few boys who were staring at Scarlett a glare. They immediately turned away and went back to what they were doing.
"The Glade," Alby answered. "Was gonna give you the tour, but the Box came a little late so we'll have to wait till tomorrow." A boy came up to them. His hair was sandy blond hair and brown eyes. He was tall and veins sticking out of his muscled arms.
"You alright Alby?" He asked, gently slapping Alby on the shoulder. Alby looked at the boy then at Scarlett.
"Greenie, meet Newt. He's second in command around here. He's in charge when I'm not around." Alby said, watching as Newt and Scarlett shake hands.
"Good thing you're always around then." Newt chuckled, turning to Scarlett. "Nice run you did, girlie. For a second I thought you had the chops to be a Runner, till you faceplanted." Alby chuckled at that, looking at Newt. The accent Newt had sounded really familiar but of course, she couldn't place it or remember what it even was. Scarlett also ignored the nickname.
"Runner?" Scarlett asked, confused. Alby ignored her question and turned to Newt.
"Hey Newt, do me a favor and go find Chuck?" Alby said to Newt. Newt nodded and walked off, Scarlett noticing that Newt had a slight limp. I wonder what happened. Scarlett thought to herself. Maybe she would ask him later, or when she got the chance. Alby watched Newt walk away then turned to Scarlett. "Alright greenie, we only have three rules. One: Do your part, we don't have any time for freeloaders. Two: Never harm another Glader. None of this works if we don't have trust and work together. And three: Never go beyond those walls. Do you understand me greenie?"
Scarlett gave Alby a nod, watching the other Gladers go on with their jobs. She had no idea what Greenie meant.
"Hey, Alby!" A voice came from across the Glade. Scarlett turned around to see a younger kid who looked about twelve or thirteen with brown hair and blue eyes. He was short and podgy. He was holding a few blankets and other things. Alby turned to Chuck.
"Thanks for gettin' the stuff for the she-bean," Alby said.
"She-bean?" Scarlett echoed, raising an eyebrow but Alby just ignored her. Chuck nodded and started walking. Scarlett followed him, looking around. Chuck started to set up her hammock, as Scarlett curiously looked at the huge walls.
"My name is Chuck by the way," Chuck said, looking at Scarlett.
"Scarlett," Scarlett said, looking at Chuck.
"Don't worry, you're doing better than I did. I klunked my pants before they even got me out of the Box. You'll get used to the slang around here." Scarlett watched as a boy ran in from the strange opening. An Asian boy, with black hair and brown eyes. He was also quite buff. He glanced at Scarlett, the surprise was written all over his face but he kept on running to a makeshift house. Scarlett stared at him confused. I thought we weren't allowed beyond the walls. Scarlett thought to herself. Maybe she'll ask Newt or Alby later.
"If you're thinkin' about going to the walls, I wouldn't. At least, not now." Chuck's voice broke Scarlett out of her thoughts. Scarlett turned her head towards Chuck who was looking at her with curiosity.
"Why? What happens?" Scarlett asked.
"Well, the doors are about to close," Chuck replied with a shrug of his shoulders. Scarlett blinked at him, looking at the huge openings.
"Close? What do you mean they close?"
There was a loud rumbling sound, making Scarlett jump. Scarlett stepped out from the makeshift house curiously. There was a horrible grating sound as large doors started to move across the opening, defying laws of physics. Scarlett watched as the protruding spikes fit perfectly into the holes on the other side of the opening. How is that possible? Scarlett couldn't help but look at the other openings just to see if the same thing was happening and sure enough, they were.
"Told you," Chuck chuckled, looking around the glade. "Now come on, let's get some dinner before Alby and the others start the bonfire." Scarlett's stomach growled at the mention of dinner. When was the last the time she ate? There were so many questions that were going through her mind.
"Bonfire?" Scarlett asked, probably for the sixth or seventh time. Chuck nodded, giving Scarlett a light smile.
"Yup. We always have one for the newbie to the Glade." Chuck replied, starting to walk across the Glade. Scarlett followed to a kitchen looking area where a boy was serving everyone. Newt was in the line behind some boy Scarlett didn't recognize. Newt spotted her walking over with Chuck, giving her a wave before getting served by the boy. Scarlett got into line behind Chuck. It was finally Scarlett's turn.
"Hey, greenie." The boy said. "The name's Frypan. I'm the Keeper of the Cooks. Don't worry, Alby or Newt will explain what it is." Scarlett gave Frypan a nod, watching as he poured some kind of stew into the bowl she was holding.
"Thank you," Scarlett said. "My name is Scarlett by the way." Frypan chuckled and nodded, smiling at her.
"Nice to meet you, Scarlett." He said. "Greenies usually don't remember their name this quickly. A few do, but most of them don't." Frypan shrugged and chuckled again. He dipped his metal ladle into the mixture, getting ready to serve the next person behind Scarlett.
Scarlett nodded and went to sit at a table, Chuck sat next to her, starting to eat. Scarlett started eating as well. Newt walked over and sat at the table.
"So, do you have any other questions? Alby will probably answer all of your questions tomorrow." Newt said, starting to eat some of the stew that Frypan had cooked for them. Scarlett shook her head, letting the taste of the stew flow into her mouth. She was starving. Some of the other Gladers were setting up for the bonfire. Alby was there, barking orders of where to put things but also helping the Gladers set up.
After dinner, it was finally time for the Gladers to light the bonfire. They threw a few big sticks that were lit on fire at the ends into the pile of wood, making it go up in flames. They cheered and started chanting, watching the bonfire. They also held up a few jars of some orange looking liquid. Scarlett was sitting with her back against the log, listening to the thundering echoes coming from beyond the walls. Newt sat next to her, holding one of the jars.
"Well, you made it through your first day," Newt said, making Scarlett look over at him. "Here," he handed her the jar. "This'll put some hair on your chest." Scarlett took the jar and sipped it. Her eyes widened at the strong taste, making her immediately spit it out.
"Oh my god, what the hell is that?" Scarlett asked, coughing as Newt chuckled softly. He took the jar and looked at it.
"I don't even know. It's Gally's recipe. You get used to the taste after a while." Newt shrugged and sipped it again. Scarlett sighed and looked at the walls that were covered in ivy.
"We're trapped here, aren't we?" Scarlett asked. Newt glanced at her then let out a soft sigh. He glanced over at the boys wrestling and sitting by the fire. Frypan was also making some food and giving the other gladers the jars.
"For the moment. But you see those guys sitting by the fire? Those are the runners. They are the strongest and the fastest of all of us. Do you see the guy in the middle? That's Minho. He's the Keeper of the runners. He's the guy you go to if you want to become a runner. They go into the Maze, trying to find a way out and map it."
"How long have they been looking?" Scarlett asked.
"Three years," Newt replied. Scarlett's eyes widened, looking at Newt.
"And they still haven't found a way out?"
"It's easier said than done." Newt sat up slightly and put his finger up, making Scarlett listen to whatever Newt was listening to. "Hear that? It's the Maze. Changing. It changes every night."
"How is that even possible?"
"You can ask the bastards who put us here if you ever get to meet them." Newt looked at the walls with a distant look then looked at Scarlett. "The Maze is a dangerous place. If the runners don't get back before those doors close, they are stuck out there for the night. And you don't want to spend a night in the Maze."
"Why? What's out there?" Scarlett asked.
"Well, we call them Grievers," Newt said. "Of course, no one's ever seen one and lived to tell about it." Newt paused, glancing at Scarlett. "Well, we have a small window where you can take a peek at them. I or Alby will probably show you before wake-up and the doors open." Newt sipped the drink again. Scarlett gazed at the huge walls, wondering if there was another way out. Newt cleared his throat, sitting up. "Right, I think that's enough questions for the night. Let me show you around." Newt got up and stretched. Scarlett stood up as well, watching as the boys wrestle.
"So, after Alby gives you the tour, you'll try out the jobs here. We have builders who are strong with their hands but aren't so smart upstairs. They're in charge of the buildings here and anything that needs repairing. The slicers are in charge of livestock. Then we have our two med-jacks, Clint and Jeff. They're busy bandaging up the slicers." Newt explained as they walked around the bonfire.
"Hey!" Gally shouted, after beating the boy who had challenged Gally to the wrestle. He looked at Scarlett. "Come have a go Greenie." The boys started cheering her on. Newt glanced at Scarlett with a worried look on his face. Probably because he didn't want her to get hurt. Scarlett chuckled and walked over to the circle where the boys were crowding around. Scarlett and Gally stepped into the circle.
"Alright greenie. Rules are simple. I try to push you out of the circle and you try to last five seconds." Gally said, making the boys laugh. Scarlett rolled her eyes and cracked her knuckles.
"Bring it on." Scarlett chuckled. Gally lunged for her but Scarlett easily dodged the attack, using her leg to knock him over. Scarlett had no idea where that came from, almost like it was second nature. Gally pushed her over, but not quite out of the circle. Scarlett quickly got up before Gally could attack again, lunging for him and pushing him out of the circle with all of her strength, making Gally stumble out of the circle. The boys started cheering loudly.
"Welcoming our newest Glader, Scarlett!" Alby announced, holding up one of the jars. The boys cheered and clapped. She caught Newt's eye and he smiled at her. Scarlett smiled
Gally walked over and patted Scarlett on the shoulder. "Not bad for a girl," he said, giving her a slight smile. Scarlett smiled back.
"Thanks." Scarlett smiled. Scarlett was still being welcomed by everyone and then handed a jar. Scarlett drank some and managed to swallow most of it, only spitting some of Gally's brew out. Maybe she'll get used to the taste.
"Alright Gladers, time to head to bed! We have a long work day tomorrow!" Alby shouted. Scarlett yawned and watched as the Gladers started to tidy up then make their way to bed. Scarlett headed to her hammock, a few boys already asleep. Chuck was fast asleep, snoring. Scarlett yawned again and got into her hammock, briefly listening to the thundering walls changing in the Maze. Scarlett felt the exhaustion from the day's excitement come over her and she found herself drifting off. It wasn't long before she was fast asleep.