SUMMARY: In an alternate universe where Teresa wasn't the first girl, Rose had arrived in the Glade, just as lost and confused as the boys who had come up before her. Slowly, she begins to settle in to the steady routine of her new home. But what happens when a certain blonde boy catches her eye?

*Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters from TMR –only my OC

It was the sound of metal grinding against metal that woke her up. It was dark, almost too dark to see anything –save for a small red light that flashed on and off every now and then. She was moving upward in some sort of metal-grilled elevator of some sort. Her head hurt for some reason, but that was to be the least of her worries. She couldn't figure out where she was or why she was there. More than that, she didn't even know who she was. She could feel the fear creeping up inside her and threatening to overcome her, but she forced herself to stay calm. Panicking would not make the situation any better.

She took several deep breaths, but that did little to calm her racing mind. She was still desperately trying to remember something –anything –from before. What was going on? Where was she? Who put her here? Why was she here? Who was she? Questions flooded her mind with every minute that passed, but there was no one around to answer them, so she was left alone in the dark –both physically and metaphorically.

As time went by, some of her initial fear began to dissipate, replaced with one of boredom. She didn't know how long she'd been in there, but it felt like hours. She just wanted to know where she was going.

As if on cue, the elevator jerked to a stop and for a while there was an eerie sort of silence and she waited anxiously for something to happen, her whole body tensed up. The fear returned to her and she moved to the darkest corner of the already dark elevator –behind a stack of boxes that reeked of some unpleasant smell.

There was another grinding sound, but this one was different –like doors being opened. A small crack opened at the top and a sliver of sunlight streaked into the room, momentarily blinding her. She looked up and saw a group of thirty or so boys all staring down at her, yet seemed as though they couldn't see her.

"Where is he?" one of them asked, as if expecting her to be inside. He? She had no recollection of her past at all, but she was pretty sure she wasn't a boy. What were these guys talking about?

Another boy jumped down into the elevator. He searched around and then seemed to find her at last. He squinted at her, as if to make sure she was really there.

"There's no need to hide, Greenie," he said with a strange yet somewhat familiar accent. "It's not like we're going to bloody eat you or anything." She studied him. He was tall and lanky, with unkempt blonde hair that stuck out at every angle. He looked about seventeen.

Slowly, she began to stand up. The boy widened his eyes and backed up. He stared at her curiously, and somewhat warily.

"What is it, Newt?" another boy called down. "What do you see?"

The boy, Newt, continued to stare at her. She wondered if he knew her, but then she didn't know him, so how could he know her? Newt looked up to the other boys, who were waiting impatiently and probably wondering what was taking so long.

"It's a girl," he said. There was a collective gasp from the boys above them. So what? That was all she could think in response to it. Were there no other girls here –wherever they were? Newt looked back at her. "What's your name, Greenie?"

Greenie? She racked her brain, but for some reason couldn't figure out what her name was. How was that even possible? Her silence seemed to be the answer Newt was expecting. "It's okay," he said, his voice gentle. "It happened to all of us. You'll get your name back soon." He looked up. "Bring down the rope."

*line break*

She sat in the corner of the Gathering Room, as the other boys had dubbed it. She hugged her legs close to her chest and rocked slowly back and forth, barely listening to what the others were saying. She knew they were talking about her –she was, after all, apparently the first girl in the Glade –but her mind was too preoccupied to register the words that were being spoken. Where was this place? Who put them here? Why couldn't she remember anything?

No, wait…there was something. It was on the tip of her tongue: a name. But was it her name? It must be. Newt said it would come back to her soon, and apparently that was all they were allowed to remember, though why, he wouldn't say.

"Rose," she murmured under her breath, and somehow saying it made her believe it. Rose. At least now she knew something about herself.

She looked up and saw the others were still talking and discussing about her. A few glanced her way, a look of wariness and distrust etched onto their faces. Every now and then Newt would look back at her, more confused than wary. She couldn't shake off the feeling that she'd seen him before. His messy dirty blonde hair, eyes the colour of chocolate…there was something about him that seemed so…familiar.

"We don't know if we can trust her or not," a tall bulky guy said, shooting a glare in Rose's direction. "What if she messes everything up?"

"Well what do you think we should do then, Gally?" Newt almost spat out, making his dislike for the other guy obvious. "Since you're so bright and full of ideas?"

Gally was silent for a while, deep in thought, and Rose found she was starting to hate the guy already, and she'd only been here about an hour.

"Put her in the Slammer," Gally said finally. Immediately everyone began to speak up at once. Some supported Gally –the ones who didn't trust Rose either. Others pointed out that so far Rose had done nothing to deserve a night in the Slammer –whatever that was.

"Everyone, slim it!" Alby yelled at the top of his lungs. Everyone obeyed immediately. "Yes, she is the first girl, but that is no reason to punish her. She will be treated just like the rest of us. I will give her the Tour tomorrow, and then we will see which job suits her best." He glared at all the Keepers, as if daring them to protest. No one did. He looked at Rose, his fierce expression not leaving his face. "Don't think we're going to go easy on you just because you're a girl. Everyone does their part here in the Glade."

Rose nodded mutely. She didn't think she could be so afraid of someone, but Alby held so much authority he could pretty much command anything and the others would obey without arguing.

The Gathering ended and the rest of the Keepers went back to their respective jobs. Rose stayed huddled up where she was, watching the boys exit the Gathering Room. Apart from herself, only Alby and Newt remained. They spoke in low voices, occasionally glancing at her before speaking again. Finally, Alby gave a small nod and, after one more look in her direction, walked out.

Newt walked up to her and offered her his hand. "Come on, Greenie," he said softly, his voice thick with that accent. "I bet you've had a bloody rough day. A bit of Frypan's roast and you'll feel right at home." There was a small smile playing on his lips that made her feel at ease.

She grabbed his hand and stood up. "Rose," she said. "My name is Rose."

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