She woke up to the sound of metal scraping against metal. Her eyes met darkness, and darkness only. The floor beneath her began shaking so hard she fell on her knees and she felt like she might have broken both her kneecaps. She brought her hands against her chest and felt her pounding heart in her sweaty palms. A feeling of claustrophobia took over her and she knew right away she was trapped in a confined space.
Then, with a mighty jolt, she felt her box being pulled upwards. A light hum filled the box and bounced off the walls. The hairs on her arms stood on ends at that sound. An odd smell wafted through the air and she doubled over, now clutching her stomach.
"Pull yourself together, Eli."
Her name was Eli. That was all she could remember. Although her mind seemed to work perfectly, as she was trying to take in the place she was in and what was happening to her, she couldn't remember anything prior to being stuck in that box. Passing feelings took over her, like the warmth of the sun on her skin, two arms holding her securely, the smell of a burning candle. She even felt something she knew was nostalgia, but she couldn't imagine having been anywhere except in that tiny, dark prison of hers. Desperate to know what was happening and what was awaiting her at the end of this journey, she went and sat in a corner of the room, her arms hugging her legs tightly. Her chin resting on her knees, she began counting the seconds, her eyes shut and her jaw set.
She had stopped counting for what seemed like an eternity when the pulling stopped abruptly, throwing her against the hard floor. Nursing her skinned hands, she tilted her head upwards and waited. At first, nothing happened. Then…
"Someone bloody help me here, shuck-faces!"
There was a scraping sound, and tiny rays of light pierced through the darkness. Eli covered her eyes with one bleeding hand and squinted to see the sliding doors being forced open. A crouching silhouette stood out against the bright light.
"That one's tiny!"
"Bet that shank's klunking himself."
"Hullo there, Greenie."
Feeling weak in the knees, Eli collapsed on the floor in the furthest corner and shut her eyes, trying to block the voices that echoed in the box. They were boys' voices. She realized she didn't know some of the words that were being thrown at her and flinched, as if being slapped across the face. The floor shook slightly beneath her. A boy had jumped in the box and was holding a hand out in her direction. She didn't take it but looked up to see two deep drown orbs observing her from under a frown.
"Take it easy, shank. I know how ya feel, trust me. Name's Newt."
The boy spoke with a thick accent. Eli just blinked twice and gulped. A lump had formed in her throat and panic was rising in her chest. She took a few ragged breaths and got to her feet.
"Let's get ya outta here."
Someone threw a rope at them. Eli placed her right foot in the loop tied at the end and moaned when she wrapped her hands around the rough material. Hands reached down at her and pulled her up, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt and the belt of her pants. About a dozen faces swarmed into view, some of them smiling, others just blank. Finally, she was able to stand up and looked down at her hands. She was bleeding even more profusely now, small drops staining the stony floor. Someone poked her in the shoulder and she felt a hand clapping her on the small of her back. Her eyes darted over the small group of boys facing her. There had to be about forty of them, all looking at her.
"Well it's good to see you Greenie. Welcome to the Glade."