Chapter 1
-Brooke-
I startled awake, breathing heavily as I whipped my head around, trying to find any clue to tell me where I was. The only hints I got were a loud clanking noise, followed by gears grinding and screeching, and a metal webbing underneath my hands. A red light flashed in the corner, illuminating everything for mere moments at a time. Boxes and bags were stacked in numerous places, along with some crates with unidentifiable objects in them.
What I could figure out was that I was moving up at a constant speed. And that I couldn't remember anything. I couldn't remember my name, my family, or what had happened to me.
I slowly stood up, leaning on the wall for support. In my shock, I had failed to notice neither how exhausted I was nor how much pain I was in. My entire body was sore, and my head was pounding. The box shuddered and I stumbled, slamming my shoulder onto a wooden crate with a nail sticking out of it as I fell. I could already feel the blood that was soaking through the thin shirt I wore as I slowly stood back up.
I was dressed in a stretchy cargo pant, a short sleeved gray t-shirt, and sturdy running boots. A traveling jacket was tied around my waist and I had a hair tie around my wrist. It was then that I noticed my hair. It was in a tangled, stringy mess that hung limp around my head, and I quickly tied it back. I pulled the jacket off of my waist and stuck my arms through the sleeves, zipping it up only half of the way.
I bit my lip as I finally started to grasp the situation I was in. I was stuck in a box that had been moving for a long time, and I remembered nothing and had no idea how to get out. I had no idea how long I was going to be stuck in the box. A frustrated cry escaped my lip and I felt a tear slip down my cheek, and I balled my fists. I was supposed to be strong and handle myself. Strong people didn't cry.
The box shuddered again, and I slid down to the floor, staring at the opposite wall as I waited for whatever future awaited me. Eventually the tears stopped coming and I was just tired. Quickly, I fell into a light sleep.
-.-.-.-.-.-
I was jolted out of my sleep by the box coming to a sudden halt and I scrambled to my feet, swaying slightly at the sudden fast movement as I waited to see what was going to happen. It had only been a few moments when the top opened, flooding the box with light.
I raised a hand to block my eyes from the light, and squinted as I tried to see above me. There were dark silhouettes against the sun's glare, and they seemed to be whispering amongst themselves. When my eyes finally adjusted, I saw it was a group of guys. There weren't very many, maybe 10 or 12.
One of them, a boy with curly blonde hair, jumped down into the box next to me, eyeing me carefully as if I was a threat. I stared back at him, holding my breath as he studied me. After a few moments he seemed satisfied and stuck out his hand.
"Welcome to the Glade, Greenie," he said in a thick accent. I carefully shook his hand before pulling it back to my side. I wasn't scared of him, but I didn't know who he was or if he was the one that brought me here.
"Let's get you out of here," he added, motioning to where a rope had been dropped.
"Where am I?" I asked, making no move towards where the rope had been dropped.
"Later, greenie. First, let's get out of the box," he brushed off my question and I huffed, walking over to the rope before deciding against it and jumping, grabbing the top of the box and hauling myself up despite the incredible pain in my shoulder.
"Or you can do that," the boy muttered under his breath from behind me as I stood and stared at where I was. It was a grassy glade with a pond and a few crudely constructed buildings near trees. What really surprised me were the walls surrounding the place. They were incredibly tall and made of stone. As I turned slowly around and around I felt the boy climb out of the box to stand beside me.
"Why am I here?"
"Dunno. None of us know why we're here. We were sent here, I guess," blondie replied. I nodded.
"Alright, so before we start the tour, I'll introduce you to everybody," he told me, turning back to face the small group of guys that were still there staring at me. They were all guys, no girls in sight.
"All right, so Gally, Ben, Clint, Frypan, Joel, Winston, Zart, Jeff, Adam, and Jackson," Blondie introduced, pointing at each boy in return. "Minho and Alby, our leader, are in the maze now but they'll be back soon. And I'm Newt. What's your name?"
"Brooke—did you say maze?" I asked incredulously, staring at the walls where an opening was.
"Yeah, our way out," Newt replied. The moment he said that I bolted towards the opening. I didn't know what it was, but I had an instinct that had told me to run and get out of the Glade.
"Shit!" I heard Newt yell as he pursued me. The sound of footsteps sprinting after me continued to get farther away as I pushed myself faster towards the opening. I made it without anybody pursuing me and ran to the end of the long hall that split into two paths, turning to see the entrance to the Glade. They were all standing there, breathless, as if they were afraid to enter the maze.
"Gally! You're in charge! Ben, with me!" Newt commanded before stepping into the maze with Ben. Shit, they followed me. I took off sprinting, not even slowing down at corners. Instead, I kicked off the walls and continued at the same pace, not even breaking a sweat.
"Greenie! Stop!" Ben yelled.
"Get back to the Glade, slint-head!" Newt cried. I ignored them both and increased my sprint, rounding another corner and smacking into something sturdy, taking both of us to the ground, me underneath. It turned out not to be a pillar or wall, but a person. He was of Asian descent and had a chiseled jaw.
I groaned as they rolled off me, putting pressure on my injured shoulder. Newt and Ben, who had caught up to me upon my run in with the other person, yanked me up off the ground.
"Newt! Explain!" a dark-skinned boy yelled.
"Greenbean here thought it would be a good idea to make a break for the maze," Newt answered him, keeping my arms locked in a tight hold between him and Ben.
"Right. A night in the slammer then. Explain the rules next time!" he commanded, moving over to where the boy I had run into stood.
"Who are you? What rules? What's the slammer? Why am I the only girl? Why is there a maze surrounding this place? Did you find a way out yet? What—," I asked a spew of questions before the same dark-skinned boy cut me off with a yell.
"Shut it, greenie! I ain't answering any of your questions until we're at least back at the glade," he glared. "Ben, run ahead and get everyone ready for a Gathering. Newt, Minho, make sure to keep her restrained. The name's Alby, by the way." I glared at him as Minho took Ben's place and we started running back through the maze. It was annoying that I was forced to run slower than I would have liked, but the strong grips that both boys had would have made it impossible for me to escape.
I stumbled over a rock and slowed my pace for a moment, but a tug from Minho made me regain speed, breathing heavier than when I was sprinting. It was then that I noticed the growing stain on my shoulder. I was loosing more blood than I should have been, probably because of the physical exertion from sprinting, and it was starting to soak through the t-shirt. I could feel it dripping down my arm and side, too.
Once we reached the maze, we slowed to a walk, but Newt and Minho's grips on me didn't loosen one bit. I stumbled again, and Newt steadied me with a gentle pull to my arm, but that called me to cry out as pain lanced through my body. The pain had not been too bad earlier because of the adrenaline, but now I was more aware of it. Stupid shoulder.
"What's wrong, greenie?" Newt asked, sounding only slightly concerned.
"Nothing," I replied through gritted teeth as we neared a crudely built structure. I was lead through the door and to the opposite side of the room to a bench that faced all the other seats, where everybody I had met earlier sat.
Newt and Minho released their grips on my arms, only to tie my wrists together behind my back. Alby made his way to the center of the room and everyone immediately stopped their conversations to listen to what he had to say. He must be the leader.
"Okay, you all probably know why you're here. Greenie here ran into the maze, but that is not the main focus of this conversation. Greenie's a girl," Alby started.
"I have a name, you know?" I interrupted angrily. "It's Brooke." Alby glared at me and I rolled my eyes.
"Anyway, she'll go through the trials like everyone else, and she'll be treated like everyone else. Got it, slint-heads?" A wave of nods ran through the room as everyone agreed. "Only difference is that she will have to shower when nobody is there and she will get a room on the second floor. Questions?"
"Um, yes. I have a few. What the hell is this place and why am I here?" I demanded. A light sheen of sweat covered my skin and I could feel how exhausted I was getting. I guess nobody noticed my injury because of the jacket.
"This is the glade. We have no idea why you're here, but you are. So you have to obey the rules like everyone else. That means no more trips into the maze," Alby told me, obviously annoyed at me. I stared back at him, showing my annoyance as well, before he turned back to everyone else and started discussing something along the lines of crops.
I zoned out, staring at the floor a few feet in front of me and thinking about this place. I'm going to get raped. My eyelids started drooping and my vision went blurry as I struggled to maintain balance. It was a futile effort, however, as the ground I was staring at suddenly was underneath me.
I heard a couple shouts and someone turned me onto my back after cutting my hands loose, but I could only stare at the ceiling through half-closed eyes, unable to move at all. I heard people talking, but it was fuzzy as if my ears were stuffed with cotton. People passed in front of my eyes, but they were blurry.
I felt myself get lifted up by a pair of strong arms and taken somewhere. I was placed on a cot in a different room and someone unzipped my jacket. I heard a sharp intake of breath before I slipped into a half-unconscious state.
-.-.-.-.-
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!
This is something I've had swimming around in my head for a while now and finally decided to post on here.
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xoxo
L