I was lifted out of the cage by Gally and set on the ground. Never in my life had I been so happy to be back on the ground again. I felt a strong urge to hug the grass and never let go.
The boys all looked down at me strangely, as if I were some sort of alien from another planet. I was starting to feel pressured under the gazes of so many people. Wow, these boys look like bloody models I thought.
Laughter rang out through the Glade. I was confused for a moment before I realised that everybody was laughing at me. And I had a feeling that I knew why.
"Oh my god, did I actually just say that out loud?" I asked
A tall blonde boy nodded, I instantly recgognized him as Newt "Yeah, you did. It's nice to know we're all worthy of being models"
I could feel my face heating up. I buried my face in my hands "Why am I always so crap at first impressions?"
I heard Newt chuckle. Then I felt someone grab my arm "Here, let me help you up"
I was hauled up onto my feet, and I turned to see it was Alby who had helped me up. I was feeling overwhelmed now. I didn't know what was going on. I backed up until I was standing behind Thomas.
Thomas was the only person I could trust at that moment. Sure, I knew the others wouldn't hurt me, but I felt safer with Thomas. I could tell Thomas was just as confused as I was, even though it was for different reasons. But in a way it just comforted me.
I watched as Thomas slowly reached his hand towards me and grab my hand. He looked back at me and mouthed 'Get ready'
Get ready for what?
The next thing I knew was that Thomas was running. And so was I. He pulled me along with him, urging me to run faster. So I did, I ran faster so that we were running side by side. I didn't know where he was going, so I just followed him.
I heard somebody behind us shout "Looks like we got ourselves some Runners!" which was followed by cheering.
Suddenly Thomas tripped, and since he was still holding my hand, he accidently pulled me down with him. And yet again, I landed on top of him.
Thomas looked up at me "We have got to stop meeting like this"
I laughed "We should, but what's the fun in that?"
Soon Thomas started laughing too, and for a moment, all our problems just went away. Thomas pulled himself up, and helped me get onto my feet.
"I really do need to stop falling over. I'm not that clumsy, I swear!" I said
By now, the others had caught up with us. Alby made his way through the crowd and stood in front of us "Nice to meet ya, shanks. Welcome to the Glade."
"Shanks?" Thomas asked
"It sounds like something a bunch of seven year olds would say" I muttered lowly so that only Thomas could hear me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Thomas crack a smile.
It was at that moment it dawned on me who I was standing next to. Dylan O'Brien. Well, Dylan O'Brien who isn't Dylan O'Brien, because he was actually Thomas now. I wasn't sure how to react. I was standing with a group of boys who are supposed to be actors. No wonder most of them looked like models.
I must have zoned out for a while there, because Thomas was shaking my shoulder. I looked up at him "What?"
Alby spoke up "I asked you for your name"
"Oh!" I glanced at him "It's Ellie. Ellie Smith"
I was hit with a thousand questions at once
"You know your surname?"
"How do you remember that?"
"Do you remember anything else?"
Then I remembered that nobody here remembered anything except their first name. Whoops.
I hid behind Thomas again. I didn't like the fact that I was surrounded by so many boys. I never was one who liked a lot of attention. Thomas took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. At least I had one friend in this place.
"Everybody be quiet!" a British voice shouted. The Gladers instantly fell silent. I felt somewhat relieved knowing that I wasn't the only British person here. Most of the boys sounded American, and the last thing I needed was to be picked on because of my accent.
The voice belonged to a tall blonde boy who I recognized as Newt. He came up to me and asked "Can you remember anything else about yourself?"
I decided to put my acting skills to the test "No, I can't remember anything other than that. Why can't I remember?"
"I can't remember anything either. All I can remember is my name" Thomas said
"It's a long story, shanks," Alby said "You'll learn piece by piece - I'll be takin' you both on the Tour tomorrow. The name's Alby, by the way"
"Then tell us," Thomas said, his voice struggling to remain even "Tell us the long story"
Alby rolled his eyes. I guessed he was used to this by now. I studied my surroundings, noting where everything was. If I was going to fit in here with everyone else, I would have to pretend I know nothing. I was going to have to go from the beginning, asking questions, trying to learn as much as I could about the Glade. I couldn't tell anybody my secret.
"Seriously, where are we?" Thomas asked. He looked scared now, like he wasn't going to bother trying to be brave anymore
Alby sighed "Look, shank. If you ain't scared, you ain't human. Act any different and I'd throw you off the Cliff 'cause it'd mean you're physco."
"The Cliff?" Thomas asked, and you could see the colour draining from his face
"Ah, shuck it. Nobody's died since the accident with Nick. We don't go killing shanks like you here I promise. Just don't get yourselves killed and try to survive. Now, no more questions until tomorrow, Greenbeans. Got that?" Alby said
I nodded my head in agreement. I knew everything I needed to know anyway.
"These kids are gonna have a buggin' heart attack if you keep telling them these things," said Newt. He turned to us "Names Newt by the way. You'd have to forgive our klunk-for-brains leaders here. He's new at this"
Newt held out a hand for us to shake. Thomas shook it first, followed by me.
"Now that we're introduced, let me tell you about the basics of this shuck place" Newt said.
I didn't pay much attention as Newt told us where we were. I knew this stuff already. I had plans to make. I was the only person here who knew what was really going on and what was going to happen. I had to try and make sure things wouldn't turn out so bad this time around. I wasn't going to stand around and do nothing while everything in the Glade starts to change. I didn't want to feel guilty knowing that I let these innocent people down.
I was brought out of my thoughts when somebody tugged the sleeve of my shirt. I turned to see a small boy who looked about 12 years old. I immediately knew him as Chuck. He smiled at me "Hello! My name's Chuck"
I grinned "Hey there, Chuck. I'm Ellie, but you probably already knew that"
Oh yes, I was definitely going to be changing events that were supposed to happen.
