Hey everybody! I don't have much to say for this one, so we'll just jump right in. Enjoy!
Newt stared at Esther in confusion. The only girl in the Maze was Teresa. So how could this girl be from the Maze too? She couldn't be. It wasn't possible.
" You can't be, " Newt said. " The only girl in the Maze is Teresa. "
" I can be, and I am, " Esther replied. " I don't know who this Teresa is, or who you are, but I do know that I came from the Maze. Believe me...I wouldn't mistake that hell pit with anything. " She was really starting to get frustrated.
" Neither would I. Because I came from that bloody place. "
There was a long moment of silence. The two were glaring at each other, trying to piece it all together. How could she be from the Maze? Unless she was trapped, literally out in the Maze. But that was even less possible. There's no way she would have survived this long. No matter how skilled she might be. Newt had never seen anybody even last a night in the Maze. Unless...
" Wait, " he said. He didn't know why he said it, because there was nothing else that they could really do. Force of habit he supposed. " Do you think that there might be two Mazes? "
Esther thought about it for a moment, and slowly nodded her head. " That would make sense. What's yours like? "
" Umm, it's a big stone maze with us trapped in the middle. We call it the Glade. All of us have different jobs that we do to keep the place up and running. How about yours? "
" Same. We also call it the Glade. You said ' us '. Who do you mean? "
" All of the boys who got sent up. Except for Teresa. She was recently sent up, and it wasn't even time for the box to send up a greenie yet. "
Esther seemed to be thinking hard about all of this. Her eyes were focused on Newt as her head spun with questions that she was pretty sure he couldn't answer. " We had the same thing happen to us. Only it sent up a boy. Aris. "
They both stared at each other for a long moment. So there were two Mazes. One for boys, and one for girls. Both of them going through the same thing at the same time. What on earth is going on!? Newt's neck was getting tired and started cramping, so he laid his head back down on the table.
After about half an hour, the door opened and a lady in a lab coat with a clipboard walked in. She set the clipboard down on a table, and walked up to Newt. She had pulled a medical trolley over with her, and picked up a needle.
" What's that for? " Newt asked. He wasn't even close to being a wimp, but needles did tend to make him nervous.
" Don't worry, Newt, " the lady said in a gentle voice. She wiped a disinfectant wipe over his arm, and prepped the needle. " I'm just going to take a small sample of blood. "
" Really? Why not just through me to one of the bloody Grievers? " Newt snapped. " I thought that that's the way you take samples of blood. " He wasn't one to talk much, but this was the first time that he was seeing one of the creators, and he had a whole lot more he wanted to tell them. He was actually holding back right now.
The lady just let out a soft sigh. She didn't feel the need to reply. She poked the needle into Newt's skin, and filled the vile up. Then she filled another vile up. And another. And another, until she had filled ten viles up with his blood. She put a cap over the needle, and moved over to Esther, grabbing another needle. She took ten viles of Esther's blood, wrote some things down on the clipboard, and headed for the door.
" Wait, " Newt said. " Where are we? "
The lady stopped and turned around, with a soft, yet obviously annoyed smile. " Don't worry, Newt. You're safe here. "
" That doesn't answer my question. "
" You don't need the answer right now. "
Esther realized that this was going nowhere, so she posed a different question. " How long have we been here? "
" Two days. "
" Two days? " Newt repeated.
" The sedative lasted longer than expected. " The lady, realizing that she had said too much, quickly opened the door and left.
" Two bloody days, " Newt mumbled to himself. He hoped that nobody in the Glade had died trying to find him. He's not a prideful person, but he knew that they would be looking for him. They would do the same thing if anybody else went missing. It's just what the Gladers do. What their about. No man left behind.
The sun was just beginning to peak over the stone walls of the Maze. Minho, Thomas, and three other runners were waiting by the south gate. All of them were really hoping that they would find Newt. Preferably alive. Or at least something that would help them get closer to finding him.
There was a loud rumble, and the walls began to split, defying the laws of physics yet again. The group dashed through, with Minho in the lead. They sprinted between the massive walls, hurdled over large vines on the ground, and skid around sharp corners. Everyone had a sharp lookout for any signs of Newt. Or a Griever. But mainly Newt.
After an eternity of running, Minho stopped and called for a break. The group sat down against a wall, breathing heavy and chugging down lots of water. They had run longer than normal, and their legs were already feeling weak. Except for Minho's. But he could run all day, so he doesn't count.
After ten minutes of resting, they got back up and sprinted through the Maze. They ran as long as the first time before taking a second break. Still no sign of Newt. And, thankfully, no sign of any Grievers either. They ran and breaked two more times before signs of nightfall started showing.
They had stopped by a large patch of vines for their fourth break. They had heard the heart stopping cry of a Griever, but it was far enough away and there had been no sign of any after.
" That's it! " One of the runners exclaimed. " He's dead! It's been three days! He's dead! "
" Shush! " Thomas yelled in a whisper. " Are you trying to get us killed? "
" He's not dead, " Minho stated. He glanced up at the sky, then out at the Maze. " It's getting dark. We need to go. "
The group stood up, and sprinted back for the south door. They heard another blood curdling scream of a Griever, but it was pretty distant. The group still picked up the pace, though. The last thing they needed right now was for one of them to get stung. They ran through the south door, and Minho and Thomas continued to the Homestead. Alby, Teresa, and even Gally were anxious to hear what they had found. A simple shake of the head from Minho, though, told them everything.
So there's chapter two. Please please please review! I love to hear feedback from you guys! It also helps me get chapters up faster. Thanks!
