Getting out of the box proved to be a rather awkward affair. At first Alby was just going to yank her up by arm, but Newt wouldn't allow that.
"Are you mental Alby, you can't just yank a lady out of a box!"
"Well I don't see you coming up with a better idea Mr. Manners." Alby retorted. Newt glared at his superior. "Alright you shank just wait a bloody second."
"What's going on?" Maria questioned, still cautious of the situation. She gripped the hammer a little tighter. Who were these guys trying to take her out of the box? Could she even trust them?
"We'll explain later... greenie" Newt paused, unsure if the typical glader slang applied to girls. "Right now we got to get you out of the box." Maria was unsure, but she cooperated. They ended up having Newt hoist her up by what can only be described as something slightly reminiscent of an extremely awkward cheer routine.
Once they were both out Maria sprang up in an alert position. She looked back into the box that brought her to this mysterious place, where she saw Stink looking up at her quizzically.
"Wait! What about Stink!" Maria turned to the crowd of boys, hoping one of them would retrieve her dog.
"What's a stink?" Said one glader.
"Oh great the new greenie's a crazy" groaned another. Maria glared, she didn't appreciate being made fun of.
"No. I mean my dog- Stink." Maria said with an annoyed tone.
"What is she going on about?" Began Alby, but once he looked into the box, he too saw the terrier staring up at him. "Well shuck. The greenie brought a dog with her. "
"Newt go fetch the mutt." Alby commanded
"Why do I have to do everything around here" muttered Newt. He quickly brought up the dog who ran up to Maria. She picked him up with one hand and pointed the hammer at the group in front of her, remembering that she was supposed to be defensive right now. For all she knew the boys around her were cannibals or something.
"NOW TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON, OR ELSE I'LL USE THIS." She threatened.
"Calm down girlie, nobody here wants to hurt you, we've all been through this" Alby said without any sympathy.
"Don't give me that shit, tell me what's going on. Why can't I remember anything?" She continued.
"We'll explain that in a minute-"
"I was in that box for practically an hour, YOU PUT ME THERE. TELL ME WHY." She screamed.
She heard a voice from the crowd speak, "Somebody calm this shucking girl down!" Maria scowled, still seething with anger. She gently placed Stink down, and in one step forward she had driven the butt of the hammer right into the commenters shoulder.
"AGH WHY THE SHUCK DID YOU DO THAT" He cried, clutching on to his shoulder.
"THE NEXT ONES GOING RIGHT TO THE TESTICLES IF I DON'T GET SOME FUCKING ANSWERS. RIGHT. NOW!" Maria threatened once more. All of the guys visibly winced at the threat.
"Alby tell her what she wants, the greenie's gonna shucking neuter me!" Winced the injured boy.
"Are all girls like this? Cause if so, they're not as great as I thought they were." Said another voice from the crowd. Maria lifted the hammer again.
Make one more move with the hammer greenie, and you get a night in the slammer, calm down and drop your weapon." Alby reasoned.
"You think you can tell me what to do, first you kidnap me and now what? Are you going to kill me? Enslave me?" Maria spat, pointing her hammer in accusation at the leader. Behind her a large, built boy emerged from the crowd.
"Alby should I handle this?" The brutish boy asked. Alby shook his head.
"Not yet Bill, but take the hammer, the tool belongs to us anyway." Alby demanded. Before Maria could do anything the weapon was yanked from her hands.
"Now that you're a bit more stable, I'll tell ya what I can." Alby told her. He then began an incredibly rehearsed speech saying that she was not kidnapped by them, where they were was called The Glade, that nobody had any memories, and that they were stuck with no way out. Maria listened carefully, but her face kept the same look of resentment towards the crowd.
"You however, are the first girl we've ever got… Do you remember your name?" Alby finished with a curious expression.
"Maria." She grumbled, surprised that she was even able to recite her own name. "It's Maria." She announced with a little more enthusiasm.
"Nice to meet ya Maria. Name's Alby." Alby tried to shake her hand, but she rejected, instead she crossed her arms over her chest and glared.
The whole time Alby was talking to her, all of the other gladers were looking at her in awe. Like Maria was the first girl they had ever seen- which I guess in this case was true. All of the attention was weirding Maria out, and I guess Newt could see it on her face because he snapped at all the other gladers.
"ALL RIGHT GENTLEMEN MOVE ALONG, WE GET IT SHE'S A GIRL, NOW GO BACK TO WORK YOU BUNCH A SHANKS! AND IF ANY OF YOU PERVERTED SHUCKS LAY A FINGER ON THE GREENIE YOU'LL BE GETTING THE SLAMMER" He yelled. Maria turned a bright shade of crimson at his words, but was thankful for the gesture.
Alby's stared at Maria, not in a particularly menacing way, but like he was analyzing her. Maria took a step back.
"Can somebody please tell me how I got here" she said with a waiver in her voice, the first sign of weakness she let show. Everything had happened so fast, and she was feeling so many emotions at once. But now was not the time to cry. Not in front of these strangers.
"Tomorrow- on the tour, you'll learn everything in good time." Alby said. "Newt, get the girl some supplies, and find her a place to sleep tonight. We'll have a gathering regarding her tomorrow." Alby finished, suddenly, to Maria's dismay, he grabbed Stink off the ground and handed him to a glader.
"Hey Chuck, go give this dog a bath. He smells like chicken clunk." Stink whimpered in protest, but Chuck carried him away, separating Maria from the only creature she had come to trust so far in the glade. Alby walked away too, he definitely had a lot on his mind right now.
Newt and Maria were now the only two left near the box, everyone else had dispersed to their appropriate places. Maria looked all around her, she saw fields of vegetables, animal pens, dense forest, and a wooden shack that looked rather precariously built. But most of all, she noticed the walls. Towering walls, covered in ivy. All around her for as far as the eye could see. Encasing "the glade" in a perfect box. "How did I get here?" Maria said with tears beginning to well in her eyes. "Why am I here?" A single tear rolled down her cheek. Just great, now she had to turn all emotional all of the sudden. All of the emotions of the day had finally caught up to her, and all Maria wanted to do was curl up into the fetal position and cry her eyes out. She walked up to the nearest tree and propped herself against it, tucking her knees to her chest, Maria realized how pathetic and vulnerable she must have looked, but she found comfort in the position, and sat in silence, thankful that not many guys had stuck around to see her like this.
Newt gave her a moment to collect her thoughts before he walked over to her, this wasn't the first time he had to deal with a sensitive greenie, but she was the first girl. When he first layed eyes on her in the box, something clicked in the back of his mind, like a wave of déjà vu washed over him. Newt dismissed his confusing thoughts to focus on the sniveling girl in front of him.
"Need a hand?" He asked sympathetically. Maria shook her head and rather stood up on her own brushing herself off, she was done crying for the day, and it was time to be serious. She stood defensively in front of Newt.
"Why am I here? Why am I the only girl?" She asked, wiping her face with her sleeve.
"Well if I knew why we were all here things would be a lot simpler, wouldn't it? And as to why the creators sent up a bloody girl… I haven't got a clue. I'm not complaining though." He smirked.
Maria, let her expression soften, the boy's smile was infectious it seemed, because she seemed so much less angry.
"That's not funny." Maria rolled her eyes.
Newt shrugged, "Sorry." He smirked again. "Where are my manors, I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Newt." He gave a mock bow.
"I figured…What kind of name is Newt anyway."
"It's my name." Newt remarked with an overtly proud expression. Maria rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the smile that escaped her lips.
"Good to know you're capable of smiling." Newt grinned. Maria huffed and crossed her arms again.
"I want my hammer back." She muttered.
Newt laughed uncomfortably, "Well I'm not giving you another hammer, but I can get you some supplies." He offered. Maria glanced up, and reluctantly nodded her head.
"Fine" She slumped, and followed Newt to the supply hut.