A blank memory made it difficult for Green to let his mind wander. He imagined himself as an artist poised before an empty canvas. The stark white abyss stared him down and revealed within him a terrifying void which threatened to turn inside-out and eject him from reality. The unstable chair beneath him felt more substantial than his own beating heart. He hummed an improvised melody to drown out the screaming vacuum.

Green recalled the dark box which had brought him to the Glade and wished to return to it. That crushing blackness had mercifully spared him the harshness of a world so undeniably real that it rebuked him and mocked his faux-existence.

He swept his gaze around his bare prison and felt the walls declare him a fraud. Shame burst into him and he silently apologized for the crime of feigning substance.

He knew that he was going mad.

The dwindling daylight dulled the world and afforded Green a meagre measure of peace for his thrashing mind. He was in the process of composing himself when he heard Nick's voice herald his return. Green stood from the unsteady chair and straightened himself in preparation for the approaching uncertainty.

He had intended to meet Nick's eyes through the bars in a show of defiance but that pale face never appeared. Instead the door swung open without ceremony. The space beyond somehow rushed away and dared him to follow. Green swayed in place and felt himself drawn back to the uncomfortable chair. He strained to resist the compulsion to sit.

The doorway remained silent. Nick and whomever he had been speaking to were out of sight. They must have been waiting for him to emerge. The uncertainty of what to expect somehow settled his nerves. He couldn't remember ever being certain. With a steady pace Green waded into the unknown.

Nick stood to his left when he crossed the threshold and an unfamiliar dark skinned boy was on his other side. Both were tall and strong. Green felt his posture soften and he made an effort to lift his shoulders in a show of strength. He managed only an imperceptible shrug of resignation. The sound of footfalls drew everyone's attention and Nick stepped toward the newcomer as he breached from the shadows.

'Gally,' said Nick. 'Did you bring it?'

'I did,' Gally replied. He produced a pole with a looped rope at one end and held it gingerly. 'Are we doing this, Alby?' He looked intently at Green.

Alby didn't answer. He looked to Nick instead. There was an accusation in his eyes. 'Are we, Nick?'

That same smile that Nick had worn when Green first arrived in his box blossomed effortlessly on his face. 'The greenie said it himself,' said Nick. 'He doesn't want to be one of us. We can't make him one of us against his will.' that smile twisted. 'Isn't that right?'

Green recovered his defiance and met Nick's eyes as he had intended to do earlier. The twist in that smile contorted further. Green felt certain that people don't smile like that.

'Did you explain the maze? The grievers?' Alby stood very still as he spoke. 'A greenie can't make a call like that.'

Gally nodded but appeared to shrink as he did. Nick didn't seem to notice at all.

'The sun is setting,' said Nick. That smile had disappeared and left another face in its wake. Green noticed that everyone spoke to Nick's chest and avoided his face. Even Alby who was as tall as Nick wouldn't meet his eye. Nick continued, 'It's time.'

The commanding boy set off with purpose and swagger. He moved like he spoke: a chilling threat in a casual tone. The others obeyed the implied order and followed, Alby taking Green by the arm. His grip was softer than his strained muscles would suggest. Whatever Alby was wrestling with was less tangible than the prisoner resignedly marching at his side. Gally was off to one side and Green couldn't see him without turning which he hadn't the will for.

As the troop approached the wall Green felt overcome by the scale of it. If there were a ladder to the top he was sure he would grow exhausted and fall to the ground before reaching halfway. He imagined the air to be too thin to sustain him atop the colossal barrier. The doorway was no less breathtaking: A gargantuan fissure splitting the wall from the ground up. Looking to the heavens dizzied him and he dropped his gaze to the base of the doorway. There he discovered another boy emerging from beyond the wall.

Nick stayed his course but Alby and Gally faltered. Alby's rigid muscles twitched. Nick hadn't looked back and didn't notice the others falling behind as he engaged the latest newcomer. They were too far ahead for Green to hear what was being said. Gally had moved closer to Alby and meaning passed between the two.

Upon drawing nearer to the conversing boys Green observed harsh tones and sharp gestures. When they were close enough to hear the exchange it became evident that the two were arguing.

'I'm the leader of the Glade,' said Nick. 'This is my call to make, Minho.'

'Of the Glade, sure,' was the retort. 'The Maze is mine.' He cocked his head to look past Nick. 'Alby! That kid dangerous?' he called.

In Green's peripheral vision Alby shook his head .

'Let him go.' Minho kept his gaze on the trio and didn't look back to Nick. Alby stepped away from Green as the tension flowed out him.

Green was looking fixedly at Nick who had his back to him. A wave of visible fury swept over him like a serpent and coiled threateningly around his shoulders. Without warning he struck Minho in the jaw. His arm was a viper. This man was snakes.

Minho rocked at the punch but didn't step back. He looked stonily into Nick's eyes. After a moment he flatly inquired, 'Feel better?'

Alby and Gally had frozen in place. There was no indication as to whether or not this was normal. Green couldn't comprehend how anyone could live like this.

'If you love the Maze so damn much maybe you should stay there,' Nick hissed. He turned away from Minho in a serpentine motion and smoothly stalked away.

Green felt Alby's hand against his lower back and he was gently ushered forward. The three boys gathered around Minho who was breathing deeply and unevenly. He trembled all over. Whether with fear or fury Green couldn't tell.

'Thank you,' Green said. He found that Minho's tremor was contagious and had infected his own voice. 'Are you alright?' he asked, surprised at the strength of his compassion toward this stranger. A moment's reflection allowed him to recognise that his life may well have been saved only moments ago. This trembling boy was a hero.

With eyes far more steady than the rest of him Minho looked at Green, 'I face worse out there. Try to stay out of trouble for a while.' When Green nodded Minho said, 'Good that,' and turned to Alby. 'I need to go to the map room. Keep the greenie clear of Nick.' He faced away from the group but before he moved he added one last command. 'Whatever that thing is Gally, destroy it.'

Gally gripped the shaft of his contraption resentfully. 'Absolutely.' He grimaced and set off without hesitation in the opposite direction from Minho, leaving Green in Alby's charge.

'We've no more light today,' Alby said with a glace at the darkening sky. 'Your orientation will have to wait until the morning. Newt has the Glade's people-skills. I'll ask him to give you the rundown.' He nodded in affirmation of his own decision. 'I'll show you where you'll be sleeping. C'mon.'

The two turned their backs on the wall and and were halted by a cacophony of colossal clockwork. Massive gears could be heard grinding in the distance. When Green turned back to face the wall he almost yelled out in surprise. Instead he only gasped in astonishment as the fissure serving as the wall's doorway closed itself like a rapidly healing wound. 'What...' Green couldn't think as his awestruck mind tangled itself up in disbelief. 'How is that-?'

Alby shook his head. 'Leave it for now. There's a lot to cover and we're out of time for today. Follow me.'

Green hesitated and then decided to comply. He was desperately tired after this day. The only day in his memory might as well have been his whole life so far. Had he ever known sleep? Even if he were given answers he couldn't possibly hope to grasp their meaning. He could wait until morning.

Alby led him to a set of buildings that looked more like stables. There were hammocks and sleeping mats laid out everywhere. Some were under the flimsy roofs and others in view of the sky which had come alive with starlight.

'If you can be bothered to tie up a hammock then find a spot and feel free,' Alby instructed. 'Otherwise just grab a bedroll and get some shuteye.'

Green opted for a simple mat and blanket and wandered to find an isolated spot away from everyone. He couldn't be sure if those boys were mostly Nicks or Minhos. Distance felt well advised. His fears of being slaughtered in his sleep were proven unfounded when he discovered that he couldn't sleep. However heavily the waves of exhaustion crashed around him he simply didn't feel safe enough to be swept away. His anxiety anchored him in the waking world.

The sound of a delicate, shuffling gait cut through him and he sprang to his feet.

'Just me,' said a soft voice. After a moment he added, 'It's Newt.' Even in the dim illumination of a starry sky that blond hair shimmered like a beacon. 'Can I sleep here? I'm supposed to give you the tour in the morning so it makes sense to stay close.' Newt's accent made him seem somehow apart from the rest of the Glade's occupants.

'Sure,' Green permitted as Newt dumped his blanket to one side and sprawled out on the grass.

'You must be lucky,' said Newt as though he were musing absently. 'Today could've gone very differently.'

'It was Minho,' Green replied. He could feel the tiredness biting at his eyes and allowed his lids to cover them. 'I get the feeling he saved my life.'

Newt yawned and then, 'Good that.'

Silence drifted by and Green found that sleep seemed to have followed Newt and settled upon him. Before he slipped into slumber he heard Newt offer some wisdom. 'If you have any questions Nick isn't the person to ask.'

Green's eyes were closed but he felt that he was somehow seeing Newt more clearly than before. His apparent timidity was only caution to temper courage. Green understood the unspoken advice; There were safe and unsafe people in the Glade. Until Green could determine the two factions he would need to accept the presence of gaps in his knowledge and understanding. That wouldn't be an option for the long-term. He would go mad without answers. For now he could trust Newt and Minho. He would need to figure out who else was safe. That didn't seem so daunting a task. What worried him was the penalty for a misstep. It seemed to him that trusting wrong could very well cost him his life.

With this notion nestled in his thoughts he pitched into a night of fitful half-sleep.