Those Who Run the Maze

"She's… different than the rest."

"There's hope in her eyes."

"Unlike the rest of them, she's not lost."

"She's…"

"You're…"

"I'm…"

"I'm sorry."

Grumble!

The girl woke up with a start: she sat up straight in bed, sweat lining her body, and tried her best to calm her breathing. Somehow, the girl knew that voice. As she stared down at her legs covered in a blanket, the girl knew that woman's voice - she even remembered hearing it yesterday. That voice made the girl feel soothed yet scared. Safe yet skittish. Short yet seen. In someplace, somewhere, the girl had heard that voice before. Even before yester…

However, right when she thought of yesterday for the second time, something clicked within her mind. The girl thought hard. Really hard. She sat there in an unfamiliar bed, being baffled by everything she saw: a wooden hut, an uncomfy bed, bottles of stuff everywhere, and even… a black dog sitting to her right. He just sat there, his tongue hanging from his mouth, staring into the girl's eyes.

"Y-Your name," the girl's eyes slowly widened, "is Hugo."

Grumble! But then she heard it again. That grumble. A grumble so powerful that it made the ground shake, the air feel tense, and caused a sea of memories to flood through the girl. At that moment, the girl remembered. As the morning sun peeked through the wooden hut, the girl remembered where she was and what had happened to her. That dream wasn't the thing she should have been worrying about just then. It really wasn't.

Therefore, the girl jumped out of bed without a second thought. She tied on her black Converse and ran out into the new world, her striped shirt and black cargo pants from yesterday still on her person. However, the moment the girl stepped out of the infirmary, she stopped in her tracks. Hugo walked up and stood beside her, complete calmness in his eyes. With her eyes wide in awe, the girl had found where the grumbling had come from.

There was now an opening in the wall.

From far away, it almost looked small.

But the girl could tell… that it held a distinct power over this place.

"C'mon, Hugo," the girl told her loyal friend. "Let's go check it out."

"Woof!"

In the next second, the two were off. Side-by-side they ran through the green fields and toward the opening, but only one of them felt a strong sense of curiosity in their veins. The closer they got to the opening, the more the girl felt drawn to it; and the more she felt drawn to it, the faster her legs carried her. Faster and faster she ran until… she reached her destination.

"Hey, guys…" Gally said after noticing the girl and the dog running towards them. "The packaged deal is coming in hot."

"Gally, what do you…" Alby muttered, his eyes going wide once he saw the two as well. He, Gally, Newt, Minho, and the other Runners were standing in front of the maze's entrance. Hence, upon hearing Alby's words, they all turned toward the two. "What is she doing…?"

Minho snorted. "She looks insane."

"She looks bloody determined," Newt commented with a confused smile on his face. Then, after the girl got closer, he yelled out to her. "Hey, Greenie! What're you-!"

"Is that it?!" the girl yelled back, cutting off Newt's question. She reached the group, Hugo still at her side, and caught her breath as she pointed to the opening. "I-Is… Is that… the maze?"

"A small part of it, yeah," Alby replied and then nodded his chin at her. "What're you doing here, though?"

"I… I heard it open…" the girl breathed. "D-Does it, like, close at night and open back up in the morning?"

"Someone's curious," a boy that the girl hadn't met yet spoke up. He had short blond hair, pale skin, and an x-shaped leather strap around his chest; it looked like the one Minho had on. "Most people who see this bastard for the first time are terrified of it, but…"

"But you got a closer look," another unfamiliar boy added. This one had long blond hair and a chiseled face. "Strange."

"You don't even know her, dude," the third unfamiliar one said. He had short brown hair and looked the girl up and down. "Don't judge her just on that."

"Greenie, these are the Runners," Alby started explaining. "That's Ben," he pointed to the blond, "that's Dan," he pointed to the long-haired blond, "and the last one is Hank. The Keeper of the Runners of Minho, who you already know. They run the maze, memorize it, and help us to find a way out."

"W-Wow…" The girl blinked in surprise as she stared between the four. "Do you do this every day?"

"Most days, yeah," Minho remarked before motioning to the three other runners. "Guys, c'mon. We're losing time. Let's go."

When Minho turned away, the three other boys did too. However, unlike Minho, they each gave a wave to the party standing around them.

"C'ya guys later!" Ben shouted.

"We'll be back!" Dan waved.

"I'll talk to you a little more later, 'kay?" Hank said to the girl, showing her a little wink. In response, the girl smiled back with a chuckle.

"Heh, okay."

"Tch," Newt clicked his tongue, "never took that one for a flirt."

The four boys were then off, and the girl watched them run into the maze until they were out of her sight. From where she stood, the maze looked dark and old: stone walls grew high out of the ground, green vines grew from the tops of the stone, and there was an aura and look of darkness that surrounded those halls of stone. A curiosity bubbled up inside the girl as she stared into the mysterious maze, wondering what the purpose of this thing was. Furthermore, the more she stared into its darkness, the more the girl felt like… it was alive.

This maze of stone felt alive almost. Like it was watching. Waiting. Wanting. Waiting for its next victim, wanting them to go in. And the breeze that the girl felt on her face, causing her ponytail to wisp backwards, made her feel like the maze was breathing.

"Who… would do such a thing?" the girl eventually mumbled out. Though, however quiet her voice was, the three boys around her heard the question and turned toward her once more. "Why is this happening?"

"Wish I knew," Alby said with a sigh. "More than anything I wish that."

"Sadistic bastards they are," Newt added venomously, making Gally nod in agreement.

"Couldn't have said it better than myself."

"But still, Greenie, don't you ever go in there." But when Alby said this, the girl snapped her head toward him in spite of the seriousness in his tone. "I know you're curious - it's obvious by the way you ran over here. Still, you can't go in there. It's more dangerous than anything else."

The girl tilted her head. "But… isn't it just a maze? C-Can a maze kill you here?"

"It's not the maze, Greenie," Gally acknowledged. "It's what's inside of the maze that you should be scared of."

"A-And," the girl stuttered in fear, "what is inside of the maze?"

Alby, Newt, and Gally each shared a glance. The meaningful look made the girl gulp in alarm, and she even felt a shiver go up her spine. Regardless, after the three boys looked back at the girl, their expressions were a little bit lighter. Especially Alby's, who placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about that now. Let's just get you some breakfast, alright?"

"'B-Breakfast'?" the girl asked. "You have that?"

"What do you mean 'you have that'?" Newt snickered while giving her a charming smile. "We're not scavengers, Greenie."

Almost instantly did the girl shake her head. "O-Oh, I didn't mean it like that! I never thought you were! I-I just thought that-!"

"You freak out at the weirdest things," Gally deadpanned. "You are seriously weird."

"Anyway, let's get going," Alby said, walking past the girl. "You have a big day today, Greenie."

So, with that, the four teenagers (plus dog) turned away from the maze and walked away from it. But, behind them, the girl could have swore she heard it grumble in annoyance.

"Ayyye! Look who's awake!" Frypan greeted the girl after she had made it to the front of the food line. In front of him were pots and pans filled with the Glade's breakfast, and the friendly smile on Frypan's face could light up an entire room. "Sleep well, Greenie?"

"Surprisingly, yes," the girl answered as she smiled back. "And judging by the spoon in your hand, you're the cook around here?"

"The best around!" Frypan said proudly, but then his smile vanished and was replaced with an irritated frown. "Though, no one 'round here seems to appreciate it… All they do is complain…"

"Oh… But by the amount you've put out, you obviously work so hard on it," the girl sympathized, causing Frypan's smile to immediately return.

"Oh my god, thank you for noticing! Y'know, you're quickly becoming my favorite, Greenie… Here, I'll even give ya an extra piece of bacon."

"O-Oh, you don't have-"

"Nah, it's on the house," Frypan interrupted the girl's polite behavior. He made her plate filled with scrambled eggs, a piece of toast, and a couple pieces of bacon before handing it out to her. "Enjoy, Greenie."

"Th-Thank you," the girl said while taking the plate. However, before she left, the girl gave Frypan a quizzical look. "Excuse me, but… What should I call you? Alby said that you were named Siggy, but that you also go by Frypan?"

Upon hearing her even more polite question, Frypan gave the girl a toothy smile. "Just call me Frypan, okay?"

"G-Got it," the girl said with a nod. "Thanks again, Frypan."

The girl then turned around and walked away to find a place to sit. She didn't get very far, though, before someone suddenly popped up at her side. "Hey!"

"Oh…!" the girl yelped in surprise, whipping her head over at the cheerful voice. "Oh, h-hey, Chuck. What's up?"

"You wanna come sit with me?" he asked innocently, a plate of his own in hand. "Barely anyone ever does, and I'd like to… get-to-know you a little better… A-Although, you probably don't really know yourself that-"

"I'd love to sit with you, Chuck," the girl interjected, making Chuck's eyes widen in response. He looked up at her and saw a kind smile beaming down at him. "And, well, because I can't remember much, maybe I can get-to-know you a little better instead?"

"You…" Chuck blinked. "You'd want that?"

"Of course!" the girl chirped. "And… When I do start to know things about myself, you can be the first to know."

Chuck started up at her smile and felt his heart soar. Her voice was soft and understanding. Her smile was compassionate and angelic. Chuck had never heard or seen anything like it. The boy wondered if she was what all girls were like; if they were all nice like this one. Either way, Chuck was drawn by that face of hers. He wanted… to see it more.

"Yeah," Chuck finally spoke up, "I'd like that."

As Chuck and the girl sat, ate, and talked together, two people watched them from afar with smiles on their faces. The camp leader himself, Alby, and the second-in-command, Newt, felt relieved that the two had so quickly hit it off. Chuck had a hard time fitting in, while the girl was still so new to everything. The youngest boy in camp and the only girl in camp: an unlikely pair or a match made in Heaven. Either or, the two of them smiling together was a lovable sight. Seeing the two share food with Hugo was adorable, too.

"They're hitting it off well," Newt ultimilty spoke the obvious, causing Alby to let out a snicker.

"She's 'hitting it off well' with everyone."

"Half of it's the fact that she's a girl, though."

"Maybe…" Alby murmured as his eyes stared intently at the girl. "But… there's something else about her, Newt. Something I can't put my finger on."

Newt turned to his friend quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I know we've said this already, but she's different. Not only because she's a girl, either," Alby claimed and then turned his head to lock eyes with Newt. "Which is why I want you to look after her, Newt."

"Say wha?" Newt's eyes instantly went wide in confusion. "Alby, what does that-"

"She's a curious and charismatic girl, Newt," Alby said, smiling in spite of Newt's twisted expression. "She needs someone to look after her and protect her, and who better to do that than the boy she fell into the arms of?"

"Okay, that was an accident," Newt protested. "And, besides, she has tons of people already looking after her. No one here's gonna hurt her, and we won't let her go into that maze."

"That's not what I mean, Newt," Alby argued right back. "Look, there's just something about her. Something really different. After only one day, I can without doubt say that that girl," Alby pointed at her, "will surprise us even more than she already has… I just… I don't…"

Newt sighed after hearing Alby trail off. "She really troubles you, huh?"

"She confuses me," Alby remarked. "I just don't want her getting into trouble, okay? Please, Newt. You know I wouldn't be asking this if I didn't mean it."

"I know… I know, man," Newt said with a small smile. "And, I guess that… To make you feel better, I guess that I'll make it my duty to look after the damsel in distress."

"Haha," Alby laughed. "Maybe Hank's not the only flirt after all."

"That was not'flirting' and you know it!" Newt bickered while his smile grew bigger. He glanced back over at Chuck and the girl, but this time, his deep brown eyes were only on her. "I'm just… as confused as you are."

"Yeah," Alby smiled as he watched his friend, "I can see."

Hence, with the sun shining down on the camp, the girl and Hugo started her first day in the Glade. They were off to a great start.