Time to see what happens next!


I was up before everyone else the next morning. Stretching and getting ready before there was enough light to see by.

I was going to enter that maze, or die trying. No way was George going to get away with treating me like that. Like I'm some sort of possession to be claimed? No thank you.

"What do you think you're doing?" George walked out from the lean-to, looking concerned and shifting uncomfortably under the scathing glare I sent his way.

"I'm going in the maze, shank." I snapped at him. "If you're too scared of me, you stay behind."

George stopped next to me and considered his next words. "Look, about what happened yesterday-"

"Which part of yesterday? The part where you kissed me? Or the part where you 'claimed your ownership' of me?" He frowned. "Or hey! Maybe the part where you accused me of murder! That was a fun part." I turned to face him completely and crossed my arms angrily. "Oh yes, George. What about yesterday?"

George withered guiltily. "I wanted to say sorry." I felt my resentment immediately start to diffuse. I held my breath, trying trap it in and fuel my resolve. "I made some bad decisions yesterday. I... Realize that now." He chanced to look me in the eye, and must of seen something to give him hope, because he relaxed visibly. "And I also realized something about my own feelings. I... Think I like you."

And then we just stared at each other. I knew he was waiting for me to respond but didn't know what to say.

"Okay." Was the only word that came out. Then I turned away from him and went back to stretching.

George waited awkwardly next to me for a long moment, then turned away to get Minho up in time before the maze opened.

I pulled my arm across my chest, stretching it, unsure of how I should've responded to him. How had he made me existing here so complicated? Now I wasn't just one of them. I wasn't even just 'the girl'. I was a possible threat. Curly and Eyebrows could deny it till their faces turned blue but people were worried that George was right. And unless I figured out what had killed dreads, I would always be suspicious. Not only that, but now no one else was allowed to touch me? What was I, diseased? My blood boiled. George was an idiot. Why the hell were Alby and Minho even listening to him? Not the mention everyone else.

"Curly, Minho!" George called out from farther off in the clearing. I looked over to see him peering across the Glade towards the fourth wall. The rising sun creating a halo where the light hit his hair. But for some reason I found it hard to stay mad at him.

I inhaled through my nose, holding the crisp morning air in for a second, steeling my nerves. Then I let it out and walked over to the other three.

They all noticed my arrival but no one commented. George merely glanced at me and continued talking. Minho and Curly gave me half-smiles. It looked like I was back on the crew.

"Our main goal today is to see if we can find the other entrances." George briefed. "If we can get familiar with the closest terrain we can started pushing out further with more confidence." It sounded like a plan Alby would come up with. Seemed like the two of them had reached a mutual understanding of sorts. It was better than fighting... Though it would be better if they didn't rally against me every chance they got.

As soon as the maze opened and we stepped inside it, these bothersome worries fled my mind. The familiar excited chill filled me as I listened to the strange echo of our footfalls.

This had been my first time in the maze after we had found Dreads... I pushed the thought down as soon as it surfaced in my mind.

Our little team of four moved at a fast jog, trying to cover as much ground as we could. I got winded faster than I would have liked, and it looked like the other three weren't fairing much better and it wasn't long into the day before we were taking frequent rests.

From the glances of Minho and George, they still didn't seem to trust me completely. But I seemed to have a newfound invulnerability to George's opinions. He was less suspicious of me now, and seemed more... Scared? It was as if he was more aware of my slightest movement. If I leaned against a wall at an intersection, next thing I know we're taking a rest. If George gives an order and I so much as frown, he suddenly second guesses himself and more often than not changes his plan.

I wasn't sure what exactly had caused this change, but I certainly wasn't complaining.

Curly was much the same as always. Maybe a little more chipper than usual, but he bounced up to his feet quickly after rests and why is usual grin seemed to spread more easily to his face. Even given the present danger we were in, his enthusiasm was contagious.

The day drew on long and arborous. My legs ached and my lungs seemed to be working overtime to get enough air into my body.

I was almost relieved when Minho, who seemed to have a knack for feeling the change in the air, announced to the rest of the group that it was time to head back.

As we jogged quickly back, following Curly's dedicated maze, it was a few minutes before I even began to feel the wind at our backs, urging us forwards towards the glade.

We made it back out through the entrance before the doors even started closing, although the wind had picked up something fierce.

The four of us jogged out into the warm, dimming light of the glade. Seeing the others working hard throughout the glade lifted my spirits even more.

I could make out the tall, lanky form of Eyebrows directing some of the boys as they constructed a smaller shed next to the larger Lean-to.

To the side of us, several boys were hacking at the ground, making rows of dirt. Most of them had discarded their shirts from the exertion. I felt heat rise to my face and I looked away, making eye contact with George, who's brow was lowered in annoyance. I blushed even harder and fixed my gaze straight ahead, not looking at anything in particular.

I felt a twinge of annoyance myself. How was it any right of George to be mad at me for looking at people? What did he expect me to do? Spend the whole day looking at my feet?

I looked over at George again, glaring defiantly. But he was already looking away, calling out to Alby who was running through the list of supplies again with the indian kid who was scribbling down something furiously in a small leather bound book.

Curly nudged me, with a raised eyebrow. "You alright?" He asked the question lightly but concern was written all over his face.

"Yeah." I nodded, giving him a tight smile. "I will be."

George gave Alby a report while the other boys slowly gathered around from the far corners of the glade. They all seemed anxious to hear the news.

And they were equally downtrodden when they heard we hadn't found the exit.

"We want to go to." Zart spoke up from the side, cause George and Alby to look at him challengingly. Zart didn't back down however, nodding to eight or so of the other boys around him, most of the group besides our little team that had been exploring the maze so far.

"If this maze is how we get out, then shouldn't we be sending more people to look for an exit?" A few others nodded in agreement, looking restless but resolute. "With more people searching we could split up more, cover more ground."

"We're all sick of this place." Another kid agreed. And I found myself nodding along with him. We had been here four days already. This had gone on far too long.

Alby and George shared a hesitant glance. Surprisingly, it was Eyebrows who spoke up against them. "Have you shanks lost your minds?" It was amazing how fast that word had spread into our vocabulary. "You want to actually go out there? The thing that killed Dreads is still out there." I was keenly aware of how many eyes glanced towards me as he said that. Guess I was still a prime candidate for suspicion. "If we're going out there than we at least need to arm ourselves." Several boys nodded at Eyebrows suggestion. I cringed at the thought of these boys running around with weapons. How long would it be before those weapons were turned on me?

"Now hold on," Curly interjected, stepping forward from next to me. I looked over the top of his curly blonde hair, making eye contact with Eyebrows. "We haven't run into anything yet that we've seen. And you need to travel light in the maze. If any of you had been in there you'd already know that by now."

"That's true." I spoke up, agreeing with him. "My arms are still sore from jogging all day. I would abandon any weapon in the first hour."

Conversation broke out among the group, a dozen and a half boys arguing and talking over each other, debating the need.

It was George who cut them off, shouting over the rest to quiet down.

"No one is going to stop you from trying to find your way out." He addressed the group, looking into their eyes one by one. "But there's more dangers than one out there. If you really want to go out into the maze then listen up and we'll tell you what we know so far."

And so everyone gathered around as George began telling them all what we knew.

It was going to be a crowded day in the maze tomorrow.


And that's all for what I had written ahead of time. Guess we'll see how quickly I can write the next chapter! Please consider leaving a review if you have the time! Its the best way for me to learn and improve!