The next morning I woke up to someone shaking me. Startled, I shot up and almost slammed into Newt, who stopped and backed off a bit. He straightened the pack he was wearing and I saw his hands were half hidden by leather gloves, something I could've sworn he didn't have on yesterday.
"Sorry, Greenie." He said sheepishly. "But I've got to show you something. Come on, get up." I scowled at him. Newt grinned.
"Oh, come off it. You'll like this. Probably." He practically dragged me out of bed. Albeit unwillingly, I followed Newt as he led me to the wall enclosing the Glade. I frowned. I was positive that yesterday there was a huge opening, but today there was just a massive wall of stone. As we got closer, I realized we were approaching a window embedded in the wall. We stopped and stood there, watching through the glass. I nudged him and he turned towards me.
What are we- I started to mouth.
"What are we waiting for?" He asked. I nodded. At least Newt could read lips.
"Just watch." He replied. I rolled my eyes, but continued to look through the window.
Suddenly something rounded the corner. I jumped back. Through the glass, I saw what was currently one of the most terrifying things in existence. It looked like a giant slug, but a countless number of metal appendages were stuck through its skin, along with a huge stinger shoved in between the spikes wedged beside what I could've sworn was a chainsaw. Whatever the hell it was, it looked it was made to kill in the most gruesome way possible. I turned to Newt, shocked. Newt had a grave look on his face.
"That, my dear Greenie, is a Griever. That's why, unless you're a Runner, you never leave the Glade. You'll get yourself killed...or something else will do it for you." He finished darkly.
Suddenly the walls started to move, the sound of grinding gears and concrete on concrete was practically deafening. I stumbled back, startled. Newt chuckled and checked his watch.
"Seven on the dot." He grinned. I couldn't do anything but stare at him in shock. Newt stared into the labyrinth of stone as it slowly revealed itself. "Remember this Greenie, the most important rule: don't go into the Maze." I nodded.
Maze.
Abruptly, a handful of boys raced past us. They ran into the maze, seeming to fan out in every possible direction. Confused, I looked to Newt for an answer. Understanding my expression, he launched into an explanation.
"Everyone's got to do their part around here. The Runners run the maze, trying to find a way out. We search every corner and corridor for an exit...it gets tiring after a while." He trailed off when he caught sight of another figure jogging towards the entrance. Ben. Ben saw me and frowned.
"I thought we had tomorrow off." Ben said, confused. Newt shook his head.
"I'm just showing her the walls." He replied. "Are you set?"
"I'm good. Come on, we gotta go." Ben answered. Newt turned to face me.
"I would be the one to show you around, but the Keeper slacking off wouldn't set a very good example now would it?" He grinned.
Keeper? Did that mean he was in charge?
"Find Nick, alright?" Newt told me. "Or Alby. One of them'll be sure and give you the tour. See you for dinner, Greenie." Newt and Ben ran off. I watched them disappear into the Maze. Feeling abandoned, I wandered off in search of Nick.
As promised, Nick was prepared to show me around. He didn't seem to be enjoying himself, but he scared me significantly less than Alby did. We walked around the area of the Glade. I listened as he told me about each section, how everyone needed to do their part. I watched as we walked around, taking it in. Unfortunately, everyone else in the whole damn Glade seemed to be watching me. Uncomfortable, I tried to focus on the tour.
There were four sections of the Glade. The Homestead, where everyone slept and ate and just hung out. The Blood house, where the animals were kept and killed. I wanted to ask how they got the animals, but I remained infuriatingly silent. Thankfully, this was solved when I remembered the squealing crates from the Box. Following that, the Deadheads; the woods where people were buried. I tried to ask Nick how they had died but he ignored me. Or he just can't read lips. Probably both.
The Gardens were by far my favorite. No loud noises, no blood, no dead people. Just harmless vegetables. That, and the boys who worked in the Gardens (Trackhoes, Nick told me) didn't stare at me as much as the rest of them did. Maybe helping things grow just made you more chill. Either that, or they weren't just growing vegetables. Nick marched towards the Maze as I followed closely behind him. We stopped in front of the East Door.
"Listen good, Greenie." Nick started gruffly. "We got three rules here. One, everyone does their part. No slacking off." I nodded. "Two, never harm another Glader. You got a problem with someone you just slim yourself, you hear?" Again, I nodded. "Three, never go into the Maze. Never. Got it?" He finished harshly. I nodded a third time, making sure he knew I was taking him seriously.
"On the first rule, you'll start trying out jobs soon. See what fits you." He studied me. "See what you can handle." I frowned.
"As for now, it's almost lunch. Everyone's busy." Nick stated. "I'm sticking you with Chuck until Newt gets back, go find him."
Who the hell is Chuck? I stopped him as he turned to leave. Nick sighed.
"What?" He asked gruffly.
Who's Chuck? I tried.
"Chuck?" Nick frowned. I nodded. "You'll find him. He's the only one here shorter than you." He smirked. I scowled.
"See you around, Greenie." Nick headed off. I sighed. Abandoned again.