Chapter 2: Names

We stood in silence, Leader's words reverberating through our already mushy brains. A maze? We were put here to solve a puzzle? It didn't make sense.

Unless it's a...

My train of thought was interrupted by a loud boom echoing throughout the area. The three of us shared a brief, panicked look before taking off in a sprint the way we'd come.

We made it to clearing and saw the openings on each wall begin to slide shut slowly. The sound of the concrete walls (were they doors?) scraping against each other made the hairs on the back of my neck stand.

I glanced over to look at Perfect Hair, but he was gone. I saw him a few yards ahead, sprinting straight for the closing doors. My eyes widened, and I swore under my breath, running after him.

Luckily, by the time he got to the door, it had already sealed shut.

I stood beside him, catching my breath. I smacked his arm hard. "What were you thinking?" I asked him, angry. "We don't know what's out there!"

"Exactly!" He threw his hands in the air, letting out a frustrated growl. "What if we're trapped in here now?"

"Hey," Leader called out, jogging towards us. "What was that, man? We don't know if it's safe out there."

Perfect Hair just sighed, running a hand through his hair. Much to my dismay, though, it remained perfectly in place.

Leader cleared his throat. "C'mon, the sun is setting, and I'm pretty sure I saw that one guy setting up a fire."

~~~

We all sit around a small fire, a bowl of some sort of stew in our hands. Turns out we have quite the chef in our group.

We ate in an awkward silence, occasionally glancing at each other before going back to staring at our bowls. The confusion and fear radiating off of everybody was tangible.

"Okay," one boy finally says, clasping his hands in front of him. "What are we gonna do?"

I glance from him to Leader, waiting for his response. He noticed my stare and cleared his throat awkwardly. "I say, for tonight, let's just rest. Get some sleep, and we will make a plan on the morning."

There's murmurs of agreement all around and Leader nods, satisfied.

I look down at my spoon, turning it as I stare at my reflection in the small surface. It's hard to make out many details but I can tell I have auburn hair and green eyes. It's weird– the not knowing of anything about your life previously, and having to discover yourself all over again.

My mind wanders. What was I like before? Did I have any siblings? What about my parents? What was my favorite food? Did I learn to ride a bicycle or was I too scared to try it without training wheels?

My grip on the spoon tightens. How come I can remember what a bicycle is but not my own name?

I feel a hand rest on mine and I jump. It's the blond guy with the funny accent, and he's looking at me, concerned.

"You alright there?" he asks, staring at me with his big doe eyes. I can see the firelight reflected in them.

I take a deep breath, unclenching my jaw and loosening my grip on the spoon. I nod. "Yeah... just, uh, thinking."

He nods, not looking entirely convinced. I glance away from him, feeling uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

"Okay, everyone," Leader says loudly, getting our attention. "Let's go ahead and get settled for the night. There's enough sleeping bags for everyone, so grab one and get a place."

While the boys pick out sleeping bags, I pick up their bowls, stack them, and set them aside. Maybe I can wash them tomorrow, somehow.

Perfect Hair hands me a sleeping bag and I smile, thanking him. I lie down, facing the fire, using my arm as a pillow.

The sky is now dark, but that's it. It's just dark.

I turn so I'm laying on my back. There's not a single star, no moon– nothing.

For some reason, it makes my heart clench. This place isn't normal. I may not remember what life is like outside of this concrete cube, but I do know that there's supposed to be a sun, a moon, stars and clouds. There should be a breeze to cool you down when the sun is shining too bright, and rain so the grass can grow.

I extend my hand, fisting the grass in my hand. At least that feels natural.

"I think I remember something."

I shake my head, turning to see one of the boys across from me grinning. It brings a small smile to my face.

"Well, what was it?" I ask, propping myself up on my elbows.

"My name," he replies. "It's Siggy."

A few others snicker at the odd name, but I just grin. "Nice to meet you, Siggy."

Someone else speaks up, "Hey, I think I remember mine too!"

"Me too! I'm Alex!"

"My name's Clint!"

"I'm Winston!"

Names fly as they remember them and suddenly everyone is laughing. I find myself laughing along with them, happy to be happy, even in our situation.

"What about you?" Minho (Perfect Hair) asks me. "You remember your name?"

I smile sadly, shaking my head. "Nah, but I'm sure it'll come back eventually."

The atmosphere grows somber after that, and I feel bad. "Um, hey. How about we all do something tomorrow? Like write our names on something?"

Leader, who remembered his name is Nick, grins at the idea. "Yeah, that sounds fun. On what, though?"

"How about one of these bloody walls?" suggests the guy with the funny accent. He doesn't know his name yet, either.

"Sounds good to me," agrees Nick. "All right, guys, let's all settle down. We'll get to work in the morning."

After saying a quiet goodnight, I turn in my sleeping bag, my back to the fire. An uncomfortable weight settles in my chest.

Memories.

They're a funny thing. Something you probably never think of losing until they're gone. I mean, everyone forgets over time. You forget the name of your first teacher in elementary school. You forget how exciting your first trip to the zoo was. What your first bicycle looked like, the first joke you told, your grandparent's birthdays.

But rarely do people forget who they are. No memory of your name, your hair color, your likes and dislikes. Not a trace of who you were before.

It's almost like you didn't even exist at all.

I clench my eyes shut. No.

You had to exist, I tell myself. You have to be important, at least to some extent, to be put here.

The exhaustion of today, both mental and physical, hit me at once, and I find myself drifting off. I clutch my hands close to my chest, almost as if I were used to holding a teddy bear there. The thought makes me smile as I drift farther into unconsciousness.

AN: hi!! First, I owe y'all a huge apology for taking so long to post this. I haven't had a single ounce of motivation to write, but that's not much of an excuse.

ANYWAY I just wanted to say thank you to the several of you who followed and favorited, and especially the reviews! Those really just inspired me to write more, if not for me than to get this story out to the public (because i have huge plans for it!)

Please let me know if you liked it!

I will try to get the next chapter written and uploaded as soon as I can!

Much love,

~Mary