As the weeks and months passed, more greenies arrived and the infrastructure of both their architectural ambitions and their society came to solidify. They were creating social positions in order to grant more stability. It made them feel safer. Jeff came, immediately bonding with Clint, becoming a Med-Jack out of sheer desire to spend time with Clint, and Laverne, who'd run nearly the whole way to the Maze before Minho caught up with her and convinced her to calm down and listen to them. She'd had the clear talent and athleticism, but because the rule was "no Green Runners", Saph adopted her.
It was immediately clear that despite Saph's flirtation with Hedy, the girl was immediately interested in Laverne, who was indeed beautiful. Tall and thin, with long legs and a smooth, dark complexion. Saph's jaw dropped when she saw the girl bolt like a thin-legged deer.
"I love her," she said to Minho, who was also staring in frank appreciation. "Go get her for me."
Obeying, Minho chased the terrified girl, coaxing her back, Hedy meeting them halfway. Mostly to make sure Minho didn't scare her worse. From then on, Laverne fit almost seamlessly in, more smoothly than anyone before her, seeming to contain a natural, genuine energy and charisma. She flirted back with Saph, pestered Minho fearlessly, and hit it off with Zora.
After that, the months seemed to fly by. Next was Gally, who was so belligerently afraid that his first action in his new life was to deck Hedy, smack in the nose, leaving her dripping blood for twenty minutes, breaking it. Every time Newt looked at her now crooked nose, he steamed with irritation. While the Greenie couldn't be blamed for his reaction, it was just another reason to dislike Gally, who was nothing short of a bully who lacked power. Give him a few months, Newt prophesied darkly as Jeff bandaged up Hedy's nose. A right slinthead will be beating on littler ones in no time.
Minho still ran. Hedy still joined him. So did Laverne, eventually. And more came. There was Tim, Meg, Clint, Zora, Jeff, Laverne, Gally, Rosie, Ben, Gloria, Winston, Maya, and Stan. Stan's arrival was the most eventful.
It had been over a year since they'd been in the Meadow. They all felt very set in their ways, in their rules. A routine had been developed. For the newest Newbies, there was so mystery in the way society functioned, only in the before. The present was taken care of. They had a "what" now, even if they had not yet figured out a "why".
As it always did, the Box finished its ascent, the noise done and the ride finished. It was like the first day. She thought this same thought every time – she and Newt pulling the other newbies out. It felt right, to be standing next to him. "Unlucky number thirteen," Newt murmured darkly, and she agreed. This time was ominous. She eyed Nick, standing stiffly, as he always did, his posture perfect.
She heard panicked yelling, and Newt sighed, but they were both a little excited. Someone new – at first, they'd be a pain, but then they'd adjust and become a shiny new person. It was like welcoming a baby into the world. He helped her open the doors, letting light shine in on what looked like a skinny sixteen year old boy, swearing and scowling and shouting.
Hedy stepped inside the dim elevator. "Hello?" she smiled cautiously. "Don't be scared."
"Get the hell away from me! Who are you?" The boy's eyes were wild and he cowed back. She nodded at Newt to stay on the step, and the tall boy froze, waiting for her command as she inched closer.
"My name is Hedy," she said it as soothingly as possible. "This giant behind me is Newt."
"Hey there." Newt gave him a cautious smile, but the boy looked half transformed with terror, taking in Newt's sheer size.
"Get away!" he sobbed, his face contorting in his terror. Her heart dropped, and she cautiously took a step forward. She didn't want another repeat of the time Gally the Greenbean had decked her. The very thought made her head throb. Irritation, or phantom pain, or both. Her eye had been blackened and Jeff said it had broken her nose.
"It's okay," she said soothingly. "Don't you want to come outside? Into the sunshine? We have friends out there who want to meet you. Right, Newt?"
"All of them but a slinthead named Minho." Newt joked. From behind him, she heard Minho's call of 'Slim it', but she ignored it.
"Do you want to say hello?" She took a slow step forward.
"No!" he went from wailing to furious in an instant. "I said get away!"
"Get Nick," she told Newt.
The Leader's face appeared. "He doing okay?"
"That's Nick," she pointed at him, though the light blocked out his face. "He's our friend. He's the leader here. Wanna come and say hi?"
Unfreezing, the boy lunged at her, eyes blank. She flinched, waiting for another punch, but instead she felt arms wrap around her, tightly enough to choke her, feeling fingernails dig into her neck and shoulder and her nose rammed into his bony shoulder . "Can we go together?"
Hedy felt extremely uncomfortable. She had no basis for comparison – she hadn't been held like this before – but for the first time, standing next to one of the boys made her stomach knot and her palms sweat with anxiety. His chin bumped into her forehead and he clutched her, trembling. He was sweaty, and far, far too close. This was a claustrophobia she felt only within the Maze. It was not pleasant.
"Oi, that's enough." Nick said carefully, trying to temper his order. "Let's step on out of this dank hole. Smells like sweaty feet."
And klunk, Hedy realized, face burning. The kid had actually klunked his pants. She didn't really blame him, but he gripped her tighter, too tight, his body sweaty and shaky and she wished he would calm down, selfishly.
"Come on now, let me help you out. Do you remember your name?" Newt asked calmly.
"It's… Stan." The boy's eyes darted around. "I… I need new pants." He reddened, and Newt and Nick nodded slowly.
"That's all right, Stannie. We keep a spare just in case. Happened before. If you let go of Hedy, here, you can change."
Slowly, the grip on her released and she moved away, trying to keep herself from racing out, touching Nick's arm, trying to convey her gratitude. She knew how badly he hated dealing with the Greenies. Newt hoisted her up before climbing out himself. "You okay?" he asked quietly, looking her up and down. "For a moment there I thought he was gonna choke you."
Shaking her head and clearing all thoughts of the clingy greenie, she looked up at him, taking in his solemn expression. "Me too," she murmured. "Better that then what's happening next."
Newt nodded. "I know." He said it softly, one hand firmly on her shoulder. His hand was heavy and warm, erasing the sensation of the boy's gripping.
"Maybe it'll work," she answered, looking away. Neither of them believed it.
Stan climbed out of the box in a new pair of pants, the other pair wrapped in his pants. Saph took the old pair and took them to the stream quickly. Nobody commented. They all remembered their own terror. It was an unspoken rule that whatever happened those first few minutes could not be held against anyone.
The rope Nick had spent weeks making was ready, but Hedy was not. Minho helped Nick tie himself in. Saph's hand was on Hedy's back as she knelt, fisting the fabric of her shirt. The two girls stared at Nick. He met their eyes, but Hedy saw nothing. No fear, no confidence, no emotion at all. He was frustrating like that.
"Nick, I told you, I think this is a stupid idea." Saph whispered it to him, and he barely looked at her.
"You did tell me. A hundred times. We're gonna do it anyway. I'm the Leader, remember?"
"You're gonna scare the shuck outta Greenie if you fall. Nick, that thing goes down forever." Saph's eyes were begging, but he was resolute, sure of his idea.
"Good that," Nick said, looking up at Hedy. "Nothing like a little scare to let them know how serious this is. Lower me down!" He called. Newt did so, with Gally and Minho holding on behind him. Hedy watched, biting her lip. She never really thought he would finish making it, or go through with it.
"It won't be long enough!" she called, feeling her brows knit together.
Even watching him move reminded her of the claustrophobia she'd felt in the Box. Was he afraid? Was he suicidal? Was he so sure of himself that he was willing to risk his pride and his life to prove a point? Was he jacked?
"Nick!" Hedy called, when he'd only descended five feet. He looked up at her, the rope tied around his waist and both his legs, keeping him steady and balanced. "Remember, the slightest hesitation, and we'll pull you up again."
"Slim it," he said, his voice echoing oddly. Down he went, slowly and surely, no hesitation. Once, they'd dropped a rock. It seemed never-ending. How far did he expect to get?
There was a strange whoosh, and Hedy scrambled up, eyes huge. "Pull him up!" Saph screamed, her voice enough to shatter the walls. "Pull him up, pull him up now!"
They began to haul, as quickly as they could, and Minho thought to himself that Nick was lighter, worrying that maybe he'd fallen, but unable to see past Newt's taller frame.
Hedy and Saph hauled him up, but they didn't really. Because Nick wasn't there anymore.
Just the lower half of his torso and a fountain of blood. Their hands were covered in it, and Saph was shrieking. The Sloppers moved immediately, not even fazed anymore, moving with automatic instinct, and Saph was standing up and crying, the blood on her hands so dark it was almost black. Grabbing Hedy and pulling her up, he looked at her, holding her chin up so she met his eyes. There weren't any tears, just an expression of blank hopelessness. "I saw it, Min. He didn't even know it was happening. I saw it happening and he didn't even feel it"
The newbie was standing there – Stan, Minho thought. Utter shock was printed across his face. Worse than terror. He was traumatized. "I'm sorry." Hedy choked to him. "Go to the Homestead, you can find something to eat. I'll set you up a bed in just a moment. Zora, go take Stan to the Homestead, get him some food."
It was amazing, he decided. She'd immediately taken upon the mantle of Leader. It was like an instantaneous weight had been placed on her. Suddenly, she seemed much smaller. He held her to his chest, trying to will the image of Nick's mutilated body from his mind. First it had been Alice. Now it was Nick.
He dug his nose into her scalp. She didn't smell good. None of them did. She smelled like the terrible caustic soap they made themselves and like sweat and blood and greasy hair and hard work. But it was a familiar smell, all of it, from the sweat to the blood, and he comforted himself. At least it wasn't her.
It felt dark to be so relieved that it was Nick who died. Nick who was always steady, who was always sure of himself, who always guided them, kept them in check, who set up the original rules. He'd always respected Nick, but it was difficult to say they'd been friends. Besides Saph and Newt, who everyone - except Gally - liked and respected, Nick had been closed off. Perhaps Hedy had been closer to him than he knew, but she did not cry. Even when Alice had died, she hadn't cried. At least not in public.
Stan stood there though, watching the Sloppers quickly finish their work, Rosie handling Nick's body with a detached ease that Minho wondered if he could pull off. Hedy stayed where she was, hugging him, and Stan did not obey Zora.
"I'm sorry..." He said it a little distantly, and Minho decided that there was no way a Greenbean could get through watching a boy get cut in half the first half-hour of their living shucking memory. Kid would be jacked. Already was.
"Just skedaddle." Minho said seriously. "I'll make sure you get settled in myself."
"I need to call a Gathering tonight." Hedy's voice was muffled in his shirt, but he understood. Newt had taken Saph to clean herself up in the stream, and Clint was with her.
"First thing's first, let's get you some water."
Minho counted himself lucky. He hadn't seen Nick die. Even if they hadn't been friends, they'd been together for a year. They were Firsts, together. The thought of Saph watching Nick die hit him hard in the chest, and he gripped Hedy a little harder. Of all of them, Saph was the softest. Nick hadn't ever Run, either, but he'd led them for a year, made tough decisions. Being a First, Saph was afforded the respect she deserved – being a Keeper was just a title. She was one of the kindest, gentlest people there. She was not a girl who needed to see death. Even gutting the animals was too much for her, though she dealt with it, just like the rest of them.
Hedy understood his thoughts. She sniffed into his shirt a few times before letting go, her face puffy but dry. Hedy had stared death in the face, more than once. Hedy had seen Alice die, had carried Newt home. Now Nick was gone too. Minho wondered how she was able to be the bearer of all these events. He'd only seen Alice's mangled body, Newt's unconscious form bent over her back, watched the walls close around a girl he hadn't even known – and still, he remembered these things. Perhaps they'd been wrong to make
There were no more traces of Nick but the blood on the grass and the supplies they'd just unloaded. As if adding to the mood, the walls began to close, sending Stan into a fit all over again.
"Come on, oh Glorious Leader. Let's get Greenie settled and then have this Gathering.
Putting Stan in Laverne and Zora's capable hands was a relief. Entering the meeting room, Hedy quickly counted heads. All there. Except Nick. Rosie had gotten a bath, she noted with regret.
"I called you here today, as Nick's second in command, to discuss our newest issue—" she began.
"What issue? You're Leader now, Hedy." Minho called out, cutting the meeting short.
Saph, who had been crying again, agreed. "You were acting Leader when he was sick a few weeks ago. Now you're Leader-Leader."
She blinked. "I thought we'd vote on it—"
"Well then," Newt nodded. "Hands up if you think Hedy's Leader by default."
Every hand, including Gally's, raised.
It was a promotion of sorts. It felt like a death sentence.
x
It felt even more like a death sentence, when two weeks later, Gloria snuck into the Maze. Gally, who was dubiously being trained to be a Runner, saw, and chased after her, and got stung in the process. With this, Gloria had broken two rules. She'd hurt someone, hurt property, and she'd endangered herself as well as Gally and potentially the others. What had saved Gally was Laverne, stumbling upon them. Hedy did not know Gloria, only the newborn, frightened fourteen year old who'd cowered in the elevator and refused to get out, like an angry cat, for almost an hour. That was Hedy's only memory of the girl she Banished.
Gloria had long blonde hair, and cried hysterically as the Walls closed between her and the Meadow. At the Gathering, when questioned, Gloria simply said she was tired of being lied to. This meant Banishment. They counted Gally as good as dead.
He nearly did die, and the big dumb bully changed after the strange fever. He nearly died, and when he recovered, he was more distant. Colder. Less of a bully, more of a soldier. He worked on rebuilding the kitchen wall that Gloria had broken when she shoved Saph into it. Saph had needed stitches. That was taken into account at the Gathering. Saph was the only one who opposed Banishment.
Hedy had waited until everyone slept to cry in the Deadheads. Newt sat with her, comforting her.
"It's absurd," she said. "A year ago, this was frightening, but it had a mystical quality to it. Now, this is real. We're killing her."
"She's not allowed back," Newt corrected. "Perhaps she found a new Meadow. Or home. Wherever that is."
It was a weak lie, even for him. They stayed up all night, and a few hours before dawn, they heard the screaming. Not the Grievers usual screaming, but that of a frightened little girl. One that they had sentenced to die.
x
Thomas stared at Teresa. "These guys are wild," he said. "They just killed a girl! I saw her die!"
"It's like Lord of the Flies," Teresa shivered. "And we are gonna go there… to be with them. They've become barbarians."
"I'd protect you," shrimpy Thomas smiled. "Besides, we won't have to go in there for a way long time. It will be over before we even realize what's happening."
Smiling at him, Teresa nodded. "You're right. Good and bad are inherent, I guess. This kind of simulation really brings it out, I guess."
Ava Paige stepped into the control room, looking at her protégé. "Remember… to them, this is not a simulation. This is their reality. We must respect that."
The two teenagers nodded respectfully, turning back to their computers, continuing to analyze and observe the terrifying land these children had been trapped in with the sort of fascinated lack of empathy a predator regarded prey with.