Chapter 23:

The last thing Teresa told Avery had her a bit freaked out. She kept thinking about it in her head. Avery could talk to anyone about it, even Minho because first of all he wouldn't understand and second he a Thomas ran out into the Maze today. She was board now. She had nothing to do, until she felt a tingle. This one was different from the others. This one felt werid. Strange almost. The next thing she noticed was that she was running out of the Glade, into the Maze. She didn't know where she was running to. She was just running. Her feet weren't listening to her. They kept going. She couldn't stop.

It was about an hour later that she finally stopped. She had ran a long time. This time she had control.

"Where am I?" She spoke out loud.

"You are starting the first part of your Trial." A voice spoke to her. Avery jumped back.

"What? Trail? What are you talking about?" Avery yelled.

"You managed to pass the preparation test, now it's time for the real deal. Do you remember this place?" the voice asked her. Avery shook her head.

"No."

"This is where you hid that week you went missing. Go look around the corner." Avery looked ahead. She slowly started walking towards the turn. It took her a few minutes to fully comprehend what she was seeing when she turned the turn. There was markings all over the stone walls. Ivy covered the ground. The dirt was kicked up all over the place.

After examining everything. She realized that the markings was the amount of days she was there. She counted twenty six.

"That's impossible. I was only gone a week."

"We wiped everyone's memories. We made you think that you were only gone for a week. Do you know why there is ivy all over the ground?" Avery looked at it. Then she seen it. A hand was poking out. Avery was scared.

"NO." She yelled and the sky.

"Go on look. Look. LOOK!" They yelled back. Hundreds of voices. Not just the one, hundreds. None of them she recognized. Avery was crying now. Her feet started moving towards the pile of ivy. Then her hands started reaching out.

"No" Her voice broke. "NO. NO. NO!" Then she broke out of then everything felt different. The voices were gone. There wasn't any tingle now. She stopped moving. She looked down the hand was still poking out. She looked around. She turned to go back the way she came. When something grabbed her from behind.

"WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME TO ROT?" John. He was dead. Avery screamed. She struggled against the weight.

"WHY?" He yelled in her ear. "I COULD HAVE LIVED!" John yelled again.

"No." Avery spoke back now struggling for breath. After a few more minutes John still hadn't let her go and her vision was starting to go dark. Then she noticed a puddle of water and only seen herself.

"It's not real. Your not really hear. W.I.C.K.D. Is messing with my head. YOUR NOT REALLY HERE. LET GO OF ME." And just like that he was gone. No more John. Avery then realized she was still crying. She noticed that it was almost sundown. She took off in a run. Faster than she had ever ran.

"Need to make it back in time."

Avery did make it back in time. When she stepped back into the Glade the images of what happened cam back to her. She looked in front of her and saw John again.

"Your dead. How did you follow me?" he moved towards her and grabbed her. She started struggling again.

"No, let me go. Not again." She yelled out, more tears running from her eyes. "Please."

"Avery, It's okay. It's me. Minho." Avery's eyes snapped open. She looked around her and noticed she was staring at Minho. A group of Gladers around them.

"What?" Avery asked quietly.

"Are you alright Avery? What's wrong?" Minho asked concerned.

"Nothing." Avery lied.

"Avery you are a bad liar. What's wrong?" he tried again.

"Something bad." she stated.

"What?" Minho didn't understand.

"My trail just began."