WICKED IS GOOD: Chapter one (Running)
When Newt first saw her, he thought he was hallucinating.
She was sprinting alongside the ivy covered stone walls, same as he was before he stumbled to a surprised halt. Her long tanned legs stretched out before her, keeping up her brisk pace. She was smaller than any of the Gladers and looked tiny compared to the towering walls of the maze. Her curly golden hair was pulled into a pony tail, but a few loose curled strands stuck to her forehead with sweat.
Newt wasn't sure if it was just because he can't remember ever seeing another girl, or if she really was the most beautiful girl he's ever seen.
He tried his voice, and was surprised when it came out evenly. "Hey!" He shouted as he stepped forward from behind the wall he had stopped behind just in time to catch her as she stumbled over her own feet in shock and promptly plowed into him, knocking them both to the ground hard in the most awkward of positions.
He nearly forgot to breathe as she opened her startlingly green eyes an inch from his face. "Bloody hell" she whispered with a British accent as she froze, staring back at him in shock. A battle between green and brown eyes commenced until the girl finally caught her breath and shoved herself off of him before scrambling into a sitting position beside him.
The two of them just sit there, eyes wide and breathing uneven as they stare at each other in shock. "You have the same accent as me" Newt says breathlessly after a few seconds, already mentally cursing himself for such a stupid response.
She almost laughed, even if it was a half shocked choking kind of laugh. "That's what you come up with?" She demands incredulously with a hint of a smile. "First boy I've seen in ages and that's what you say. Bloody brilliant. Yes, I have the same accent as you, so that mean I won't be swooning at the sound of your voice. I apologize" she laughs.
The sound of the girl laughing causes the corners of Newt's mouth to curl upwards. "Who are you? What's your name? How are you even here?" He asks sitting up.
"I'm Elizabeth. A new chamber opened in the maze and I found myself here. I've been running for hours" she explains breathlessly. "What about you? Where'd you come from?" She demands.
"I'm Newt, it'll be easier if I just show you. It isn't far from here, c'mon" he says rising to his feet and holding out a hand to help her up.
She nods as she accepts his hand and he pulls her up. She smirks at him. "Okay, try to keep up" she says before winking and taking off ahead of him.
He races after her, calling out directions at each turn. Finally they come close to the entrance and he tells her to stop. "Hey," he huffs as he catches up with her.
"Angry I beat you?" She questions, narrowing her eyes at him playfully.
He rolls his eyes. "I let you win" he specifies. "But no, you should wait here while I get Alby. You're the first girl any of these guys have seen, maybe ever" he says.
She stiffens a little but her look changes into a half smirk. "Are you implying I can't take care of myself?" She asks raising her eyebrows challengingly.
"I'm implying that you'd probably end up beating the klunk out of some of then" he corrects.
She smirks. "Right you are. I'm gonna wait until later to ask you what the hell 'klunk' is, so just hurry" she says waving him off.
She waits around the corner from the doors as the blonde British boy runs off. She can barely stop herself from peering around the wall. She waits until Newt and a shorter, dark skinned seventeen year old looking guy appears. He smirks when he sees her and holds out a hand for her to shake. "I'm Alby" he says in a deep voice.
She looks up at him and smiles hesitantly, taking his hand in hers. She vaguely aware that Alby shakes her hand once before letting it drop, along with the rest of her body to the cold ground of the Maze.
"Ably, this is your new little sister, Elizabeth" an older woman that looks a lot like Alby says kindly as she prods a four year old Elizabeth towards a five year old Alby.
"Hi, Elizabeth" little Alby says in his bright voice, grinning as he shakes her hand 'like grown ups do'.
The little blonde girl smiles through an embarrassed blush. "Hi, Alby" she replies.
She bolts up wrapped in unfamiliar sheets surrounded by unfamiliar faces. Elizabeth can't remember anything since running in the maze, and now she's been unconscious for who knows how long just to wake up surrounded by strangers that are all boys, no less.
They all start talking at once; some trying to calm her down while others demand answers. On the verge of a panic attack (something Elizabeth has always hated happening to her), she leaps off the bed and backs into a corner, eyes wide. With no other option, her eyes land on a dagger that may double as a medical scalpel on the 'doctors' table beside her.
"Get the hell away from me" she warns holding out the knife to make them back away. She wards away the crowd of boys until she's doing something she knows better than anything else: running.
She's shocked at how alike this place is to the Yard. She finds a structure that is a series of platforms and ladders that lead twenty feet into the air. She's aware that there is at least eight guys after her now.
Taking the steps two by two, she is at the top of the structure by the time the boys gather at the bottom of it.
When Newt shows up, supplies are being thrown at the Gladers of the top of the lookout. Chuck, who had informed him that she was awake,
turned to him with a massive grin. "Girls are awesome" he muses.
"Hey!" He shouts up and the barrage of supplies come to a stop for just a moment. "Elizabeth, It's Newt!" There's no answer, but there's also no projectiles launched at him.
All the Gladers eyes turn to watch him as he starts for the first ladder. "I'm coming up now, alright?" He shouts. There's no answer, but then again there's also not things thrown at him so he takes it as an okay.
When he finally gets to the top, he sees her sitting in the farthest corner. Her eyes soften slightly when she sees him, but she remains rigid.
She turns the weapon in her hands towards him warningly. "Whoa" he says leaning away from the machete clutched in her hands. He holds up his hands in surrender as he cautiously watches the feral looking girl.
"What is all this?" She demands, her voice rough. "How'd I get here?"
"You found me in the maze, remember?" He asks her and something in her eyes clears at the sound of his voice. "And I brought you back here and had you wait outside he doors as I got Alby. You shook his hand and then you-"
She nods."I remember now" she cuts him off as and taps the knife against the floor.
"I'll just, I'll take that" he says cautiously as he gently pulls the machete from her grip and sets it beside him.
The corner of Elizabeth's mouth turns up, but other than that she doesn't show any emotion. "I came from this place, but not here. It's identical to this place. We call it the Yard. We have about as many people as you, but only girls. Our memories are wiped before we got there and new ones arrive once a month with supplies from the portal. The Yard's surrounded by the maze with those creatures in it."
"It's the same with us. The whole situation seems to be the exact same except, ya know, you're girls" Newt shrugs awkwardly.
She smirks sarcastically. "Last time I checked" she confirms. She pulls forward the neck of her shirt and glances down. She smirks triumphantly. "Yep, still female."
Newt laughs to mask his embarrassed flush. She's about to speak again when she sees the sun dip below the maze walls. She bolts into a standing position and checks the watch on her hand that was identical to the ones the runners in the Glade also had.
"Bloody hell" she mumbles. "I have to go, I might not make it back in time. Give me the knife, I need it."
"What?" Newt questions as she mentally calculates times in her head.
"I have to make it back before the doors close" she tells him but he still blocks the exit. "Please, I have to go!" she exclaims.
He looks at his own watch. It was less than forty minutes until the door were supposed to close. He knew it took at least thirty minutes of straight, hard running to get to the back of the outer reaches of the maze where the doorway to where Elizabeth came from, and then however longer it was to get to her glade.
"You'll never make it" he tells her as calmly as he can but she's already looking longingly at the gates and swearing.
"They'll think I'm dead. I've been there since the beginning, Diana will freak. So will Harriet and Sonya. You have to let me go" she pleads.
He sees the desperation in her eyes, but he knows if he lets her go, she'll be trapped in the maze no matter how fast a runner she was. He shakes his head regretfully. "No, you'll never make it. I'm sorry" he says.
She exhales slowly and nods but she still looks panicked. "Okay, fine. You win. You may as well tell me more about this place so I can tell the girls about it tomorrow" she tells him dropping back to the floor.
He smirks, pleased it went over so easily. That was easier than he thought it would be. Suddenly, Elizabeth lashes out and grabs the knife before flinging herself past him and down the first ladder.
Newt leaps after her, and barely manages to yank the knife away from her before hooking an arm around her waist to pull her back before she reaches the next platform. She stumbles back and hits the floor, already rolling away from him to get up, but he's faster. He pins her arms over her head and uses one leg to pin down hers. In the process though, she manages to get in a few good scratches and even bit his arm.
"Hey!" He shouts, trying to still the thrashing, fighting girl. She stops after a moment but glares at him as he pins her down."You go out there, you're dead. You can't make it there in time. Do you hear me? Do you hear me!?" he demands, his accent thicker than usual.
She flinches back from his harshly said words, but her glare holds true. "I hear you" she gets out through gritted teeth.
He fixes her with a look as he slowly pulls his hands away from where they were restraining hers. With a final glare, she takes advantage of his lack of balance and shoves him the rest of the way off of her.
He narrows his eyes at her from where he pulled himself into a sitting position. She glares back but after a moment the corner of her mouth pulls up.
He nods slowly. "Alright, I'm going to get those shucks to leave you alone, then get Alby, you stay here."
She nods brushes herself off as Newt starts down the ladder. By the time he reaches the ground, she's standing upright staring down at the unfamiliar boys below. Before Newt can tell them so shuck off, one loud mouthed boy yells up to her.
"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" He shouts up cockily grinning at her before winking.
She shoots him a sarcastic pleasant smile. "No, but I did scrape my knees when I crawled up from hell" she says batting her eyelashes at him sarcastically. The Gladers around him all "ooh", eliciting a small triumphant smirk from the girl.
"Alright, go on get out of here. Leave the girl be. Back to work" Newt called ushering everyone off.
A few moments pass and most of the Gladers had left the new arrival alone. However, she still could see a few of them watching from farther away.
Too far to stop Elizabeth.
She was fast, she could make it in time if she left now. Right now.
She casually walks down to the bottom step and sits down so the boys from afar wouldn't think she was going anywhere. She looks towards the north door-the one closest to the crossover to her maze. She casually ties her shoes as as looks around.
Then she's running.
Again.