Hi again! Like I said before, I'm uploading seven chapters at once, so I won't be saying a lot until chapter 8.

So far, I'm just sort of trying to describe how the Gladers turn the Glade into the place that it becomes in the Maze Runner trilogy.

- Plerfstacks :)

Chapter 2

Anna and Newt chatted aimlessly for about a half hour as they pretended to be enjoying their meal for Dave's sake. As Anna got up from the table, she heard a loud grinding noise which she wasn't sure how to describe. She turned her head, alarmed, and saw to her shock that the big openings in the walls of the Glade were moving, without a trace of machinery anywhere that Anna could see. She watched, spellbound, as the walls met and shuddered to a stop, leaving the Glade in astonished silence. After a few moments, Anna got a hold of herself. She realized glumly that that hadn't been the most unbelievable thing that had happened that day, so Anna, along with the rest of the boys, decided to call it a night.

The Gladers, as they had decided to call themselves, gave Anna one of the rooms in the two story building that they'd named the Homestead. She obliged, as she would much rather sleep on a bed than on the hard ground with a jacket for a blanket, or, if she were lucky, a small blanket, which had arrived among the supplies they had received in the Box. The beds in the Homestead already had them. Luckily, their meager supplies didn't matter too much, as it was warm that night. Anna wondered what would happen when it got cold.

She didn't have anything to change into, so she took off her shoes, pulled down the sheets of her bed, and let her hair out of its ponytail. She was surprised to see a shock of bright red hair spill down her shoulders and onto her back, coming almost to her waist. Anna raked her fingers through her hair, eliminating a few of the tangles that had accumulated. She wished that she had a hairbrush. Suddenly there was a knock on Anna's door, and a familiar accented voice called,

"Can I come in?"

Anna sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Yeah," she called back. Newt stepped in the room, looking awkward.

"I just came in to tell you that Minho tried the shower handle and it turns out that we have running water in this place," he told her. Anna smiled at this.

"Awesome," she said appreciatively. "I'd been worrying about that."

"Me, too," Newt agreed, half-smiling. He turned to go, but Anna stopped him.

"Wait," she said. "I have an idea." She got up from her bed and walked out of the room and into the hallway. "There are light bulbs on the ceiling here, and I didn't look too hard for a switch cause I didn't think they would work. But if the showers do, then…" Anna found a light switch and flicked it. The light bulbs on the ceiling flickered slightly, and then illuminated the room with a soft yellow glow. Newt gave a small sound of surprise and appreciation.

"I can't believe that bloody worked," he murmured. "I'll go and spread the news, then." And with that, Newt turned and walked out.

Anna decided the next morning that she was going to send people to explore whatever was outside of the huge openings in the walls of the Glade, which had opened up again at sunrise. She called the Gladers over to the middle of the Glade, where the Box was. They gathered around her, murmuring amongst themselves. Anna decided to cut right to the chase.

"I've decided to send some of you shanks out of this place to explore whatever's out there." Anna noticed absently that she was beginning to use those strange vocabulary words without really thinking about it. She dismissed this thought almost the moment it popped into her head. She had more important things to work on. "Do we have volunteers?"

A few hands were raised, but most of the Gladers remained standing with both arms hanging at their sides. Anna counted the hands.

"Six," she muttered to herself. Addressing the group, she called out, "Alright, guys, you six are gonna be exploring today. When we establish jobs and stuff later, maybe that can be yours. Sound good?" The six volunteers murmured assent, somewhat nervously. "Can you come on forward so I can see you?" Anna asked. They stepped towards her and out of the crowd. Minho, a kid named George that she didn't know much about, Matt, Rob, Dan, and Newt had stepped up. She looked at them each and nodded.

"Alright," she said. "You shanks can go out and explore now, but don't forget to bring lunch with you. You need to be back before sunset, though; because I don't want you trapped behind those shuck Doors."

The group of six gave nods of agreement, and with packed lunches courtesy of Dave, they headed out. Anna watched the back of Newt's blond head as he jogged through the Doors and felt a pang of worry. Somehow she knew that there was something to be feared beyond those walls, and she didn't want her only friend to become victim to it.

Anna fretted all day, waiting for the exploration group to return. She managed to sort of set up a system of jobs throughout the Glade, and set the Gladers to work planting crops, cooking meals, adding on to the Homestead, and tending to the two pigs. She herself wandered around the Glade, supervising the work being done and helping with the jobs as best she could. Anna was preoccupied however, glancing up at the sky every few minutes, worrying about what was going on with the team she'd sent out of the Glade. About twenty minutes before sunset, they returned, panting, through the East Door. Anna practically sprinted over to them to see what had happened.

"A maze," Minho puffed, bent double, his hands on his knees. "It's a shucking maze. We barely made it out."

"Water," Newt panted. "I've been running all day. Someone bring me some bloody water." Anna yelled for one of the Gladers milling about to come bring them some water. The boy returned a few moments later with a pitcher, which was passed around the group and was empty within seconds. Anna took the empty pitcher from Matt and tossed it on the grass.

"What did you find?" she asked.

"Like Minho said," George answered. "It's a maze. And we found a couple weird signs on the walls that say World in Catastrophe, Killzone Experiment Department. That's pretty much it."

"Hmm," Anna muttered. "That's weird. Well, you guys did a good job. At least now we sort of know what we're up against."

"Yeah," agreed Rob, nodding sarcastically. "We're up against a huge maze with shucking hundred-foot-high walls and no visible exit."

"That's right," Anna said, unfazed by Rob's remark. "We've gotta just work with what we've got and not get discouraged."

"Hear, hear," Newt agreed, giving her a weary smile. Anna returned it, pleased that her pep talk had worked.

"Alright," she said, clapping her hands together. "Let's get to bed."

Over the course of the next few weeks nothing very exciting happened. Anna successfully got the Glade in working order, setting up permanent jobs for each Glader, and occasionally making up jobs for the kids who somewhat lacked in talent. She spent her days helping the others with their assigned tasks, waiting for the Runners to get back, taking inventory on the supplies, and the like. Anna was relatively pleased with the system that she'd set up, and finally the Glade was operating like a well-oiled machine, rather than the rusty, awkward one that they'd been before.

Anna kept track of the days that had passed since she'd started her new life by scratching a little tally mark on the wall of her room in the Homestead every morning. One morning, as she was dragging her little pocket knife that she used or this purpose down the wood of the wall, she noticed that there were thirty marks, counting the one she'd made. Anna realized that they'd been there for a month, give or take a few days. She heaved a sigh, feeling a pang of hopelessness at how little they'd accomplished in a month's time. Anna shook this feeling off after a moment and headed outside to start her day.

Anna's day went mostly as planned, until about noon. As she was walking over to the fields where the Track-Hoes worked, to see what progress they were making, a loud siren-like noise began to resonate throughout the Glade, causing Anna and many of the boys to cry out in surprise. Anna stood in place, hands clamped to her ears, as the Glade dissolved into chaos. Many of the boys went to her for explanation, but Anna was just as confused as everyone else. After about half an hour of the deafening siren, the noise stopped abruptly. Anna could suddenly hear her blood pumping through her ears and she wasn't sure what exactly to say. Then a voice cut through the silence.

"Someone get me out of here!"

Anna's head jerked in the direction of the Box. Then, realizing that there was a shucking person trapped inside it, she ran over and peered inside. There was a boy standing in the Box, looking up at her. He looked about fifteen years old, but his black hair already had specks of gray in it. Anna jumped down into the Box with him, not really thinking as she did it, and she felt the whole Box shift slightly, like an elevator.

"Hello," Anna said awkwardly. "I'm Anna." The boy stared at her, his face tinged with green. Anna figured that hers had been, too, when she had first shown up in the Glade. "Um, what's your name?" she asked. The boy didn't say anything. "Alright, then…" Anna muttered. "C'mon, Greenie. Let's get out of here." Anna figured that if he wouldn't tell her his name, she would make up a name for him. "Hey!" she yelled over her shoulder. "Get us out of this shucking Box!"

The Gladers looked down at Anna and the Greenie, seeming unsure what to do.

"Get a rope, slinthead!" Anna heard Gally's scratchy voice call out. A moment later a rope was dropped in and Anna gestured for the Greenie to take it. He did so shakily, but held on tight when he was pulled up. Then Anna took the rope and the Gladers yanked her up into the Glade. As Anna placed her feet on the ground, the Gladers formed a circle around the new kid, who seemed very intimidated.

"Can you tell us your name?" Anna asked again, slightly exasperated at his unwillingness to talk.

"It's Clint," the boy answered finally. "Who are you people? Where am I? What's going on?"

"Slow down," Anna told him. "This is the Glade. You're one of us now, and we don't know why you don't remember anything, so don't even ask. You're the first and possibly only new kid we'll ever get, so this is a learning experience for all of us."

"Okay…" answered Clint slowly. "Why were you calling me Greenie?"

"You wouldn't tell me your shucking name, you shank. So I nicknamed you for the time being."

"And what are those weird words that you guys use?"

"I don't know," Anna replied. "You ask too many questions." She addressed the Gladers. "I'm gonna give the Greenie a tour, so you all get back to work."

There was a murmur of assent and some disappointment at having to go work when there was something interesting going on. Anna disregarded this and looked at Clint.

"Alright, Greenie," she said. "Where do I start… Well, like I said, this place is called the Glade, and we all live here together. Those openings in the walls are the Doors that lead into the Maze. We all—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Clint interrupted her. "A maze?" Anna nodded.

"Yes. A maze. Can I continue?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

Anna went on to explain the different jobs that were available for him to try out (she stressed the point to him that a job in the kitchen would be appreciated, as they really needed a new Cook), and how each job had a leader called the Keeper, whom he would report to each morning. She explained how she and the Keepers formed the Council, which made all of the important decisions. She then warned him not to leave the Glade, because the Doors closed at night and no one knew what was out there. Clint adopted a completely astonished expression throughout the lecture. When Anna was finished, he nodded slowly.

"Okay…" he said. "When will I get my job?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I think we'll have you try out each one till you fit in with something." Clint nodded.

"Alright, then," he agreed.

Anna spent the rest of the day showing the Greenie the ropes. She started him out with the Track-Hoes, as that seemed as good a place as any. Though Zart and Clint hit it off immediately, Clint proved to be hopeless at farming. Anna decided to try the Builders the next day. By this point the Runners had returned and Anna decided to dismiss the Gladers from their jobs. After this, Anna decided to meet Newt in the Map Room, simply because she hadn't really had a chance to talk to him in a while.

"Hey," she said, walking through the door. Newt jumped slightly, looking up from the map that he was drawing. His shoulders relaxed when he saw Anna standing in the doorframe.

"You startled me," he said breathlessly.

"Sorry," Anna apologized. She walked over to his chair and looked over his shoulder at the map. "What are you up to?" she asked him.

"Drawing," he answered, gesturing to his map. "I did section five today. Minho did six, and I think he's gonna show up here soon." Anna nodded.

"Okay," she said.

Anna pulled up a chair and sat beside Newt, and the two of them just sat like that for a while. Anna watched Newt draw the map, his slender fingers guiding the marker across the page. She almost didn't hear the door open a few minutes later when Minho walked in to work on his job.

"Hey," he greeted them, running a hand through his tousled hair. "I don't see you around here often, Anna." She shrugged.

"Yeah," she agreed. "I decided to pay you Runners a visit."

Minho scoffed.

"More like you were bored and had nothing better to do," he accused her, smirking.

"No," she replied defensively. "I just don't ever get a chance to talk to you guys. You're always in the Maze."

"Sure."

"Well, I'm here now," she said. "Now get to work on your shucking maps."

"Aye aye, captain," he said, saluting her. Anna smiled slightly, resuming watching Newt draw. He finished the last line and placed his map in the trunk with all the other ones. Newt and Anna lingered to keep Minho company as he completed his, and the three wandered out into the Glade.

"I'm gonna go to bed," Minho yawned. "See ya."

"'Night," Anna called after him. She looked at Newt. Struck with a sudden impulse, she said,

"Do you want to go out into the forest with me and take a walk or something? I know you never really get a chance to hang out around the Glade." To her surprise, he nodded.

"Sure," he answered, smiling. He raised a hand to brush his long blond hair out of his eyes. "Let's go."

Anna and Newt walked the length of the Glade to reach the small forest near the West Door. Anna led the way, having been in the forest before. She led them to a small clearing surrounded by trees, with a little creek running over the ground. Newt looked around, smiling appreciatively.
"It's nice here," he murmured. Anna sat down on a log lying on the ground. She patted the spot to her right, and Newt joined her. The two of them sat in blissful silence, enjoying being able to actually have a moment of relaxation in the hectic mess that was the Glade. Suddenly, Newt leapt to his feet and began to crash around, shaking his left foot wildly. Anna jumped up, trying to get him to calm down.

"What's wrong?" she yelled, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to stop jumping about. He looked at her, breathing heavily.

"There was a shucking… beetle… crawling up my leg," he explained. "It was bloody huge." Anna rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Newt," she muttered.

"There it goes!" Newt cried, pointing. A thing with a small red light attached to it was crawling madly over the ground, waving its light around. It looked like a lizard, but bigger. Anna reached down and grabbed it around its middle, and she held the wiggling thing at arm's length to examine it. It had the word WICKED written in large lettering on its back. The thing twisted and turned in her grasp, but when she didn't let go, it swung its head around and bit Anna's finger.

"Ow!" she cried, releasing the creature. It scuttled away into the forest. She examined her injured finger. It was bleeding a little, but she'd be fine. Anna stuck it in her mouth and turned back to Newt. "What was that?" she asked him.

"You're asking me?" he said, shrugging. "All I know is that that thing was crawling up my leg and I thought it was a beetle, with shucking blades on its feet, or something."

"A beetle blade," Anna decided.

"Yeah," Newt agreed. "A beetle blade."

Anna and Newt decided to get to bed after this slight fiasco. Anna departed from Newt in the Homestead, where he and the rest of the Runners shared a room. Anna walked to hers, trying to understand the purpose of the beetle blades. It was only as she was just about to drift off that she came to the foggy conclusion that they had cameras. The little red light was a camera. She wondered absently how this revelation had come to her so subconsciously, but dozed off as soon as she began to think about it.