The Princess and the Maze: Chapter 2 (Stephanie)
AN: Welcome back, Gladers! I hope you're ready and hungry for more, because describing Newt all day is probably what we all wish, but it's not the point of the story. Chapter 1 was just the appetizer, but now the stone is rolling! Welcome Stephanie into this glorious mess that is the world of Maze Runner, everyone!
Happy reading for you all! And now, let's not waste any more time and witness how Steph copes… in Chapter 2!
X-x-x-x-x-x-X
The girl slowly recovered from her stupor of the ride to the Glade. Groggily, she moved, tried to open her eyes, but she sank back, once again unconscious. Newt was the first one to react. After shaking off the initial shock, he jumped into the Box and pulled their newest arrival into a half-standing position, then he called out: "Minho! Give me a hand with her, would you?" The fair-haired boy corrected the girl's position in his arms, resting her hip on one knee and supporting her head with his right hand. He looked up when someone landed gingerly beside him.
It was the Glader he had called Minho. Minho was a tall boy with Asian features and lightly bronzed skin. His raven hair was styled at the front, a habit of Minho's since day one in the Glade. A blue short-sleeved shirt revealed his toned muscles. His movements reminded Newt of a panther, graceful but always on alert, a trait that he had to uphold as the Keeper of the Runners, in Newt's own words 'the strongest and the fastest of them all'. After muttering a short puzzled "Wow…", Minho gathered the lifeless body in his arms and, using some crates as footholds, climbed back out, Alby's friend following close behind.
The boys gently laid her down on the grass and took a good look at her. Judging by her hands, her face that was white from nausea was actually a light brown. Her dark hair was very long, falling down to her hips. The girl's slim body was clothed in a wine-red dress, black leggings, white ankle-high socks and tennis shoes. Minho noticed a beautifully crafted necklace with a pendant shaped like an eight-pronged star. It was clearly very valuable. "Excuse me…", Jeff interrupted their inspection. He had come over to them, wielding smelling salt. "That should reanimate her…", the med-jack stated. The salt took effect at once. Their new companion's eyes snapped open, revealing their greenish-blue colour.
"Rise and shine, Greenbean.", Newt addressed her, trying to keep his voice low and gentle, so as not to scare her. She stared at them doe-eyed for about three seconds… then let out an ear-splitting scream before jumping up with surprising agility and racing up the tree behind her as if she were being chased by a thousand Grievers. The only noises heard for a few minutes was the rustling of the leaves, then the head and neck emerged from the treetop and they heard her astounded gasp through the ringing in their ears. The Gladers waited patiently for her to take everything in. They could understand. They had all been there before, marvelling at this strange place… "Where in the world am I?! What is this place and who are you people?!", the girl shouted down, her voice a mix of curiosity and fear.
"Welcome to the Glade!", Alby called back up, "I am Alby. The boys that woke you up are my second-in-command, Newt, and one of our medical experts, Jeff. These here are Gally and our cook, Frypan. This is Minho…" He took the time to introduce every Keeper separately and tried his best to come across as calm and assuring, although he was slightly growing tired of his new Glader hiding in the tree like a scared squirrel. "You can come down now, really. We're not going to hurt you or do anything. We just want to get to know you, that's all. What is your name?", Jeff tried to coax her down.
Once more, the girl's head disappeared and leaves rustled for a few minutes, then she let herself fall to the ground. She stared at them, holding her head low and her body tense. Her fear was palpable. "I'm Stephanie. Nice to meet you. But why am I here? What is happening?", she finally introduced herself. The questions revealed her hidden tears that she refused to show. Alby carefully stepped up to her and tentatively laid a hand on her shoulder. "We've all been through the same klunk as you. Waking up in the Box, taking in the Glade for the first time… The point is, nobody here knows what is going on, but listen up. This is all we have and everyone gets by and contributes to our society by doing their part. Complaining and asking about the situation is useless, believe me. Nobody knows anything. We will let you rest today, but tomorrow your life as a Glader will officially begin.", he explained to her, tone serious.
Stephanie looked at Alby with wide eyes, confused and intimidated, but then managed a silent nod. "Good…", Alby grinned, "Chuck!" A young boy of apparently 12 years of age made his way toward them. The wind had tousled the mop of brown hair on his head and his pudgy cheeks were glowing apple-red with joy. "Take care of her, especially in the first few days. Got it, kiddo?", the Glade leader ordered. "Come on, Stephanie! I'll show you where you can chill out.", Chuck smiled brightly and reached for her hand.
Surprisingly enough, the girl visibly relaxed as soon as Chuck's fingers made contact with hers, as if the younger boy's radiant energy was melting away her fears like wax. She turned her head and waved the boys goodbye. "See you tomorrow, I guess?", Stephanie muttered, a nervous laugh tinging her voice. "Sleep well, I guess…", Newt answered politely, while Minho and Jeff waved back. Gally gave her a court nod, as did Alby before calling for the Keepers to regroup in the Homestead and the rest of them to go to sleep. That was the last she saw of them for the day, before she was pulled away by Chuck.
"I won't explain anything big to you, Alby and Newt are going to take you around tomorrow. But we usually sleep in hammocks. Some tough guys sleep on the ground or in the trees, but I imagine that you want to be comfortable. I'm sure we can find a hammock for you. The nights here are never cold, but not warm enough to sleep without a blanket. I'm Chuck by the way. I came here with the Box a month ago, but I'm so glad they can't call me Greenbean anymore. That's the term for new Gladers like you. And…", the little boy spewed out a stream of words, giddy with excitement. "Woah, woah, woah…", Stephanie intervened, "Not so fast, little man. Chuck. I can barely wrap my head around things yet." He blushed and contented himself grinning widely at her for the rest of the way.
By the time they had reached the sleeping huts, the sun had started to fully sink behind the horizon. After helping her new friend to set up her sleeping space, the girl curled up into the foetal position. For a few minutes, Stephanie just enjoyed the swinging of the hammock, but then she turned over to Chuck and quietly asked the boy: "Hey, why are we surrounded by those huge walls? What's behind them?" Chuck yawned and muttered: "They all say it's a maze…" "What?! We are inside a maze?", the girl softly cried out, "I don't understand. Why have you never tried to escape? I mean, every maze has an entrance."
Passing a hand over his eyes, the young Glader told her: "Because the things out there… will kill us." That sentence almost made the teenager lose every ounce of sleep she had felt and made her blood run cold. "Kill us?! What creatures could possibly be out there that want to kill us?! What is going on? Why…", Stephanie whisper-shouted, panic making her voice shrill and her eyes wide as moons. "Hey!", Chuck interrupted, "Snap out of it. It was stupid of me to tell you this right before sleep. Yes, whatever they tell us about those monsters is terrifying, but they can't come inside the Glade, because…"
He stopped and listened to the heavy stone slabs of the entrance to the Maze sliding shut. "… the Glade protects us, you know? You don't have to be afraid. And now sleep. You need it and tomorrow is a big day for you.", the boy explained as serenely as he could and reached for his new sister's hand the way he had done before. And just as before, the gesture seemed to calm her down. Her eyes slowly fluttering shut, she resumed her original position, her knees close to her chest, but with Chuck's hand still clutched tightly in her own. "Chuck, I…", she made one last attempt to talk, but all she heard back were snores. Rocking her body side to side, the newest Glader finally felt sleep claiming her.
END CHAPTER 2
EN: And that wraps up Chapter 2, my Gladers! I'm trying to bring together the best of both book and movie, since I love them equally so much. From Chapter 3 onward, this will include a little more action. I hope I'm doing my babies justice.
Run on and see you soon!
Yuna McHill