MAGNESIUM || The Maze Runner • Newt [1]

Chapter 2

The Glade. Is that what this place is called? Alby told me a little bit more about the Glade, saying that they called themselves the Gladers. Everyone that came here had arrived three years ago, and had been here since. They've tried everything they could to escape, but people either got hurt, or killed, so they had to accept their fate and learn to live like that. Each week, they are sent supplies from whom they don't know, in that Box; and each month, they get a new person. I'm glad I wasn't the only one.

"Newt," Alby turned his head to the blond boy, "how about you join me to help give her the Tour?"

He nodded and walked over to me. But there was something odd about the way he moved. I noticed he limped every time he took a step. I looked at his leg curiously; I wondered what had happened to him.

"All right, shanks!" Alby shouted. "There's nothing to see here. Get back to work."

After what Alby instructed, the boys dispersed to get right back to their jobs. No wonder everything looked so neat and organized. Newt gently rested his hand on the small part of my back and walked me forward. We followed behind the leader who showed me the entire place and answered some of my burning questions.

...

"You guys have the most unusual names for these sections," I commented once Alby and Newt had finished explaining the sections of the Glade. "Deadheads, Homestead, Blood House."

"I know it's confusing, Greenbean, but once you're here long enough, it'll be something so regular to you," Alby said.

"Oh," was all I responded with in a flat tone, looking down at my shoes. Once I'm here long enough. This place was almost like a prison, despite the beautiful trees and the cloudless sky. Three years is how long it's been since the first Glader arrived. I didn't want to be here for that long. Newt, taking notice of my mood, spoke up in a cheerful manner.

"I think you'll fit in perfectly though, once you find your place," he said, and winked at me.

I smiled a little and cast my eyes to the ground, making Newt chuckle. If I was going to spend the rest of my life in the Glade, at least I had someone to make me laugh.

"Well, Greenie, this is the end of the Tour," Alby said and stopped in his tracks, almost making me bump into him. "But first, I need to tell you our three main rules here."

I stood in the same spot, listening to him carefully while looking up at him.

"The first rule is that everyone here does their jobs. Tomorrow, you'll start trying each one for the next couple of hours: Builder, Slopper, Gardener, Med-jack. We'll decide what best suits you. The second rule is to never hurt another Glader. If you do, you will be thrown out of the Glade with no second chances." I listened to his words very carefully, a bit frightened by the second one. "And third, never, ever, go outside the walls, unless you're a Runner. They are well-trained professionals that navigate what's out in the Maze."