IT STARTED WITH A MAZE - Newt x Reader (F)

- BOOK ONE : THE MAZE -

I nod once. Respect. I can give that. They've treated me with care - even if they don't know what to make of me. That counts for something.

But I still don't understand.

"Why do you stay here?" I ask, frowning toward the towering walls of the Maze. "Why not leave the Glade?"

Alby leans forward, hands braced on the railing. The light catches the edge of his jaw, making him look older than he is. "We have three rules here, Greenbean," he says, tone going firm. "First, do your part. Don't think because you're a girl you're gonna get off easy." I raise a brow at that, resisting the urge to scoff. I hadn't asked for special treatment. If anything, I feel like I've already been thrown into the deep end. "Second, never harm another Glader. We need to have trust." I nod again. That one feels obvious - but also important. Every boy I've seen is bigger than me. Stronger. If trust didn't exist here, this place would fall apart. "And most importantly," Alby turns to look straight at me, his eyes dark, unflinching, "never go beyond those walls. Do you understand?"

I hesitate. My stomach twists. I do understand. I understand the words, the rule. But I don't accept it.

I woke up in there. That can't mean nothing.

I open my mouth - but before I can say a word, a shout interrupts us.

"Hey, Alby!"

We both look down.

A younger kid is waving up at us. Round face, shaggy brown hair, too-small shirt. His eyes are wide, eager.

"Hey Chuck," Alby calls. "Where you been, man?"

"We didn't think we had a spare hammock," Chuck says, breathless. "They usually come up in the Box."

Alby hums, that vague leader noise again. "Makes sense." He turns to me. "Chuck'll take you to where we sleep."

I descend the ladder, one hand on the side, the other gripping the rope. The wound on my arm pulses, angry and red, but I ignore it.

When I reach the bottom, Chuck just stands there looking up at me like he's waiting for something. "Hi, Chuck," I say.

"Hello, Greenie," he says brightly, like we're old friends.

We start walking.

He carries a bundle of cloth and rope over his shoulder - my hammock, I realize. "Do you want me to carry that?" I ask, uncertain.

"It's alright," he says, adjusting it on his back. "You know, it starts the same for all of us. Aside from the fact you didn't wake up in the Box." His voice drops a little, as if that still confuses him.

I stay quiet. Because it confuses me, too.

We pass boys who glance our way, some pretending not to stare. I can feel the weight of their curiosity - it clings like mist. I try to stand tall. I have no memory, no name, but I still have presence. I won't shrink.

Eventually, Chuck leads me into a thicket of trees. Between the trunks, hammocks are strung up like spiderwebs - some high, some low, some with makeshift blankets bundled inside. "This is where we sleep," he explains, dropping his hammock. He starts tying it to a pair of trees. I watch, unsure how to help. He glances at me. "Don't worry, you're already doing better than I did. I clunked my pants three times before they let me out of the pit."

I don't even ask what 'the pit' is. "Chuck," I say, eyes drifting back toward the Maze.

"Yeah?" He finishes tying the last knot.

"Why can't we go out there?" I question such a thing because I think a kid might reveal the deep dark secrets.

I'm wrong.

He shrugs, suddenly quieter. "I don't know. I just know what I'm told. And we're not supposed to leave," Chuck says. Then he quickly moves on when his eyes catch the band around my wrist. "I like your bracelet," he chimes and smiles that genuine child-like grin.

"You can have it if you want," I choose to say, taking it off with some difficulty. I must not do it often.

"Really?" Chuck wonders. I ponder how much kindness these other boys have shown him - or if he mostly gets teased being the youngest and smallest.

"Yeah," I say and give him the item. "I think it's meant for you anyways, Chuck," I reason with a small smile. My expression grows when his own does, yet my mind is fixated on our earlier conversation. The fact that people do leave. I know it the moment I see them.

Two boys come jogging in from the Maze. I recognize Minho instantly - he's got that confident assured lope. But the boy beside him is taller, broader. Blonde. His eyes snag on me, sharp and curious, even as he keeps moving.

They slow to a stop nearby. "Hey Chuck. Hey Speedy," Minho calls, grinning.

"So she's the new Greenie," the other boy says with a smirk. "How does it feel to be promoted?" His voice is lighter than I expect, teasing, aimed at Chuck.

"Feels great, Ben," Chuck says proudly.

And then it clicks.

"Wait... but they're allowed to leave?" I ask.

Chuck nods. "They're different. They're runners."

Runners. Again that word. It hums under my skin.

If I want answers - if I want to understand why I woke up in the Maze - then that's what I need to become. A runner.

No matter what Alby says.

~