Twin sisters, Addison (Addy) and Elizabeth (Liz), aged seventeen and a half, have been brought into their respective Mazes at the age of fifteen.
One is in Group A Trial with an entire clan of boys. One is in Group B Trial with an entire clan of gi...
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On the ground, Elizabeth watched the last two girls come down before looking around. Counting with the use of her fingers, she noticed they were all there but one. Jess was no where to be seen and Leila had come skating back when she noticed all the girls climbing back down the Maze. She too had seen the Shade, it was hard to miss, it was massive. They had one hanging up inside their Map Room. The girls were all curious and slightly afraid of what was going on. Liz didn't know what was going on, but she remembered hearing Addison mention Grievers loose in her Maze.
"We're heading back." Liz spoke.
"What about Jess?" Gemma asked. "Leave no Skater behind."
Liz sighed and stood, looking to the six girls who looked to her for guidance and trust. "I know, but in some circumstances, we need to break the rules. If we want to get out safely, we have to go now."
"So, we're not gonna search for Jess?" Quinn spoke.
Elizabeth shook her head. "No, we have no time. There's a Shade out there, we need to go...I want to save her too and search, but it's either one life, or eight."
Tightening the laces of her skates, Liz waited for the girls to finish doing up their skates before she led them back to the doors of the Maze. She knew it was farther to get out from the north doors, so they were going to the west ones instead since it was quicker and closer. The girls all followed, some not wanting to because they didn't want to leave Jess behind.
They zipped through the Maze quite quickly in a large group as Liz led them through it. All of them knowing their way around, but Liz always led and they always followed. A few of the girls were saddened by this, and Liz was too, but if they wanted to live, then they needed to leave the Maze. They'd been out there three hours total before they cut it short because of the Shade.
Girls' hair blew behind their shoulders and others didn't as they held furry hoods over their heads. Elizabeth thought the entire way back as they rounded corners sharply at high speeds and sped up during the longer paths. Liz looked to the chipped out numbers on the ice covered walls for guidance. It wasn't long before they fund the west doors and Liz stopped sharply, watching the six girls to proceed ahead of her and exit. She followed right after the girls and they fell into the snow with huffs, catching their breaths.
"They're back!" Beth hollered.
Sonya turned upon hearing Beth's call to see who was back and turns out it was the Skaters who weren't supposed to be back for a little bit. Sonya knew something must've gone wrong out there if they were back so soon. Harriet whipped around from throwing wood into the fire they were starting, noticing them, she took off and told the fellow Icer to keep watch of the fire.
"What the finch happened out there?" She asked, shaking her head as she was surprised to see them.
"You're not to be back for a few hours." Sonya added.
Beth approached as well, hammer in hand as she folded her arms across her chest, listening to the story. "We left Jess behind!" Harley screamed.
"There was a Shade!" Becky added.
The girls began speaking one over the other as Elizabeth remained quiet, taking her skates off and pulled her boots back on. Sonya listened as Liz walked off, setting her skates inside her bag as she zipped the material together and Harriet followed after Elizabeth, needing answers. "What's going on?"
"There was a Shade. Were about halfway up when we noticed it...I called it off." She replied with a shrug.
"And Jess?"
"I know, never leave a Skater behind, my rule, but with a Shade on the loose, it was either one of us, or eight of us."
Harriet nodded, lips pursed into a thin line as she nodded in thought. She shook her head. "What's going on?" She asked to no one in particular as the girls walked. Sonya dealing with the six Skaters who babbled on and on about what happened and what each one saw. She tried calming them down so she could hear one girl at a time, but it was useless.
"I don't know what it is, but whatever it is, it started a few days ago."
"Few days ago?" She questioned. "Liz, what are you getting at?" She was confused as heck.
"Two Blondies in three days? They somehow know each other, but don't? Now Shades?" Liz began. "Maybe it's connected in a way. Maybe those two are our way out." Harriet wasn't completely following. "I know it sounds crazy, but what if they are?"
"No." She shook her head. "It's bad enough that boy is here. Why a boy? And he knows Rachel? And Rachel is just as inquisitive, but a good one in a way?" She questioned about Rachel, not sure how to put it.
Entering Cabin B, Harriet followed the Jailer of the Skaters inside, closing door tightly. A few girls were inside keeping warm from their day off as well, but they sat up in confusion seeing Elizabeth back so early and Harriet followed her. Liz set her bag on hook beside her bed, the top bunk, and turned around. "Have a meeting later."
"All right." Harriet turned and walked off. She stopped in the middle of the room when the girls were staring. "Stop meddling in other people's affairs or you'll be thrown in the Slammers."
The girls nodded. Elizabeth chuckled to herself before throwing herself on the open bunk below her bed with a sigh. Rubbing her face, she didn't know what to do. She could only confide in one who wasn't even in her Maze. She didn't know how far away that Maze was, but assumed it must've been far if she considered the weather and environment in each Maze.
