I watched through narrowed eyes as the black-haired boy from the elevator approached me. I had forgotten his name, so I had no choice but wait for him to address me.
"How're you doing?" he asked.
I shrugged, "Good as I'll ever be, I guess."
The boy clapped me on the back, "That's the spirit. You're already doing better than half of these idiots. Most of them were crying in the corner, messing their pants on their first day."
"Who are you?" I asked, itching to know this boy's name.
The boy smirked, "I never really got the chance to tell you since Alby made me be his little errand boy. But now, I am honored to tell you that my name, is Minho."
"Minho?" I repeated. "What type of name is that?"
"The type of name I was given," he retorted, his voice thick with sarcasm. "I'm so very sorry that I wasn't given a normal name like you, Emily."
"How do you know my name?" I asked. I didn't recall ever telling him my name, unless Alby went around telling everyone. Which I wouldn't be surprised if he did.
"Word travels fast around here, my friend," Minho chuckled.
"Friend?" a small smile spread across my face. "You already consider me a friend?"
"Yep," Minho said. "And I have a feeling me and you are gonna be pretty damn close, too."
My smile grew bigger. I liked this boy, even if I had only just properly met him.
"Unfortunely, however, I'm not going to be the one to help settle you in," he continued. "That honor was given to Newt."
"Newt?" I said. These boys sure did have some odd names.
Minho rolled his eyes, "Will you quit judging everyone by their odd names and just follow me?"
At first, I was startled, worried that I had made him angry. But then, I noticed the amusement that laced his voice, and relief flooded over me.
+
Newt was a rather tall boy, who looked to be around 16 or 17. He had sandy-blonde hair that slightly fell over his dark brown eyes. His arms were muscular, with veins appearing all over them as he crossed his arms. I couldn't help but find him extremely attractive.
He and Minho seemed extremely close, judging by the way they talked to each other.
Minho left us alone after only a quick introduction, and I immediately began to feel nervous once we were alone.
"So," Newt spoke, his voice thick with an accent. The same accent that I had, and it bothered me that I still couldn't pinpoint the origin of it. We sat side by side, beside the elevator that I had arrived in only hours before. "You must be extremely confused, and scared."
I shrugged. I was definitely confused, but I wasn't as scared as I expected myself to be. I focused on the giant stone walls that surrounded us, whereas Newt was busy staring at his fingernails.
He seemed nervous- I could basically feel it radiating off of him.
I stared out over the meadow in front of us. The sun was setting, casting golden rays of light across the tall grass, turning it a bright amber color. I found it beautiful, and I felt strangely comfortable here, even with Newt by my side.
"Welcome to the Glade," he said after a moment of silence.
"The Glade?" I repeated. "What is that?"
"This," Newt motioned around him. "It's our home. Has been for the past six bloody months."
"Why are we here? Who put us here?" I asked, itching to know the answers to my dozens of questions.
"We don't know," he said quietly. His licked his lips before turning to face me. "We don't know anything."
I sighed. Nothing made sense. Who would put us here, eclosing us in this place like some sort of prison?
"What if it's a prison?" I said.
"We considered that," Newt nodded his head slightly before turning back to face the walls. "It's a possibilty."
I stared down at my clothes, fully taking in my attire for the first time. I wore a jean jacket over a white button up shirt. My pants were black skinny jeans- which were already covered in a thin layer of dirt and grime. My shoes were black combat boots, that looked pretty damn expensive.
"Are you scared?" Newt's voice pulled me out of my daze, though I barely heard him.
"What?"
"Are you scared?" he repeated. I expected his voice to be full of mock, but it wasn't. It was only laced with concern. Real, genuine concern.
"Yes, I am," I admitted. "I'm extremely scared."
"Then why aren't you showing it?"
Newt asked. "Most of us spent out first day curled up in a ball crying, myself included. Why not you?"
"Well, it seems to me as if I have no choice whether I wanna be here or not. I'm scared, yes, but I'm not gonna curl up in a corner and bawl my eyes out over it. This is my life now, and I have to be strong."
I surprised myself by opening up to a boy who I had only met less than an hour ago. Though I felt so comfortable around Newt, as if I'd known him forever.
"I like you already, Newbie," he smiled and chuckled lightly.
His words made me feel warm inside, which only confused me more. I chose to ignore the feeling, however, and returned his smile.
"Can I ask a question?" I asked.
"You just did," Newt smirked, and I rolled my eyes, reaching over and slapping him lightly across the arm.
"I'm serious, can I?"
"Of course," he said. He held his arm in mock pain, which only made me laugh.
"What type of name is Newt?" I asked.
He rolled his eyes, "What type of name is Emily?"
"A normal name," I retorted, and he laughed.
"You think I like this name? I'm named after a bloody lizard!"
A laugh escaped my lips, "Technically, it's an amphibian."
I surprised myself by saying this. I didn't even know how I knew it.
"Slim it," Newt rolled his eyes. "Are all girls like this?"
"Like what?" I asked innocently, batting my eyelashes. Newt shook his head and shoved me lightly.
"Obnoxious," he said. "If they are, I don't want another one of you coming up next month."
I stuck out my bottom lip, "That wasn't very nice."
"Neither was making fun of my name," Newt retorted.
I rolled my eyes, "Fine. I'm sorry." I said, my voice thick with sarcasm.
Newt smiled, the corners of his brown eyes crinkling, "I'm sorry, too, Newbie."
"You know I have a name, right?" I asked. I didn't get why everyone was calling me "newbie" when they clearly knew my name.
"Yeah, but we call every new arrival Newbie," Newt explained. He brought his bottom lip in between his teeth as his eyes locked with mine. "Therefore, I shall call you Newbie, Newbie."
His brown eyes seemed to shine in the dim light, and it took a whole lot of self-control not to get lost in them. Unfortunetely, I didn't seem to have a lot of self-control.
"It's rude to stare, you know," he commented with a smirk. I tore my gaze from his, feeling my cheeks heat up as I stared at the ground.
"Sorry," I murmured.
I heard Newt chuckle from beside me, "Come on. I'm going to show you where you'll be sleeping."
He stood up, and reached out a hand for me to do the same.
Newt led me to a little wooden shack in one corner of the Glade- he called it "The Homestead". It looked as if it were built very poorly, and was ready to collapse at any moment. Hammocks were tied to the trees outside the building, which I assumed was where the boys slept.
"You're going to be sleeping in the Homestead," Newt explained as he led me past the hammocks. "It was Alby's call. He understands that you wouldn't want to wake up in the middle of the night with some shank's hand down your bloody pants."
I didn't answer as he led me through the building, though I was thankful that Alby understood.
"Is Alby your leader?" I asked.
Newt shook his head, "He's more of the second-in-command, I guess. Our real leader's Nick, but he's recovering from an injury at the moment."
He led me up a rickety set of stairs that creaked under our feet every time we moved. I followed him down a hallway and into a small room. Much to my suprise, there were three beds in the room. Two of them had their thin blankets thrown all over the place, while the one in the middle was made neatly, as if it had never been used.
"Uh, well unfortunetly, there isn't enough rooms here for you to have your own, so you're gonna have to share it with someone," Newt's voice shook nervously as he spoke. "Minho and I are probably the only people here that you somewhat trust, so you'll be sharing a room with us. If you feel uncomfortable about this, though, then I could always get Alby to clear a room for you-"
"It's fine, Newt," I cut him off with a smile.
"What?"
"It's okay," I repeated. I was thankful that it was them two, instead of some other unknown boy. Newt nodded once, clearing his throat as if he were embarrassed.
"I'd get to bed early, since you have to get up before sunrise for the tour," he said. "Which I will have the honor to accomany you on."
I nodded, not even bothering to ask what the tour was. It was pretty self-explanitory, anyway, and I would seem extremely stupid if I had to ask what it was.
+
"I'm gonna wake you up before sunrise tomorrow, okay?" Newt asked as he slid into his bed. He wore only a pair of loose-fitted sweatpants, and I couldn't help but find it attractive.
"Why so early?" I groaned as I settled into my own bed. "Can't I sleep until like- ten?"
I couldn't see Newt, though I knew he was probably rolling his eyes, "Can't. We need plenty of time to get to everything. Get to bed early, and you'll be okay."
"Can you shuck-faces be quiet and go to sleep?" Minho's half-asleep voice said from the other side of me.
"Sorry, Minho," Newt chuckled, though he sounded as if he didn't mean his apology. "Goodnight, Newbie."
"Goodnight, Newt," I said as I stifled a yawn. I was too tired to get onto him for calling me "Newbie" again, so I just let it slide.
Silence took over the small room for several moments before Newt's voice- half asleep- broke it.
"Goodnight, Emily."
"Dude, shut up!" Minho groaned. A small laugh escaped my lips as I began to fall into a deep slumber.
+
A/N:
Omigosh I have a feeling this chapter absolutely sucked. I am so sorry /.\
I promise the chapters will get better :(