"How'd you find this place?" I ask, sitting down on the couch.
"We passed by it yesterday on the way to the lab. I knew I had to look further into it later."
They sit beside me. I smile, "Well I'm glad you did."
They lean in, and...
//Dream over//
"Hey, Greenie!" A voice yells, shaking my arm.
I groan, opening my eyes. Newt stands over me.
"Geez, I've been here for like ten minutes trying to wake you. Come on, it's breakfast." Newt says, walking towards the door.
I sigh, slowly swinging my legs over the side, and standing. I stretch, and follow Newt outside.
"Woah.." I mutter. This is the first time I've been outside in a couple days.. first time to really look at the place. Most of it was empty land. In the corner, a small forest. Some huts scattered about. People all around working. And four tall stone walls surround everything, an opening per wall.
"Beautiful, right?" Newt asks.
"What?" I stare at him.
"This place, the Glade." He corrects, and I just nod, "Oh, yeah, definitely."
"Alright, come on then. Let's get something to eat, and we'll figure out what you should do." Newt hums.
We head over to a place with some tables and chairs, and Newt grabs two plates. Frypan puts eggs and bacon on each, and we walk to a table.
"So, what are you interested in doing as a job here?" Newt asks, taking a bite of his food.
I shrug, "I dunno.. I'm still interested in running."
Newt sighs, "Runners are chosen by Minho and Alby. Mainly Minho though. And considering they got a new runner last month.. I doubt he'll take anyone else right now." Newt shrugs.
I sigh, before perking up, looking around. "Speaking of runners... where's Thomas?" I ask.
"He's out in the maze with Minho." Newt responds. I sigh, nodding.
We sit in silence as we eat. My mind wanders, as I suddenly remember the dream I had last night.
"Hey wait- I remember.. I remember my name-" I mumble.
Newt looks at me, a grin on his face. "Really?"
I nod, "Yeah, my name- it's Y/n.."
"That's a pretty name. Well, it's nice to meet you, Y/n." Newt hums, gently patting me on the back. I smile.
A subtle round of applause, followed by some shouts and hollers from those in the area erupt. It dies down quickly, thankfully.
...
"Y/n, for now you'll do gardening work with me. It's a more relaxed job, but it's important. I'll teach you how to know what's ripe, how to plant.. all that. Okay?" Newt grabs a basket, walking through the walls of fruits and vegetables that are being grown, in a make shift greenhouse.
I nod, grabbing a basket as well. He poiints to a fruit, "Okay you see this? This is ripe. So we'll break here, just before it starts, and toss it in the basket. But, this one beside it, not ripe.. got it?"
I nod, and we continue to go down the line. An hour or so later, and our baskets are both full. We empty them both in a much larger basket by Frypans job, and walk back.
"Hey, we need some fertilizer, can someone go grab some please?" Another Glader shouts.
"Yeah, we got it!" Newt yells back.
"Hey, grab that bucket and a shovel. In the forest there's a pile of fertilizer. Should be able to find it, it's on the path. Just fill the bucket and come back, alright?" Newt asks.
I nod, grabbing what I was told to grab. I walk off into the woods. The deeper I go, the darker it is.
The creepier it is. But it's also... comforting, sorta.
Snap.
Something breaks behind me, and I turn. But no one's there.
"Hello..?" I call out.
Another snap.
"Hello? Guys? If this is some stupid prank I swear-"
Crack-a-snap.
I turn around again, to see a male figure. He just stands there, staring at me.
"Hey.. uh, it's.. Ben, right?" I ask, sighing. "Man, I thought I was getting pranked or something. You scared the shit out of me."
He just stares at me.
"You alright..? You don't look so good, man.." I mumble. I set the bucket down, along with the shovel.
"You.. you did this... it's all your fault!" He yells. All of a sudden he charges me, tackling me to the ground.
"What the hell!" I tell, mustering all my strength and pushing him off of me.
I bolt down the path, towards the light beaming in from outside the forest.
Ben is right on my tale. Just as we get into the open field, he tackles me to the ground. I scream bloody murder as I get trapped beneath him. I fight to make my way out but I fail.
Suddenly he gets whacked over the head by a shovel, wielded by the one and only, Newt.
I scramble backwards, away from Ben. Minho, Thomas, Alby and Gally come running over. Gally and Minho hold him down as he tries to come at me again.
Newt helps me up, "Are you okay?" He asks.
I slowly nod, "I think so.. he came at me out of no where.. yelling it was all my fault.. I don't get it.."
Newt frowns, and Thomas squints at me.
"What?" I ask. He shakes his head, "Somethings just familiar about you, that's all."
"Hey, hold him still!" Alby yells.
"No, don't-" Ben pleads. To his dismay, Alby lifts his shirt up. A blackness spreads from a grueling hold in his abdomen.
"What the hell is that?!" I yell.
"It's a griever sting.. uhm, come on, Y/n, Thomas." Newt forces us to leave the others as a crowd begins to form.
I'm glad for that. I could've died.
"You bolted out of there, huh?" Thomas hums.
"What makes you say that?" I ask.
"Bens a fast guy. You almost outran him. You cou-" Newt slaps a hand over Thomas's mouth, who then gives him a weird look.
"Shut up, Thomas." Newt mumbles.
I roll my eyes, "I could be a runner, right?"
Thomas looks between me and Newt, unsure whether to answer me, or be quiet. Newt gave him a death glare.
...
Apparently Alby had Ben put in the slammer, until they figure out what to do with him. Gally mentioned a banishment, which of course I questioned because I didn't know what he meant.
Gally is a real asshole though. With his snarky comments all the time.