"Where am I?" The girl asked, looking up to Newt with big brown eyes. She glanced around the hut to see Jeff standing there, as well, watching her cautiously. "Who are you?"
Newt hesitantly held his hands in front of him to show her that he didn't mean any harm. She watched him closely as he bent down to her level. "It's okay. You're okay. My name is Newt, and you're in the Glade. No one is going to hurt you. Can you remember your name?"
The girl stayed silent for a moment as she quietly searched her mind for any memories. Her mind was almost blank except for two names: Thomas and-
"Cassie." The girl stated, with furrowed eyebrows of confusion. "It's short for Cassandra. Why can't I remember anything?"
"It's normal. None of us can remember anything from before we woke up here." Newt explained softly to the girl. "Are you sure you don't remember anything? Maybe who sent you or why?"
Cassie shook her head softly as she sat still. Her brown eyes squinted as she thought hard. "I just- a name. Tommy." She stumbled over words as she remembered the boy's name.
"Thomas. What do you remember about Thomas?" Newt asked, slowly taking a seat on the end of the cot that she had sat up on.
The girl closed her eyes as she tried to remember anything, but still the blank remained. "I can't remember anything. Why can't I remember anything?" She asked, opening her eyes and looking over to Newt.
"I don't know. None of us do." Newt told the girl.
"Where's Thomas?" Cassie asked, quietly as she held her knees to her chest.
"He'll be back soon. He left to find some answers." Newt told her, watching her reaction closely. He wanted to understand this girl and why she only remembered Thomas.
Cassie could feel Newt watching her. She avoided making eye contact with the blond boy, but instead observed him from her peripheral vision. He seemed stressed as he bit his thumbnail when he thought she wasn't looking. His brown eyes flickered through emotions as he watched her carefully. His dirty blond hair fell into his face whenever he moved his head downward.
He didn't seem threatening, but rather comforting. His voice was kind and soft when he spoke to her, as though he were scared that she would run away.
"Newt, we need to talk." A voice demanded as a taller, muscular boy entered the room. "We never-" The boy stopped as he noticed one of the girl were awake and sitting up on the cot with Newt. "She's awake."
"What is it, Gally?" Newt huffed out, his tone the complete opposite of when he spoke to Cassie. Newt was irritated just by Gally's presence at this point. He was trying to take Newt's job of second in command since Alby had been out.
"We never finished the meeting about the Greenie earlier. I think we need to. Especially since he just took three other non-runners into the maze with him and Minho." Gally crossed him arms as he spoke, seeming to find himself having a bit of power over Newt's head.
Newt sighed and waved his hand towards the door, knowing it was a fight that Gally wouldn't back down from. "Fine, but Cassie is coming too." Gally's arms dropped as his mouth opened. Before the boy could protest, Newt held a hand up to him. "You want a meeting which means that both Clint and Jeff have to be there. I'm not going to just leave her in here by herself, especially when she'd have to listen to Alby."
Gally huffed before walking out the door. Cassie had watched the whole encounter quietly. Newt rubbed a hand over his face before telling Clint and Jeff to head to the council hall. He stood from the cot and turned towards the girl. "I'm sorry to drag you into this, but Gally won't stop until he gets his way. Maybe some fresh air will help you remember something."
Cassie nodded softly as Newt held out his hand to help her off the cot. She hesitantly took it and got off the cot. Once she was steady on her feet, she released his hand. "Show the way."
Newt gave her a small smile and nod before leading her out of the medical hut. The second the sun hit her eyes she squinted and placed a hand over them to shade them from the harsh rays. She glanced around at the large opening around her. The fields for crops, the makeshift building, but the thing that caught her eye first was the large walls that surrounded the opening she stood in.
Newt seemed to notice the question that was forming on her lips and answered her right away. "Those walls are what separate us from the maze. We're safe in here."
Maze? She questioned in her own mind. Maze. Maze. Maze. The word repeated in her mind.
"They put him in the maze. Things are changing." A feminine voice told her.
"Are you alright?" Newt's voice brought the girl back to earth. She blinked to see that they were almost at the council hall. "You seemed a little too far in thought."
Cassie nodded, furrowing her eyebrows. "Yeah, I'm just trying to make sense of everything, I guess."
It wasn't a total lie. Everything she had been told was confusing her.
"When we get inside there may be some arguing, if you need a minute you can always step out, okay?" Newt told her as he started to reach for the door.
She gave him a soft nod before he pushed the door opened and allowed her to walk in. She quickly took notice of the boy from before; Gally. Alongside him were the two boys in the hut that she had awoken in. The two of them stood next to each other while Gally stood across from them with his arms crossed as he paced impatiently.
The second the door shut behind her Gally looked up at her and Newt. His eyebrows furrowed as he frowned in her direction. It was clear he didn't want her there at all, but where could she even go at the moment? She had literally just awakened in this random place surrounded by boys. She had taken notice within the short time was aware of the walk over that there were no other girls than the other in the hut.
"All right. Let's get this meeting of the Keepers started. Even though Greenies aren't supposed to be in these meetings, Newt isn't going to let you out of his sight. So take a seat, newbie, and keep your mouth shut." Gally stated, starting off the meeting. The girl didn't move at all, instead she raised an eyebrow at the bigger boy. Newt waved for Cassie to take a seat on the dusty makeshift benches. Reluctantly, she did so. She couldn't understand why she obeyed so easily, but she felt as though Newt had her better interests at heart than Gally did. "Firstly, the Greenie has taken three other non-runners into the maze, all of them being Keepers, while being a non-runner himself."
Newt nodded, understanding that Gally wanted the rules to be respected. "Right, and Thomas will be handled when he returns from the maze. Can we move past that because I know you have more that you want to discuss?"
Cassie furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't understand most of the slang that the boys used. Greenie? Keeper? But one word she did recognize was Thomas's name. She didn't understand why there was a sudden surge of familiarity that it brought, but she sat up straighter.
"Thomas?" She spoke up from her spot to the side causing the four boys to glance over at her. She rubbed her hands together. "Why does Thomas need to be handled when he gets back?"
Gally huffed. "No one is allowed in the maze unless they're a runner. You're little boyfriend doesn't seem to understand that rule."
A sudden wave of anger wreaked in her chest at Gally's words. She didn't understand why she felt so protective over Thomas. She wished now more than ever that she had her memories to clear the gaps in her mind, so she could understand herself and her emotions.
"Gally." Newt scolded the bigger boy, who rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. The blond glanced over to the dark haired girl with an apologetic look before focusing back on the three boys in front of him. "What else is it?"
"Alby." The second Gally said that name Newt's face dropped quickly. All the stress and anxiety he felt shown as he crossed his arms and rubbed his chin. "He's been stung, Newt. We need to decide what to do with him before the walls close tonight."
"You want to banish Alby?" Jeff asked, holding his bag strap with one hand as he looked at the bigger boy with an expression of disbelief. "Are you insane?"
"What else are we supposed to do? Huh?" Gally asked the boy aggressively. "He's been stung. There isn't anything we can do for him."
"That would make two banishments within three days." Clint spoke up from beside Jeff. "Imagine how that'll look to the other boys. They'll become scared."
"I know it'll look like that, but we have to do what's best for us. What happens if he gets loose? He could hurt someone." Gally insisted. He sighed as he took a seat a few feet away from Cassie, who watched silently. "Honestly, I don't know why we're talking about this. We don't have a choice. I-if Alby was here, you know he would agree with me."
This time when he spoke it was much softer and less aggressive than before. Cassie could see his emotions clear as day. The way his shoulders dropped when he finished speaking. The way he rubbed his hands together as he leaned on his knees. The genuine look in his eye as he focused on Newt when talking about Alby.
Newt stayed quiet for a moment. His light brown eyes seemed lost in thought as he leaned against a pole holding the structure up. He finally made eye contact with Jeff and Clint as he asked, "Clint, Jeff, how's he doing?"
The two medjacks glanced at one another before Jeff seldomly said, "It's bad. It's getting worse."
Newt sighed as he thought of what to do. He rubbed a hand through his hair as he said, "All right, um, just keep an eye on him. Thanks."
The two medjacks nodded before walking towards the exit of the hall. Just as they reached the door, it slung open and five boys waltzed in in a rush. Gally quickly got to his feet. "Nice of you to join us. Did you boys enjoy your little field trip?"
"What the hell, Gally?" The Korean of the group asked, his posture screamed anger causing Cassie to stand up and cross her arms. She didn't want to have a front row seat to a fight. None of the boys had seemed to notice her as she stood off to the side. "You think you can call a Keeper meeting without us?"
"The last time I checked, the Greenie wasn't a Keeper. You mind waiting outside?" Gally signaled to the door causing a dark haired boy to begin to move when he was stopped.
The Korean boy firmly stated, "He stays."
This caused both the dark haired boy and Gally to look at him in shock. Gally tilted his head. "Fine then. You go, princess." He said, turning to Cassie, who raised an eyebrow at him again. The look on her face silently questioned him if he were crazy.
"She stays, too, Gally. I told you before." Newt stepped in. He noticed Minho and Thomas glance at each other in surprise that not only was the girl awake, but that he had stood up to Gally for her.
"Clint and Jeff are back in the medjack hut, she'll be fine." Gally argued.
"And I'm in charge with Alby not being here, so I say she stays." Newt sassed back.
Everyone stayed quiet for a moment as they watched the two boys stared each other down, almost testing the other to make a wrong move. Gally finally backed off, so Minho spoke up. "What's the meaning of this, Newt?"
"We've got two hours until sundown. We've got to figure out what to do with Alby." Newt admitted to the group of boys. His frown ever present on his lips.
"You want to banish him?" Winston asked the second in command, who hung his head.
"No. No one wants to banish him, but he's stung. We don't have a choice." Gally explained to the boys.
The dark haired boy's face lit up as he began to argue. "Yes, we do."
Gally tilted his head at the boy. "You say something, newbie?" He sassed.
Cassie rolled her eyes at the bigger boy's false display of aggression as she stepped closer to Newt to be more involved with what was going on.
"Yeah, we have a choice. We don't have to banish Alby." The dark haired boy told Gally.
"Right, and how's that?" Gally questioned the boy with an attitude.
The dark haired boy turned to Minho and snatched something out of his bag before handing it to Newt. It looked like a metal component for a robot to Cassie.
"We found this on our little field trip. It was inside a griever." He said as he took his place next to Minho again.
"These are the same letters we get in our supplies." Newt stated, examining the part in his hands. It looks to be covered in black slime causing Cassie to crinkle her nose up at it a bit.
"Yeah. Whoever put us here obviously made the Grievers. This is the first real clue, the first anything, you've found in over three years. Right, Minho?" The dark haired boy glanced over to the Korean next to him, who agreed with him.
"Newt, we gotta go back out there. Who knows where this might lead us." The boy stated, almost in a begging manner. It was clear he wanted answers more than anyone.
Gally wasn't having it as he frowned and looked over to Newt with a scrunched up pout. "You see what he's trying to do, right? First he breaks our rules and then he tries to convince us to abandon them totally. The rules are the only thing that have ever held us together. Why now are we questioning that? If Alby was here, you know he'd agree with me. This shank needs to be punished."
Cassie crossed her arms as she placed all her weight to one leg. "Why are you constantly bringing Alby up right now? It's clear Alby isn't here, so Newt is the one you should be listening to. Right?"
The boys looked at the girl in shock. They didn't realize that the quiet girl would sass Gally of all the boys, but it was clear she was getting fed up with his attitude. Newt gave held his hand out to her to calm her down a bit before looking over to Gally.
"You're right, Gally. Thomas broke the rules. One night in the pit, and no food." Newt gave out his punishment to the dark haired boy. Cassie's brown eyes widened as she realized that the boy in front her had been the infamous Thomas that she had only remembered the name of.
"Come on, Newt! One night in the pit? Do you think that's gonna stop him from going into the maze?" Gally seemed to argue like a child that had been told he couldn't play with his favorite toy.
"No. And we can't just have non-runners running into the maze whenever they feel like it." The blond said, shifting his gaze onto Thomas. "So let's just make this official. Starting from tomorrow, you're a runner."
The room stood quiet. Tension hung in the air as everyone seemingly looked over to Gally to see how he would react. All the bigger boy could say was "Wow."
He began to walk out, realizing he didn't get his way. The dark skinned boy tried to stop him as he left, only to be pushed back. "No, Fry." Gally said before pushing the door open and exiting the hall. The rest of the boys filed out behind him leaving Minho, Thomas, Newt, and Cassie standing in the room silent.
After a few moments, Thomas spoke up, "Thanks, Newt."
The blond simply gave the boy a silent nod before his eyes found the girl standing next to him. "Thomas, Minho, this Cassie. She woke shortly after you left."
Cassie gave them both a tight lipped smile as she stood there awkwardly. Thomas looked as though he were about to ask her a question. Seeming to know what question he would be asking, she quickly said. "I don't remember anything, I swear. I just remember your name and someone telling me that things were going to change."
A look of realization crossed Thomas's face, but he quickly masked it. Cassie still caught the look though. It was as though she had been trained to see the small things about people.
He gave her a soft nod. "Then I guess the only thing to do is welcome you to the Glade." He glanced to Newt to see if he were right in this situation. Earning a small nod and grin, Thomas felt accomplished as she smiled over to the girl.
"Is that what this place is called?" Cassie raised her eyebrows at the boys. "I'll be honest. One of you are going to have to explain things a little better because I am beyond confused about what all is going on."
"I'll explain. I'm sure Minho has somewhere very important to take Thomas right now." Newt stated, glancing over to Minho, who agreed.
"Yeah, if the Greenie is going to be a runner, he's going to need a bit of training." Minho joked as he gave Thomas a grin. He tilted his head towards the door and began to walk that direction.
Thomas didn't follow at first, not wanting to leave the girl behind. For some reason, he felt protective over her. "Maybe we can talk later?"
Cassie gave a soft nod. "Yeah, sounds like a plan."
Thomas nodded before heading to the door. After the two runners left, Cassie looked over to Newt, who was softly biting on his thumbnail. "Are first days always this hectic?"
"No. Not at all." Newt admitted with a warm smile. He tilted his head towards the door. "C'mon, I'll explain everything in more detail for you."