𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐙𝐄, 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐏𝐔𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐙𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐓.
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏
The sun beamed down blinding the new Greenie in the cage. With a confused look on his face he soon realised 30 other boys were stood over him. Laughing smirking. Without hesitation a boy jumped down and look at the Greenie. Brown scruffy hair, brown eyes to go with. In an old worn blue t-shirt, and some green joggers to cover his legs. Boots like trainers sat protecting his feet.
"Day 1 Greenie. Rise and shine." He picked the boy up by the collar and stopped looking at him up and down. "What the hell did they do to you?"
Confused, frighted and angry the new Greenie fell onto the healthy emerald grass. Still surrounded by boys, observing him. Laughter filled their faces. Whilst this was happening, ringing in the Greenie's ear echoed around him. Picking up himself, his feet carried him running, he didn't know where. But just away.
"Hey we got a runner!" One of the boys shouted. The ringing continued. Stopping to hold his head, the Greenie looked around. Grey, deathly, 20feet tall walls of stone surrounded a square. Ivy's coming down from the top. One thing he did notice was there was a gap. Almost like a door. It was open.
Panting, the Greenie was pushed into a pit like prison. What is this place? Why am I here? What are they going to do to me? How can I get out? Can I get out? That's all the Greenie thought about looking out the bamboo door.
"Hey." A coloured man with high authority in his voice knelt down. "You're not going to run again right? My names Alby. I'm the leader here. I'm here to show you around. Get out." Opening the bamboo door he would chuckle to himself offering a hand up to help the Greenie out. Taking his hand he looked at Alby confused.
"Now. Can you tell me who you are? Where you came from? Anything at all?" Alby asked.
"I can't remember. Why can't I remember?" The Greenie shook his head panicking.
"It's okay. You'll get your name back in a day or two." Alby smiled. "It's the only thing they let us keep."
"Who's they?" The Greenie asked.
Trying to avoid the answer Alby would start walking from the prison towards a tower in the distance.
"Relax. It's normal. It happens to us all." Alby said so calmly.
"What is this place?" The Greenie asked.
"I'm showing you." Alby smirked. "We eat here. Sleep here. We grow our own food. Build our own shelters. Whatever we need the box provides. Everything else is up to us."
"The box?"
"Yeah. Once a month. They send up fresh supplies and a new Greenie. This month that's you congratulations." Alby said.
"Sent up by who?"
"We don't know." Alby replied. "All we know is they put us here for some odd reason."
The Greenie would nod.
"I'm sorry about this rushing. But we have a lot of things to do and something special planned tonight ." Alby said as they got closer to the tower. "Hope you're not afraid of heights. Come on."
The tower was built around a cut down tree. Made from bamboo was the floor, the railing, the trapdoor. The tower overlooked all of the grass, trees, huts. Looking down, the Greenie felt uneasy but then soon realised it was so peaceful up here.
"This is all we got. We worked hard for it." Alby said leaning on the bamboo railing looking at the new fresh meat. "You respect this place and you and everyone get along just fine."
Almost immediately the Greenie spoke.
"What's out there?" The Greenie pointed towards the open space in the tall surrounding walls. His hand slightly trembling.
Getting serious, Alby got up from resting on the bamboo railing and stood straight up.
"We only have 3 rules. First. Do your part. Second. Never harm another glader. This whole thing works by trust. And most importantly, never go beyond those walls. You hear me Greenie?" Alby said with the Greenie next to him nodding slightly. "You're not like the others. You're curious."
"Is that a good thing or bad thing?" The Greenie asked.
"That's your choice." Alby said.
"Hey Alby!" A voice came down from below. Peering over the edge, Alby and the Greenie looked down to find a young chubby boy squinting up smiling brightly with a hammock and rope in his arms. His brown curly hair and his dirty clothes made his personality straight away. He was just a kid. They all were.
"Hey Chuck!" Alby shouted back. "Where you been?"
•••••
"It's the same for all of us. Wake up in the box. Alby shows us around. Then we go along with it." Chuck said setting up the Greenies hammock for him. Turning around Chuck realised the Greenie was walking straight for the tall walls. No sorry. Towards the open tall walls. Quickly, Chuck ran after him finally catching up with him.
"Dude what are you doing? You can't go near here?" Chuck asked tugging at his arm to go back.
"Just relax I just want to look." The Greenie reassured Chuck.
"Let's go back." Chuck said. The Greenie watched as two boys ran out from the tall walls into the Glade. Both jogging, both smiling.
"You on Greenie duty Chuck?" One of them asked.
"Yep." Chuck replied.
"Good luck." The other one said chuckling.
"Minho and Ben." Chuck said.
"I thought no one could leave." The Greenie said watching them run away.
"They're different there runners. They know more about the maze than any of us." Chuck covered his mouth. "Oh god."
"Maze? Runners?" The Greenie asked looking back at the opening. "It's a maze."
The Greenie would walk closer to the walls looking inside.
"Don't get closer. You can't leave. Especially not now it's dangerous." Chuck said.
"Alright okay. I'm just taking a look."
Suddenly, the Greenie flew to the floor.
"We got to stop meeting like this Greenie." The Greenie knew that voice. It was the guy who helped him out of the box before. Ugh.
"What the hell! Get off me!" The Greenie get up quickly coughing.
"Just calm down." The boy said hoping the Greenie would calm. Chuck watched worried about the Greenie.
"Why won't you tell what's out there?" The Greenie asked.
"It's for your own good." A boy with blondish hair said. He had a limp. I don't know why.
"You can't just keep me in here." The Greenie shouted.
"We can't let you leave." Alby said.
"Leave him alone!" A voice came from the walls. The boy who pushed the Greenie over before was now on the floor. Standing over him stood a brown haired girl angry. With a blue dirty shirt on and black cargos on.
"He was going to leave!" The boy said getting up face to face with the redhead.
"Back off Galy. He wouldn't have left you shank." She snarled at him.
Seeing this the Greenie would look back at the maze where a gush of wind and rumbling sound came from. Machine and metal clunk as the walls started to close. Making a racket the others would watch but the Greenie would cover his ears watching.
"What the hell..." The Greenie whispered.
"Next time. I'm going to let you leave." Galy said walking past the Greenie.
"Shut up Galy." The girl would look at the Greenie and nod walking off towards the fire.
"Welcome to the Glade." Alby would said as the Greenie looked at him.
•••••
As the day died, the Gladers came to life. A massive fire started in the middle with all the boys cheering. Eating, drinking, laughing and chanting the Gladers had fun. But, off to the side sat the Greenie deep in his thoughts.
"You alright there?" The girl asked sitting down next to him.
"Yeah. Yeah." The Greenie moved up and coughed warming up his throat.
"You got any questions about this place?" She asked.
Looking at her, Thomas noticed her beauty. Her ocean blue eyes. Perfect straight teeth. Perfect jawline. Amazing smile. Perfect personality. Perfect body.
"I-." The Greenie couldn't get his words out. Both of them chuckled as the girl passed the Greenie some of her food cooked from the fire.
"Thanks." The Greenie said eating it straight away.
"No problem".
"So. It's it's a maze right?" The girl nodded. "After all this time how has no one found a way out?" The Greenie asked.
"You hear that?" The girl asks pointing up into the sky. Sound of stone against stone and rumble from the distance.
"What's that?"
"It's the maze. Changing. Happens every night." The girl answered.
"How's that even possible?" The Greenie asked.
"Ask the people who put us here. Whoever they are."
"What's your name?"
"Paige. Paige Everdeen." The girl answered smiling. "You know you're yet?"
"Nothing." The Greenie giggled with Paige. "Why don't you call me Greenie?"
"I didn't like it so you probably won't. Plus Galy hates when I called him Greenie for a whole month. So it's his name now." Paige smiled.
"What are you?" The Greenie asked.
"Runner." Paige smiled.
"I want to be a runner." The Greenie replied.
"No one wants to be a runner." Paige smirked.
"What do runners even do?"
"Did you see that guy over there?" Paige points to Minho eating some food. "He's the keeper of us. We go out into the maze and map it memorise it."
"What's out there?"
"Death." Paige replied.
"What happens when you don't come back in time and the doors close?" The Greenie asked.
"You're stuck out there for the night. No one has survived a night in the maze." Paige said. "Right. That's too many questions for one night. Come on."
"Oh no." The Greenie said.
"No come on." Paige would offer him a hand. Looking at her the Greenie would take it getting up.
The blazing fire at the centre of the cheering young men, warmed the glade. Filling the void, making them forget about their worries for one night. Paige and the Greenie walked around looking at everyone.
"So. We have builders. They're not smart. Slicers. First aid. They spend most of their time patching up the Slicers." Paige stopped with the Greenie next to her.
"What if I want to be a runner?"
"You have to prove to Minho. You can be a runner." Paige said looking at him confused.
"How did you become a runner?" The Greenie asked curiously.
"I saved Chuck. When he first got here, he went out into the maze. I ran after him saved him. Right before the doors closed." Paige smiled. "After that. Minho and me have always looked after Chuck like he was our little brother."
"What a hero you are Paige." Newt smiled putting his arm over her laughing. The skinny boy with blondish brown hair smiled looking at Thomas. He was the boy with a limp.
"You must be the new Greenie. I'm Newt." He said.
"You and Paige a thing here?" The Greenie asked.
"God no. He's an annoying brother." Paige pushed Newt off her. "Plus he's not my type."
"What is your type?" Newt asked.
"Not you." Paige replied.
"Funny." Newt pushed Paige's head gently as the pair laughed.
Suddenly, the Greenie fell towards Newt and Paige and onto the floors
"Woah." The Greenie replied smacking his head on the floor.
"Hey! Gally watch it!" Newt said helping the Greenie up.
"Wait I remember my name! I'm Thomas!" The Greenie shouted looking around.
"Thomas!" Alby shouted as the other boys cheered.
"Welcome home." Paige smiled walking away from the crowd of the cheering boys. Watching Paige walk away, Thomas made his way through the crowd after her.