CHAPTER FIFTEEN: BREATHE
"And this, Layla, is your room." A man pointed to the door, and Layla found herself looking through the small window on it, quickly taking note that it was an empty room. "All the other rooms have already been filled up, so you'll be alone until we have more space available."
You'll be alone.
Layla quickly shook her head, "No— no, the boys are my friends. I'm sure I could find some room in there, I'd rather not be alone. We were always together before, so it's really no issue—"
The man sighed, interrupting her. "We can talk about this later." He finalized, beginning to open the door. Layla had a very strong feeling that they wouldn't be talking about it later. She pushed down her anger and unease, and kept her lips shut.
Layla let out a small squeak as the man pushed her into the room, and closed the door behind her. She turned to send a glare through the window, but he had already walked away.
The silence was deafening, and the only noises that she could hear were the sounds that came from the vents. The soft air blowing in sent chills down Layla's spine, but she quickly ignored it as she began to look around.
There were multiple bunk beds lined up against the walls, leaving the middle of the room to be an open space. Layla tilted her head at the sight of a sink between two bunk beds, with a mirror placed above it.
She sighed softly, which bed should I choose. The thought rang bitterly in her mind. She could take any one she wanted.
It was strange how unfamiliar it felt. As she looked at the bunk beds, it reminded her of how... far from home she felt—how far from home she was.
The empty bunk beds felt wrong. Where was the laughter? Where were the people?
Layla realized that she was getting carried away with her thoughts, and frowned as it dawned on her that she had no idea why it was bothering her so much. She had always had her own room back in the Glade, so this should've been no issue.
Calm down, Layla. Breathe.
She slowly walked forward, and the silence slowly began to grow more unbearable as the seconds passed. Layla let her hands brush over the thin blankets on the bed nearest to her left. They felt rough. The pillow was flat and the blankets were covered in wrinkles, despite the empty room. Had it been used before she arrived? Was everyone from this room now taken to 'the farm'?
Were they safe?
As Layla sat down on one of the lower beds, she cringed internally at the creaking sound that it made—a horrible sound that scratched at her ears, making her hands twitch, nearly going to block out the sound. She breathed slowly, letting her hands rest on the metal bed frame, before she quickly pulled them away at the cold feeling that spread across her fingers.
Layla had never felt so uncomfortable in a space before—and she had been in the Maze, so it was saying a lot.
She slowly pulled her legs into her chest as she shuffled backwards, leaning her back against the wall. The room was filled with the unsettling feeling of dread, and it was thick.
Being alone was one of Layla's least favourite things.
Maybe in her old life, whatever it was, she would say different; but Layla had changed since then. Whether she cared to admit it or not, she was a different person.
She had seen people come and go, known her life was not hers to control as adults in power chose what her next move would be. That was something strangely familiar to her, but it was her lack of memory that ruined her.
Who am I? Where do I belong? What do I do?
Her thoughts were loud. Too loud. It felt like there was a pressure building up in her skull, begging to break free. It felt like her head was going to explode.
You'll see them soon, Layla. Just calm down.
She quickly realized that telling herself that she would see the boys soon didn't help, because how would she calm herself until then? Why did being alone feel so different now? She had known loneliness before.
It's so quiet. Why is it so quiet?
Realization struck her again. Dwelling on her own worries was useless. Pointless. A complete waste of time. Just go to sleep. She frowned as she pulled her legs closer to her chest. Just rest.
Layla crawled over to the top end of the bed, and pulled back the covers. She sniffled softly from the dust that was floating through the air as she took off her shoes, dropping them to the side of the bed.
She shivered slightly as she tucked herself into the cold covers, hoping that her body heat would warm them up quickly.
As Layla closed her eyes, her mind was plagued the faint sound of laughter ringing in her ears. Old memories swarmed her mind, and then she could finally breathe again.
Layla was sitting in a cabin with warm coloured wood that had visible damage; scrapes, scratches, dents. It looked well lived in; but that was obvious by the absurd amount of sleeping bags littering the floor, and the clearly used bunk beds.
She was also fuming. She was soaked to the bone with freezing cold water, and she could barely hear the sound of laughter coming from a few feet away from her. She had always liked the Stoll brothers' laughs, but in the current moment she wanted to strangle the two of them.
"We told you we'd get you!" One of them, Connor, laughed. Layla looked up at them through her lashes. For the first time, they seemed to realize how angry she was.
Layla was not someone you wanted to get angry.
Their smiles dropped, and Travis chuckled awkwardly, looking sheepish. It was a strange look on him. New. "It was just a joke, Layla."
Layla's eyes narrowed.
"Uh oh." Connor muttered.
"Let's go." Travis reached his arm over to shove his brother, and the two were running faster than Layla ever could. Once again, they were laughing.
Layla was on her feet in seconds, rushing out of the cabin that she stayed in and zipping through the camp in a false hope to get close enough to the two boys. A few Campers nearby saw the three, and laughed quietly to themselves (or loudly), which only made Layla angrier.
But in the back of her mind, Layla was amused, and was already planning her revenge.
Suddenly, the scene shifted. It was like Layla was pulled back through the door to a new cabin. It was unfamiliar, and she realized her mind was her own again. She wasn't viewing the world through a memory anymore, it was all real.
She thought for a moment. Connor, Travis. She added it to her mental list of names. She would try her hardest to remember the Stoll brothers.
A part of her wondered if she ever got her revenge on them, and a bittersweet feeling hit her hard. She had a home somewhere out there, and she was welcome. They treated her like a friend. She needed to get back to it.
Layla was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of a pencil dropping. As she turned to face what was behind her, she managed to process the ridiculous amounts of books, maps and scrolls in this cabin before she was face to face with a girl.
She had beautiful dark skin, and startling grey eyes. Her hair was in braids, blending from black to light blonde. Layla took note of the streak of white peaking through. The girl's shirt was a bright orange, which Layla immediately knew she hated, but she supposed that her jeans looked all right.
She was probably the prettiest girl Layla had ever seen, even if Layla had only seen very few. Layla hoped the girl knew that she was pretty too.
Then, she spoke. Her voice was so soft that Layla couldn't even hear it, but she read the blonde's lips. The girl was speaking her name. The girl knew who she was.
Slowly, the girl turned her head, and Layla followed her line of sight. It came to a shock that she had missed it before, but sitting on the bed with his mouth agape was someone Layla recognized. Percy Jackson.
She had seen him before, and he was also the boy who Thomas reminded her of. Him and the blonde seemed to be having a conversation with their eyes.
Percy turned to face her, shocked and hopeful. "Layla?" He asked softly. "Are... are you real?"
Layla stared at him for a long moment, thinking of what to say. "Strangely enough," she started slowly, "I was going to ask you the same thing."
The blonde let out a laugh that sounded as if she was holding back a sob. "It's been so long." She said softly. Then, as if remembering something, she asked a question that she looked like she was dreading. It looked like asking made her want to be sick. "Do you remember us." She rushed out.
Layla frowned. She knew that if Percy knew her, and this girl knew Percy, than she must've been friends with her too. She didn't want to disappoint them with her answer, but she knew she had to be honest.
"No." Layla muttered. Tears gathered in the blonde's eyes, and when Layla glanced at Percy, they were gathering in his too, but they were trying not to cry. Layla continued, knowing that neither of them would speak. "Um," she started. It was strange how she wanted to comfort them, when she supposed she needed the comfort more—it felt both unfair and wrong to even think like that. They were hurting too. "I can explain, I guess. I don't know what this is, or when I'll wake up, so I'll be quick."
The blonde nodded immediately. "Okay, one second." She nodded, rushing to a desk.
Layla watched as she gathered some things, while Percy turned to face her. He sighed softly before speaking. "This is Annabeth." He said. Annabeth paused, realizing that she had forgotten to introduce herself. The thought never crossed her mind, because to her, Layla was a lifelong friend. She tried to push it to the back of her mind and reached for a pencil nearby.
Layla stood, waiting to see if the name helped any memories resurface. Nothing came back to her.
"Well," she said, "I know you. I don't really know... why I remembered you, but I did. Only your name though." This caused Percy to smile a little.
"I lost my memory once, too." He said, like he couldn't stop himself before speaking. "You weren't there when it happened." He stopped himself from frowning.
Layla was interested, "really?"
He nodded, "yeah, it's—"
"A really long story." Annabeth interrupted, a real smile appearing on her face. "We don't know how long this will last, and Layla said she'd like to explain." She reminded. Layla's eyes went from Percy to Annabeth a few times, wondering if they were more than friends. It seemed like it.
Percy nodded, sheepish. "Right."
Annabeth was now holding a pen, and a notebook. "I don't, um, write very fast. I'm dyslexic, so I'll do small notes, but don't worry about waiting for me. Talk at your own pace." She moved to sit next to Percy on the bed, laying her legs over his.
Layla thought about sitting on a bunk bed too, but she had a strange fear of falling through it—if she technically wasn't there. It was just some sort of... connection? She hoped it wasn't a silly fear.
Instead, Layla sat down on the floor, crossing her legs. "I'll be brief." She said. The two nodded, waiting to hear her story. They looked as if they had been waiting for years. "So... my first memory is me waking up in a box. Well, it's like... an elevator." It had always been strange to Layla that she remembered basic things, but had no memory of the things she was thinking of. Like bicycles and amusement parks. She knew they existed, but she had no memories of them.
"Nothing before that?" Percy asked.
"Nothing at all." Layla said. "Not even my name. It came to me a few days later though. Anyway, when the elevator stopped, a door opened above me, and there were about a dozen teenage boys looking down at me." The two ahead of Layla looked beyond confused, but she continued. "Long story short, they helped me out and explained where I was. None of them had memories. We were stuck in a Maze with seemingly... no way out, and I was the first girl they'd ever had."
Annabeth looked worried when she heard that, but Layla reassured her. "They were mostly curious, it was fine. My friend, Newt, would always keep them in line anyway." She hesitated. "Alby, too." She never realized how hard it was to talk about him until then.
Annabeth and Percy had looks of understanding wash over them, but they didn't speak. Layla was grateful.
"In the middle of the Maze is where we stayed. We called it, the Glade. It was our home—the closest thing we had to one, anyway. Alby had found a way to keep the order so it was safe, too. We had three rules."
Percy frowned, "what were they?"
"Do your part. We had to work for what we had, and everyone had a different job. Never harm another Glader," Layla held up a hand, "which is what we called ourselves. And never go into the Maze. Only specific people could do that. It was too dangerous for anyone else."
It was silent for a moment. "Dangerous how?" Percy asked, worried. "It's only a maze, right?"
Layla inhaled deeply, trying to ignore the memories of the darker days of the Maze that resurfaced. "The doors to the Maze close every night, and open every morning. It's to protect us, in a way. At night, Griever's roam around the Maze; these... monsters. I'd rather not get into them, but they're terrible. No one ever survives a night in the Maze." She huffed, "well..."
Annabeth glanced up from her notebook. "Well?"
"One night, after the newest Greenie—a name for new Gladers—had arrived, my friend Minho and I were in a... bad situation, to put it lightly." The two ahead of Layla sat up straight, listening intently. "Alby was attacked by a Griever during the day, which has never happened before. Griever's sting you, which makes you all crazy, so he was trying to kill us." Layla's voice had gone softer, "Minho knocked him out, and we were dragging him to the doors. We weren't fast enough, but we didn't want to leave him in the Maze. When we got close enough to the Maze doors to see everyone... Thomas, the Greenie, slipped through the doors before they shut." Layla paused for a moment. "We probably wouldn't have made it if it weren't for him."
It was silent, but Layla was only staring at Percy. "I don't know if it'll sound weird, but I think he reminds me of you. I'm not sure why."
"You're starting to remember more frequently, aren't you?" Annabeth asked. "When did it start?"
"That night in the Maze, after Thomas killed a Griever."
Annabeth smiled, "sounds like something Percy would do. Show up, and get the camp riled up a few hours later by causing a scene." She looked at Percy as if referencing something that Layla couldn't remember. She had the feeling that Percy had done something similar, like memories were trying to resurface once again.
"Anyway," Layla couldn't help the smile. She felt comfortable, like her body knew that these people were family, but her brain had forgotten. "Something important to note: we were put there. Had our memories wiped by a group called WCKD. For as long as we were there, we didn't know who they were, or why we were there... but when we got out," Layla purposely skipped passed all the people she lost and Griever's she fought, "we saw a video clip. A woman named Ava Paige explained that they sent us to the Maze to monitor our brain. She said we were important."
Percy frowned, and Annabeth did too. It clearly didn't sit right with them either. "Why would they need to do that?" He asked.
"We learned that the world around us had been scorched by the sun, and a virus broke out not long after it. It's called the Flare. I'm... not really familiar with it, but I know it makes people violent. It has no cure. Some people, younger people, are immune. They wanted to do tests on us to see what made us different, and to find a cure."
Annabeth and Percy looked at each other for a long time, thinking. Layla could tell why, but she had been ignoring it—ignoring the obvious for as long as she could.
Annabeth turned to her, hesitant. "Layla, we've never heard of the Flare, and the rest of the world is fine—or at least, not scorched. Um..." she turned to Percy like she was trying to figure out what to say.
"I know." Layla said. She could tell, from both her memories, which she new to be more recent, and the look of the cabin. If these two were living in a ruined world, they would not be as carefree as they were now. "I know it's hard to believe, but please trust me I saw it. The Maze was surrounded by sand—nothing else. And when the others took us in, we saw these... things. People with the Flare. It was awful, but please—"
Percy had stood up and crouched in front of her, "Layla, breathe." He said. Layla took in a breath and nodded. She was so scared to lose her only chance at going home. She needed them to believe her.
Annabeth was now next to Percy, a sincere look in her eyes. "We believe you." She said.
Layla relaxed.
Annabeth continued. "We'll figure this out. We'll find you, Layla." Her voice was comforting. "We—" she cut herself off, but Layla knew what she was about to say. We promise.
Annabeth couldn't promise that, and Layla didn't blame her. She also liked Annabeth's honesty.
"Is there anything else you need to tell us?" Annabeth asked.
"These other people took us in." Layla said. "We don't know who they are, but I don't trust them. Thomas doesn't either, but the others are more comfortable. These people found other mazes like ours, with small differences of course. All girls, one boy. That type of thing. And every week they take kids to... some sort of farm, I think? That's what another kid said. He said it's a safe place, but I don't think I believe it. I know something's wrong."
Annabeth nodded, "we can't help you from here," she said. "But keep an eye on everything, and stay safe. You're probably right, if you think something's off."
"I know." Layla muttered. "Anyway, I'm in a room to myself, and the boys are somewhere else. I went to sleep... and had a dream? It might've been a memory. These boys named Connor and Travis, I think." Layla faintly saw Annabeth and Percy begin to grin in her peripheral as she looked down to think. "And after that, I was here. I don't... I don't know what this is."
She started before either of them could talk again. "It's happened before, too. Only when I'm sleeping. I saw you talking to Nico," neither of them looked surprised, and that seemed right because Percy and her had made eye contact back then. "And I heard him talking to a girl named Hazel, once. But that's the only time it's happened. It's becoming more frequent."
"Only when you're asleep?" Annabeth repeated for confirmation.
Layla nodded, "yes."
Annabeth turned to Percy. "We could talk to someone from the Hypnos Cabin, see what they know." She said, causing Layla to frown. Hypnos? Then, she turned to Layla. "Do you think you'll be able to do this again? Or maybe control it?"
Layla was thoughtful. It was something she had considered since it first started. "It'll probably happen again. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised. But I haven't exactly tried to do it, it just happens. I never chose who I'm talking to either."
Annabeth wrote that down, "okay. We'll talk when we see you next, though."
As Annabeth said that, it was as if Layla's body had become consciously aware that she was sleeping, and was trying to wake up. She rushed to speak now, somewhat panicked. She hadn't realized how much she liked talking to Percy or Annabeth until then. "I think I'm waking up, but I have one more question."
Annabeth and Percy seemed to share Layla's panic now—but they nodded, ready. "Anything." Percy said.
"I don't know who my friends are, but I know that I have family. Thomas remembered something a little bit ago. He remembered me calling for my brother, and said his name was Nico." Annabeth and Percy looked surprised, but Percy's lips twitched upward at the news. "I don't... remember anything about him, but I know what he looks like, and who he is to me. Can you tell him everything I said? Can you promise to keep him in the loop, please? Because he sounded worried before, and I feel really bad—"
"We'll tell him." Annabeth assured. Layla looked at her, and she looked guilty. Layla couldn't quite figure out why, but she spoke before the she could ask. "Next time we see you, we'll tell you who you are."
It was like a weight had been lifted off Layla's chest. All the questions she had could finally be answered. She had never felt so relieved in her life, she was sure of it.
Percy nodded in agreement. "We'll help you out. We pro—"
Layla's eyes shot open. She was awake.
She stayed there for a while, unmoving, trying to keep track of everything she had seen and all she had learned. Connor, Travis, Annabeth.
She had gotten through to her friends. They knew what had happened to her. While she wasn't safe, she was seen and heard.
Layla smiled.
—————
lizzie speaks...
layla: i'll be brief
also layla: takes forever to explain everything
I'M BACKKKK!!
i've had SO MANY ISSUES trying to get this uploaded. wattpad crashing, the website causing issues, my computer won't connect to wifi for some reason which is where i watch the movie as i write. omfg i can't but i managed to get this out for you. if there's any more issues i'll let y'all know, but i won't quit i promise 🤞
also decided to go for show annabeth description. they're both fantastic, as i already have a fic with book annabeth. they'll both be getting love from me (although i kept the hair and eyes. sort of a mix of both i suppose)
also sorry for switching between WCKD and WICKED so much. never realized i did that. sticking to WCKD though bc i believe that's what the movies did
lastly, due to issues with the Wattpad app and website, memes for chapters will be put on hold </3