୨⎯chapter one, box.⎯୧
⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅
𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍, gasping for air before realising she was in complete darkness. suddenly a series of red lights flickered to life, bathing the darkness in a sinister glow. the girl started to feel a shortness of breath, panic flared in her chest as she realised whatever she was in was moving upwards at a fast pace. the loud jarring sounds of metal on metal filled her ears, pulling her completely out of the fog that consumed her mind.
swallowing hard, the girl felt her mouth dry and her hands begin to shake. disorientation washed over her as her eyes started to adjust to the darkness and she slowly rose from her crumpled position on the ground ignoring the ache in her chest. she began to hastily feel her surroundings, with her head pounding she felt metal bars all around her as if she was in a small cage, her fingers curled around the barrier straining for a glimpse beyond. a small jolt knocked the girl backwards causing her to bump into what seemed like wooden boxes stacked on top of eachother, a few toppled to the ground from the impact.
with fear consuming her body she sank down to the floor and dragged her shaking hand through her long hair. in attempt to calm her self down she tried to dig into her mind to find something, anything about where she was, who she was and what was happening. but nothing came to mind.
the metal box she was in jolted and started to move upwards at an even faster pace causing the girls heart to drop, another wave of panic washed over her. the sharp wind cascaded down on her body like cold water as she quickly stumbled too her feet again and started to bang on the metal bars that rattled at the impact of her fists. "HELP!" she screamed into the never ending darkness as loud as she could, causing her throat to sting. "SOMEONE, PLEASE!" no response. every breath she took felt like her last, they became sharp and shallow gasping for air as if her lungs were closing in on her. the girl let herself sink back down to the floor in despair when she realised no one was coming, she let a few tears glide down her face as she buried her heavy head in her unstable hands, she was terrified.
a long time passed. minutes stretched into what felt like hours, although it was impossible to tell because every second felt like an eternity. the cage jolted to a harsh stop, a loud screeching sound filling the thick air. the girl's head lifted from its position as a small line of light appeared above her. she backed even further back into the corner afraid of whatever fate lay ahead of her, a few tears still remained on her damp cheeks as she continued to gasp for air to fill her lungs. though the girl's tears stopped immediately as she heard voices from above her, the metal doors above swung open and rays of sunshine blarred down on the girl temporarily blinding her. a thud echoed from beside her as if someone had jumped in the box, she held her limp arm over her eyes as she squinted to see a silhouette of a boy leaning over peering down at her looking like he'd seen a ghost.
"holy shit." he muttered his mouth slightly agape, grabbing the attention of the others.
"what do you see down there, newt?"
"i bet they klunked their pants!"
"yeah, just like you did when you came up in the box."
"hey! that was not me!"
"shut up you slintheads!"
the alarmed girls chest was still beating at the same pace as she made short eye contact with the blonde boy infront of her. her eyes quickly darted from him and onto her surroundings that hung above her, she lifted her head and her gaze was met with a bright blue sky the rest being blocked by around 30 to 40 boys surrounding the box she was in, all of them peering down at her with curious expressions.
"alby, it's a girl.." the blonde boy infront of her spoke as he glanced up in shock.
"a girl!?"
"how's that possible.."
"move! let me see!"
"why now?"
"i call dibs!"
"shut it you shanks!" the boy she assumed was named alby jumped down inside the box. his attention to detail made him realise the girl was in the midst of a panic attack. her shortness of breath, her sweat, goosebumps on her arms, her fidgeting and the stained tears on her face were indicators. the girl's eyes shifted away from the dark-skinned boy and back up to all the boys surrounding the box.
"she's having a panic attack." alby stated. "i need everyone to clear the way."
the british accept spoke up again. "you heard him, move!" all the boys gave the girl one last curious glance before dispersing, obeying the boys command. "hey, hey." the blonde boy spoke trying to grab her attention to him as she glanced back at him staring into his brown eyes. "i'm newt, we need to get you out of here before you get worse, c'mon."
the girl eyes widened as she shook her head. "who are you? where am i?"
"i'll explain everything once we get you out of this box. but you need to get out of this so you can get fresh air." newt soothed, she blinked in surprise at the unexpected kindness in his tone. he smiled weakly at the girl before offering his hand to help her up. "come on, i've got you."
she hesitated for a moment unsure of whether to trust him but something about his demeanour put her at ease. for some reason the girl felt a wave of familiarity come over her making her want to trust the strange boy in front of her, a sort of warm feeling. she slowly nodded as her chest began to steady itself again. with a deep breath she reached out clasping onto his hand tightly. his hands were rough, but warm.
the girl attempted to balance on her own two feet, stumbling slightly as her head felt light. the two boys glanced at each other with concerned expressions, not sure what to do with the weak girl in front of them. "gally get over here!" alby called out motioning for someone to come over. a boy rushed to the leader of the group a thin smile formed on his lips when he made eye contact with the scared girl. "need you to lift her out, she can't lift herself up."
"yeah, of course." gally jumped down inside the box noticing the dried tears on her face and the water forming in her eyes. "I'm going to pick you up, okay?"
the girl hesitantly nodded letting the boy place his left arm under her legs and right arm under her back. gally walked over to alby who was now leaned over the box, raising her up for him to grab. "oh shuck, you're really light." alby pointed out before placing her down on the grass.
the girl's brows furrowed as she looked around at the towering walls surrounding them. "where am i?" the girl asked in desperation, using her hands to shield her face from the bright light.
the three boys glanced at each other before alby spoke again avoiding the question. "do you remember your name?"
the girl opened her mouth to argue with him before realising she actually didn't know what her name was. she actually didn't remember who she was. if she had parents, siblings, friends, someone she loved- anyone. she didn't remember a single detail of her life. she shut her mouth shaking her head feeling as if she was going crazy.
"what's going on? why can't i remember who i am? where am i? who are you guys? someone fucking tell me!" the girl yelled looking up at the three boys who stayed quiet not knowing what to say.
"welcome to the glade." alby bluntly spoke. "this is your new home. gally, take her to frypan, she's weak she needs some food in her system." he instructed before walking away with newt to discuss what they were going to do with her. the girls eyes darted around her surroundings, her head overflowing with thoughts. out of instinct she shoved her hand into her pocket and grabbed a small knife, which she wasn't sure how she knew it was there.
gally nodded, squatting down about to help the girl up before a knife was pointed directly at him. "woah! woah!" he exclaimed, raising his hands up and backing away. "hey, i'm just trying to help you."
"and i need answers." the girl's hand started shaking as she felt tears forming in her eyes again, she couldn't quite understand what was happening to her, it felt like a bad dream that she couldn't wake up from.
"you need to get some food and then you have to wait and see what the guys agree on." gally calmly replied. "c'mon drop the knife, you're safe here." the girl didn't know what else to do so agreed to let the boy help her walk, she shoved the small knife back into her pocket. gally carefully helped the girl back to her feet, she wobbled slightly before gally placed her arm around his shoulder helping her to balance.
gally led her through the maze of makeshift buildings and the girl couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty that gnawed at her insides. the other gladers took an interest in the girl as she was led by gally, barely taking their eyes off something so unfamiliar to them.
"where are we going?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
gally lips lifted into a slight smile of reassurance. "don't worry greenie, we're going to see frypan, hes our cook." he replied his tone calm and steady. the girl's eyebrows furrowed slightly at the strange nickname as she continued to walk under gallys support.
as they approached the kitchen area, a boy with an apron around his waist greeted them with a friendly smile.
"hey there, gally." frypan said, his voice was warm as a wide smile sat on his face. "so what can i do for our she bean?" he scanned the slightly pale girl in front of him, attempting to not seem intrigued.
gally loosened his grip slightly on the girl as he gestured towards her, his eyes scanning the terrified girl. "she could use something to eat."
without another word, frypan sprung into action. in no time at all, he had whipped up a meal, a steaming bowl of stew accompanied by a slice of freshly baked bread.
the girl's mouth watered at the sight of the food, she hadn't realised how hungry she was. as she sat down to eat, she couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude wash over her.
"thank you." she quietly said, her voice sincere as she looked up to frypan.
he waved her off with a grin. "no problem, greenie." he replied, using the nickname affectionately. "im frypan."
the girl returned his smile, though it seemed hard at a time like this. "nice to meet you, frypan."
a small chuckle left frypans lips. "likewise." he said. "and if you ever need anything else, just let me know."
and with that, he returned to his work, leaving the girl to enjoy her meal in peace. as the girl savoured her meal, gally took a seat beside her, his expression sympathetic as he regarded the disorientated girl. "fry sure makes a good stew." he spoke in an attempt to lift the mood. he reached for her shoulder until an instinct caused her to react and bend his arm before he could place it on her shoulder.
"don't touch me." she warned, flinching slightly at the boy's touch.
"ow!" gally exclaimed, pulling away as the girl let him go. "you've got some hands on you for sure. jesus!"
the girl quickly apologised. "sorry, i'm sorry i just don't know you very well and i don't know where i am."
"clearly!" gally scratched the back of his head awkwardly at the rejection.
before the girl could open her mouth to speak again a small boy bounded up to the pair. he had freckles dotting almost every inch of his chubby face and curly brown hair that sat on top of his head, bouncing as he rocked on the heels of his feet. he seemed significantly younger than any of the other boys. "hey gally." he spoke before his gaze shifted to the girl sat beside him, his brown eyes widened in surprise. "woah, we've got a girl?" he exclaimed, his voice filled with astonishment.
the girl felt her cheeks grow warm at the embarrassment of being the centre of attention. she offered chuck a tentative smile. gally glanced between the two, noticing the girl's uncomfortable expression, he sent chuck a stern glare silently telling him to calm down.
chuck noticed the boys angry expression and recovered from his initial surprise, a friendly smile spreading across his face. "sorry, im chuck."
"hi chuck."
the boy turned back to gally. "alby told me to come get you."
gally nodded at the small boy before turning his head to the girl once again. he observed that she had now by now demolished her food so cocked his head in the direction of the awaiting boy. the girl noticed the gesture and stood to her feet once again, feeling more replenished with her stomach full.
as the three began to walk across the strange place in an unknown direction, chuck mumbled something under his breath and quickly ditched the pair, running across to the ongoing scene.
the girl's gaze followed the boy as she noticed a crowd of boys yelling surrounding an opening between two of the large walls. she watched as the boys stopped yelling and made a clear pathway for two boys emerging from an entrance between the big walls.
the girl squinted her eyes as she tried to get a good look at the scene. "they're runners." gally spoke from beside her, causing her to jump slightly. "they're the only ones allowed to go outside the glade."
"the glade?" what the hell is that?" she asked him.
gally scratched the back of his head. "you'll learn everything soon. alby or newt will explain it too you, they're the ones who usually take care of the greenies."
"what's a greenie." the girl asked, confused why she kept being called it.
before gally could reply, even though he wasn't going to, chuck jogged back to the pair. "sorry, just had to make sure they came back alive."
the girls eyes went wide. "came back alive?"
chuck realised what he had said. "oh, i wasn't supposed to say anything, huh?" gally shook his head in despair as he wiped his face with his hand.
"save it for the gathering. it's going to start soon anyways." gally stated before striding away to one of the boys by the entrance.
"is he always like that?" the girl asked, wondering why the boy seemed so uptight.
chuck shrugged his shoulders. "i don't know, i've only been here for a month. im barely used to this place let alone people. he likes things in order though, that's for sure." the girl nodded in response, her gaze lingering on the broad boy who made his way across the field.
"come on, i'm taking you to alby." the girl rubbed her arms as she followed the small boy. "alby!" the girl's eyes roamed around the glade, she felt completely out of place. especially since she was the only girl here and full of boys around 12 to possibly 18 years of age. the other two boys she had a small interaction with earlier turned around to see chuck and the girl approaching them. "alby is the leader, newt is the second-in-command."
"ah, there you are." albys gaze shifted from the girl to the small boy who had a large grin on his face beside her, happy he was being included in something. "why don't you go see if frypan needs some help?" alby asked chuck who nodded with a small pout of disappointment on his face.
the girl watched the small boy make his way over to the kitchen where she was previously sat before turning back to the two boys with her arms crossed. "alby here will give you the tour of the glade after the gathering. come on, it's about to start." newt explained.
the girl followed behind the two boys who entered a large wooden building, where most of the boys were already in. entering the room all eyes were on her, something she quickly learned to hate, especially since the two boys were heading to the front. "you can sit here with minho." alby suggested pointing at the seat next to an asian boy who seemed to be around the age of 17. he had sweat prickling on his forehead and sweat stains on his shirt. he was one of the boys who came in from the walls.
he sent her a genuine smile offering his hand to her. "i'm minho, i don't know if you remember your name yet."
"no, not yet." she spoke in a saddened tone as she shook his hand cautiously.
the boy nodded in response, a glimpse of sympathy in his expression. "don't worry, for most of us it took two days to remember." he reassured the girl.
the girl nodded, finding slight comfort with the boy beside her. "so, what's going on?" she asked.
"the gathering, it's a meeting the council have with the leaders and keepers. then they have another one explaining what they've decided on with everyone else. they discussed it earlier, so this ones for pretty much everyone."
"quiet down guys!" alby bellowed, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, a stressed expression sat on his face. "we're starting." the boys went quiet a few seconds after, paying attention to what the leader of the glade had to say. "give a warm welcome to our first girl glader!"
the boys started cheering for the girl who stayed in a state of confusion and fear. she didn't want to be here so why were they welcoming her. once they calmed down alby spoke again. "just like you guys, i'm wondering the same. why a girl this time? after two years? we don't know if it's good or bad. but what we do know is she's a part of us now."
"what if she's the only girl we get?"
"yeah, what if she was sent here to you know, reproduce."
the girl's eyes went wide and more fear rushed through her body knowing she wouldn't be able to fight off 40 boys by herself. alby glanced towards the girl who was scared out of her mind.
"if anyone does anything remotely related to that action without her consent, we will force you into the maze. do you understand me?" albys voice boomed through the hut. "she's not a toy. shes another human being just like you."
the boys mumbled a few things to one another before nodding in agreement with alby. "we have decided that she will have her own room in the homestead, so no one can come in without your permission, okay?" alby reassured her.
the girl nodded, feeling a bit better as she knew some of the boys were willing to take care of her even if they knew nothing about her. "okay." she mumbled.
"your room will have to be built, so until then newt has agreed to give up his room for you to sleep in." alby spoke as he motioned to the blonde boy who was leaning on a pole supporting the makeshift roof, an unreadable expression sat on his face as he glanced at the girl.
the girl's eyes met his for a spit second, sending slight shivers down her for an unknown reason. she quickly ripped her gaze from newt and turned back to alby, nodding at his statement.
"i'm going to show you around while they discuss other things." alby stated waiting for the girl to stand up and follow him out the room. the girl followed him out the building, taking one last curious glance at the blonde boy before ripping her eyes away and exiting the hall.