CHAPTER ONE
❞The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.❞
INGRID CLEARWATER was uncertain of her future. If you had asked her where she would be ten years ago, she would've easily replied with, "with my mother." Now, in this day and age, it was the polar opposite. She was on her own, finding that she did indeed work better without a supervisor.
Things simply did not come easy to Ingrid, though. Her mother had been killed, the scene of her death always playing out in Ingrid's sleep. Her life had been flipped inside out at the age of twelve; teaching her that the world was none other than a cruel place.
Illness had plagued the earth, leaving people running for protection, finding it in various places. The Flare virus had left people in tatters, family members becoming disowned and tossed like chew toys at the discovery of the Flare. The world was confused on who to trust, and where to hide their children to keep them safe.
It was then that WICKED appeared, helping children who seemed to be immune to the virus and could survive out in the world. Parents immediately gave up their children without a doubt, leaving all of them to fend for themselves as the parents slowly died.
It was only Ingrid's mother who decided to teach her daughter everything she knew by herself. The last thing Emberly Rose Clearwater wanted for her daughter was to be taken away to a society where she was lost. Where her childhood would be disregarded. Where the words "she's just a child" meant nothing. So with that, Emberly taught her daughter all the wonders of using a bow and arrow, all the ways to aim perfectly and never miss. Ingrid immediately caught on, knowing that if she never learned, her life would be on the line.
Emberly had anticipated that she would always be with her daughter, fighting by her side. She never thought she would be killed by a group of people, for a reason that was unknown to the two Clearwater's.
Ingrid spent two years struggling to live after her mother's unsettling death. It was one night, when a helipad appeared from out of the sky, landing in front of her. A man offered to teach her the ropes of this new world, also adding that she would be heavily protected. That was enough for Ingrid to hop right onto the helipad. She was then escorted to a safe haven, finally given a warm bed and real food. She met others like her, who were also immune to the Flare virus. Ingrid spent the next year catching up on strength, practicing day and night with state of the art knives. She soon enough became one of the most honored Gladers, her true strength being tested through thick and thin. It was Assistant Director Janson who she had to thank, for she most likely would have rot to death if he hadn't found her that night.
Currently, Ingrid Clearwater was practicing with her bow and arrow, using the red targets painted onto the walls as targets. Each time, she never missed her shot. She suddenly heard clapping from behind her, and Ingrid slowly turned around to face Director Janson.
"Your skills have been improving, Ingrid. I see great things for you," Janson nodded his head in approval, earning a small smile from the brunette.
"I know. But you interrupted me, so I'd really like to get back to my practice," Ingrid turned back around, pulling an arrow from her full pack, slinging it into her bow. She stretched her arm farther back, her eyes planted on the black-colored midpoint of the target. She released the string from her grasp, the arrow flinging towards the black midpoint. She smirked lightly, preparing another arrow as Janson spoke.
"Well, anyway, I came here to inform you that we have lots of new people on the way," He stepped further into the room, hands behind his back.
"And how does this affect me?" Ingrid spoke as she flung another arrow into the midpoint.
"Chancellor Paige told me to inform you," Janson replied, his eyes trained on Ingrid's perfect hit. It was determination like that that led WICKED to success.
Ingrid sighed as she realized Janson showed no signs of leaving. She turned around, her eyebrows raised as she looked him in the eye. "I don't suppose you could tell me for what reason?"
"That, I can. They were in a Maze, just like you."
Ingrid breathed out a sigh of disbelief as her memories of the Maze flooded back into her brain like a slideshow. It was the worst experience of her life, and she despised to even speak about it. "Am I going to meet them?"
"Of course you are, Ingrid. You're crucial to all of this, you know that. We trust you, Ingrid. We know you won't betray us," Janson nodded lightly, causing Ingrid to let out a sigh of relief.
Ingrid suddenly let out a small chuckle, causing the aforementioned man to slightly turn around from his walk towards the exit. She had her fingers wrapped around an arrow, playing with the tip. "Trust is not easily given. You may trust me, but I can't trust you." The words that Ingrid had just uttered meant more than what met the brain. It meant that although the man and his colleagues had offered her food and shelter, it didn't completely advocate to the fact that she did indeed have a secret agenda. After all, her mother was dead. She had no other way to deal with it al, except for a nice hot bowl of revenge. Sadly, he was conflicted on who the revenge was going to be thrown at, for she had no utter idea on who had killed her mother.
"We have an agreement, Miss Clearwater," Janson held his arms sternly behind his back, a tone of anger slightly tacking onto his voice. This made Ingrid finally turn to meet his pointed gaze with her own eyes that gleamed of a fiery power that only she held.
"I'm quite aware of that. You all made it very clear after you threw me into the Maze," Ingrid spoke remorsefully, her voice coming an octave lower than normal as a chill ran up her spine.
"Ingrid, you're lucky that we didn't put you in the maze with the others who seemed to have more dysfunctions than necessary. The maze we put you in was simply created to test your strength," Janson spoke slowly, as if he was finding a way to drill the words into her brain.
"Okay, so I'm strong? I knew that already. No reason to put me in a Maze for that. By the way, thanks for my best friend's death and my sudden death, which I haven't forgot about," Ingrid nearly shouted, soon calming herself after a memory floated into her brain. It was the dawn of night, the other Gladers surrounding her body. Ingrid held a cold expression on her face as her consciousness faded in and out of the world. People muttered words, whispers along the lines of, "she's dead", and "should we help her?" And once again, the only person who cared about her, going by the name of Kimber, came to her immediate rescue. Kimber's experience as a med-jack allowed her to push through the small, bustling crowd of others, saving her best friend in no time.
Janson spoke once more, his eyes trained directly on Ingrid's slow moving body. "We couldn't help the fact that Kimber simply could not escape or survive on her own. We had no power over that."
"Then I believe that I have no power over my actions. I can't help it if I'm vengeful."
"Fine, if you would like to take that course of action, be my guest. But don't be angry when we kill you off," Janson began to walk towards the door angrily, pulling the door open with so much strength that it almost ripped off the hinges. Ingrid couldn't help but whisper the next following words with a hint of laughter, simply because the set of words slipped out of her unpredictably. "You won't kill me off. I'm stronger than all of you."
"Ingrid Clearwater, you are a mess. A disgrace. But we can't deny that we need you, so at least attempt to be civil. Especially when you're meeting the newbies, right now." Janson emphasized on the word 'now', causing Ingrid to simply roll her eyes with annoyance at her leader's impatience. She had no choice but to follow him, mostly because she was part of the welcoming committee, helping to accommodate the new people that had made their way from the Maze, or from other unknown places. Ingrid followed Director Janson through the intensely curved hallways, dodging the pipes that lined the ceilings right above her head. Finally, they reached the immediate placing room, where others stayed as they waited for Janson and Ingrid. The guard nodded as he opened up the metal door for the two to enter in, the aforementioned two coming face to face with teenagers around Ingrid's age. She immediately felt her face droop with sadness at the similar scars received from the Maze, the dirt and mud splattered all over their dirtied bodies.
The teenagers scrambled to stand up from their positions, standing up with their shoulders squared back in fright. Janson then spoke, taking on a tone that seemed far more creepy than welcoming. "You kids doing alright?"
They all approached the two people, an unreadable expression permanently etched into their faces. Ingrid eyed the one girl stood in the back, an expression of shock plastered on her face. She thought that Kimber and herself were the only girls, but she must had guessed wrong, for their was one standing in front of her. Janson waited for Ingrid to size up the newbies, finally getting the chance to speak up. She walked towards them, finally stepping out from behind her leader's shoulders. "Sorry about the fuss, we're having a little bit of a swarm from all the new people."
"Who are you?"
The boy in the front and center of the group of teenagers spoke up, his eyes trained directly onto Ingrid. Her eyes bore into his as well, knowing quite well that Gladers were capable of anything and everything. Ingrid smiled softly, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "We're the reason you're all still alive, and it's our intention to keep you that way."
Janson stepped aside, leaving a small amount of area for the teenagers to soon follow him. "Follow after us."
"We'll get you guys accommodated," Ingrid grinned lightly, hoping to help the others feel more safe and secure, although no one ever truly was, no matter where they resided. They began to walk through the place Ingrid had spent most of the years of her life at, her brain easily navigating through the pipes and wires that the building shared space with. Janson walked up front, whereas Ingrid found herself walking besides two boys, who seemed more confused than two lost dogs.
"I'm Director Janson, and that girl, is Miss Ingrid Clearwater. She is our most valued Glader, her skills simply helping us proceed each and every day. Now, I run this place, for us it is a sanctuary, safe from the horrors of the outside world. You all should think of it as a way station, a home between homes."
"That means you're taking us home?" One of the boy's beside Ingrid eagerly asked, leaning into Director Janson. The brunette girl held back a laugh at the boy's excitement, watching as her leader simply replied with, "A home of sorts."
"There won't be much left of where you came from, but we do have a place for you. A refuge outside the Scorch, where WICKED will never find you again? How does that sound?" Janson turned to face all of the newbies, a look of approval tattooed onto his face. Ingrid all but swallowed her words, utter confusion coursing through her veins. They were WICKED, though. Why were they hiding from themselves? Ingrid knew better than to question it, so she simply shut her mouth and waited for the other teenager's reply.
"Why are you helping us?"
Ingrid rolled her eyes annoyingly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Geez, you could at least be a little grateful that we saved your asses."
Janson ignored Ingrid's snarky remark, used to the girl's sarcastic tone she always took on with newbies. "Let's just say, that with this situation, we're all hanging on by a very thin thread. The fact that you kids can survive the Flare virus shows that you have the best chance at survival. Unfortunately, it also makes you a target. As no doubt by now, you've noticed."
"Beyond this door, lies the beginning of your new life. First things first, let's do something about that smell," Ingrid spoke indignantly, her finger reaching out to press a button that opened up the wall to reveal a white long hallway. She watched as the boy's all eyed her awkwardly, whereas the lowly girl seemed scared and confused.
"Ingrid, lead them to the showers," Janson winked, leaving the girl alone with the group of newbies. She smiled back in reply before turning back to the group. "Follow me."
She led them down the long hallway, her voice coming out as an echo through the walls. "Rule Number one of the showers, don't, and I mean, don't, be a pig and look at others. Keep to yourselves, and take your showers as quickly as possible. After you smell less like an animal, I'll then escort you all to another area, where you'll train. It's personally my favorite place, and the only place where you'll all be of some worth to me."
Ingrid took a turn, pushing open a strong wooden door which revealed the many stalls of showers that were freshly cleaned and sparkly. She turned to face the group, blocking the entrance sturdily. "Knock yourselves out."
A small smile escaped her as they all ran into the bathroom, shirts ripping off and pants coming undone onto to the floor. One boy stood behind, eyeing Ingrid with an expression that made cringe slightly. "Do you need anything?"
"No. I'm just observing."
"Well, how about you stop that and go take a shower? You smell like a dead person."
"I'm Thomas," He added, however the aforementioned girl seemingly did not care.
"And, I don't care. Now get in the shower," Ingrid rolled her eyes, pushing past the boy, leaving him to follow after his friends into the shower room that felt like as hot as a sauna.
And on the other side of the door, Ingrid leaned against it, a snort of laughter escaping her lips. A blush had made its way onto her cheeks, causing her to slap herself softly as an attempt to make it go away, but to no avail, only making it worse.
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// unedited //
A/N: welcome to Ticking Time Bomb! Ahh I'm so excited to see where this story goes. Anyway, just a few things I have to mention.
1) this book follows the plot of the movie, NOT the book. So please don't comment that.
2) im still learning about the maze runner, so if I mess up some things, please pm me and let me know!
3) there will be slow updates for this book. I'm sorry :(
Anyway, that's it! I hope you all enjoyed Thomas's and Ingrid's small interaction (otp already) and don't forget to vote and comment! I love you :)