What if it wasn't just a dream. What if it was a memory?"
Newt stares at me with his mouth slightly open, dumbfounded. We sit for a few seconds in awkward silence before he closes his mouth and sighs.
"Rosa, I don't think that's true. I mean, I have been having dreams too, but it is highly unlikely that they are true." he reasons, and I immediately retort.
"But I had a-" I was going to tell him about the part where I was hugging that brunette boy and the dream I had the first night in the Glade, but I am interrupted by the loud snapping of twigs.
"Newt? Rosa?" someone calls out. I instinctively tense up, however I didn't need to, as I catch a glimpse of black, "perfectly" styled hair peak through the trees.
"What are you shanks still doing here? We have a maze to run and y'all are sitting here chit-chatting," says Minho mockingly, like a little child.
"Shank?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.
"Well, since Mr. I-don't-like-swear-words gets so bent out of shape when I use any, I'm going to make my own." he replies sassily. "Now, get your asses to the doors, we need to run."
___________________________________________________________
After running along the cobbled, winding path and trying not to trip over vines for three hours, we take a break. We could see from our stuttering breaths that we were in need of some rest. Newt arranges some of the thinner ivy to make a carpet for us to sit on. I look at him, frowning as I recall how little he spoke to me as we ran deeper into the maze.
Newt starts, "So far, nothing interesting-"
"You want to tell me why you are acting weird with me? Did I do something wrong?" I cut him off.
He looks startled for a moment, before slightly shaking his head and replies, "You didn't do anything. It's just that in the morning you seemed so concerned about your nightmare and it gave you such a fright that I thought you would like some privacy." I feel my cheeks heat up, not only at his thoughtfulness, but also at the warm feeling that arose in heat by seeing how caring he is. I slightly ruff my hair in an attempt to cover them.
"That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you, Newt." I say sincerely. "You don't need to give me privacy though. I think it is better for me if I just forget about the whole thing and everything goes back to normal."
"Good that," he replies with a smirk and sits down to start eating his sandwich. I join him and we discuss the possibilities of what we can explore within the maze and how to escape. While doing so, I feel shivers run up my spine as though someone is watching us, and I quickly turn around but find nothing. Except an insect. Though not just any type.
"What are you looking at?" asks Newt, noticing my distraction.
"Can you see that shiny bug over there?" I ask, pointing at the rock it was sitting on.
"Um...yes? It doesn't look like a normal one though. It's...silver I think," he replies. We look at each other and as though reading each other's mind, we get up and walk towards it to get a closer look. However, as the "insect" sees us approach, it scurries away and disappears into the robe of vines. "Ah well," Newt sighs. " We can try to see what it is another time. Let's go, we still need to run back to the glade." He looks at me expectantly, waiting for me, but I take no notice of his words. I stand there, frozen like the rock on which the insect was, pondering over how could something so small make her feel so uncomfortable.
"Rosa!" Newt says loudly while snapping his fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to reality.
"I'm sorry, I was thinking about how weird that bug was," I say softly, still trying to swim away from the ocean of confused thoughts in my brain.
"It wasn't that weird, it was just an unusual colour," he replies, a crease in his forehead as he thinks about why the girl before him is acting so queer.
"It made me feel like...like there was someone staring at me."
I see Newt open his mouth to come up with a reply, probably an assurance that it's just an insect or that I'm acting strange. I would never know what what he wanted to say then. Because just then, a wave of the most terrifying, most haunting sound crashed into our ears. Echoing from somewhere deep within the maze, came an unearthly moan, faint but harrowing enough to burn my eardrums. It was human and inhuman at the same time, which made it more frightful than if it had been just of either one. Even the agonizing screams I heard during my nightmare was as scary as a dog's growl compared to the howl that was still echoing against the maze walls. While I had immediately flinched upon hearing that sound and covered my ears with hands, Newt had remained still, but he had an expression of absolute terror on his face. We stayed in that position for what seemed an eternity before I lowered my hands, the eerie moan still ringing in my ears. I look up to Newt's face and still see the terror etched upon his face, into the creases of his forehead and downward turn of his lips. I gently touch his arm and he looks at me, and I see my fear reflected in his eyes.
"We should go," he whispers and I simply nod. We start running back the way we came from, and though he did not say so, I know Newt and I were asking ourselves the same question: Who...or what made such a bizarre sound?
___________________________________________________________
"About time you both came back. We were getting really worried," says Alby, as Newt and I enter the Glade after running continuously for hours. We hadn't spoken a word to each other on the way back, yet my mind wouldn't stop having conversations with itself. What creature could have made that type of sound? I don't want to think about it. What if there is something dangerous in the maze? There is no proof of that. There are a million places or possibilities that sound could have come from. What if that thing can come inside the Glade? JUST STOP THINKING ABOUT IT. I need to do something about it. I need to discuss this with Newt, Alby and Minho first. One thing I knew for sure was that ever since that incident, an enormous pit in stomach had appeared, filled to the brim with fear and it felt like it was dragging me down.
"Why?" Newt asks slightly out of breath.
Alby, Minho and George slightly raise their eyebrows at us and Minho replies, "You didn't hear it?"
"You all heard it too?" I say, my voice slightly higher from surprise. They all nod solemnly and Alby adds in,
"It gets worse. Everyone in the Glade heard it as well."
My jaw slightly drop and I feel the pit of fear in my gut become heavier.
"What are we going to say to them? We don't even know where the sound came from," says Newt, running his hands through his golden-brown locks.
"We can't tell them the truth. They are already scared as it is," replies George.
"We can't lie to them! We need to learn to trust each other if we want to survive, and lying to them isn't going to make us go very far with that." I whisper-shout, hoping none of the nearby Gladers could hear the discussion.
"I agree with Rosa," Newt pipes in softly. "Also, if they feel like we are hiding something, they might go out into the maze themselves and we don't even know what we are facing here."
Alby heavily sighs, clearly conflicted over what to tell the rest of the Gladers.
"We will tell them the truth," he finally states. "Rosa is right, we need to gain everyone's trust. But I'm going to make sure none of them ever get the urge to go out there."
We all nod and he tells us to shower and get ready for the gathering. We walk alongside each other in a heavy silence, till I ask the question I have been anxious to discuss all afternoon.
"What do you think made that sound?" I quietly question, and the three boys look sharply at me, making me feel slightly embarrassed.
"I can't imagine any living thing to make such a sound," George mumbles, but we all hear him anyway.
"Whatever it was, I wasn't shaken by it. At all," says Minho cockily, wearing a proud smirk.
"Oh really, tough guy? Then who was the frantically demanding we go back to the Glade that instant?" George mockingly asks.
Minho's ears slightly redden and he shouts back, "You trembling-in-your-shoes shank! You know I only said that because we had to inform Alby!" He starts chasing George towards the showers, while Newt and I laugh heartily at their antics.
"Let us leave them to themselves," Newt says and I nod in agreement. "We should get ready for the gathering." We have entered the Homestead and newt goes towards the showers while I rummage through my box of things. Left alone again, thoughts speed through my mind like racing cars.
What if we are in danger?
What kind of thing can make such a dreadful noise? and loud enough to be heard on two different sides of the maze and within the Glade itself?
Even though that sound scared the wits out of me, why did it seem so faintly, so remotely familiar?
Thoughts like these plagued my mind every moment between the showers and the walk to the Box, where everyone was gathering. It only further built on to the pit of fear in my gut, and along with the extreme confusion and uneasiness I was feeling, I felt even more physically drained. Newt must have noticed how my face was a shade paler and my trembling fingers, because on our way to the Box, he gently took my hand into his large, warm one. That one touch sent a wave of warmth in my body, and I felt grateful for his seemingly simple, yet helpful gesture. By the time we had arrived, all Gladers except us were already assembled there, staring at the grass or at Alby, who was nervously walking in small circles in front of them. Upon seeing us arrive, he stops walking and clears his throat, immediately catching the attention of the boys around.
"As you all know, I have called you here to tell you about what our four fellow Gladers have explored beyond these walls," he starts, his voice slightly quivering from nervousness. I give him a small nod as he briefly makes eye contact with me, and taking a deep breath, he continues.
"I'm going to be honest with you, because I believe that is the only way we can gain each others trust. So here it is. Beyond these walls, we have found out there is...there is a Maze."
At once, there were cries of outrage and gasps of shock. More and more questions arose as the Gladers slowly slipped into chaos.
"QUIET!"Alby shouts and once again there is silence. "I know you have questions, I know you all want to the why's, what's and how's. Well, I don't have the answers." At those words, the uproar among the boys starts again, and I can see that Alby is close to losing not only his patience, but also his confidence. I'm about to open my mouth, when someone else beats me to it.
"SHUT IT!" Newt shouts, making every person present, including myself, jump in astonishment. He goes up to Alby and faces everyone before continuing, "Yes, Alby doesn't have the answer to your questions. But we have been here for only a few bloody days! These things don't happen overnight and you should be grateful that he has chosen to share what little we know instead of hiding it from you. I would show a little more damn respect for our leader." With a subtle, satisfied expression, he makes his way back next to me and sits down. As we make eye contact, I realise this is the first time I've seen this side of Newt; a side that is not calm and reserved, but powerful, stern, and to be honest, slightly scary. However it doesn't make me afraid of him. It makes me respect him more, and I feel a small smile creep onto my face as I come to this realisation.
"What?" he whispers when he notices me staring at him.
"Nothing. I just have never seen you so...authoritative." I whisper back. "It's not a bad thing, more of a pleasant surprise," I quickly add on.
He gives me a shy smile in return and focuses on Alby, who is speaking again.
"As you all heard today, there is something out there which is probably inhuman, and very likely to be dangerous. We don't know whether this thing is in the maze or not, but we must still remain careful. No one except those four, we will call them Runners, are allowed to go beyond those walls." He pauses, and I feel saddened by how heavy a burden Alby is having to carry.
"We need to have order, and we need to have trust. Because if we stay together as one, then we are strong, we are unbeatable."
The Gladers cheer at the statement, whooping and punching the air in agreement. I grin at the sight and I feel comfort and warmth cover me like a warm blanket.
Maybe we can make this place our home. Maybe we can survive together as one.
Author's Note
Hey Everyone!
First of all, thank you to those who are still reading and those who have helped me and given me tips to write a better story. I know I left this book for a long time (about a year!) but after seeing messages of people requesting me to continue writing, I felt the urge to start working on it again. I hope you are liking the book so far, new and old readers alike.
I will try my best to update as often as possible, but since I have been working on becoming a better writer, it does take me quite long on revising and improving my work. I hope you all will be able to be a bit patient with me :)
Let me know if you have any suggestions, questions or anything else in the comments!
Thank you again and enjoy reading!
Michelle