She hadn't realized the size of the Glade until now. The four stony walls that kept them in the Glade seemed more like a prison than a home. She stared up one of the walls.
It looked hundreds of feet high, with its overgrown vines and neverending skies, this place looked like it's been there for years . As if the size of the wall wasn't enough, just looking beyond the opening seemed like it could go for miles.
"Who sent us here?" She asked Don.
"Not sure. We just call them the creators. They're the ones who built the Maze."
"The Maze?"
"Yeah. It's what's beyond those openings," He pointed to four different openings on each wall of the Glade. "They lead to a bunch of passageways that eventually lead to an exit."
"They built this? Why would they build this? And send teenagers here? It doesn't seem right."
"We feel the same way greenie" Newt chimed in, " It's been like this for a couple years now, sending kids up here. Our only goal now is to survive."
"-and find a way out." Chuck added.
Her mind began to spin, thinking of the possible ways to escape the Maze. Maybe they could climb it. No, they would've thought of that by now, considering they've been here so long. The only reasonable way would be through the Maze. There was a disquieting sensation about all of it.
As if reading her mind, Don spoke up, saying, "We tried numerous ways to escape this place. Nothing's worked."
"Our only option," Ben spoke, "Is to send the runners out there to find a way out."
"Runners? Who are they?"
"You ask way too many questions greenie." Dmitri snickered.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No," Don said before Dmitri could speak, "Unless you're asking Alby or Gally."
"Who's Gally?"
"Here we go again with the questions." Dmitri remarked.
"Alby, as you probably guessed, is the leader," Newt answered. " Gally is the keeper of the builders."
She looked at them in confusion.
"Keepers are the leaders of each job." Don clarified. She nodded in understanding.
"So what are your jobs?"
"I'm second in command next to Alby." Newt said.
"I'm a runner." Dimitri announced proudly.
"Builder. The best job in my opinion" Ben mentioned.
"I'm a slopper," Chuck added. "Trust me, you won't want my job." Emilia scrunched her nose at the thought of being a slopper. Just the idea of it sounded gross.
"And I'm a Bricknick. We fix whatever the Builders break." Don said.
"So I have a job? Which one do I get?"
"You won't know till the keepers decide. We'll let you tour the place and check out the jobs if you want."
"Yeah. That way you can see what job you like and meet more of the Gladers." Chuck explained.
"Who knows, maybe you'll be a runner and work with me." Dmitri mused. Don gave him a dirty look.
They walked over to the tree grove between the North and East door, where Gladers were already planting and harvesting food.
Emilia noticed food like potatoes, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, and a plethora of other plants. It was surprising, seeing everyone organized and at work. She wondered how long it took to get them this way.
Her and the boys checked out the other areas of the Glade, including the slammer, which was another word for jail, the animal pens and blood house, where the meat harvesters called slicers worked, but nothing had interested her. They then went to the deadheads, which was where the baggers buried the dead.
She felt a cloud of sorrow loom around the area. Her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach, seeing how many lives were lost in this unexplainable place. There must have been over a dozen buried there. She prayed there wouldn't be any more, but she knew it was false hope.
She noticed a plaque with the name of Nick etched on it. She studied it closely, feeling an itch in her brain. He seemed familiar...
"Nick was the last one to go." Don stated, "Alby took his place as leader after. He was a good guy. Sad really."
'"What happened to him?" She asked, a wave of anticipation rushing through her.
"Not sure. There was a lot of speculation about how he died." Don said, "Apparently no one saw it. All we saw was his body."
"But how's that possible? Was he in the Glade when he died?"
"No." Newt replied. "I found the poor chap in the maze. Said he found the way out the day before. No one believed him. Many said he was downright crazy! Last I saw him alive, he was running routes in the maze, like normal."
"What do you think happened?"
"No one knows. Maybe a Griever." Ben guessed, becoming despondent. Emilia was about to ask what a griever was, but decided against it. Now wasn't the time for more questions.
They all stood there silently, taking in the grief of it all.
Even though she didn't know them, she still felt empathy for them and the gladers were still alive. They could've been their friends... or family. She quickly stepped away, the pain in her heart becoming too much to bear.
The group headed towards the homestead, where the rest of the jobs remained.
