The Third Clearing || Outsiders SMP DISCONTINUED

Chapter 11: Voting

*Change of uploads. Just to make it easier on me since I'm busy with school, new chapters will now be posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Most of the time, they will be published between 4-5pm EST. Sorry, just busy with a lot of things. Thank you all so much for reading!!*
*Long chapter so there will be breaks!*

The entrance of the maze stood just a few feet away, open, and ready for anybody who dared to enter its walls.

"This is what we call the Gate. It's basically the entrance to the Maze," I explained as Miles came up next to me.

"Have you ever been inside of it?" He asked, his eyes following the vines layered on the walls.

"I have, yes, but we're not allowed inside. Not right now at least. We're holding a vote on who should be able to go into the Maze and who should keep things running here in the Clearing." I explained. "It's dangerous in there. There are traps apparently. I haven't seen any myself, but Avery says that two people almost died in there due to traps, her included."

"Is she okay?!" Miles asked looking at me.

"Yeah, now she is. Voting is being held in a few days, if you want to join. I guess it's an option, but I would just so you know what has been going on." I said as he looked back towards the Maze.

"I'll definitely think about it." He muttered.

"Well! Let me show you the Name Wall," I said, pulling away from the awkward silence.

The rest of the tour went smoothly and really well. I showed him the Name Wall, I showed him that the doors close at nighttime, and I showed him all the buildings and houses that I knew about. I also explained to him both sides of the current situation. Miles seems like a good guy to befriend, I mean he's a little quiet, but he says he's really interested in colors and so I pointed out a picture that Avery had in her house. He said he liked the picture and wanted to make one of his own. I think he may have been into art before all of this.

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Three Days Later

The Voting is today. For the most part, things around the Clearing have been pretty quiet.

I finished my house finally, which is a good thing. It turned out almost exactly how I thought it would, again with Avery's help. The balcony was over looking the lake, and it was attached to the side of the wall like I had planned.

No more memories have shown themselves to me. Still trying to figure out what the last one means—Gabriel. The name seems vaguely familiar, I just can't pinpoint where I've heard it. It's somewhere in my head, and I try hard not to think about it because of the headaches.

I've been mainly thinking about whether or not I should run for the Maze role. If I did run and if I did win, I would take the role seriously, but I don't want to be too strict about it. I'm not trying to make enemies, although I guess it's too late for that because of Liam. Speaking of Liam, nobody's seen him but Denis. Denis said he went over by the garden to get food then ran back into the woods.

Getting back on the topic of voting, I think I know what my decision is. I may have an idea of who will run and who won't, but I could get surprised. Kind of wish I knew though, because then it'd be easier to prepare for it. Oh well, I guess knowing would ruin the fun.

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Avery stood on the stage with her hands on the podium as the rest of the Clearing took their seats on a few benches laid out in front of the stage. There are three benches, each one able to sit five people.

The wooden stage type structure looked wonderful, but that could just be because Avery built it. I glanced down the row of people next to me and saw Miles sitting on the next bench over, scooting to the side a little to make room for Isla. I didn't bother looking for Liam, because I don't really care that much anymore. Thomas sat his backpack down between his and Claire's feet. Next to Thomas was the empty space that was for Avery.