The Third Clearing || Outsiders SMP DISCONTINUED

Chapter 24: Two Levers

I don't know what to think. There's a lot Liam just told me that I need to take in.

"I missed you," I muttered under my breathe not loud enough for him to hear.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," I quickly responded as I walked over to my bedroom window and looked outside to still see that it's nighttime. "We need to bring this up with everyone though."

"Yeah, good point." Liam said.

I don't understand how nobody noticed the wall falling down. Especially for that long.

<|>

"Liam?!" A bunch of voices exclaimed as me and Liam walked over to the meeting table where everyone was discussing the whole food problem. It was now the next day, and me and Liam spent the rest of the night sleeping. I didn't have an extra bed so I let him sleep on the couch.

"Okay, listen," I started as Me and Liam sat down. "I know this is a lot to take in for everyone, but while Liam was out there, he found something that needs to be shared amongst the entire group." I explained. A lot of people were just staring at Liam with disbelief in their eyes.

"Okay, explain Liam," Avery finally spoke up.

So Liam did. He explained everything he said to me. The levers, the monster, and he even added that he found a few rooms within the Maze walls that kept him hidden. I sat there nodding randomly throughout the whole explanation, but really I was trying to piece everything together. He said he survived by eating plants that grew on the Maze floor. I think I know which plants he's talking about, but I'm more focused on trying to put together what happened to the food we planted in the garden. I wonder if it has anything to do with whatever was messing with me and Miles in our night in the Maze. Then, I started to prepare myself for all the arguments that will break out after he explains it all. Mainly about the levers.

And that's exactly what happened.

"You did what?!"

"You pulled the lever?!"

"What if we need to pull the other lever?"

"Are you out of your mind?!?"

A bunch of other comments popped up and eventually it turned in to everybody yelling at each other.

"EVERYONE CALM DOWN!" Avery shouted. That definitely shut everyone up. Everyone turned to look at her as she looked amongst everyone. She looked disappointed and maybe slightly angry even. "We all have different opinions, but those need to be said one at a time. Questions need to be asked one at a time. Theories need to be explained one at a time. We'll get absolutely nothing decided or nothing done if we keep speaking over each other! It's happened in every single one of these stupid meetings and I am sick and tired of listening to everyone bicker over one another!"

Everyone fell completely silent. You could hear the lake water trickling and the waterfall even though we are all the way across the Clearing. The leaves rustled as if waiting for someone to talk.

"Isla, it is your turn to speak if you'd like and then we can go around the table," Avery finally said more calmly.

"I—uhm," Isla started. "I don't think we should pull the lever. I know that's probably what everyone was looking for. I have something to share of my own though. I went to the garden this morning and everything was replanted—not grown, but replanted." I raised my eyebrows and finally looked up from the ground.

"That's new," I mumbled.

"Everything-?" Liam asked in disbelief.

"Everything." Isla stated confidently.

"Okay. I'll go next I guess," Tanner started after a few moments of silence. "I think the lever should be pulled. Nothing too crazy has happened here in the Clearing besides the whole garden thing. Maybe these levers are just a trick that the people who put us in here are trying to play on us. It could also open up a whole other part of the Maze that could lead to the exit," Tanner reasoned. I guess that could make sense too. A few nods of agreement spread throughout the table.

"Believe me, you don't want to go in there. And that says something coming from me," Liam stated as he was next to go. "I think we shouldn't pull the lever and that nobody should go back into the Maze at all until we have more resources and the right kind of gear! Nobody saw what I saw in there, you have to trust me on this one." Liam said. He sounded like he actually didn't want anybody to die for once. The Maze definitely changed him and I still can't figure out if it was in a good way or a bad way.

I had a reason to believe him, and I hate to say it, but I kind of trust him on this too. He spent a long time in there and nobody truly knows anything about it but him.

"Do you think maybe you could map it out? The Maze?" I asked causing his attention to turn to me.

"I could try, definitely. I mean I walked the same paths over and over again," He explained. There we go. Finally at least a little bit of good news. Me and him will get on that after this meeting ends.

"Could we skip my turn? I don't have a good opinion on this and I don't want to piss anyone off," I asked and Avery nodded.

"Sure, take your time."

"Mine too? It's a lot to process and I need some time to take things in," Miles spoke up from next to me.

"Me too!?"

"Same here!"

"Okay, we'll continue the meeting tomorrow then. It's definitely a lot to understand at once. I myself still need to think things through a bit. Meeting dismissed," Avery stated. Everyone started to get up and leave.

"All right, lead the way to the Map Room," Liam said. "You can explain to me what's been happening here in the Clearing on the way there."

I smiled. I was glad that he was back and alive. Not going to lie, I missed his stubbornness and jokes.

While walking to the map room, I spared a quick glance at the Maze entrance and saw that the magic wall has disappeared and the maze looked a lot different than it did before. Maybe there are some things Liam is still leaving out about when he pulled that lever.

Word count: 1106

(Oops this is late that's my bad)