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A warm hand lightly brushed my cheek, moving hair away from my face. My eyelids felt too heavy to open, so I stayed put. A part of me was hesitant to move, in case the person hovering over me had any intention of hurting me. A gasp was followed by a wave of whispers that sounded distant.
"What is it, Newt?" An unfamiliar voice called out, almost shouting. I scrunched my eyes, unprepared for that. The person near me must've noticed, since I heard someone shuffle to my right.
"It's a girl..." A soft voice responded, sounding very close to me. I finally allowed my eyes to open, not expecting a blinding light to hit my face. I winced at the change of brightness, covering my face with my hands.
Several voices were heard after that, most of them sounding confused and lost. The warmth on my skin faded away, replaced by a shadow. I moved my hands away from my face, finding a boy crouching in front of me with one hand on his knee.
He has sandy hair that pointed in all kinds of directions. Brown eyes shot down at me in concern and worry. He dressed in dirty, worn clothes with dirt and other questionable stains.
I tried to scoot back in fear but he took hold of my wrist, not grasping too tightly.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." He assured, helping me to my feet. It felt more like he was dragging me up, seeing as I wasn't cooperating. For all I know, this boy could be lying to me and leading me into some kind of trap. I did just wake up in a black void of nothing but metal and stone.
"What's she look like?"
"Did he say a girl?"
"It's not fair that Newt gets to be that close."
"I call dibs"
A chorus of voices rang out from above me. A large group of boys were gawking down at us in awe, some peered down at me in suspicion. I turned away, feeling mortified and guilty. I don't know why I felt guilty.
"Bring the rope down!" The boy hollered, still holding onto my wrist, as if I had anywhere to run off to.
Two boys neared the edge above us, throwing a rope down. The end was tied into a knot with an opening big enough for a foot to fit in.
"Just place your foot in here," The blonde guided me, "And hold on tightly. I promise you, Greenbean, they won't drop you." He joked, trying to make me feel better. I only nodded, not finding any words.
Greenbean. Surely, that isn't my real name.
I did as he told me to and slipped my foot into the loop. I gripped the rope with both my hands and looked up. They began to haul me up with ease. In seconds, I was being pulled up by a pair of hands. The moment I was taken out of the box, I collapsed to the ground in relief. I let out a sigh, taking in the smell of fresh grass.
The boy from the box followed right after me, wrapping the rope up and throwing it over his shoulder. I didn't acknowledge anyone and ignored the stares I was getting. I stood up, taking in my new surroundings. There was grass everywhere, as green as it comes. The sky was clear with not a single cloud in sight. Trees scattered the spacious grounds with manmade structures surrounding them, made of wood and other common materials.
That's when I noticed the elephant in the room. There were walls that stood high and mighty above everyone and everything. They were made of solid stone, draped in vines and other plants. By the looks of their condition, they have been standing for a while, yet they looked sturdy enough to survive a bomb. They surrounded the entire area, stretching out for miles. It was so overwhelming and intimidating, I almost passed out for the second time today.
My peaceful moment was interrupted by the sound of a powerful voice making its way through the crowd, "Where's the Greenie?"
Several boys pointed in my direction, guiding the owner of the voice to me. He had dark chocolate skin and wore a stern look on his face. He stopped a foot away from me, looking me up and down in a skeptical manner.
"What do you remember?" He asked right off the bat, crossing his arms over his chest.
I opened my mouth to answer then closed it, realizing I couldn't remember much that would help him in any way.
"What about your name?" The sandy haired boy approached me, stopping beside the taller boy.
I thought for a moment before coming up with nothing.
"I don't know what my name-"
"Give it a day. You'll remember it eventually. I'm Alby, the leader of the Glade, which is where you're at right now. Now, I don't know if you're blind, but I hope you've noticed that you're the only girl here."
"Yeah. I'm well aware." I reply, not expecting it to come out as sarcastically as it did.
Alby gave me a questioning look before continuing, "Yeah, well, that's going to stir up a lot of issues around here. So, thanks for that," He squinted his eyes, lowering his head to get down to my level, "There's something off about you, newbie. I'm not just saying that because you are the first girl to come up from the Box. I'm watching you-"
The other tall boy standing next to him placed an arm in front of Alby, giving him a serious look, "Alby, give the girl a break. She just woke up with no memories and is scared out of her bloody mind."
I hadn't noticed the boy's British accent until now. I had to refrain from snickering at his strange slang.
"I'm Newt," he took my hand and shook it, "I know you're probably confused, but all of your questions will be answered. I promise."
Most of the other boys left, leaving Alby and Newt standing a few feet away, in the middle of a slightly heated conversation.
"-it's not going to work out!" Alby snapped.
"We can discuss what to do with her at the Gathering. The Keepers deserve a say in this."
"Fine, but you know where I stand."
I watched as Alby stormed off, stealing one last glance at me with a cold look.
"Remind me to stay away from that one." I point at him, earning a light chuckle from Newt, who appeared at my side.
"Yeah, sorry about him. Alby's a real grump. He's not so bad once ya' get to know 'im." He defended his friend.
"Right." I nodded, following Newt once he started walking off, "Where am I supposed to go? I still don't know what i'm doing here."
"No one does. You'll stay in the spare Keeper's bedroom upstairs in the Homestead. For now, you can stick with me. I'll show you around after the Gathering." He smiled down at me.
He led me to the so-called Homestead. It was a strangely shaped building made of thick logs and sticks wrapped tightly together. There were a few windows to allow some sunlight to shine through. Newt held the door open for me, dramatically gesturing towards the main area.
There was very little furniture decorating the dust-filled room. Some blankets and chairs stood near the walls, along with other strange objects I couldn't recognize. But, something I notice right away made it hard to stand in the room for too long.
"Newt." His name felt foreign in my mouth.
"Yeah?" He asks from behind me, closing the door.
"It kind of reeks in here." I mumble, scrunching my nose with a grin slowly stretching on my face.
Newt lets out a laugh, patting my shoulder, "That's the Glade for you, love."
