𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚

🅡🅤🅝

Lena awoke at the crack of dawn like any other day. As she trudged towards the maze entrance she noticed her fellow companion, Mae, gnawing at her nails. The older girl switched routes, now heading toward her nervous friend,

"What's wrong?" She asked. Mae jumped at the sound of a voice, it seemed as if a bomb had exploded, interrupting the peaceful silence she was using to think.

"I dunno, I just have a bad feeling for today, like somethings wrong." The younger girl shrugged her shoulders "Maybe I'm just going insane in this place" A hint of amusement now playing in her voice. Lena allowed a small smile to play on her lips trying not to show the worry she had for the girl,

"Well, I'm gonna head out for the day" Before turning around to leave she gave the Leader of the Gardeners a mock salute before continuing her original path toward the northern door.

Lena's footsteps echoed against the tall stone walls as she scrambled back to the Patch. Checking her watch she noticed there was only so much time before the doors would close for the night. Her pace seemed to quicken as the adrenaline rushed through her veins. Lena knew the consequences if she slowed down or stopped for a break.

As she turned the last corner she felt a vibration echo through the entire maze, shaking her body in the process. A sudden realization hit her.

She wasn't going to make it.

Just as her freedom from the maze came into view, girls crowded around the entrance. She saw the fear in Mae's hazelnut brown eyes, terrified for her friend's life but she only gazed at the only home she'd ever remembered before it was blocked from view. The vibrating had stopped and it became deathly silent, the only sound was her heavy breathing.

A thousand thoughts circled her head, no one ever survived a night in the maze. She was exhausted, hungry, and lost. There was a very slim chance she would survive, but she took it. She was determined.

༯

Ausha let out a huff of frustration as she continued to dig holes into the wet soil. Gardening had already seemed like a hobby that was not enjoyed by the young girl, yet she tried it anyway. The official name the Gladers had created for it was Trackhoe, which she had laughed at.

Frowning she managed to pick up a tiny tomato seed with the pad of her finger, ignoring the urge to eat it. They had only been blessed with so many shovels by the creators, meaning she had to dig and cover an infuriating hole when it came to picking mud out of her chipped nails.

She heaved herself up, her legs covered in dirt and fertilizer. With her eyebrows furrowed she noticed the other Trackhoes working peacefully with ease, already on their tenth row, while Ausha herself had been stuck on her fifth for quite some time now.

The rest of the day continued and immediately the girl knew she was not cut out for the job. Being one of the twenty or so to enter the Glade meant she had a job to fill for a small society to be built. The only job she had quite mastered and enjoyed was the Medjacks, working with injured Gladers had come to a somewhat appeal to her.

Glancing at her watch, she noticed the meeting was about to begin, the Keepers were about to to share each person's newly appointed job. I waited quietly for my name and job to be called, my thoughts swirled around in her head. She gazed at the boys around her, each had a somewhat delighted expression painted on their faces.