𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 ; newt

1

her eyes slowly opened, a soft groan coming from her parched lips at the heavy metal underneath her shuddered. she blinked at the feeling.

cold.

it's been a long time since she felt that..when was the last time, actually?

she took a glance at the ascending box, supplies such as boxes, crates and bags surrounding her in the dimly lit area.

her throat felt dry — sore, almost even dead. she couldnt bring herself to talk, the burning sensation was unbearable, wanting to rip her throat out right there and then.

'where am i?'

she thought quietly to herself, slumped up against the wood of a crate. her knees hugged up tightly to her chest.

'who am i?'

the box passed the last few lights, leaving her in complete darkness. until the top began to open, almost like a launching pad.

the bright rays of the sun shone through, making her eyes squint from the queasy feeling. the doors lifted, revealing a group of boys standing over her — staring at her as if she was a wild animal.

there was a surge of whispers and snickers, some commenting about how this was very unlikely. others having not even seen a girl in their whole life.

"its a girl."

one of them commented, dropping down into the box, landing a few feet in front of her with a slight, lopsided smile. "hey there, greenie." he said, his voice having an odd accent.

she stared up at him, her brows slightly furrowed, staring up at him. he had dirty blonde hair, in a style mixed between straight and fluffy. brown eyes and a slim yet tall figure.

"..who in the living the hell are you?"

she asked, voice raspy and hoarse with a hint of skepticism laced in her words. looking him up and down with a slight unimpressed expression.

he only raised a brow at her words, taking a few steps towards her and extending his hand out to her. "name's newt, no need to get all fussy and bratty about this bloody place."

newt mused, a small smirk playing at his lips as he gestured for her to take his hand. "y'gonna take my hand or leave me hanging, greenie?"

she only stared at him for a bit, huffing as she pushed herself up from her sitting position. "im fine, thank you." she muttered, brushing off her pants with a small frown. newt glanced over at her, deadpanning as he grabbed the ledge of the box, heaving himself up onto the ground with a sigh. "your choice." he replied shortly, standing with the other men.

she took a step forward, just about to reach the edge of the ledge when a rope was tossed into the box. she glanced up at the few guys holding the rope, sighing before grabbing onto the rough fibres and climbing her way up.

"you got a name, greenie?"

newt asks. standing beside her with his hands on his hips, his head slightly tilted to the side. his expression was now full of curiosity and intrigue, his eyes piercing into her face.

she didnt bother to meet his gaze, having a brief look over on the big area surrounding them. the large, spacious land around them, the overly tall walls caging them in. "..don't remember." she replied flatly, finally making eye contact with him.

newt hums but doesnt react, seemingly used to this answer as he opens his mouth to comment on it.

"greenie!" a guy with darker skins and a buzzcut exclaims, coming out from the crowd with a bright smile. only for it to falter slightly upon seeing her. he blinks, once, twice. he looks away then looks back at you with a surprised expression. "..what is that?" he asks a nearby guy who shrugs in response.

she deadpans at their stupidity, a frown etching onto her lips as he crosses her arms over her chest. 'are boys really this dumb?'

"if you havent noticed, im a human being. girl if we're doing some scientific classification." she grumbles, shifting her weight to the other foot with a raised brow.

"..right, uhm." he says awkwardly, clearing his throat with a nod before smiling at her. "well, uh..greenie. my name is alby, i hope i'll get some time to talk to you but- for now,"

alby says, pausing as he gave her a wonky smile, "chuck, we'll have you look after our newcomer." he says, watching as the shorter and chubbier kid walks past him and towards her.

she stared at the kid, her expression softening slightly. it was as if something had clicked in her mind, she didnt know what it was, but..she felt as if she was responsible for him.

"..hi." she said, uncrossing her arms and staring down at chuck with an unreadable expression. he smiles warmly and waves slightly, humming softly.

"hey! i used to be the greenie, but now that you're here, i've been promoted to glader." he says, grabbing her wrist and beginning to walk away from the crowd with her. she wasnt expecting the sudden tug, stumbling and almost tripping over. just barely catching herself at the last moment as she walked off the embarrassment, following the smaller kid.

"glader? whats a glader?"

she asked, tilting her head to the side as she took another look around the place, maintaining her pace to be slow, keeping behind..chuck?

"oh, right! this place is the glade, we're called the gladers. i havent been taught much, but basically; those walls are the maze and only the 'runners' can enter it." chuck says, glancing at her with a bright smile.

she gave him a weak one in response, averting her gaze to one of the entrances of the so called 'maze'.

"..right, okay. only runners allowed, i can work with that."