MAZES | cake ✓ | warning:shitty!

t h r e e

another semi-filler kinda lmao sorry., just don't wanna rush this book.
~gianna

Calum awoke to a ruffling of his hair on the back of his head. He simply groaned, not opening his eyes, burying his face into the sheet and flicking his wrist to whoever tried to wake him.

There were footsteps, a pause, then footsteps again, and then there was a thwack! and Calum jolted upright, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Luke through narrowed brown eyes. Curled in Luke's fingers was a pillow-like object, except... Not really. It was made of a cover of smooth moss and stuffed inside it was feathers. Although it didn't hurt, Calum still found the surprise of being hit with it.

"Wake up," Luke commanded daintily.
"I am awake, asshole."

Although the remark was meant to be taken lightheartedly and in a joking manner, Luke scowled.

"Don't call me an asshole, Greenie. Show respect, you're still the newbie around here."
Calum, taken aback, huffed as he stood up, stretching casually. Luke's eyes skimmed Calum's figure before meeting his brown gaze again, his own blue eyes cold and unfamiliar to the kiwi boy.

"If you call me by my name, I won't call you asshole."
"I'll call you that because that's what you are, Greenie." Luke thwacked Calum in the side with the moss-made 'pillow' and Calum gave him an annoyed look. Luke tossed the 'pillow' on the cold stone ground and began walking towards the crooked piece of wood used as a door.

"Get ready and scoot your ass out here. Meet Michael and I by The Groves. Got work to do and you gotta prove your worth." With that, The Glade chief disappeared from sight, leaving a shirtless Calum, completely taken aback by this new Luke.

Last night, Luke seemed so vulnerable. Like he had known the brown-haired boy forever and was spilling his emotions and fears to him. He remembered how Luke said he was scared for The Glade, frightened of his fate and everyone else's. He couldn't help but pity the poor boy but now, it seemed as if Luke was unfamiliar with him, like he was a foreigner. And for some odd reason, it stung Calum like hell.

----

Calum had slipped on his previous shirt from yesterday and went out of the abode he and Luke shared, traveling down a beaten dirt and gravel path from the abode through The Glade. He felt curious gazes of the other Gladers searing into his back and he tried to brush it off. He really did. But Calum, even with no recollection of his memories, felt an odd emotional vulnerability. Like something in his unknown past was haunting him, like it had scarred him. He felt bruised beyond repair and for some peculiar reasoning, he couldn't quite out a finger on what made him feel this way.

"CALUM!"
Calum's head snapped over his shoulder, hearing his name being called. Right now he was under a bamboo shoot overhang in the trees, the Gladers around him either chatting, reading or writing something on an old parchment-like paper. Some were hacking away at old tree stumps or pulling up roots of certain organic foods in the ground, like carrots or something.
And then, there was a small group -about three boys- running into The Maze. The massive stone walls were open and in the boy's went, no fear whatsoever. At least, that's what Calum thought. Calum pondered if anyone had ever been stuck in the maze all night, and if they survived it. He knew Harry and Ren were two deceased runners, but had anyone lived?
Continuing with his thoughts, he wondered if anyone had ever seen a viperwolf and lived.

Oh right. Luke had.

"Calum," A panting voice spoke, this time right on Calum's neck, making him jump. The boy turned to see a strawberry-red-haired boy, about his height, looking at him as if he were a piece of roadkill.