Fragments of memory danced in the darkness.
But each time I reached out to grasp one, it slipped through my fingers.
I didn't know what was happening. I was trapped in a box with holes in the walls, a small box that was constantly shooting upward. It was dark enough that I could only make out the tiny cracks of light which occasionally appeared in the sides, along with the outlines of some supplies in the box with me. My breath came in quick gasps. I hated tight spaces, the way the walls seemed to squeeze in. That was one of the only things I remembered. And my name. Helene. I repeated it to myself, over and over, determined not to forget it. Everything else--my last name, my parents, my friends--was a dark void in my mind. I couldn't remember anything. Why couldn't I remember anything?
I'd been shooting up for about thirty minutes; I knew that much. And I knew I was smart. Smarter than average. People in white jackets and masks bending over me, scalpels pricking my head... They'd been doing something to me, extracting brain cells or something, because I was smart.
But why?
There had to be a way to get out of this box. I didn't know why I was in here, but there had to be a way out. I couldn't just sit here for the rest of her life. The box was still moving upwards. For sure, it was going somewhere.
Suddenly, there was enough light for me to see a ceiling through the wire top of the box.
I was going to crash.
A scream ripped out of my throat, a strangled sound that bounced off the walls. I started pounding on the sides of the box. Screaming for help wasn't going to do me any good; I knew that. But I did it anyway. Because... what else was there I could do? I screamed until my throat was raw. Until I could have sworn that it was in shreds, stripped and bleeding.
Then the box stopped.
I looked up, ignoring the stinging of my hands from banging on the walls. A strip of light was slowly and steadily widening above me. It wasn't until a few seconds passed that I realized it was a sliding door, and the light was from the sun. The top of the box opened as well, and now I could see figures of... people. Relief spread through me; relief that there were other humans here, wherever I was.
Someone landed with a heavy thud next to me, and I jumped. Eyes finally adjusted to the light, I could just make out the boy's face. He looked shocked at finding a girl in a box, his large brown eyes wide. I stared defiantly up at him as he looked from me to the other people outside. Great. It's a boy. That... sucks for me.
The boy shook his golden-brown hair out of his eyes. "It's... a girl," he said softly. His voice was thick with an odd accent.
Silence met his words. Shocked, utter silence. Then slowly, murmuring broke out. Someone called out, "What do you mean, a shucking girl?"
Then people started talking all at once.
"Ooh, what does she look like?"
"Is she hot?"
"Bet she's hot."
"I call dibs!"
"Hey, I called dibs first!"
Fear grasped me until I couldn't breathe anymore. I'd just been locked up in a box the size of a bathroom stall for at least half an hour, and now all people cared about was how hot I was? What the hell? Forcing deep breaths, I stood up. "Where am I?" I tried to yell. But all that came out was a feeble murmur.
Someone threw a rope into the box. The golden-haired boy climbed out, giving me a meaningful look that told me to do the same. I held his gaze for a moment. Something was wrong. I could hear the shock in the others' voices. But I had to get out of this box. What other choice was there? Squaring my shoulders and holding in a heavy sigh, I reluctantly followed, climbing out of the box and falling over onto the cool grass.
Grass. I looked around. A green enclosure, about the size of a football field. It was surrounded on four sides by stone walls with openings in them. On one side of the field was a wooden building, tall and crooked. It looked as if it would fall over any moment. There was a farm around it, with pigs and cows and crops. A few other buildings were scattered around the field. On the other side was a forest. Dark, mysterious, full of secrets.
I finally turned my attention to the people around me.
Oh.
Oh, crap.
I was surrounded by boys. All boys, teenagers mostly, of a variety of ages, races, and size. Crap. Many of them looked puzzled. Some gazed at me with polite interest. A few leered at me. I even heard a wolf-whistle. My head snapped toward the sound, and I gave a vulgar gesture to the boy whose mouth it had come out of. He winked at me. The boys started talking again, flattering comments being thrown around.
"Told ya she's hot!"
"Look at her eyes. I've never seen that kind of turquoise."
"Prettier than the taste of Frypan's bacon."
A heavily muscled boy stepped forward, grinning down at me. "Hey, shanks, I called dibs on her already. So--"
Another boy elbowed him in the ribs. "Shut up, Will!"
I glared around at the kids, still unable to believe my ears. "All of you shut up. I'm not a possession. I want to know what the hell is going on." Yes, I was scared. Scared as hell. And confused, too. But I couldn't let my fear show.
The boys stared back at me. A few of them were grinning annoyingly, but most of them were staring in amazement. I splayed my arms, pissed at the lack of assistance or explanation. "Really?"
Three of them instantly rushed forward. But before they could come near me, a stocky boy with dark skin and bulging muscles stepped in front of me. He looked about eighteen. I stood up, thinking my chances were slim if this were to come to a fight between me and this kid's muscles. There was no expression on his face. Only a slight locking of the jaw. I braced myself to be punched in the nose. Oh, gosh. These boys are criminals, and I must be one too. Why else would I have been sent here, my memory wiped?
The boy opened his mouth to speak.
And when he did, five words boomed across the field. Five words I'd never, in my entire life, forget.
"Welcome to the Glade, Greenie."
