I dreamed that night.
WICKED.
Who were they?
I remembered scientists, doctors, needles, scalpels. Nothing good. I remembered lying in a bed. And that woman's voice. Over and over. WICKED is good. The scalpels continued to prick at my head, like whatever the Grievers used to sting people--
I must have screamed. Because as soon as my eyes flew open, so did my door.
In the split second our eyes met, I wanted to help him. I wanted to get him out of here. Out of this experiment. Away from WICKED. Because he'd been here for years. Which meant they'd thrown him in here when he'd been fifteen--fifteen. They'd taken him from his family for a shuck experiment.
"Hel--"
In a few long strides, I crossed the room and gripped both his wrists. "You need to let me into the Maze."
The puzzlement on his face couldn't have been more evident. "Bloody h-- What are you talking about?"
"The Maze." This time it wasn't just a stupid curiosity to know what was out there. I needed to find clues, clues that would help us get the shuck out of here. "I need to get out there. I might be able to find clues. Clues about WICKED. Clues about why they're doing this to us. Clues to help us get out of here."
I knew what he was going to say. I could see it in his eyes. "Helene--"
I interrupted. "We need to get out of here. We can't stay here forever; you know that. And if you won't let me into the shuck Maze, that might never happen. They sent me here for a reason. And it's not to sit in the Glade all day with everyone else." I grasped his wrists even tighter. "Newt, please. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in here."
He stared at me, looking helpless for a moment. I wouldn't break eye-contact. I needed this, needed to escape. I needed to find WICKED and find out why they were doing this to us.
After what felt like an eternity, he gave me a tiny nod.
Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck. "Thank you," I breathed. "Oh, shuck, thank you." I meant it. I meant it more than I'd ever meant anything in my life.
"Greenie, don't get bloody sentimental--" Newt sounded flustered, to my delight.
Laughing softly, I stepped back. Shuck, I was overreacting.
"Right, then." It was too dark to be sure, but I could have sworn that Newt's face had just turned a shade darker. "You leave with Minho tomorrow morning."
"Good that." My smile was so wide, I was surprised my face hadn't split yet. Yes. Yes. I was going into the bloody Maze. I watched Newt as he turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him. I couldn't help feeling that he could have stayed a while. I would have liked it if he had. My smile faded a little.
Oh, slim it, I told myself firmly. You're going into the Maze tomorrow!
Yet I couldn't quite shake off the feeling of... longing.
§ § §
"You sure you don't want to sit this one out?"
Minho smirked at me, shouldering his pack. I rolled my eyes, giving him a playful shove. The sun had just come up, and we were waiting for the Doors to open.
"No," I said, sticking out my tongue. "It took me forever to get Newt to let me go into the Maze."
Minho opened his mouth to reply, but someone ran up to us at that moment. I raised an eyebrow. The Greenie was going with us? I voiced my question out loud.
Thomas nodded. "Yeah, Minho and I were supposed to go back to the Cliff today. Looks like you're tagging along."
Great. So now I'd finally find out what the Cliff was, after weeks of being threatened with it.
With that hideous grinding sound, the Doors slid open.
I ran in at Minho's heels.
Into the Maze at last.
I ran, the two boys at my side. It was quieter than I'd expected. I didn't understand how a Griever could pop up in here and sting someone. My legs pumped under me, easily keeping me up with the boys. I smirked. Sure, I was a girl. That didn't affect my ability to do everything the boys could.
We ran for a few hours before we reached the Cliff. By that time, all three of us were breathing harder than before. It was a good thing I was fit, I supposed as I pulled my water bottle from my pack and guzzled down the liquid. Then I wolfed down an apple.
"Whoa there, ya dumb shank," Minho said, only taking a few gulps of his own water. "You need to save it, or you'll die later."
I grinned at him. "If I run out, I can always steal yours."
He grinned right back. "I can kick your butt anytime."
Flashing a wink at him, I walked over to the Cliff. It was a sheer drop into darkness--I couldn't see the bottom. I turned back to Minho. "Has anyone ever tried jumping off?"
It was Thomas who answered. "Yes, actually. A few days ago we followed a few Grievers here, and they all... disappeared over the edge. Like... literally."
I frowned. "Literally disappeared."
Minho nodded. "They jumped over the shuck edge and disappeared into thin air."
I picked up a rock and chucked it into empty space. It fell, and seemingly never hit the ground. I looked at the boys. "How is that possible?"
Thomas shook his head. "Maybe there's a certain space that if you fall through, you disappear...?"
"But then where would you go?" I persisted.
He just shrugged and started throwing rocks off the Cliff. Minho soon followed suit, so I did the same. I couldn't help feeling a bit ridiculous. Like a little kid, lobbing rocks into a lake.
But then, after time passed, something miraculous happened.
A rock disappeared in midair.
Minho stared at us. "Did you shanks see that?"
Thomas pursed his lips for a moment, then threw another rock at the same space. Same result.
Holy shuck.
This could be our first real clue.
I turned to the boys. "You said the Grievers jumped through there?" When they nodded, excitement sparked through me. "There way in--"
"--could be our way out!" Thomas finished my sentence.
Minho couldn't hide his smile. "Newt will want to hear about this. Let's go back, before deciding if we're going to jump to our possible deaths."
Their way in could be our way out.
We might actually have a chance in getting out.
