Variables → Group B [AU]

09 → "ANOTHER ARRIVAL"

09 → "ANOTHER ARRIVAL"

IT SEEMED ALMOST funny to Adeline how quickly everyone moved forward since the attack and the death of Victoria. It felt unfair that the serum saved the four of them who survived, but one girl wasn't as lucky. Like it didn't work for her. Maybe Adeline was just overreacting, maybe they were too late getting the serum into her and before the serum could do anything to save Victoria, her heart stopped. But, whatever had happened, wasn't the reason why she was mad. According to Matt, after the Changing you're not the same person, and of late Adeline didn't feel like herself. The Changing had made Adeline quick to anger and prone to irritability than before.

Adeline had been given the green light to work again at the start of the new week, as long as she was careful. The newbie had yet to arrive, which sparked some worry in everyone. Everyone had been on edge since the attack, and according to Harriet, the day the new girl was due to arrive was the day of the attack, which made everyone feel like something was off. It'd been two weeks since the attack, two weeks since the Newbie was due to arrive. Almost two full weeks since Victoria died. Adeline was finishing up in the Gardens with Susie, the Mappers arriving back, the doors due to close any minute, when an alarm started blaring around the Sector, the sound bouncing off of the walls. Adeline covered her ears to drown the deafening sound, turning to the Keeper of the Gardens, eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Newbie alarm." Susie yelled over the alarm. "The Box is coming up."

Susie wandered away towards the Box, while Adeline stood there watching the girls race towards the Box. Adeline started moving towards the Box, and by the time she got through the crowd, two girls were lifting open two metal doors. Girls were peering down, trying to get a glimpse of the Newbie. By the time Adeline peered down, she found a girl with long brown hair, hair tied back into a ponytail. Her brown eyes peered up at the girls watching her, terror on her face. Like Harriet had done for her, a rope was thrown down and she was told to hold on. Adeline watched as the girl followed Harriet's order, and a group of girls pulled at the rope, lifting the girl up and out of the box. By the time she was on her feet, girls were making smart remarks like they'd done when Adeline had arrived.

"Where the hell am I?" She quizzed. "Who the hell are you people?"

There was something about the girls voice that struck Adeline as familiar. The girl eyed the crowd of girls smirking at her, before her eyes widened in shock. She slowly moved towards the back of the crowd, eyes locked on the Walls that enclosed the girls inside the Sector. The girl turned towards them, eyebrows scrunching together.

"What is this place?" She quizzed them.

As if on cue, the sound of the Maze walls closing, signaling dusk, echoed around the Sector. The sound of the Doors closing started with a loud boom, which was then followed by a loud crunching and grinding sound, which Adeline swore she'd never get use to. The grinding sound gave Adeline chills, the same type of chills you get when someone drags their nails down a chalkboard. The Newbie shrieked in fright at the sound, almost tumbling to the ground in shock. The doors started closing in their usual pace, the crunching and grinding noise continued to echo around the Sector. The Newbie was too busy watching the doors close in both shock and awe to say anything else. When the doors had finally closed, the girl's voice broke out in alarm.

"What the hell just happened?" She rushed out. "What is this place? Who are you people? Why can't I remember anything?"

Harriet raised her hand to stop the girl from asking any more questions, before sharing a glance with Sonya. "It's a long story. We don't know why we're here, nobody can remember anything but their names. Speaking of which, I'm Harriet, and this is Sonya." Sonya gave a slight wave. "When I'm not around, she's in charge. What's your name, Newbie?"

The girl was trying to process every word that had rushed out of Harriet's mouth. After a moment she spoke. "Rachel."

Adeline's eyes widened, and from a couple girls down from her, she found Beth perk up at the name. Both Beth and Adeline exchanged a glance with one another.

"Well." Harriet gave a smile. "Welcome to the Sector."

The girls started clearing away after Harriet went to give Rachel a brief tour of the Sector, many heading to eat dinner. Adeline went to follow when someone grabbed hold of her arm. Spinning around to scold whoever had grabbed her arm, she found Beth.

"I saw her during the Changing." Beth lowered her voice as girls passed them. "And judging by the look on your face when she mentioned her name, you saw her too."

Adeline wrestled her arm out of Beth's grip, looking around to make sure nobody was listening. "Actually, she talked to me while I was unconscious. I don't know how."

Of course, this was true, but Adeline didn't want to mention that she talked telepathically to her before the attack, and that she had been warning her alongside the boy. Now she knew why she'd never talked to her telepathically after the Changing.

"I think she's apart of them." Beth's said, ignoring her words about the girl talking to her inside of Adeline's head. "She's apart of the people who put us here."

—

Adeline sat at her normal table, in her normal spot, alongside Harriet and Sonya. But the spot beside her where Victoria had once sat, had been taken by the new girl Rachel, who didn't seem to recognise Adeline. Whoever put them here sent her up too. Beth's words ate away at Adeline;

"She's apart of the people who put us here."

After dinner, another bonfire had been held, but the once joyful mood of the normal bonfire had been replaced with a somber mood. Nobody was having fun, no matter how hard everyone tried. Adeline had also been given the duty of making Rachel feel welcome, as Adeline was no longer the Newbie and apparently they assigned this job to the last Newbie.

"So." Adeline tried to make conversation, but it had failed. She had nothing to say to Rachel. Adeline wanted to mention the fact that she had been warning her weeks ago about the recent Griever attack, but that subject had to be pushed away.

"What's out there?" Rachel asked after a few moments silence. Around them, girls chatted with their friends.

Adeline turned to Rachel, eyebrow raised. "Didn't Harriet tell you when she gave you the tour?"

"Well, yeah." Rachel replied. "She mentioned a Maze, but she just told me never to go into the Maze and that only — what did she call them again? — Mappers could go out there. But, what I mean is, what's really out there that's so bad they have to seal us inside this place?"

"You don't wanna know." Adeline replied. Rachel huffed in annoyance, seeming annoyed at how subtle Adeline was being about this place.

"Why can't you tell me?" Rachel snapped. "Is it such a secret that you can't tell me?"

Adeline stared at Rachel, and Rachel stared back at her for a moment. Then, Rachel looked down at the stick she was fiddling with in her fingertips.

"Forget it." Rachel huffed in frustration. Adeline sighed, crossing her legs. They continued to sit in silence, the crackling of the fire and conversations getting lost into the silence. "I'm just so confused." Rachel admitted not long after. "I wake up in a freaking box and suddenly I'm thrown into this whole new life, and nobody will tell me anything except what Harriet told me. New life starts now, Harriet told me. Don't ask questions and just move on, someone else said. This is all too much, I'm going to bed."