The Maze

Chapter 10

Arieth's pov

After a quick rinse-off shower, I went over to my closet wrapped in a towel.

There were a bunch of clothes ranging from plus sizes to stick thin. A sick feeling spread in my stomach.

How many girls had stood here choosing their last outfit. How many had took those outfits into the maze and perished.

I grabbed an oversized t-shirt and some baggy pajama pants. Glancing at the window I saw the sky had gone dark. We had trained all day, but I hardly remember any of it.

Going over to the kitchen I opened the fridge and looked for something to eat. Cutting myself a piece of lasagna, I popped it in the microwave and poured a glass of milk.

Was Harry still up?

There were no clocks in here so I had no idea what time it was. The microwave dinged and I took out my dinner and ate it swiftly.

Throwing the plate in the sink I walked back into my room, but something caught my eye.

In the far corner of the room there was a door that blended into the wall. I wouldn't have seen it if it weren't for the faint rectangular outline.

Setting my glass down I went over to the door. It had no knob, just a small indention where I put my fingers in and pulled.

The door came open with a pop and a cloud of dust. Coughing  peered into theknesThe air was still, and stale. It was how I imagined a tomb would be after years of being sealed off. Cautiously I stepped into the room with both hands on the walls. As I continued walking, my head connected with something hard.

I felt with my hands and found a small, metal handle. I pulled on the handle and dust rained down on me from above.

I then realized that it was not a room, but a short hallway with a door at the end. After waving the dust away I peeked my head through the door.

It was a dark room that looked similar to mine. Same furniture, same layout, same barred window. I jumped as I heard a soft hissing sound come from the corner.

It was coming from a bed on the other side of the room. I sighed, it was just a person moving around in the sheets.

Creeping up to the bed I found a sleeping boy tangled in the sheets. I paused.

This was Harry's room. I had found a door that connected our rooms. This could come in handy. Tomorrow was our last day in training. Maybe Harry and I could get together and make a plan to escape somehow.

I rubbed my hands together evilly as I thought of the possibilities. Harry mumbled something then turned over so he was facing me.

I stared at his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful and serene. I stifled a laugh as I watched him talk in his sleep. Then two words caugcaught me, making me stop.

"...pretty eyes..."

Pretty eyes? Who was he dreaming about? It couldn't be me could it? Butterflies flew in my stomach at the thought of him dreaming about me. No, it's probably some girl he liked before he was chosen.

I left Harry and went back to the hidden door, but just as I was closing it I heard him softly whisper,

"Ari..."

******

By the time the guard Adam knocked on my door, I was already dressed and waiting by the door. He raised his eyebrows at me then gestured to head to training.

I walked past what I guessed was Harry's door and heard shuffling from the other side. I continued on to training and once I got there I went to the throwing range.

Grabbing a handful of small knives I threw them until Harry showed up. He popped his head through the door looking a little run down.

I caught his eye and waved him over. Handing him a knife I smiled.

"Morning sunshine, how'd you sleep?"

He stared at me like I was crazy. I knew I wasn't making sense to him. With the way I had been acting and all of a sudden he was my pal? I can see how he'd be confused.

But I think we could do this. We could work together in the maze.

"Good..." He said uncertainly and looked at the knife.

I threw another knife and smiled at him.

"Good. Now let's get down to business sleeping beauty. If we are going to have any chance of surviving the maze then we need to work on our weaknesses."

"I'm not very good at shooting." He admitted.

"I don't think that'll be a problem because we aren't allowed guns. But I wouldn't be surprised if they threw that in the maze." I said throwing another knife.

"I mean shooting in general... like bows and crossbows..." He said looking down. It looked like he had a hard time admitting his weaknesses.

"I can teach you that. And I need you to teach me how to fight rough. Like you do." I said.

He gave a little laugh and nodded.

"Okay." A light came on in his eyes and his whole body seemed to perk up. He looked excited at the thought of working together.

Maybe this was his plan all along. From the beginning he had been the nice one. All smiles from the first day... Which was yesterday, but that doesn't matter.

Harry and I are going to do this, together.

***

I taught Harry how to shoot and he showed me how to fight. The bell rang and we headed back to our separate rooms.

Or so he thought...

I was going to visit him tonight, and we were going to escape.

****************************** (castiass_2)