The Maze Within {Book 1}

Chapter 44

=Newt=

"Have you seen Elizabeth?" I asked the 22nd person in the Glade.

"I haven't seen her since yesterday at the Gathering," The Slicer, Jake replied.

I nodded before walking over to the Gardens.

I had been looking for Elizabeth since she ran out on me this morning after our fight. Gladers said they haven't seen her since. Some even said they haven't seen her since yesterday at the Gathering.

Everything was a mess. Alby was going through the Changing, another girl comes up into the Glade and we have no idea why she's here, Gally's just about ready to kill Thomas and I was the leader of the Glade. I'm not sure if things can get any worse.

On top of that, I just found out my closet friend is actually my sister.

How was I supposed to juggle all of this?

I scanned the Glade for any sign of the girl, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

I let a sigh escape my lips before a thought suddenly came to my mind of where she could be hiding out.

I rushed away from the Gardens and switched my direction towards the forest behind the Gardens.

"Lizzy!" I called out as I walked through the dense bush.

If there was anywhere Elizabeth would come to be alone, it would be here. She probably climbed a tree too.

I craned my neck upwards so I could see the top of the trees.

I looked at each and every tree only to find them all empty.

"Come on Lizzy, where are you?" I mumbled to myself.

A sudden rustling from one of the tall trees caught my attention.

I turned my head and saw a head of blonde hair in the top if a tree just in front of me.

I rushed forwards and began climbing. I tried to be quiet as I could. Not so I scared her, but so I didn't startle her and cause her to run again.

I got to the branch just below my sister and saw she had her knees up at her stomach and she was crying.

I sighed to myself before speaking to her. "Lizzy?"

Her head shot up and she looked around frantically, looking for me.

I reached up and gently tapped her side, causing her to look down at me.

She jumped up from the spot at the trunk of the tree and started moving towards the edge of the branch.

I then noticed how close she was getting to the end of the branch and how far the fall was.

"Lizzy, don't move," I panicked, climbing onto the branch with her.

"You'll fall if you step back any further," I told her, holding my hands out towards her,

"Come back towards me."

"Why? You said you don't want a sister," She started to cry again.

"Lizzy, you know I never meant that," I gently told her.

She looked at me. "Do I? You said that if all girls were like me, you didn't want a sister ever.

A crack then came from the edge of the branch where Elizabeth was standing. "Lizzy, just come back towards me."

I needed to get her away from there otherwise that branch was going to break.

"No, you said you didn't want anything to do with me," She cried.