Sucked Into the Ink (A Maze Runner Story)Discontinued

Prologue

Jade Jonson. Thirteen year old girl with black hair and two different colored eyes. One eye was blue-green and the other was pink-purple. Her heart-shaped face always had a smile, whether she was truly happy or not. She wore blue jeans with a maroon long-sleeved shirt. Her black leather boots reached her knees. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail to keep it out of her face. She sat in her room, looking at the new books she had just bought. Her mother and father were out at work, leaving her alone. She was about to run away. She had been abused and mistreated for her whole life, and she was done. She packed up everything she would need and brought a lot of money with her. Her family was one of the richest in the world, and she could use her family name to get away with a lot of things. But little did she know, the Maze Runner world was real.

In the Glade, boys were milling around. There were only half of the number that there were in the books at the time, but that wouldn't matter later on. They were working, as usual, when a voice interrupted the quiet.

At first, the boys didn't know if they were imagining it or not. But they all gathered around the Box and listened, while out in the Maze, the Runners slowed down to hear. They turned and made their way back to the Glade, walking. They joined the others as they sat around the Box.

"Alright, it hasn't returned so get to work," Alby commanded.

'The Maze Runner.'

There it was. The voice. It was a female's, they could tell. Frowning, the boys looked around, but it seemed to be a whisper on the wind.

'Chapter One.'

"Chapter One?" Newt asked. "Is this our story? Maze Runner?"

"Seems to be," Minho replied easily. "Where else would someone find a giant maze?"

They waited to hear their story but all they heard were names every now and then. The rest of the words were drowned out and unable to be heard. Every time they heard their name, a boy cheered or clapped happily. Soon, the voice took on a curious tone, as if wondering what was going on. A few new names were tossed in. For the next few weeks, the Gladers heard this mysterious voice reading their story. It was during the third and last book, The Death Cure, that her tone took on a sad note.

When Newt's name was said near the end, her voice choked up and stopped. This made lots of heads turn to look at Newt, fearing for his life. Newt himself sat there, stunned. Did he die? Is that why this girl sounded so distraught? He didn't know, but he did know he wanted to live, for her.

Over the next year, her voice repeated the stories from beginning to end. The boys got used to it and were scared when her voice didn't start reading the next day, the day Thomas arrived.

Jade had been sleeping in later than normal when she awoke to the snap of a twig. In an instant, her gun was up and ready, bag on her back. When she heard a gunshot, she took off running, shooting behind her. She was running from someone with a weapon. Her father.

The Gladers were doing their jobs when they heard a scream. But it was female. And the worst thing? They recognized it as their readers' voice. All eyes widened and heads turned. She wasn't there, as they had expected. They gathered near the Box and listened to the painful screams.

'Please, no! Not again! I've had enough of pain! Father! Leave me alone!'

'Shut up, you insolent child!'

A new voice entered. A man's. They assumed that it was the girl's father. And they felt anger well up in them.

'You will no longer have your books and stupid stories! These characters! Alby, Newt, Chuck, Thomas! All of them! They aren't real! They're fictional characters in a book! They can't save you!'

The Gladers grew angry at this man, who was saying things that he didn't know were wrong. They were very much real, just in a different dimension. And they were also angry that this man was hurting her.

'Neither can you! These books are all I have! All of my friends are fictional! The only friends I have are the ones that exist in ink! You wouldn't understand because you don't understand me! Nor will you ever! You've never cared about your own daughter! Father, you've beaten me, abused me, insulted me for as long as I can remember! I hate you! I don't care if your my father, I hate you! Leave me alone! And never come back for me again!'

'Fine! Good luck! Your fictional characters aren't here to help!'

After a few minutes, the sobbing subsided and left nothing but quiet sniffling.

'If I could have only one Glader with me right now, it would be Newt. He would know what to do. He's my favorite character. And right now, I need someone who would listen to me. And he would.'

"Of course I would, love," Newt whispered quietly, feeling tears prick his eyes as he listened to the voice he had fallen in love with.

A few minutes later, once they had all gone to work once more, they heard an alarm. The Newbie Alarm. They all turned to look at the Box and frowned. They ran over and crowded around it. When it opened, they didn't need to be told who the newcomer was. They knew.

It was her.