Strange Atmosphere | Aris Jones [1]

12 || More Changes and Clues

Sonya decided to hold a Meeting as soon as Gwyneth and Amelia got Harriet settled in and taken care of. Maeve admitted that Harriet had been stung by a Griever and that she hit Harriet on the head to avoid any further problems such as Harriet spazzing out uncontrollably. We all crowded into the Homebase, at the same place we had the last Meeting, and let Sonya be the first to speak up.

"Well, things are changing around here. There's no denying that," she said. "First, Claire gets stung, then Harriet."

"And now our Newbie here..." Beth intervened, standing up and pointing at Rachel that was sitting in the corner.

"Only Keepers are allowed to talk, Beth," Sonya stated. "We let it slide last time..."

"I know, but just hear me out," she protested. With hesitation, Sonya motioned her to continue. "So the Newbie here has taken it upon herself to go into the Maze, which is a clear violation of one of our rules here."

"Yeah, but she saved Harriet's life," Esther pointed out.

Beth scoffed, raising her eyebrows. "Did she?"

"Well, Harriet's not still in the bloody Maze, right?" Maeve spat out.

Beth rolled her eyes and continued. "For two years, we have coexisted with these things, and now the Newbie has killed one of them. Who knows what that could mean for all of us."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Sonya asked, sounding almost annoyed.

"She has to be punished," she replied.

The girls began to protest, standing up from their seats and shouting all over the place.

"Come on!" Cora yelled.

"She killed a Griever for crying out loud!" Nancy added.

"Okay, stuff it, everyone!" Sonya commanded, letting the room quiet down. She looked at Maeve. "You were there with her, Mae, what do you think?"

Maeve walked up to the front and glanced at all of us, exhaling. "I think, in all the time we've been here, no one has ever killed a Griever before. Believe it or not, when I was out there, I ran. I was terrified."

Beth snorted.

Maeve shot her a glare, then went back to telling her story. "But this dumb stick..." She pointed at Rachel. "She stayed behind and helped Harriet. Honestly, I don't know what her deal is, but..." She paused for a moment, then stated, "I say we make her a Runner."

The chattering among the other Glenners increased once more. The protests and arguments were beginning to rise up again when Sonya got them to keep their mouths shut.

"Look, if you sticks want to throw the Newbie a party, that's fine. But if there's one thing that I know about the Maze is that--"

"Beth, I don't bloody care what you have to say. You're not even a Runner," Maeve cut her off.

Then, abruptly, the alarm from the Box went off. We all exchanged glances in confusion, then followed Sonya and Beth out of the Homebase and to the Box.

The alarm shouldn't be going off. What the hell was going on?

We all surrounded the Box as Sonya jumped inside. "What is it, Sonya?" Esther called out.

She looked up at all of us. "It's a boy."

Lillie and I exchanged looks of shock and confusion to each other, then we turned back down to the Box.

"Is he dead?" Cora asked.

"I don't know..." Sonya replied, looking at him more closely.

"What's in his hand?" Beth questioned, nodding towards the piece of paper in his hand.