Mary: The First Girl

2

"Welcome to the glade, Greenie." He said, "I'm Newt."

My eyes widened at his words, and I bit my lip, nervously. I felt my fist clench, as he stepped towards me. I stepped back.

Silently, I stared at him. His hair was light blonde, and his skin was tanned. He wore pants and a dark sweatshirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms. His lips naturally turned upwards.

"Who are you?" I demanded, stepping back, as if he hadn't just told me his name. "And where the hell am I?" I was surprised by the sound of my own voice, albeit panicked. It was deeper than I expected, but still soft and feminine.

I tried to hide my shock as I learned something else about myself. Instead, I tilted my chin up, as he was much taller than me, and met his steady gaze, staring hard into his dark eyes.

My heart pounded. I was afraid, but I sure as hell was not going to let them hurt me.

"I just told you. I'm Newt, and your in the Glade." He replied, his voice light. He inched closer, holding his hands up in surrender. "Don't worry, Greenie. I won't hurt you, you're safe."

I didn't relax. He held his hand out for me to shake. But, I took it, grasping it firmly. His hands were tough, and calloused.

"Where the hell am I?" I demanded, stepping closer, still ready to fight. "Why am I here? Why can't I remember anything?"

I saw something flash in his eyes. Sympathy, perhaps, but then he took another step back, lowering his hands.

"Look, love, you're in the glade. We can't explain everything immediately, but I promise we'll tell you, if you calm down. Trust me." He said. And in that moment, I knew I needed to trust him, if only because I had no other option. I closed my eyes, inhaling slowly. My heart beat began to slow, and the blood rushing in my ears grew faint.

When I opened them, I noticed his eyes were scanning my body. I sucked in my breath, surprised.

"What's the glade?" I finally said, as if in defeat, and looked up again. Dozens of boys were leaning over the hole we were in, ranging from early to late teens.

The tall boy grinned, revealing a set of perfect teeth and crooked smile, clearly relieved by my answer. "We'll show you."

"Send rope down!" He bellowed, turning away from me. A rope was thrown down, clanging against the wall.

He gestured for me to go first, and I stumbled, nervously, as I walked. I nearly fell, but the boy placed a hand on my shoulder to steady me. It lingered. I smiled, tightly, and grabbed onto the rope, letting them pull me up. I slowly rose above the metal, bouncing against the wall with each inch I passed.

"Damn, she's heavy for a girl." I heard above me, "Let me see! Dibs! Is she hot?" People were calling out. I bit my lip, still confused as hell, but somehow to overwhelmed to process the fact that they all seemed astonished that I was a girl.

As I neared the top, about eight feet above the ground, I grabbed onto the wall, letting go of the top, and hoisted myself over the box, rolling onto the grass. I turned, realizing the blonde boy was right behind me, except he stepped above with ease, already standing.

I stood up, dusting my jeans off nervously. I was surrounded by dozens of boys, and beyond that, rolling fields and woods and a few buildings. I took in the supposed glade, slowly turning as I did. Everything seemed so green, so perfect.

And then I noticed the walls. High and threatening, silver and rusted.

"What the..." My mouth formed the words, but no sound came out.

"Welcome to the glade, greenie!" The blonde boy seemed to be in almost as much of shock as me, but I didn't know why. The others around me seemed astonished by my presence, their gazes hard and unforgiving.

And then I realized. I was the only girl.

"What's your name?" People were shouting that, among other things I'd rather not write. "Damn!" They eyes were hungry. It was like I was surrounded by hyeanas. I slowly turned to the blonde boy, seemingly the nicest.

"Why-" I started. But he was glaring at the crowd.

"Hey! Get back to work! And get the supplies!" Someone bellowed, and most immediately scattered. What was left of the crowd slowly parted, and as the boy, who probably yelled that, made his way though, people ran, or began lifting the crates.

By the time he reached me, it was only the three of us.

The boy was tall, and his skin was dark, glistening under the beating sun. His gaze was harsh, and his face seemed to be fixed in a permanent scowl. He wore dark jeans and a shirt that clung to his defined arm muscles. He crossed his arms as he walked.

"You're a girl." He said simply, his voice deep and rough. But he didn't look at me like the others. He looked at me with disdain. I tended as he neared, stepping back from both of them. I looked down at myself, as if to check, then nodded. I was clearly a girl, that much I knew. Well, that, and my name was Mary.

"So, what?" I asked, but he ignored me, shooting me a look of irritation.

"We'll have a meeting. Decide what to do, tonight. Until then, give her the tour, and make sure no one gets near her." He said simply. Newt nodded, and the boy turned on his heel and walked away, leaving us alone.

I looked back to Newt, "What..." I began, but then realized my questions wouldn't be answered. "Never mind." I muttered, turning away from him. I wanted to run. I wanted to get as far away from here as possible, into a world I understood. But judging by the walls, there was no escape. So instead, I fixed my gaze on the building in the distance, and slowly inhaled.

We stood in silence for a moment.

"I think my name's Mary." I said, finally. That time, my voice was steady. Deeper than what I suspected, almost like honey.

I turned back to Newt, his eyes glued to my face, almost in alarm. But then he smiled. And we began to walk.