Then She Came

Newt 1

I watched the girl climb back down from the treehouse, her small hands gripping the wooden ladder tightly. The feeling in my stomach hadn't left and in fact, had grown stronger. Something was wrong. The Creator's wouldn't send up a girl. 

But they did.

And that is what stumped me most. It had been boys for a little over a year and a half. Then there she was. When I had expected to find a teenage boy freaking out in the box, I found a girl instead. 

I could tell that everyone's eyes were following her as Alby gave her a tour and explained our living situation. She didn't seem to mind, but if she did, she didn't show it. 

She was small, that was for sure. When she stood up, she barely came to my shoulder. Her dark hair was plastered to her forehead and neck with water and her clothes were slightly damp. 

That's another thing, a Greenie had never come up with wet hair before. 

It all made no sense. 

--

Dinner that night was silent. No one had said a word. They all watched the dark-haired girl walk in, grab a plate, and leave. She left alone and when I had walked back outside, she sat alone under a tree, just staring at the big stone walls with wide eyes. 

"Scared?" I asked, going to sit next to her. She looked over at me and it felt like she saw right through all my lies. "There is nothing to be scared of." 

"That isn't what Alby said." She spoke before shoveling peas into her mouth. "He said that there are monsters in the maze that want to eat us." She gave me a look and I didn't really know what to say. "You don't have to lie to me, Newt." 

"Oh, okay." I had said and she just gave a small smile. "But they don't come into-" 

The walls started to close, the loud grumbling covering my voice. But the girl had jumped up, eyes wide as she looked around with wide eyes. I could see goosebumps on her arms.

"Are they coming?" She yelled, just loud enough for me to hear. 

"It's just the walls closing!" I yelled back and then her eyes had found the walls moving and they widened farther. "It keeps the Grievers out at night!" The walls closed with a loud bang, causing the ground to shake. 

"Grievers?" She asked after she had caught her breath. 

"The monsters Alby told you about." She nodded and moved to sit down before stopping halfway. She whispered something, but I didn't hear it.

"What?" I asked, moving to grab her arm. "Is everything alright?" 

"Maya." She said and then smiled, a smile that lit up her entire face. "Maya!" I must have given her a bewildered look because she laughed jumped giddily into the air. "My name! It's Maya!" 

Then I did smile. "It's nice to meet you, Maya." She just laughed before running off, leaving her plate on the ground next to the tree. I picked it up and brought it back to Fry Pan. If he had found out that a plate was missing the next morning, it would be a very sticky situation.

A few short minutes later, every Glader that could walk was around the bonfire to celebrate the new Greenie. It's become a tradition to honor the kids. But it's more like a 'you're stuck here now kid, better get used to it' kinda thing. 

Boys were shoving each other around by the fire as Fry Pan roasted a pig over the fire for the next morning's bacon.  Maya was sitting with the Runner's, doubled over clutching her stomach, her body shaking with laughter. Minho was strutting in front of her with a hand on his hip and the other playing with his hair. She took one look at him and was laughing again, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

Alby sat alone, staring at the fire and then every few minutes, switching his gaze to the brown-haired girl. His eyes held nothing of emotion but instead careful, calculating signs. He was thinking all right, thinking a lot. 

"You think she is here to destroy everything we built?" He asked after I sat down next to him. I shrugged, not knowing an answer that would satisfy his thoughts. I had thought about that myself. "After a year and a half of sending up boys, we get a female shank." I smiled a bit at that he smirked slightly. 

"It is odd, but she was just as scared as you and I were when we woke up laying on that grass. If she is here to destroy something, she doesn't remember what." I said and Alby nodded. 

The Gladers partied long into the night as the sparks from the fire rose into the air. Eventually, the fire was just embers and everyone went to bed. 

I knew Maya was probably knocked out cold in the infirmary downstairs, where Alby decided that she would sleep for the following nights. Yet I lay awake on my cot, tossing and turning. Sweat stuck to my back and made the bed sheets slick. 

I could hear the Griever's screams cutting through the air, causing me to sit up and look towards the window with only wood keeping the outside, out. What if Maya isn't asleep? 

Before I know it, my thoughts get the best of me and I am climbing off the cot. The wooden flooring creaks beneath my bare feet as I slide them into my running shoes. 

The Homestead is silent and the only sound is the creaking wood as I make my way through the hallway and down the stairs. Moonlight shines through windows and creates long shadows on the floors as I weave around tables and chairs. 

When I walk into the infirmary, I see a lump wrapped in a white sheet lying on a cot. "Maya?" I ask and the lump moves to sit up. Moonlight reflects on her face as she turns to look at me. Her brown eyes are wide like they were when I first found her in the box. 

"Are you ok?" I asked cautiously and she nodded, pulling the white sheet up to her chin. 

"Was that the Greiver thing you were talking about earlier?" She whispered as if it will break down the stone walls and come after her. 

"Yeah." I brush the hair out of my eyes and she gives me another nod.  "Don't worry, you're safe here." As soon as the sentence left my mouth I knew it wasn't true. And then I felt bad for lying to her. She gave me a soft smile, a smile I felt like I have seen before. But that can't be true. 

"No one is." She already knew. "We're in the middle of a maze filled with monsters, we're not safe here. You don't have to lie about my safety. Again." 

"Sorry," I said, rubbing the back of my neck uneasily. "I'm gonna go now." 

"Ok." She turned over and before I knew it, I was staring at the ceiling of my room again.

HEY GUYS! THIS IS THE REWRITTEN VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER. I AM REWRITING SOME OF THESE CHAPTERS THAT I FEEL NEED A LOT OF WORK SO HOPEFULLY THIS IS A LOT BETTER THEN THE ORIGINAL VERSION BUT *SHRUGS*