Defying the Glade.

Into the Light!

I woke up in complete darkness. The floor beneath me was icy cold, metal against my skin. My hands searched the walls, but all I felt was more metal.

My chest tightened. Where am I?

I tried to think, but my mind was a blank slate. Empty. Terrifyingly empty. Then, like a spark, one word surfaced. My name.
Amelia.

“Well, that’s a start,” I muttered, though my voice shook. I dug deeper, desperate to remember more — anything — but nothing came. Just silence in my head.

Before I could panic further, the room jerked violently and began to rise. The floor rattled beneath me, the walls shuddered, and I staggered. It’s an elevator. Just an elevator… what else could it be? My laugh came out hollow, nervous.

“Hello?! Somebody?!” My fists pounded the wall until my knuckles hurt. “Please! Help me!”

No answer. Only the creak of metal climbing higher and higher. Tears burned in my eyes as the elevator screeched to a halt.

A loud clang echoed above me. Light seeped through cracks in the ceiling. Voices. Dozens of them.

The hatch ripped open, and sunlight blinded me.

“Shuck, guys,” a voice with a British accent called. “You’re not gonna believe this.”

Another boy snapped, “Just tell us what you see!”

“It’s a girl.”

My pulse roared in my ears. Shapes appeared above me — boys, too many boys — all staring down. One of them dropped inside, tall with dirty-blond hair and that unmistakable accent.

“Hey,” he said gently, raising his hands as if I were a wild animal about to bolt. “We’re not going to hurt you, love. You’re safe here. Trust me.”

I pressed myself against the wall. Trust? These strangers? But the thought of staying in this dark box was worse. I nodded.

He smiled slightly and held out his hand. I slipped mine into his, and warmth steadied me for just a second. “That’s it. Come on, up you go.”

The other boys hoisted me toward the light. My face flamed as the one with the accent smirked. “Are you going to climb out, or just keep staring at me?”

I rolled my eyes, embarrassed. My arms shook as I reached for the edge, but it was too high. “I can’t… quite reach,” I admitted, cheeks burning hotter.

“Then climb on my shoulders,” he offered simply. “Gally’ll grab you.”

“What? No, I’ll crush you!”

Laughter erupted around us, but his expression stayed patient. “It’s either that, or you stay down here with a pack of shanks gawking at you. Your choice.”

In a heartbeat, I climbed onto his shoulders, wobbling as he steadied me. He smirked again. I rolled my eyes harder. With one last desperate stretch, Gally’s hand clamped around mine and yanked me out into blinding sunlight.

Grass. Real grass beneath me. For one dizzy moment, relief washed over me. Then I saw the towering walls, the huts, and the crowd of at least forty boys staring at me.

And that’s when my panic truly began.

My chest tightened, breaths sharp and uneven. The ground swayed beneath me. Wake up, Amelia. Wake up, this has to be a dream. My hands clawed through my hair. “Why am I here? Why can’t I remember anything?!” My voice cracked into a scream.

Someone crouched in front of me, calm but firm. “Hey, you’re fine. All of us went through this. We’ll help you get through it too.” His eyes locked on mine. “In and out, nice and slow. Breathe. You’re safe, alright? The name’s Newt, by the way.”

The name barely registered. I was shaking, dizzy, confused. “This is all so confusing. Where the hell am I? And why… why am I the only girl here?”

I tried pacing, but my legs buckled. Newt caught my chin, tilting it up until my frantic gaze met his steady one. “Focus on my eyes. Just breathe. In and out. You’re gonna be fine.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks, part embarrassment, part something else I didn’t want to admit.

“How can I calm down?!” I shouted. “I woke up in a dark elevator, no memory but my name, surrounded by fifty boys in this—this prison!”

Newt silenced me with a gentle hand over my mouth. “Deep breaths, love. Just breathe.” And before I could protest, he pulled me into a hug. My racing heart slowed, just a little.

I blinked up at him. “Where am I?”

He gave a small smile. “You, my friend, are at the Glade.”

I looked around again — the walls, impossibly tall; the huts; the stares of boys who seemed both curious and amused. “What’s a… Glade?”

Laughter broke out among the group. One boy sneered, “How does she not even realize where she’s standing?”

I snapped toward him. “Oh, right, and when you got here, you knew exactly what was going on? Remembered everything about yourself?”

The boy’s face reddened. “Well, no, but—”

“Exactly. So shut your shucking mouth.”

Snickers erupted from the others. Newt chuckled softly, clearly trying not to encourage me.

Another boy — Gally — stepped closer. “You good now? Not confused anymore?”

I plastered on a smile. “Perfectly fine. Completely relaxed.”

“Sure,” he muttered, glancing at Newt. “She’s definitely still in shock.”

“I don’t blame her,” Newt said gently. “Poor girl wakes up in a strange place, surrounded by strangers. Anyone would freak out.”

But his words blurred, fading into an indistinct hum. My vision spun, dizziness clawing at me until my knees buckled.

“Amelia? Amelia!” Newt’s voice was the last thing I heard before everything went black.