The Maze Runner: Rewritten

The Choosing

Disclaimer!
I have failed. TMR still belongs to James Dashner.

Steph shook Rio awake just as grumbling noises started to fill the air. "Listen to that, First-Timer." She said. "Them rush walls close every night and open every morning." Rio sat up and swung her legs out of the hammock. As she stepped out of the hammock building with Steph right behind her, she could see that the doors were moving. The ancient doors creaked and shifted with sounds like thunder overlaid with screechy ones. They moved a little bit at a time, but steadily glided towards one another before they closed with a loud bang. Rio was amazed and scared at the same time. She wondered how something so big could actually move. And she also wondered how in rush's name did she not wake up to these loud noises yesterday. Steph punched Rio on the arm and said "Oh yeah! Almost forgot, First-Timer. Your dagger is done, made a matching one if ya want it." Rio eagerly nodded her head. She couldn't wait to see how they turned out. It was getting dark, but they walked over to the smith's fire anyways. Steph plucked two long daggers with leather-wrapped handles. Rio was immediately astonished by how good they looked. Sharpened on both sides with a tip that looked like it could slice a tree open with no effort whatsoever, they were the most beautiful knives she had ever seen. "How did you get the handle on?" She asked. Steph smiled, obviously proud of her creations. "The little metal bit under the handle is called the tang." She said, tryin* to explain it." You heat it up and push a piece of wood onto it, burning a hole that's the perfect size. Then, you take the wood off and put a little of this inside it." She picked up a tube of what Rio assumes was glue. "Before you ask, this was sent by the founders. We asked for it, sending a little note down the lift. After the glue has dried, you take some leather and coat that in glue too. Put it on the wood, and ya get a perfect handle." Rio nodded, head reeling with all this information. "Who are the founders?" She asked. "We dunno." Steph replied. She put the daggers in Rio's hands and called over two girls. Harriet and one Rio didn't recognize. Harriet stopped in front of them and said "This is Sonya, my co-leader." She said, pointing to the girl. Sonya had long, light blond hair put in a side-braid. Sonya smiled and formally shook Rio's hand. "It's time for The Choosing, First-Timer." Sonya said. "Come to the pond with us and pick a job." Rio hesitated before asking "What if I... didn't feel comfortable with any of them?" Harriet and Sonya exchanged looks, and Rio felt extremely nervous. Her palms were sweaty, she she wiped them on the side of her pants, silently willing Harriet and Sonya to make a decision. "Ya become a hopper." Harriet said. "You just help out around the Field and train with other hoppers." "Train?" Rio asked. Harriet nodded. "The hoppers really don't have no specific job, but they help out where they're needed. On their free time, they fight. Learn how to survive. They got so good that every so often they teach us normal sticks." Rio knew at that moment that she wanted to be a hopper. She could help everyone and learn some skills that only the hoppers knew. "I'll be a hopper, then." She said confidently. Sonya smiled. "Harriet told me you're a special one. C'mon, or it'll be too dark to see where we're steppin'."

Rio, still holding her knives, followed Harriet and Sonya deep into the forest. They soon came upon a little pond covered in smooth rocks. "Pick one." Harriet said. "You'll keep it for the rest of your life, be passed on to your best mate when ya die." Rio crouched at the edge of the pond, and picked a smooth gray rock that fit into her hand. Sonya crouched next to her and told her to carve her name and the word hopper into the rock, along with anything she would like. Rio started carving a pretty boarder around the edges of the rock, mimicking the way the vines on the Labyrinth walls swooped and fell. She was so absorbed in her carving that she didn't even notice Harriet and Sonya quietly walking away, going back towards the Field.