The Huntress Descent

The Labyrinth: Chapter Two

"Are you even listening to me?" Alby seethed through clenched teeth. I refocused on the room, my mind returning from its wanderings. I had been counting down the seconds until I could escape this place. My eyes were fixated on the portrait in the corner of the room. A woman, looked to be in her sixties. Her hair tightly knotted in a bun. A stern expression imprinted on her face. She stared down at me over the head of Alby – the boy that I had been taken to be seen by Jeff.

"Who are you?" Alby's sharp voice snapped me back to the present. His impatience was palpable, and I sat up straight in the chair, gathering my thoughts. Jeff had brought me to this small building and left me there abruptly. I was surrounded by eleven boys of varying heights and builds in a semi-circle. I didn't know any one of them. Jeff had left me there, being quickly booted out the room once I had entered.

There were a few bewildered expressions that dominated the area. I hadn't left the room since I arrived, so of course there would have been a rumour flying around that there was a girl here. This was probably the first time they had seen me up close. And others, well, it seemed that I was a rarity in these parts.

Gally, the boy who had discovered me, gave me a gruesome grin. His yellow teeth sticking out like a sore thumb. I grimaced at him and turned my nose up at him. I wouldn't spend a second longer indulging someone like that. The way they he conducted himself reminded me of someone. But I could quite put a pin in it. The attitude. The sense that they thought that everyone owed them something. That they should be sat further up. It was a familiar trait. But with a memory block, anything was fair game.

Straightened my back in the chair when I was questioned again. I could tell by the way that he acted that Alby was the leader. The way he threw himself round the room. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out. The other boys stayed silent and allowed him to roam freely around. No one, without authority, could conduct themselves like that. Only a leader would.

"Again, who are you?" Alby's frustration was evident as his face contorted from my continued silence. I shook my head. "You don't get to choose. Speak now," he demanded.

The boy crept closer. I pulled myself taller in my chair. My eyes darted around for help until they caught the bright eyes of the golden-hair boy I had seen earlier through the window. He must have recognised the fear in my eyes. He rose from his chair and grabbed Alby by the back of the shirt, pulling him with him.

"Look mate, askin' the same questions again and again ain't gonna get you the answer. She's not gonna talk. We can figure that out late. Remember some of the boys didn't know their names until days later. Maybe it's the same case here. Move on with ya and actually get to the point of the Gathering," the boy reasoned calmly.

Alby huffed in annoyance and pointed at the boy. "Don't interrupt me again, Newt," he warned the boy. Newt replied with a shrug of the shoulders. He leant back on his chair and causally folded his arms.

"Shuck it," Alby muttered, rubbing his eyes. "You're right, there's a better way to do this. No use starting conversations like that." He paused, collecting himself. "I'm Alby," he stated, placing a hand over his chest. "I'm the leader of the Glade. That's Newt," he gestured towards the golden-haired boy who waved slightly. Alby paused again, as if waiting for a cue.

"Man," Alby muttered. He ran a hand over his short hair and let out a deep breath. "I ain't good at this – you're the first Greenbean to arrive since Nick died. Doesn't help that you're a gal. Never had this sorta problem before until your sorry arse showed up. Two years that Box been comin' up with a new Greenie. Like clockwork every month. Not one a gal. Why now?"

"And a week before the actual arrival date," Gally interjected with a sneer.

"Shut it Gally," Alby snapped. Gally blew out hot air and lent back on his chair, a look of disgust plastered on his face. "You know why you here girlie?"